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Thread: Interesting case

  1. #1
    Registered User tim noble's Avatar
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    Default Interesting case

    You don't see many of these. My 1922 F4 in a friend's case. I have the original case for the mandolin but this one would make my day.
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  2. #2
    Capt. E Capt. E's Avatar
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    Default Re: Interesting case

    Reminds me of a violin I saw at a flea market that was in such a case...only wanted $200 for it. Silly me passed on it. The "fiddle" was easily worth the money...the case probably a good bit more.
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    Registered User William Smith's Avatar
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    Default Re: Interesting case

    That looks to be an M&W case for an F-4, with the single diamond on the accessory lid I'd say 1910-1912! Very Nice case! I think I know where and who has that one among some other very hard to find mandolin cases!

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    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Interesting case

    The case is worth a bit on its own.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
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  5. #5

    Default Re: Interesting case

    Quote Originally Posted by MikeEdgerton View Post
    The case is worth a bit on its own.
    Educate me please. How much is a case like that worth? Is it the scarcity or the actual build that gives it its value? What would be a modern day equivalent to a case like that for a modern day mandolin? Say a case of that nature for a Gilchrist or Ellis. (Only using these as example of what might be in the ballpark of a 1922 F4. I don’t mean they are and don’t wish to start a whole nuther conversation)

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    Registered User William Smith's Avatar
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    Default Re: Interesting case

    Well its a very rare case for an early F-4, so it being one of a handful out there 1500-2000 at least! Maybe a bit more depending on how bad one wants it? Heck I was getting 1000 bucks for Paganoni Loar style replica cases so like anything rare it all depends on who wants it and what they'll pay?

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    Registered User William Smith's Avatar
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    Default Re: Interesting case

    Well I just had to buy this old F-4 case along with a two other cases that will need recovered! So if anyone knows who can recover 2 original Loar F-5 cases please let me know! The KOOL and very desirable Loar green interiors are very nice but the outside for sure will need recovering, one has just bare wood, the other the outside is pretty shot, some is there but rough! Everything is there and installed-hardware etc...Very nice cases and way too hard to find but worth recovering! Please message me if there is someone known that can recover? I thought about Paganoni but not sure if he's still working? My Uncle is really good friends so I'll find out. Does Collings do resto work or a known individual? I'll also call David Harvey at some point! And Mr. Darryl Wolfe!

  9. #8
    Registered User tim noble's Avatar
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    Default Re: Interesting case

    William
    Is it just a coincidence that you bought the cases a few days after I posted the photo? I kinda thought that it was a Loar period case but wasn't sure as I'd never seen a rectangular case other than for F5s. Great score and hope it finds a great mandolin to reside within it.
    Tim

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    Registered User William Smith's Avatar
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    Default Re: Interesting case

    Quote Originally Posted by tim noble View Post
    William
    Is it just a coincidence that you bought the cases a few days after I posted the photo? I kinda thought that it was a Loar period case but wasn't sure as I'd never seen a rectangular case other than for F5s. Great score and hope it finds a great mandolin to reside within it.
    Tim
    Hey Tim, No I knew about that F-4 case and the two Loar cases that Dave M. had as he told me about them awhile back as he is restoring my 1919 OO-18 Martin "My friend I play music with found this old Martin and a 1934 Gibson Roy Smeck Radio Grande Dreadnaught in rare Brazilian back and sides and an old early 20's Whyte Laydie tenor banjo in Erie PA from an old friend of his wifes family and they were actually headed to the trash! No joke man, they were cleaning out their family home in Erie and remembered my friends family gospel band from years ago and called him to see if he wanted a few instruments because they were going to the trash can if he didn't want them! He showed me some pix of the Gibson and I said that was worth some big bucks! But the people didn't care when he told them they were worth good $,they said come and get em as they were going to the trash otherwise so he headed up to Erie and after he got the Gibson and Tenor banjo they said there was another old beat up guitar in the attic they have yet to get out and he said well since I'm here do you mind if I get and take that as well? They said no problem and they actually had to break some of the wall in the attic crawl space to get it out so they did and it turned out to be the old Martin!"
    So he sold the tenor banjo-very clean!, He kept the Roy Smeck Brazilian "that is actually getting a resto by David Harvey at Gibson" And he sold me the Martin for 300 bucks! and that's at Musslewhites and Dave will be fixing that for me. So all in all a great score that shows you people still have neat old RARE instruments that sometimes need rescued from the dumpster! CRAZY huh?!?!
    And Dave knows I have a old quality case obsession so he gave me first dibs on them and I'm thrilled he did that for me! I thought you all would like to hear the story of some fine instruments being saved from certain doom in the trash! They are still out there and unfortunately this is a story about great instruments being saved-how many still get tossed out. What a shame this happens still in this day and age!

