Octave mandolinetto?

[mrmando]

Unless my eyes deceive me, this is an ordinary mandolinetto with the bridge in the wrong place.

Those tuner strips are 4" long, and the neck (nut to 10th fret) appears to be no more than twice as long as a tuner strip.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/125767979240

[Simon DS]

There’s some sort of an issue at the tail piece too. Difficult to see it with the lighting in the photo.

[NickR]

The seller can't spell the name correctly, so maybe he has made another mistake? This gives measurements for a mandolinetto: https://www.retrofret.com/product.asp?ProductID=10586

[milli857]

Just based on the picture with the seller’s hand in it, I’d say it is not an octave. Seems overpriced, but I also don’t know about how desirable these are.

[MikeEdgerton]

It's the first item they've sold. That can be a red flag. The price is in Hollywood though.

[brunello97]

PVI had an H-O ‘cello-mandola’ up for sale on their site.

Iirc Rick T posted some H-O mandolas here, too.

The example Nick linked to is helpful for comping size.

I can’t link any pix right now.

Mick

[mrmando]

When asked to measure the scale length, the seller came up with 10 7/8".

Can that be? Was there a piccolo version of this? Or maybe the seller can't count to 12?

[brunello97]

When asked to measure the scale length, the seller came up with 10 7/8".

Can that be? Was there a piccolo version of this? Or maybe the seller can't count to 12?

Well, fwiw, the BJ Victoria mandola I have out playing has a fretboard measuring precisely.....10-7/8".

Mick

[mrmando]

I must be smoking something ...

Actually, the 10 7/8" number would be half the scale length ... I asked the seller to measure nut to 12th fret since I'm not sure about the bridge placement.

So if that's accurate, the scale length is 21.75" and it really is an octave mando. It's hard to make out dimensions in the photos because of the neck angle.

[brunello97]

I must be smoking something ...

No worries. I live in a state where it's legal, too.


Mick

[mrmando]

PVI had an H-O ‘cello-mandola’ up for sale on their site.

That may in fact be what we're dealing with here: another of those. Looks very similar, actually.

Here is another at PVI that wasn't converted:
http://www.vintageinstruments.com/mu...lafulpage.html

And a demo video:

[Jim Garber]

PVI had an H-O ‘cello-mandola’ up for sale on their site.

The seller posted a screen shot of that one at Banana's site. That is probably where he got the idea of the rarety.

Interesting, I have been hanging out a bit on Reddit for some odd reason and a beginner mandolinist said he has a Howe-Orme either OM or mandocello. Maybe these are sprouting up everywhere?