Attic find

[BeanJean]

I’m visiting friends in New York who showed me this mandolin. The owner passed on nine years ago and was too ill to play for several years before the end. It was stored at full tension. There is no label inside. All my friends know about it is that it’s been passed down in the family.

Any thoughts about age, origin or other relevant information?

[multidon]

I don’t know who made it, but here are some general observations. It is not a high quality instrument. On bowlbacks, a small number of very large staves, like yours, denotes a beginners inexpensive instrument. High quality bowlbacks have a large number of very slim staves. It probably has a bowed neck. How can I tell? Because the bridge is below the cant (bend in the top). It’s supposed to be above the cant. You can see the imprint where the bridge used to be. When the neck starts to bow on these, sometimes people move the bridge to that location to make it playable again. But doing that throws the intonation off. It’s no surprise that the neck is bowed, since it was stored at full tension. And in the attic! I always cringe when people say that’s where an instrument is stored. That’s the worst place to store an instrument. No climate control, cold in winter, sweltering hot in summer. Fortunately, I would guess that this instrument is not any great loss. It might be worth a hundred buck to someone who wants to use it as a wall hanger.

[MikeEdgerton]

Actually some manufacturers put the bridge below the cant. That doesn't mean this bridge is correctly placed it just means that isn't a sure fire thing.

[BeanJean]

Thank you for the information. I will help my friends display it on their wall!