Help identifying this Gibson Mandolin

[Bill Kammerzell]

The mandolin detective agency at it's very best.

[MikeEdgerton]

...I'm not an expert, but the back looks like birch to me.

Gibson's catalog specified maple for years and they used birch instead. It's been discussed here for years.

[AMandolin]

Is that a plastic handle on the case?

[Lefty665]

Was my understanding that Loar was not fond of birch and phased it out during his reign. Sorry I can't put my finger on the reference at the moment, but it was here on the Cafe. It would not surprise me to learn that Gibson backslid after his departure, or that they did not update their marketing literature.

FWIW, My '37 A-00 has similar looking back and sides. It also has dark mahogany stain, but it has some flame on the back and lots on the sides. That makes me pretty sure it's maple. The back looks a lot more like maple in person than it does in pictures. The differences between the A-00 and A-1/50 were mostly the cosmetics of the wood and the trim level. The A-00 got side and back wood that could not stand the light of a sunburst.

[Jeff Mando]

Looks like maple, to my eyes, also.

[NickR]

My Wards 1642 from 1936 which is derived from the A50 but has no truss rod has some beautifully figured maple in its construction and has a wonderful sunburst that highlights the flame. My 1923 A2 looks like birch, so Mr Loar may not have banished it entirely from his workshops! One thing for sure, its tone and volume are exemplary.

[Lefty665]

My Wards 1642 from 1936 which is derived from the A50 but has no truss rod has some beautifully figured maple in its construction and has a wonderful sunburst that highlights the flame. My 1923 A2 looks like birch, so Mr Loar may not have banished it entirely from his workshops! One thing for sure, its tone and volume are exemplary.

Hi Nick, Small world, my '23 A also looks like birch. My recollection is that it was a process during Loar's reign. By the time he was gone, so was birch. I'll bet someone around here knows what happened and when. One thing for sure is that Gibson was good at highlighting the pretty wood in sunbursts and hiding the rest under mahogany or darker stain.

[Davey]

My 1910 A4 has a Birch back and sounds really great.

Curiously enough my other Mandolin, a 1935 A50 has a really fancy Maple back, but it's hidden under very dark varnish. What a shame. Sounds good though.