My Grandfather's 1918 Vintage Gibson A-4 Mandolin & Original Case

[Arizona23]

I will be making a for sale ad for this thing soon, but I figured someone here might want to see this interesting piece of history. I like that it is 100 years old!

Here are some details I've gathered from my research:

Gibson A-4 Mandolin from 1918 with Original Gibson Hard Case. Vintage / Antique.

This being an A-4, it is the top of the line in a Gibson oval hole, teardrop shaped mandolin, made from the finest woods. Gibson numbered their models starting with A-Jr. (very plain), then A-, A-1, A-2, A-3 and finally A-4, each having incrementally advancing niceties and details. The A-4 has crème celluloid binding on top, back and neck, crème celluloid oval soundhole rosette surrounded on each side by "rope" marquetry, a crème bound soundhole, an ebony fingerboard with 6 mother of pearl large dotmarker inlays, a slide-on "The Gibson" original tailpiece cover and an original one-piece ebony bridge with compensated saddle.

The color is Red Sunburst

The body has 2 cracks as seen in the pictures. It would cost close to $400 to have it properly fixed really nicely, but it could be fixed for much cheaper.

The pick guard is also missing.

Otherwise, everything is original and in good order. With a new set of strings, it will still play and sound great.

The old picture is of my grandfather (on the left) with the mandolin in question by his feet.

[brunello97]

Great photo of your gramps and his mandolin and his partner.

That's a serious looking pair of cracks in the top. If you can get those fixed up "very nicely" and have this ready to play for $400, it is happy dance time.

Mick

[Arizona23]

Yeah, I was told $400 by a local mandolin expert, but he said not to mess around with it at all. He said don't even clean it or anything as the buyer will know what he wants to do with it. I suppose that was good advice as I don't know anything about mandolins. I personally play a different stringed instrument - electric bass guitar.

[Charles E.]

"We get hot and stay hot!" Gotta love that. Did you ever hear your Grandfather play?

Nice mandolin by the way.

[Arizona23]

If I did, I don't remember it! I was very young when he passed away.

Yeah, funny stuff. They get hot and stay hot!

[Jim Garber]

The body has 2 cracks as seen in the pictures. It would cost close to $400 to have it properly fixed really nicely, but it could be fixed for much cheaper.

Those cracks are pretty serious and may have affected the main internal brace. Two cracks like that look like the top experienced some impact. That, I am sure, accounts for the cost of the repair estimate. That and the missing pickguard lowers value as-is to a buyer. I would opt for fixing it nicely vs. cheaply.

[mrmando]

Ooh, nasty crackses! We hates them!

It's not tremendously valuable in that condition, but if it's priced appropriately, someone will pick it up as a "project."

[grassrootphilosopher]

Do I see some top sinkage?

It costs a healthy amount of money to perform invisibility-repairs on cracks like the ones pictured. In this case the cracks go through the soundhole marquetry, we don´t know about the traverse brace condition, if the heel or neck block is compromised due to the cracks.

I think that this is a much too beautiful instrument to compromise it with a "cheap" repair job.

Please look at the restoration thread that documents the restoration of a vintage Gibson mandolin as a combined effort of several luthiers that are/were frequent posters: https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...tion+challenge

Let us know which route you went.

[Arizona23]

Thanks for the replies everyone!

I'm positive this mandolin has never been hit or smashed/crushed. I don't think the top is sunk in at all. I can get more pictures.
We moved to Arizona in 1992 and it has been stored in a closet here ever since. I was stunned to see the cracks when I opened the case for the first time in a couple of decades. I'm guessing it was from the ultra dry air here, but then again, my 1925 banjo was stored right beside it and it is perfect.

But yes, like I said, I am not going to fix it or even touch it. I know the next owner will want to do it his/her own way.

[allenhopkins]

...We moved to Arizona in 1992 and it has been stored in a closet here ever since. I was stunned to see the cracks when I opened the case for the first time in a couple of decades. I'm guessing it was from the ultra dry air here...

Bingo! Another testimonial to the in-case humidifier (though you do have to pull the instrument out and refill your Dampit frequently).

Check that banjo to see if the fret ends are sticking out the side of the fingerboard. Necks don't usually crack like tops, but dried-out wood still shrinks.