Stradolin "Artist" on ebay. Late 30s?

[NickR]

This is an expensive instrument and I have no idea regarding its worth but it looks like a good instrument in good order made from very eye-catching wood. It is missing the tailpiece cover and I do not know if the "Artist" term is correct.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/STRADOLIN-A...temCondition=4

[William Smith]

This one has made its round here on the café classifieds as well-killer woods!

[MikeEdgerton]

I have the same model. The owner is a member here and this is the only place I've ever seen it called a Artist model. The Artist Model Strad-O-Lin was a totally different mandolin. If there is any ad documentation I'd love to see it. By the way, I paid $50.00 including shipping for mine years ago. That was a deal and a half. This is mine.

[NickR]

Yes, yours looks fantastic as well- and it does appear that you really got a good buy. Is it late 30s? Certainly, the tuners on that other example would suggest mid to late 1930s.

[MikeEdgerton]

Mine appears to be late 30's but it doesn't have a date. I've got the ever-so-coveted matching pickguard and tailpiece cover.

[NickR]

Yes, there must be some gremlin that lives in the house and steals these covers! The cover on yours- which I assume is a cloud, also appears to have two dots- is it engraved or is that a trick of the light?

[Bruce Clausen]

Pretty sure that's a post-war Strad. Here's a 'thirties head (but with newer tuners).

And I think the model called Artist was the one where the bridge is centered along the F-holes.

[Timbofood]

Mine appears to be late 30's but it doesn't have a date. I've got the ever-so-coveted matching pickguard and tailpiece cover.

Mike, you are a class act! Sometime we must meet!!

[William Smith]

Some of these 30's so called "Budget" brands are some serious bang for the buck! Be it Stradolins, SS Stewerts, any Gibson depression Budget brand, 30's-40's Harmony's, etc..Plus some have the ultra neat art deco style, inlays/stenciling!

[jaybp30]

I don't have much to add here but I have a similar one with the matching tailpiece cover and pick guard but it had a laminate back and sides and solid top. Still love it. Sounds really nice. It also has these tuner covers.
I keep thinking about upgrading but have yet to fins an instrument in the $1000 range that sounds as good. To be fair I have only played a few but it kicked the crap out of one of those mahogany back Weber Gallatins.

[MikeEdgerton]

I've never seen one that age with a laminated back. Did you have it off? You also have the coveted matching tailpiece cover and pickguard.

[MikeEdgerton]

I don't think it's post war. The tuners look earlier.

I didn't realize the auction had the ad for the Artist. It's clearly not this mandolin.

[Jeff Mando]

Like Mike said, the owner is a member here and seems to be "testing the waters" to find a well-heeled buyer who is willing to pay "Gibson" money for pretty wood. He often lists this mandolin "for sale" in the Classifieds here. He claims to have turned down $1000 for it several times. I believe he has received such an offer on eBay, but "somehow" he still has the mandolin........it confuses me, actually! This has been "for sale" for months, if not years at this point. If not for price, it would have sold a long time ago.

As mentioned, this mandolin has been discussed to death on this forum and I'm sure it is a fine mandolin, but it becomes way less interesting at $1000 than it does at $500-600, IMHO. In NYC, I'm sure it would sell for $600 quickly to the right buyer.

Sometimes at guitar shows I'll see Kalamazoos, MayBells, Wards, Recording Kings, etc., as well as Harmonys, Stellas, and others for ridiculous money -- sure, all good USA stuff made of good 80-90 year old wood from the golden era, but guess what???? They don't sell for those prices. OTOH, for $200-500, they quickly find a new home.

I will say, there is no doubt in my mind that the Stradolin has a "sound" that is worth $1000 or more -- but nobody buys based on that. Do they?

Plus, a cheapskate like me wants a $1000 sound for a couple hundred bucks! That would make sense.......

Kind of reminds me of the old guy putting a for sale sign on his old Harley, so people would stop and visit, but has no intention of selling, so he puts an alligator price on it.....

sounds like a fun hobby if you like to p%ss people off........

Keep in mind, I'm all for free enterprise and seeing what the market will allow..........

oops, sorry, I'm gonna to stop short of going into a rant on this subject........................whew!

[jaybp30]

Mike-Do you mean the back off? I did not have the back off. But you can just tell. There is no grain to it and when you tap on it it just sounds kind of dead, not like the top. Even with it being laminate I paid $300 and paid another $100 for some cracks to be repaired, the brace re-glued, a setup and to have a modern bridge fit to it. To me it was worth the money. I love that thing and even when I one day upgrade I'll be holding onto this one.

