Piccolo Mandolin

[Charles E.]

I was visiting a friend today and I was aware that she had this instrument hanging on a wall. I happened to have my camera with me so she allowed me to unscrew it from the wall and take some pics. I thought I would share them here. I believe it is true to the label and made in Germany. Made around the turn of the 20th century?

[Sue Rieter]

I like the look of these, and kind of want one. But if I had one, I don't know how much I would actually play it.

[Bob Clark]

I like the look of these, and kind of want one. But if I had one, I don't know how much I would actually play it.

Only one way to find out.

[mandroid]

Piccolo mandolins were like 12" scale or less & cgda an octave above a viola, as I recall ....

I got a Pocket Mandolin I Brought with, on a Pub Crawl bike tour on the British Isles a couple decades ago .
13" scale still gdae, .. but slim & just 20" long..

a friend helped get a gig bag sewn.
Shaped like the little Wooden spoons offered to eat a cup of ice cream,

Back in the pre plastic domination days.






...

[Sue Rieter]

I saw a vintage French "pochette", GDAE, the price was right and it was touted as sounding like a better quality Strad-O-Lin. I hemmed and hawed just a bit too long

[Charles E.]

Honestly, I don't see how these pocket mandolins can compete with a full size bodied instrument in sound. Unless it is the sound you want. I understand the tradition of the dance masters kit as far as small violins go but am unsure what need the piccolo or pocket mandolins served. Were they 19th century "travel mandolins"?

[Sue Rieter]

It's just super cute.
I was thinking about sewing myself a lined hooded cape with a special pocket

[Charles E.]

Sue, are you still making the mandolin cat toys?

[Sue Rieter]

Yup. Just finished posting some on the classifieds about 5 seconds ago.

[allenhopkins]

Honestly, I don't see how these pocket mandolins can compete with a full size bodied instrument in sound...

They don't -- or at least, mine doesn't. I have a Holdrio Picolo (correct spelling) made-in-Germany but English labeled for US sale. The label says, "W. V. Co., N. Y." in small letters, but I haven't been able to ID the company. It's a bit more of a bowl-back than the OP's, with three ribs, and a Nubian figure in marquetry for pickguard.

It has a very thin treble sound, tuned GDAE with X-light strings (13.25-inch scale). I was given it by a great-aunt, who obtained it from a person she was care-taking; apparently he was in a college mandolin club in the 1920's. I've kept it as a curiosity, but it's very seldom out of its (1/8 violin) case. I think that Charley has a good "take," that the small size of the instruments was their selling point.

Quite a number of them around, mostly German-made that I've seen. Sonically inferior to the also-trebly sound of my Howe-Orme mandolinetto. A footnote in the extensive mandolin history, IMHO.

[Charles E.]

Allen, that is an interesting point you make about yours being made for the American market and that it was played in a college club. That may be true for this one as well, hence the "Campus" decal on the peghead. Here is a better pic of the label....

[Sue Rieter]

Here's the one I missed out on, with a sound clip.

I've seen a handful of the German ones since, but haven't wanted to pay what they were asking, just to have something cute to put in the pocket of a cape . Allen's comments reassure me that I made the right choices on those. I guess if I stumble on one real cheap in a thrift store, or something ....

Now, one of Bob Clark's little piccolo's, that would be something else all together. (But still cute)

[Charles E.]

Here is a modern take on the piccolo style mandolin in the classifieds...

https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/174555#174555

NFI

Cute little feller.

[allenhopkins]

Seems likely that all these English-labeled made-in-Germany pocket mandolins were contracted for by American retailers, or possibly sellers in the UK.

Of course, we see the same practice with Asian manufacturers today; their instruments come labeled in English. Can't remember seeing an Asian-made mandolin with Japanese, Chinese, Korean et. al. characters on the label.

Must have been a vogue for pocket mandolins in the 1920's or so. Given the distinct acoustic limitations of these instruments, couldn't have lasted too long. Perhaps they were low-priced enough to appeal to college kids, and their size made them convenient. I've always thought that a "standard" mandolin is pretty small, and building an acoustically inferior model to save a few inches or ounces doesn't make a lot of sense.

Just the usual 2¢...

[Jim Garber]

Here are my piccolos, the first next to a full size Vega bowlback and the second compared to standard Leland mandolin. The little bowlback is even shorter scale and has no label. It needs a little work but would be very cool to get it together.

I have owned a pocket mandolin and, except for the novelty, they are worthless, and sound like not much. I agree with Allen.

[Sue Rieter]

Jim, the little bowlback is also super cute