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Thread: Sorry, Dr. Leone, your Mandolino is not my Cup of Vino

  1. #1
    Registered User Peter K's Avatar
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    Default Sorry, Dr. Leone, your Mandolino is not my Cup of Vino

    Here's a contemporary BB mandolin on eBay It. marketed by Musikalia (Palermo, Italy) as model "Vinaccia".
    https://www.ebay.it/itm/Musikalia-Ma...MAAOSwWkNdEcKW

    An odd bird that one, innit. It's quite expensive (BIN EURO 2,440, but accepting offers), and I am sorry to have to say I see no classical Vinaccia traits in it whatsoever. All I see is a phone pulse dialer soundhole rosette.

    NB: Dott. Alfio Leone appears to be the principal of the Musikalia firm, which runs traditional mandolin hand-crafting and marketing from Sicily. Where exactly their mandolins are made, that I would not know.
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    Last edited by Peter K; Jan-17-2020 at 7:13pm.

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  3. #2
    Full Grown and Cussin' brunello97's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sorry, Dr. Leone, your Mandolino is not my Cup of Vino

    Quote Originally Posted by Peter K View Post
    ...... I see no classical Vinaccia traits in it whatsoever.
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    Well...considering that the Italian term vinaccia (small V) refers to the leftover grape skins after a wine pressing (what the French call marc) maybe there is a resemblance after all.

    That was pretty mean of me. I do applaud the ambition of the folks behind the instrument, though....

    On the same ebay.it page, there is a link to a Pasquale Vinaccia also for sale. Unfortunately, it looks like it has been pretty aggressively pressed in its lifetime, too.

    Mick
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    Registered User Peter K's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sorry, Dr. Leone, your Mandolino is not my Cup of Vino

    Quote Originally Posted by brunello97 View Post
    Unfortunately, it looks like it has been pretty aggressively pressed in its lifetime, too.

    Mick
    Yeah, what a shame about that Pasquale Vinaccia mandolin in your link, it seems to be in a rather poor condition. We do not get to see many of those in circulation today. However, if we were to unleash a very skilled restorer such as John Maddock on it, I think the mandolin would get a new lease on life. Alas, I think the total cost of such project would be quite high, and very difficult to recoup thru a future sale.
    Last edited by Peter K; Jan-17-2020 at 7:10pm.

  5. #4
    Registered User DavidKOS's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sorry, Dr. Leone, your Mandolino is not my Cup of Vino

    Quote Originally Posted by Peter K View Post
    An odd bird that one, innit. It's quite expensive (BIN EURO 2,440, but accepting offers), and I am sorry to have to say I see no classical Vinaccia traits in it whatsoever. All I see is a phone pulse dialer soundhole rosette.

    NB: Dott. Alfio Leone appears to be the principal of the Musikalia firm, which runs traditional mandolin hand-crafting and marketing from Sicily. Where exactly their mandolins are made, that I would not know.
    I met Dott. Alfio Leone at the 2004 NAMM show - quite a gentleman, but his instruments were "odd birds" , often expensive, and mixed in were some decent mandolins, but you had to really be careful buying.

    I still have a Musikalia lute guitar and a requinto, both quirky but playable.

    Their shop used to be in Catania if I recall.

    https://www.musikalia.it/

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  7. #5
    Registered User Peter K's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sorry, Dr. Leone, your Mandolino is not my Cup of Vino

    Quote Originally Posted by DavidKOS View Post
    I met Dott. Alfio Leone at the 2004 NAMM show - quite a gentleman, but his instruments were "odd birds" , often expensive, and mixed in were some decent mandolins, but you had to really be careful buying.

    I still have a Musikalia lute guitar and a requinto, both quirky but playable.

    Their shop used to be in Catania if I recall.

    https://www.musikalia.it/
    Thank you David, you are right, they give their company address as in Metropolitan Catania (on Via Palermo, which misled me), and not in the city of Palermo as I wrote by mistake in my OP.

  8. #6
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sorry, Dr. Leone, your Mandolino is not my Cup of Vino

    I played a few Musikalia instruments years ago at Lark in the Morning store in Seattle. I was underwhelmed. However, I have heard from some folks that more recently the shop has made some decent quality, even possibly exceptional ones.
    Jim

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    Barn Cat Mandolins Bob Clark's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sorry, Dr. Leone, your Mandolino is not my Cup of Vino

    The title of this thread may be the best one ever. It's great!
    Purr more, hiss less. Barn Cat Mandolins Photo Album

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