Re: Curious Mandolin
My hunch, Sheldon, is what you see is what you've got. No reason to think it isn't "original"....even with the better quality case.
I'm assuming wood / coffin rather than the ubiquitous cardboard cases we see on many mandolins shipped to the UK from this era. Nasty canvas ones were the favorite from the Chicago builders.
I wouldn't confuse the maker with the Vinaccia you linked to, however. My guess would be from Sicily with all that bling.
The bowl / stave work looks nicely done as do the neck / head appointments.
Not sure from what you say just how out of alignment the neck is. You can see from the repositioned bridge that perhaps someone
was trying to compensate for the higher action.
Unfortunately, neck re-sets on Italian bowlback mandolins is not a straightforward task.
Our friend, John Maddock, down Tavistock way, may be the best at it, but he'll be straightforward about the feasibility.
The discussions here often turn to how good of an "investment" such a repair is. In monetary terms.
That's one way to look at it, but a distinctly limited one.
The payback I get from playing the mandolins I have can't be measured in dollar / pound terms.
Thanks for sharing! Let us know what y'all decide to do with this.
Mick
Ever tried, ever failed? No matter. Try again, fail again. Fail better.--Samuel Beckett
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