2-point Orpheum branded Strad-O-lin on eBay

[NickR]

I think you can see the dot after the 14th fret to the right. I ask people to pile pennies on top of the fret to fill the gap- two would be 3mm. Other coins can be used to fill the gap, if necessary. I would think 3mm is getting a bit on the high side but when made in the 40s, they were often set up that way with tall bridges by some makers.

[Jeff Mando]

Seems a little high to me. 3mm is about an 1/8". I would want it to be about about half that (or lower.) It looks like there is plenty of bridge available to sand down, provided the neck joint is solid and not loose.

[Sue Rieter]

...provided the neck joint is solid and not loose.

That's the question, isn't it? We know this guys has already turned down a couple of $200 offers. I think the $150 one that Madphingers got was a much better deal.

Thought I'd put the picture out there for anyone who might be seriously considering this one.

[Bill Drellow]

On the second 2-point Orpheum https://www.ebay.com/itm/38520071414...&segname=11051

He'd lowered his price and sent me an offer, so I asked about action at the 12th fret. 3mm he said, and sent me this picture. It's a little hard to tell if this is *really* the 12th fret, but if so, looks and sounds high.

That's the listing in which the seller said he'd removed the strings because they were rusty. He replied to me that he would string it, but either it took him a while to get around to doing that or he never got around to updating the listing. in any event, the 12th fret is over the body on that mandolin and unless my lying eyes deceive me, that looks more like maybe the 5th fret, and the string height would be pretty high even if it is the 12th fret. Just my 2 cents ... the seller does have 100% feedback.

[Eric Platt]

No, judging by the eBay listing photos, it's the 12th fret. Bridge is the same as mine with the scalloped top. FWIW, the action on my most recent SOL (probably same factory) is 1.5mm at the 12th fret on the G string.

In addition, the seller has added two photos of the instrument with strings on it. While the action looks high, it also looks like the bridge too far forward. That might make a difference on the action.

[your_diamond]

Maybe the one you bought will have a date stamp.

Date stamp is smudged on the month end. It is XXX 12 1935.
Might be Nov. not that it matters. Knowing it's a 1935 is what matters.
Most comma f hole SOL's were 1930's with very few made in the 1940's if at all.

www.ebay.com/itm/185637216898 Fairly clean.

Was advertised as Vintage 1960's. Case looks newer than the SOL.

Cheers Eric!!!

[Eric Platt]

Date stamp is smudged on the month end. It is XXX 12 1935.
Might be Nov. not that it matters. Knowing it's a 1935 is what matters.
Most comma f hole SOL's were 1930's with very few made in the 1940's if at all.

www.ebay.com/itm/185637216898 Fairly clean.

Was advertised as Vintage 1960's. Case looks newer than the SOL.

Cheers Eric!!!

Thanks! And good to know the 1935 date. As I said earlier, that looks identical to my older model. So at least I now have a ballpark date to use. The blonde one I used to own was stamped 1941 inside. So by that time it seems the bullet end f holes were common.

And I agree that with the hard plastic handle, the case is newer. That might be from the 1960's.

[Steve 2E]

I just want to fess up to buying the second Orpheum mentioned in the thread(https://www.ebay.com/itm/38520071414...fuw000xlw00004). I was hoping the seller would open the sale up to bidding, but when the price dropped below $300 I decided to just go for it. I wasn't looking for a project so I figured I'd eat the shipping and send it back if it had any serious problems.

I know the seller said the action was 3mm, but when I looked at the photo Sue posted I was seeing it as a little over 2. Not great, but better than 3. I also considered what Eric said about the bridge not being properly positioned. I also noticed that strings weren't up to full tension. The only way to really find out what was going on was to have it in my hands.

I'm glad to say that the neck joint is fine and the whole instrument is structurally sound. The only issue was that the tuners were incredibly tight. I had to use a string winder to get every string up to pitch.(I'm guessing that's why the seller didn't restring it initially.) It played well enough for me to decide to keep it so I removed, cleaned and lubed the tuners. They're still a bit tight, but I can tune without a mechanical aid.

I'm happy with the way it plays. The action is about 5/64", so a little under 2mm. The bridge could be fit a little better to the top so I might do that at the next string change. As it is now it feels comfortable to me so it's not a must do.

Did I get great deal? I would say no, but it was good enough and I'm happy. I figured I'd share a little demo video just to show how it sounds. Remember. This is only a test!

[Eric Platt]

That's great! Glad to see someone from here got it and it's playable. And it sounds good to me.

Besides the two point body, love that one because it has the same fingerboard as my current favorite SOL. Know the odds of it are slim, but any chance there is a date stamp inside the body on that one?

[Steve 2E]

I did peek around a bit with an inspection mirror and didn't see any stamps or numbers. I have been planning on getting an endoscope in the not to distant future, but most of my recent budget has been spent on picks and strings. Maybe in the next few weeks I'll get the endoscope and report my findings. The one thing I did notice was that there aren't blocks visible where the two points are. I was thinking I would see those. I don't know a whole lot about construction, but it seems like the points were built into the lamination of the sides. From what I saw on the inside it just looked like an A model without points.

[Jim Garber]

Congratulations, Steve 2E: that looks in amazing shape, practically off the Strad-O-Lin showroom floor.

[MikeEdgerton]

...From what I saw on the inside it just looked like an A model without points.

That's what I would expect to see. It's a visual enhancement, it doesn't mean the inside is any different. Look at the points on a typical F style build.

