I took this image a few years back of the original Loar era snakehead mandola and was looking it over this afternoon. Does anyone know what the three digit stamp in the base of the tailpiece is or have you seen anything similar that were factory issued? Prototype or in house numbers?
Having handled and played this instrument in person, as well as the Griffith Loar and others in the historic significance, I've got a theory for the sequence of the instruments:
Loar was a know good performer and experimenter. There is an early photo of him with Ms. Fischer where he is holding an oval hole ten string mandola that is currently unknown. Next there is the Griffith snakehead A5. I'd venture that this snakehead mandola was the next model in his experimental sequence. That one was followed by his personal ten string snakehead mandola, the most complicated of the lot....
Back to the stamped tailpiece numbers:
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