STILL NO ANSWER!
Has anyone seen a picture of a similar instrument?
Thanks
Bernie
____
Due to current budgetary restrictions the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off -- sorry about the inconvenience.
Jimmy, this unattached mandolin top shows what a Virzi looks like when it's mounted inside a mandolin:
Mandolin Cafe Mandolin Glossary - Virzi
Can you check to see if your mandolin has one of these? It would help a lot to know.
-- Don
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[About how I tune my mandolins]
[Our recent arrival]
Never seen a "Gibson Inc." label.
Virzi was evidently multi-national in terms of manufacture and distribution. If this oddity was built by Virzi for Gibson (perhaps to cash in on the overwhelming world-wide popularity of Regal's Octofone [not!]), it could have a "one-of" label, be a prototype that never went into production.
Or not.
Allen Hopkins
Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
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Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
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I just got my Octophone out and compared it to the instrument in the picture. The shape and proportions are indeed different.
I don't know who made the OP's instrument, but I can see nothing that remotely resembles any Gibson characteristics that I am familiar with. Neither does the workmanship resemble any Gibson violin that I have seen. Gibson violins were rather crude looking compared to this instrument.
As far as the theory that it was made for Gibson by Virzi or a European contractor, why would Gibson do such a thing when they could easily make any mandolin family instrument in-house?
My guess is that the label came out of a Gibson catalog or advertisement.
I believe that what we have here in an instrument by an unidentified maker with a false label. It happens all the time in the violin world.
I've seen quite a few oddball Gibsons over the years, but they all still looked like Gibsons. This one does not.
I would be interested to know what this instrument sounds like and what the scale length is.
Last edited by rcc56; Oct-05-2018 at 3:42pm.
Thanks rcc. This info was helpful. I'll just keep the instrument (what would you call it? A mandolin?) for curiosity sake.
Jimmy, if you will measure the distance from the nut to the bridge and tell us what it is, we will be able to tell you whether the instrument is a mandola or an octave mandolin.
It looks like a reasonably well built instrument. With the right kind of strings, it may well be worth playing.
To answer Mike's question about the early use of "Gibson, Inc." on instrument labels, a white oval label with "Gibson, Inc." was indeed in use as early as 1932 or '33. These labels would generally have been used on upper line archtop guitars. http://www.prewargibsonl-5.com/the-a...e-2/4584945560 Go to "L-5 in detail, anatomy of the L-5 page 2 to view one of these labels.
I have seen this label on a couple of late F-4's.
Last edited by rcc56; Oct-05-2018 at 11:28pm.
From rrc56 - " ...why would Gibson do such a thing when they could easily make any mandolin family instrument in-house ?.".If you look at the link in my previous post,Virzi Brothers were making Violins for the Gibson Co. at one point. It's not beyond the bounds of possibility that they also made mandolins of the type in question, which included their 'Tone producer',while Gibson produced their own style instruments. I suppose that we could say 'why didn't Gibson make Violins ?' - they had the builders with the skill to do so,but they didn't.
Purely conjecture on my behalf,but it's not an impossible scenario (IMHO),
Ivan
Weber F-5 'Fern'.
Lebeda F-5 "Special".
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Tokai - 'Tele-alike'.
Ellis DeLuxe "A" style.
Hi Mandotool. I actually stuck a little fiberoptic scope in there. No luck finding the thingamabob.
But I posted better pictures of the label.
Thanks again.
Nut to bridge distance is exactly 20" inches.
Thanks for your help!
We know from looking at it that it is a mandolin family instrument, but not a mandolin.
The jury is still out on whether the label is old and genuine or something that was added later. IF AND ONLY IF the label is genuine, then we could technically call it a "Gibson" although the instrument was not made by Gibson, but an instrument made for Gibson by somebody else and intended for distribution by Gibson. To my way of thinking, this would qualify as a curiosity, but nothing to get excited about.
Much like Fender in the 60's had a series of guitars made by Harmony in the USA with Fender on the peghead -- technically they are Fenders, but nobody gets excited about them. And, they don't have the quality of a "real" Fender.
Regardless of who made it and what it is, it may be a great sounding instrument that somebody can enjoy, IMHO.
The headstock resembles some Italian made bowlbacks I have seen. My guess it is an Italian made instrument that might have some connection to Virzi Brothers who had some connection to Gibson.
Jim
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1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
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Last edited by MikeEdgerton; Oct-06-2018 at 7:02pm.
Charley
A bunch of stuff with four strings
OK, we're done. Thanks everyone. Please review the posting guidelines.
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