Bowlbacks of Note

[derbex]

This Nicola Calace is up for auction in Minnesota (NFI)



https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/a...0-af310109f8f1

[Jim Garber]

This Nicola Calace is up for auction in Minnesota (NFI)



https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/a...0-af310109f8f1

Very strange that inlaid Virginia on the Fretboard. Looks like the pearl fell out of the “I” and the “A”. I wonder if that was ordered custom from the shop that way.

[Tavy]

Ceccherini on eBay UK, from a guitar shop, might be worth a punt if someone really wants one: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/185640407...&segname=11021

[brunello97]

That Ceccherini appears to have the double top feature, John.

The price isn't bad but for the top repairs and that the seller doesn't ship over here.

Here's a photo of it for posteriority.

Mick

[Beanzy]

1881878[/URL]]This Nicola Calace is up for auction in Minnesota (NFI)



https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/a...0-af310109f8f1

The decorative plate on the rear of the headstock is interesting.

[Tavy]

That Ceccherini appears to have the double top feature, John.

The price isn't bad but for the top repairs and that the seller doesn't ship over here.

The top repairs look like it had serious issues at some point, I notice there's no side view so we can tell what the action is either. Strangely this is the first Ceccherini I've seen that's needed this kind of repair, they're normally pretty tough little instruments!

[brunello97]

Inspector Clousseau said it best: "I want to buy an Embergher!"

I'm a big fan of much of Pulglisi's work, typically the more exuberant their unabashed copying is, the more fun and vital I find their design work.

This mandolin is a pretty rugged attempt at the Roman style.

They've done better.

I'm not quite convinced, though, that the scratchplate scroll and dragon aren't part of a concious effort to out-goofy the original LE design goofiness.

But who doesn't love a maple bowl?

And there's the vague traces of an attempt to pull off the iconic Embergher recurve profile between bowl and neck.

It appears as if the neck remains in pretty decent shape.

Awkward craft and impressive craft side-by-side.

The sale ended quickly. And cheaply.

The usual suspects here are likely sniffing and tutting, but my guess is that this would be a fun one to catch and release.

Mick

[Jim Garber]

This is a bowlback, actually a shellback. From one of the fertile minds of Catania. There is a label inside but I could not get to it with a camera. The maker's label said Angelo Fenga. I have a Luigi Fenga in my files who seemed to make quite a few mandolins. This shell-shaped back must have taken a bit of planning but the luthier pulled it off. I guess this was playable at some time in its life.

No, I didn't buy it. I went to a woman's house to buy a small pile of mandolin music but the one book in her picture that realy wanted ironically she misplaced. Came home with a collection of junk pieces (the tailpiece pile she mentioned to me was also misplaced). This was so messed up it would take a few thousand dollars to fix it. Also, apologies for the quality of photos. We were looking at all of this in a cold garage.

Enjoy!

[Eugene]

Wacky. Too bad about its state. I'd love to see/hear this one in action.

[brunello97]

This is a bowlback, actually a shellback. From one of the fertile minds of Catania. There is a label inside but I could not get to it with a camera. The maker's label said Angelo Fenga. I have a Luigi Fenga in my files who seemed to make quite a few mandolins. This shell-shaped back must have taken a bit of planning but the luthier pulled it off. I guess this was playable at some time in its life.

No, I didn't buy it. I went to a woman's house to buy a small pile of mandolin music but the one book in her picture that realy wanted ironically she misplaced. Came home with a collection of junk pieces (the tailpiece pile she mentioned to me was also misplaced). This was so messed up it would take a few thousand dollars to fix it. Also, apologies for the quality of photos. We were looking at all of this in a cold garage.

Enjoy!

That’s amazing, Jim. Many of those staves have serious compound curvatures. If the builder made one, I wonder if he/she made two.

How did it wind up in Westchester?

I’ll bet Sheri’s eyes locked on the “Perpetual Motion” folio on the stack.

Mick

[Jim Garber]

That’s amazing, Jim. Many of those staves have serious compound curvatures. If the builder made one, I wonder if he/she made two.

How did it wind up in Westchester?

I’ll bet Sheri’s eyes locked on the “Perpetual Motion” folio on the stack.