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  12. #10
    Registered User tim noble's Avatar
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    Default Re: Interesting case

    That is a crazy story. BRW Smeck in the trash makes me ill. Fortunately they were saved to live another day. I bought a Dyre Bros high end harp mandolin from a guy who found it in the trash - at the farm next to me and I'm rural. I found it for $50 at a local flea market hanging around the neck of a life-sized, carved naked native American woman. Best wall hanger ever.

  13. #11
    Registered User William Smith's Avatar
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    Default Re: Interesting case

    Yes that's a crazy but all true story Tim, some people just don't care or realize what they have or they do but still to the trash they go? My friend said to them all of this is worth good $ but they didn't care, they just wanted to clean out the family home and luckily they called an old family friend or they would've been junked! I'm very happy they were saved, heck the cases for the guitars are very nice, my Martin case is super clean and the 1934 BRW Gibson case looks like a mid 30's Martin D-28 case? "what happened to that Martin?" I probably don't even want to think about that horror story!

    That's a very nice F-4 you have there Tim! I would like to find a Loar era F-4, I missed getting a very nice 24 F-4 with a Virzi, as I was about to get it, it sold! Same with that 24 F-2 with Virzi that was just in the classifieds "for a real good price I may say" I was too late as someone snapped up on that one when I asked about it.

  14. #12

    Default Re: Interesting case

    As Will Smith said, that is an M&W rectangular case for an F-4, probably from the early teens. The raised shape on the compartment lid is a square, set at an angle. I believe this was one of their very early hard shell cases, and later they settled on the double-diamond design on the compartment lid. This case could be dated 1910-1912, as Will said. That was not long after hard shell cases came on the market. At the time Gibson had only leather and canvas cases in their catalog. Maybe these were special order, or they could have been after-market cases. In 1922 Gibson introduced the F-5 and sourced their first rectangular cases from Geib. Clearly Geib copied these earlier M&W cases when they made the Loar F-5 cases. Geib's version has a smaller radius on the corners and a flat top, whereas the M&W version typically has an barrel-vault arch on the lid and rounder corners. Go to my M&W history and scroll down to the 1919 section to see a discussion of these cases. http://www.stevekirtley.org/bullshead.htm

    Steve

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    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Interesting case

    I got an M&W double violin case for $20 at a local violin shop's garage sale. Not as nice as this. I had a luthier modify it a bit and now it holds my Lyon & Healy mandola.
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    Registered User Timbofood's Avatar
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    Default Re: Interesting case

    Thanks for joining the conversation Steve, nice to hear another wise voice!
    Timothy F. Lewis
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    Registered User Simon DS's Avatar
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    Default Re: Interesting case

    I was wondering, Ive just bought myself an Ashbury Octave mandola which came with quite a nice case, and I thought of modifying it a bit.
    See the old case in the photo in the post above where the top cover is flat? There are indents where the bridge and strings have hit the top. I was thinking that a bit of padding on the top cover on either side of where the bridge is might prevent the instrument from doing that?

  20. #16
    Registered User William Smith's Avatar
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    Default Re: Interesting case

    Quote Originally Posted by mrmando View Post
    I got an M&W double violin case for $20 at a local violin shop's garage sale. Not as nice as this. I had a luthier modify it a bit and now it holds my Lyon & Healy mandola.
    Great Score for your Dola!

  21. #17
    Registered User William Smith's Avatar
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    Default Re: Interesting case

    Steve its only through your extensive research and knowledge that I know most of what I know so I give you credit. People often overlook what I believe is an important part of any musical instrument and yep its those glorious old original cases! They are often do to the age well used and abused. So when I can find an interesting mandolin case "they take up less room" and my main instrument I play, I try and get them "I've traded instruments for case's" as I believe they should be cared for. I have a few interesting ones I need to photo and show here, one I don't know what it is?

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  23. #18

    Default Re: Interesting case

    i can get fixated on great cases as well. one trade i did brought a black hand tooled leather case that is off the charts for cool. i buy every good tenor banjo case i can find for my octave mandolins, waldzithers, portuguese guitarras etc.. .

    that case looks fantastic.

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