[Eric Platt]

Not sure this link will work, but here is a thread with the inside of a 2 point SOL on the second page -

https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...-a-strad-o-lin

[Steve 2E]

That's what I would expect to see. It's a visual enhancement, it doesn't mean the inside is any different. Look at the points on a typical F style build.

I get that the shape is the same, but I was expecting to see a difference between where the wood of the point meets the wood of the sides. I don't have an F model, but if you peek inside and look where the points are isn't there a visible difference of the point wood and the side wood?

[Steve 2E]

Not sure this link will work, but here is a thread with the inside of a 2 point SOL on the second page -

https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...-a-strad-o-lin

I don't know how to link the pictures, but post #45 shows what I've been thinking.

[MikeEdgerton]

It's the same concept as looking at the points inside an F model (not the scroll). The points don't make the air chamber any larger, they are simply for the outer visual display of the instrument.

[Steve 2E]

Know the odds of it are slim, but any chance there is a date stamp inside the body on that one?

I finally picked up an inspection camera and had a good look around inside. No stamps, numbers, or markings of any kind.

[Bill Drellow]

The only issue was that the tuners were incredibly tight. I had to use a string winder to get every string up to pitch.(I'm guessing that's why the seller didn't restring it initially.) It played well enough for me to decide to keep it so I removed, cleaned and lubed the tuners. They're still a bit tight, but I can tune without a mechanical aid.

I'm sorry I wasn't alerted to this post earlier. When you had the tuners off, did you happen to check the peghead holes to make sure they were drilled straight through and not at an angle? That was the issue with my 1941 SOL. I had to plug the existing holes with dowels and redrill them with a StewMac jig. They work normally now.

[MikeEdgerton]

The only issue was that the tuners were incredibly tight. I had to use a string winder to get every string up to pitch.(I'm guessing that's why the seller didn't restring it initially.) It played well enough for me to decide to keep it so I removed, cleaned and lubed the tuners. They're still a bit tight, but I can tune without a mechanical aid.

I'm sorry I wasn't alerted to this post earlier. When you had the tuners off, did you happen to check the peghead holes to make sure they were drilled straight through and not at an angle? That was the issue with my 1941 SOL. I had to plug the existing holes with dowels and redrill them with a StewMac jig. They work normally now.

I had that same issue with the last Orpheum branded Strad-O-Lin genre mandolin I had. I added the Stewmac vintage headstock bushings as well as servicing the tuners and finally got them to turn with a normal amount of effort.

The late Paul Hostetter's tuner page is a great resource for servicing these older tuners.

[Bill Drellow]

I had that same issue with the last Orpheum branded Strad-O-Lin genre mandolin I had. I added the Stewmac vintage headstock bushings as well as servicing the tuners and finally got them to turn with a normal amount of effort.

The late Paul Hostetter's tuner page is a great resource for servicing these older tuners.

I guarantee you adding bushings and lubing the tuners on mine would not have helped at all. The holes were drilled at bizarre angles. I thought I had posted "before" photos but I can't find them. I'll try again later if anyone's interested.

[Steve 2E]

When you had the tuners off, did you happen to check the peghead holes to make sure they were drilled straight through and not at an angle? That was the issue with my 1941 SOL. I had to plug the existing holes with dowels and redrill them with a StewMac jig. They work normally now.

I didn't check to see if they were straight, but that might be the issue. They weren't really gunked up or dirty, but the clean and lube trick did help. Plugging and drilling is way beyond my skill set. I'm comfortable doing some setup work like filing and sanding, but I don't get power tools anywhere near my instruments. If it was my daily player I might consider having someone else do the work. They're good enough for now, but it is something to consider in the future.

[MikeEdgerton]

I guarantee you adding bushings and lubing the tuners on mine would not have helped at all. The holes were drilled at bizarre angles. I thought I had posted "before" photos but I can't find them. I'll try again later if anyone's interested.

I could have sworn you said the second one didn't have the holes drilled wrong. If the holes are wrong then they have to be redrilled. Am I missing something?

OK, I see. You quoted someone without putting the quote around them and I assumed what you posted was you not them.

The only issue was that the tuners were incredibly tight. I had to use a string winder to get every string up to pitch.(I'm guessing that's why the seller didn't restring it initially.) It played well enough for me to decide to keep it so I removed, cleaned and lubed the tuners. They're still a bit tight, but I can tune without a mechanical aid.

I'm sorry I wasn't alerted to this post earlier. When you had the tuners off, did you happen to check the peghead holes to make sure they were drilled straight through and not at an angle? That was the issue with my 1941 SOL. I had to plug the existing holes with dowels and redrill them with a StewMac jig. They work normally now.

[MikeEdgerton]

I didn't check to see if they were straight, but that might be the issue. They weren't really gunked up or dirty, but the clean and lube trick did help. Plugging and drilling is way beyond my skill set. I'm comfortable doing some setup work like filing and sanding, but I don't get power tools anywhere near my instruments. If it was my daily player I might consider having someone else do the work. They're good enough for now, but it is something to consider in the future.

When they aren't drilled straight they need to be redrilled. I've had them tight but just not quite aligned and you could mess with them with a file and the bushings to get it right but some are just in the wrong place and the wrong angle.

[Snakum]

It's the perfect instrument for somebody's next step up from "air mandolin."

That right there is funny. I don't care who ya are.

Then again ... before I bought the Silverangel my wife was wishing I'd stuck with air-mandolin. She has hyperacusis and can't stand the way my F model barks.

[MikeEdgerton]

That right there is funny. I don't care who ya are.

Then again ... before I bought the Silverangel my wife was wishing I'd stuck with air-mandolin. She has hyperacusis and can't stand the way my F model barks.

So she thinks you play better by far?