American Conservatory with Uke Body- Need Help with ID

**Dale Ludewig** · Nov-08-2018, 5:47pm

Hey all,
A customer just brought this in yesterday. I've never seen one like this. I said Uke body in the title, but this is really like a little guitar. As you will see, this thing is pristine except for a crack in the top and a small piece of herringbone purfling missing. It's American Conservatory and I have the serial number. In the original case which is also pristine except the leather is old and tired. Rosewood body and headstock overlay. Case has LHC pressed into it (Lyon and Healey). Anybody got any ideas as to value? The neck is even straight!
Thanks.

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**brunello97** · Nov-08-2018, 5:52pm

A mandolinetto, Dale. Looks to be in fine condition.
You’re right, L+ H made a reasonable number of them as did other makers.
A search here, or online, for ‘mandolinetto’ should turn up a lot of examples for you.
Howe-Orme made some fine examples. A recent post describes a fine example a fellow just found.
I’ll leave pricing estimates to others. If the neck is good...that’s good...and a bit rare on these.

Mick

**Dale Ludewig** · Nov-08-2018, 6:01pm

Thanks Mick.

**MikeEdgerton** · Nov-08-2018, 6:21pm

Take a look through these threads.

They were really good at making faux rosewood by the way. Amazingly enough those tuners look to be from much later than I would think this would be from.

**brunello97** · Nov-08-2018, 6:42pm

Originally Posted by MikeEdgerton

Take a look through these threads.

They were really good at making faux rosewood by the way. Amazingly enough those tuners look to be from much later than I would think this would be from.

I've long been a big fan of those "faux finish / grain painting" techniques, Mike. A friend some years back was deep into them and taught me a few: marble, tortiseshell, rosewood, quarter sawn oak. I used it on a number of furniture pieces back in the '90s.
Seen some amazing examples in old homes: wainscoting, cabinets, doors, etc.
Cool stuff, sometimes hard to tell from photos. Good eye.....

Mick

**MikeEdgerton** · Nov-08-2018, 7:48pm

I had a friend bring over a big find one day. It was a parlor guitar that for all the world looked like rosewood. Except it wasn't. That doesn't mean this one isn't.

**Dale Ludewig** · Nov-08-2018, 8:00pm

Well, now you got me going. I went and got it out of its case and looked again, inside and out. It's solid rosewood sides and back. I've dealt with the "grained" stuff over the years in both furniture and instruments. Curious. I'll go hunting up the mandolinetto examples.

**MikeEdgerton** · Nov-08-2018, 9:09pm

Cool, then it's more of a homerun.

**brunello97** · Nov-08-2018, 9:10pm

Originally Posted by Dale Ludewig

Well, now you got me going. I went and got it out of its case and looked again, inside and out. It's solid rosewood sides and back. I've dealt with the "grained" stuff over the years in both furniture and instruments. Curious. I'll go hunting up the mandolinetto examples.

Nice, Dale. I just love rosewood.

Here's a link to this fella's recent thrift store Howe-Orme find.

Mick