Vega bowlback mandola (?)

[Joe Bartl]

I recently purchased a Vega "mandola" from Jason Beals, the man who owns the only L&H mandobass on record. Because I cannot find information online or in a Vega brochure listing models of their instruments, I'm writing for any help my mando gurujis might provide (I tried to email Paul Ruppa, but the only email I could find was dated and did not work).

Here is the beast:



If it is meaningful, the serial number at the top of the peghead is 81732. According to one listing I’ve seen, this number would date the instrument to 1925.

The closest instrument to it in the Vega Company brochure is the Style “Pettine Special Artists”. However, I assume the Pettine has a 13” (13 ½?) scale length whereas this instrument has a 15” scale length. Could you point me to a source of information about this … if there is such?

Thanks very much!

[Jim Garber]

This resembles the Valentine Abt model mandolin closer than the Pettine. I have two Pettines and will measure the scale but I doubt that the Abt would have that long a scale. My guess it is a custom mandola made with Abt specs. Vega doesn't seem to print the scale length at least in any of the catalogs that I have but 15" would be long for a mandolin. I don't own an Abt but I would measure it if I had one. BTW the only mandolas in the catalogs I have are just described (not pictured) as tenor mandolas and are the Lute models (cylinder back); no bowlback mandolas.

[Jim Garber]

Hey Joe: Wait a minute... the two photos you posted do not match up. They have different headstocks. Front view has a solid headstock and the back view has a hole in it. Can you post more details?

[Jim Garber]

Here is a Vega Abt model, pics from my files:

[rcc56]

Hey Joe: Wait a minute... the two photos you posted do not match up. They have different headstocks. Front view has a solid headstock and the back view has a hole in it. Can you post more details?

If you turn up the brightness on your device, you will see that the photos do match up.

I have never encountered a Vega bowlback mandola, but this indeed appears be one. The serial number list that I use for Vega, which can be found at acousticmusic.org, indicates a build date of 1928, which seems rather late for a bowlback.

[Jim Garber]

You are correct. It is just a poorly-lit photo.

[Joe Bartl]

Jim, Thanks very much for your information. I had not been aware of the "Abt Model". Indeed, what I have may may well be a custom build -- it certainly lacks most of the bling in the Abt Model description. I've just received a new email address for Paul Ruppa, so I've written to him in hopes of learning more.

rcc56, as you likely may be aware, serial number listings for Vega differ. I've just looked at the one you suggested and it seems very different from two other listings that I've seen. I agree that 1928 seems a bit late for this ... but who knows? Again, maybe Paul Ruppa can shed some light into this dark Vega corner.

[rcc56]

I don't know of any Vega list that can be considered to be more than a rough approximation. Factory records are long gone.
We can say the same about Bacon, Lyon & Healy, S.S. Stewart, Gibson [except when they were letter-coded], and most others.

Joe Spann went to a lot of trouble to refine the accuracy of Gibson's number lists as much as possible, but there are still many periods for which we can only narrow down their instruments to a period of +/- a few years.

I don't believe in "magic years" for any company anyway. I look at the market's "Loar period" obsession sometimes with amusement, sometimes with chagrin. An instrument either sounds good or it doesn't.

As far as your mandola is concerned, I suppose it could have been built in 1925 or 1928; but I would think it more likely that it was built quite a bit earlier.
At any rate, any Vega mandola is a rarity. The 3 or 4 that I've personally encountered were all cylinder backs, and they all sounded very good.
I suspect yours might be good also. Vega didn't make many weak instruments. May you enjoy yours for many moons.

[Jim Garber]

Well, Joe, all I have to say is that your are accumulating quite an arsenal of quality mandolin family instruments. Impressive!

[Joe Bartl]

Just a short note to say that I did communicate with Paul Ruppa who, like Jim, suggested that the closest thing he could locate would be the "Abt model".

rcc56, Paul also suggested that I look more closely at the first number of the serial number and, after much turning, twisting, and squinting, I could see that it was not an "8" but a "3". So the serial number is actual 31732, which, according to Paul's chart, lands it more appropriately somewhere between 1912 and 1919. And, per your last comment, the instrument is wonderfully playable and the tone is deep, rich, and resonant, like the best Belgian chocolate.