Mick

Actually, her father was an Italian mandolinist and lived mostly in Brooklyn. In fact he and I both played in the NY Mandolin Orchestra but I don’t recall his name. He had a lot of stuff but I have a feeling that it was mostly picked over. He liked to tinker and fixed instruments for others. I guess he found this shell-back and started to fix it. It was funny because his daughter told me at the last minute that she had an interesting lute that her dad never finished fixing. When. She brought it out I told her it was a mandolin. It would be a monumental job to get that back in every close to playing shape.

[Louise NM]

Although this thread seems to be mainly for Italian bowlbacks, here's an American-made one.

1903 Stewart and Bauer, Brazilian rosewood bowl with 42 staves. Although there is some play wear on the top—but not a lot for 120 years—the bowl is very clean. It seems to have been a case queen for much of its life, and thankfully was stored somewhere climate-controlled and not in an attic or barn. I got it out of the MC classifieds. It's really easy to play, sounds great, and will probably open even more with with time.

[Tavy]

Nice mandolin you've found there!

[brunello97]

Although this thread seems to be mainly for Italian bowlbacks, here's an American-made

No inherent bias here! I think you’ll find a lot of US bowls have been posted and discussed.

Very happy to see yours and would enjoy more photos…even a shot of the label if you can.

The Stewart/Bauer/Weymann/Schmidt axis is of real interest.

We say it here so many times, it’s like a mantra, so forgive me….extra light gauge strings only….

A very pretty rosewood bowl!

Mick

[Louise NM]

We say it here so many times, it’s like a mantra, so forgive me….extra light gauge strings only….

The strings that came on it are Thomastick-Infeld weich, .009–.30, so I think they are safe.

I'll try to take more pictures in a day or two. I played it in orchestra tonight, and it held its own with all the modern instruments.

[Jim Garber]

If you prefer the more mellow sound, stick with the Thomastiks. Frankly, I like the brighter Italian tones of Dogal Calace RW92b Dolce strings.

[sebastiaan56]

This is a bowlback, actually a shellback. From one of the fertile minds of Catania. There is a label inside but I could not get to it with a camera. The maker's label said Angelo Fenga. I have a Luigi Fenga in my files who seemed to make quite a few mandolins. This shell-shaped back must have taken a bit of planning but the luthier pulled it off. I guess this was playable at some time in its life.

No, I didn't buy it. I went to a woman's house to buy a small pile of mandolin music but the one book in her picture that realy wanted ironically she misplaced. Came home with a collection of junk pieces (the tailpiece pile she mentioned to me was also misplaced). This was so messed up it would take a few thousand dollars to fix it. Also, apologies for the quality of photos. We were looking at all of this in a cold garage.

Enjoy!

That is so cool. I hope someone can bring it back to life.

[Jim Garber]

I will never know. The woman was not selling it, though I also did not make her an offer. Just what I need another project that would take thousands of dollars. I have too many of those.

[brunello97]

I'm copying Nick's link to a nice looking Carlo Martello bowl from over in the 'ebay thread':

I do wish he'd post these great finds here rather than burying them in the ebay thread but at least he's sharing them.....

It was up for sale before the holidays, or maybe this ad is still running from then?

I have a fair number of Martello mandolins in my files, each one very different from one another in style and design all with some degree of flourish, this one being the most ornate of them.

Due to this variety-without-apparent-consistent elements and despite the clear and descriptive label, I was left uncertain as whether Martello was indeed the maker or selective reseller with a flourish of his own.

A few photos for posteriority:

Mick

[Eugene]

My daughter brought this Martello to my attention a couple weeks ago. Pretty striking. For the potentially interested, she put it on her eBay watch list, and the seller wrote to offer it to her at a discounted price.

[Jim Garber]

Luthier’s treasure chest from France: https://www.ebay.com/itm/155408979361

[Richard500]

Now if the seller finds the box with all the hardware!
You traveling, Jim?

[brunello97]

I thought for a second that Jim was cleaning out his sock drawer and was like: "Whoa! I forgot about all these...."

Mick

Reminds me of the 'broken bowls' sale from way back when.

[Jim Garber]

I am traveling but nowhere near these. I can’t imagine what the shipping charge would be from France to the US plus the possibility of it being held up in US customs with a large fee is scary.

[brunello97]

A Stathopoulo bowlback of note in the classifieds now, with a DeMeglio / Ceccherini shape scratchplate and a fascinating compensated saddle.

Mick