Re: Ditson Victory.. in need of TLC, need advice
Marty, I've always been under the impression that Vega made these for the Ditson label.
A lot of details closely resemble the Vega mandolins of the time...moreso than L+H. Check and see if there is a SN on the small interior brace to the neckside of the soundhole.
L+H did make some things for the Ditson label, too. But they look a whole lot more like L+H mandolins than this one does.
Certainly not the '50s. Probably 40+ years earlier than that. May have been refinished in the '50s but certainly built in the '00s or '10s at the latest.
I've owned a few of these from what I call the "hegemony" series: Victory, Empire and Conquerer. A different day and time.
I have an Empire right now that is a very nice mandolin. Lighter and more responsive than the L+W / Washburn models.
None of my business, of course, but putting modern tuners on this sounds really unfortunate. As suggested, salvaging or finding an old pair online shouldn't be too hard.
I've got a box of old tuners here. I'll check in on them tonight and see if there might be something you can use. My guess is that I should be able to measure off the Ditson Empire and they would likely match the Victory.
Mick
Ever tried, ever failed? No matter. Try again, fail again. Fail better.--Samuel Beckett
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