[NickR]

I can now see that when Mike mentioned "matching" guard and tailpiece- that the tailpiece is celluloid and those little dots I saw were screws- amazing. This third example, has Kluson tuners and cover plates which must be very rare items. I have a guitar made in 1941 with this arrangement and it was ended by WW2 due to the scarcity of metal. This in my mind confirms that these mandolins were made in the very late 1930s and early 1940s.

With regard to value with the less vaunted mandolins- which often give excellent value for money and playability, I recently bought for $162 BIN off ebay a late 30s Harmony made S S Stewart. The photos showed it in disarray but it had its original hard case. I decided to buy it rather than start lower in the auction. In fact, although the strings were on left handed- they were not tied on and the nut was correct for right hand play. The mandolin sounds superb and apart from the back of the neck, there is no play wear. Action at fret 12 under the Gs is only 1.5mm. I have uploaded one of the ebay photos and one taken after just 45 minutes of work restringing etc- it hardly needed cleaning. I cleaned the rust off the pickguard bracket later!

[William Smith]

Nice mandolin NickR!! There ae loads of these that are really good mandolins, a lot of bang for the buck I think-but I'm a fan of all those neat depression era mandolins-NICE! Also for the $ with that case what a deal buddy!

A few days ago there was a really awesome looking 30's A style, with block inlays in the board, an all black, an SS Stewart I should've tried to get, I loved the look and the peg head was just as neat with white deco stenciling rather than inlay "I believe anyway? It was a looker and all the odd ball 30's I've had budget brand anyway were all built rather well and no power like an F-5 but tone to the bone!

[ollaimh]

Yes, there must be some gremlin that lives in the house and steals these covers! The cover on yours- which I assume is a cloud, also appears to have two dots- is it engraved or is that a trick of the light?

damn gremlins

[MikeEdgerton]

The matching tailpiece cover found on these Strad-O-Lin's were held on by two small rivets.

[your_diamond]

I have the same model. The owner is a member here and this is the only place I've ever seen it called an Artist model. The Artist Model Strad-O-Lin was a totally different mandolin. If there is any ad documentation I'd love to see it. By the way, I paid $50.00 including shipping for mine years ago. That was a deal and a half.

The auction is over & I have taken the Stradolin in the original post, off the market, so I hope I'm not violating Posting Guidelines as this is meant only to shed light on Stradolins.

FIRST OFF, THIS IS CLEARLY NOT AN ARTIST MODEL. Although I've heard more than one vintage dealer wrongly call it that. I've heard it called that so many times, I was WRONGLY under the impression the Artist model of 1933 morphed to this by 1941 (this is dated Sept. 1941 and is the same model as Mike Edgerton's, pictured above). What model this is ...I don't know. Hopefully, someone with a 1940, 1941 or 1942 catalogue can find an advt. & post it here.

Secondly, a couple of months ago I had two offers on this (off of the Mandolin Cafe Classifieds, not eBay), one for $1,100 & one for $1,000. After several phone calls and emails, both times the guys never sent payment. Very annoying but it does happen and there's not much one can do about it.
Is this worth $1,000? I recently sold a Master Model (on Craigslist) for $695 that was not nearly as nice.
Recently, my doctor gave me Indomethacin that's keeping my arthritis at bay, so I think I'll put new strings on her.
Thanks,
Michael

[your_diamond]

Photo 163 of 402 from Group Strad-O-Lin Mandolins is a Stradolin Artist Professional ($20) that is not the Artist with the bridge at the center of the f-holes.

https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/g...chmentid=94514

I'm not sure why the url link is not working. Damn Gremlins.

[Timbofood]

I can’t open the link, is this a “special” secret facet to the Mandolin Cafe?

[your_diamond]

I can’t open the link, is this a “special” secret facet to the Mandolin Cafe?

Timothy, Try it now, it seems to be working. Damn Gremlins!

You may have to log in for the link to work.

...and Timothy, please don't tell everybody about the “special” secret facet to the Mandolin Cafe...

[MikeEdgerton]

You may have to belong to the social group. The link works for me. That's the artist model, the bridge is just a half inch or so low. The catalog folks weren't musicians.

[your_diamond]

You may have to belong to the Strad-O-Lin Mandolins social group (for the link to work).

If you've found this thread informative, Join the Strad-O-Lin Mandolins social group. 400+ pictures & the largest repository of Strad-O-Lin information on the web. https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/group.php?groupid=53

That's the artist model, the bridge is just a half inch or so low.

The intonation is off / Bridge is in the wrong spot! Why didn't I think of that?

Mike, You're very good at what you do.

[your_diamond]

Stradolin master model

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