"It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
--M. Stillion
"Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
--J. Garber
So I believe that you and others of us here were on the right track, that is probably was an amateur luthier, maybe built a few violins and wanted to try his hand on a mandolin. I don't know where you are looking for your luthier records, but I would follow MikeE's advice and check around your area for folks names Fitzer. You could also try to contact Wayne Henderson, a well known luthier and musician in SW VA. I don't know if you can actually reach Wayne but I know he studied with Albert Hash who was a well-known fiddler and violin maker from the area. Wayne probably knows many of the folks who built instruments back around 1970.
BTW, I don't think you told us how it plays and sounds, did you?
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
Dan Fitzer?
Maybe his mother or his wife were Sicilian?
Fitzer would likely translate into Tessitore in Italian.
But not in Catania.
Mick
Ever tried, ever failed? No matter. Try again, fail again. Fail better.--Samuel Beckett
______________________
'05 Cuisinart Toaster
'93 Chuck Taylor lowtops
'12 Stetson Open Road
'06 Bialetti expresso maker
'14 Irish Linen Ramon Puig
Bookmarks