Gibson snakehead mandolins, seek info on variants

[jim simpson]

Assuming my search skills are poor, I've been unable to find a clear description of the various Gibson snakehead mandolins ('22-24') as far as what models had blank headstocks, which had silk screened logos, inlaid logos, etc. Can anyone point to me a good resource?

[pheffernan]

Can anyone point to me a good resource?

I find this one helpful: https://www.mandolincafe.com/archive...a/gibsona.html

[jim simpson]

I find this one helpful: https://www.mandolincafe.com/archive...a/gibsona.html

Thank you, that was helpful, I guess this statement sums up what I've discovered:

Snakehead" peghead:
This is a peghead that tapers from small to large from the top, rather than the other way around. Conventional wisdom is that these somehow sound better, and prices go up accordingly. These can exist on any model numbers including the Ajr (most common 1924- when most if not all Gibosn A models had them). The "rules" for purfling and inlay seem to be put on hold for snakeheads, the specs seem interchangable across models

[Bob A]

I recall Gruhn's Guide to have been helpful. Haven't looked at it in a while.

The charm of the snakehead was to have the strings/tuning posts more in line with the grooves in the nut; the other system would sometimes have strings too close to the lower posts. I never understood why they didn't keep the feature.

Some of them do sound much better, in my experience.

[Br1ck]

The A2Z I played was the best of the old Gibson’s IMHO, and priced accordingly.

[f5loar]

Snake owners can tell you they are in a league all to themselves. No doubt Bill Monroe like his old mid 20's Snake A model. He bought it used and used it from 1931 until he traded it in on his new 1935 F7. These snakes cut. They did vary slightly from catalog specs. Best just follow the variations as found in the archives.