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Thread: From "an antique store", Kay? Sears? Silvertone? Thanks

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    Question From "an antique store", Kay? Sears? Silvertone? Thanks

    It plays really nicely and has a bright tone. I think it's maple n,b&sides and spruce top. It's rigid, stays in tune well over time. (my Ibanez is low every time I pick it up, means to me it's slowly bending,collapsing over time) The strings are wound on brass rounded end posts and the tuning keys appear to be some kind of bone or ivory. Any info greatly appreciated.
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  2. #2
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    Default Re: From "an antique store", Kay? Sears? Silvertone? Thanks

    Not any Kay or Silvertone I have ever seen. More knowledgeable folks will be along shortly. Btw,your Ibanez not staying in tune between uses is not indicative of a collapsing top. It is normal.

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    Default Re: From "an antique store", Kay? Sears? Silvertone? Thanks

    My guess is that this instrument was made in Europe.

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    Mando accumulator allenhopkins's Avatar
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    Default Re: From "an antique store", Kay? Sears? Silvertone? Thanks

    Quote Originally Posted by rcc56 View Post
    My guess is that this instrument was made in Europe.
    I like that guess; I've seldom seen four-post tailpieces on US-made instruments. Also, the pickguard surrounding the soundhole is less common, though not unheard of, here.
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    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: From "an antique store", Kay? Sears? Silvertone? Thanks

    Any chance you could post a picture of the tuners on the back of the headstock?
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
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    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
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  7. #6

    Default Re: From "an antique store", Kay? Sears? Silvertone? Thanks

    Quote Originally Posted by MikeEdgerton View Post
    Any chance you could post a picture of the tuners on the back of the headstock?
    Yuup! Thanks.
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    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: From "an antique store", Kay? Sears? Silvertone? Thanks

    That pickguard/scratchplate has a DeMeglio vibe to it and the mandolin has a four-post tailpiece so the European attribution might make sense. But the pickguard looks like it was a later addition, maybe even by someone who saw the shape of a DeMeglio and copied it onto some plastic or wood. The edge of it looks unfinished. Here's a closeup of a DeMeglio pickguard. You can see that it is tortoise plastic but with a beveled edge.

    One possibility is J. E. Dallas an importer an retailer in the UK. Attached is a page of their 1938 catalog. F851 Monarch flattop in the top middle of the page bears some resemblance although this one has differences from the catalog illustration they were importing a lot of mandolins made in Italy.

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    Last edited by Jim Garber; May-25-2020 at 8:50pm.
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    Default Re: From "an antique store", Kay? Sears? Silvertone? Thanks

    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Garber View Post
    That pickguard/scratchplate has a DeMeglio vibe to it and the mandolin has a four-post tailpiece so the European attribution might make sense. But the pickguard looks like it was a later addition, maybe even by someone who saw the shape of a DeMeglio and copied it onto some plastic or wood. The edge of it looks unfinished. Here's a closeup of a DeMeglio pickguard.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Headstock shape has roughly DeMeglioid vibrations as well. So do the jumbo pearl fret markers.

    However, this is not a DeMeglio mandolin....and nothing Brother Jim has said should be taken to imply that it might even be.

    Sounds like it might have a nice sweet tone and be a good player.

    Tell us more about it.....Where did you find it? Can you post some pictures of the back and side views as well. Just for us wonks.

    Thanks!

    Mick
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    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: From "an antique store", Kay? Sears? Silvertone? Thanks

    The tuners pretty rule it out as being made in the USA. Ive seen that weird combination of fret marker dots before but I can't remember where.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

  11. #10
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: From "an antique store", Kay? Sears? Silvertone? Thanks

    Mick is correct. I was just commenting on the similarity but noted that the scratchplate was not the same. And this just had some Italian features, but definitely not made by DeMeglio. More like others that a shop in the UK like Dallas might have imported from Italy. I always thought it interesting how few mandolins were made in the UK back then. Many more were imported and many from Italy.
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  12. #11

    Default Re: From "an antique store", Kay? Sears? Silvertone? Thanks

    German made tuner units, so it is European in origin. Seeing the back of the body would be of interest. The tuners appear to be 1930s at the latest but old tuner units could be used on an instrument many years after they were acquired. When I see something that is a bit zany, I often think "France" but that's just me musing on this one!

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  14. #12

    Default Re: From "an antique store", Kay? Sears? Silvertone? Thanks

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    Quote Originally Posted by brunello97 View Post
    Headstock shape has roughly DeMeglioid vibrations as well. So do the jumbo pearl fret markers.

    However, this is not a DeMeglio mandolin....and nothing Brother Jim has said should be taken to imply that it might even be.

    Sounds like it might have a nice sweet tone and be a good player.

    Tell us more about it.....Where did you find it? Can you post some pictures of the back and side views as well. Just for us wonks.

    Thanks!

    Mick
    I got this from my Mom-in-law. She said she got it in an antique store in Ohio and was going to bring it next time she comes. So I was excited for a couple weeks before she showed up with this really old leather case, she said it was over 100 years old. I opened it up and saw this thing, the top and back were not connected to the rest of it and it had no bridge. I got some 4000psi epoxy and glued it up ok, but definitely not perfect. The frets were sticking out the ends because the wood had shrunk up, so I had to file the ends of the frets down flush. I got a bridge with a brass strip instead of wood, but had to file away about 9/10ths of it to get the strings in the right place. It plays really nicely, I like the fact it's flat and the strings are low, like less than a half inch off the top, instead up an inch or so from the top. Thanks everyone for all the good info, it is definitely trying to look like a DiMeglio. The pickguard is definitely a copy of the shape and placement.
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