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Thread: I need advice on buying a fixer-upper...

  1. #1
    Registered User
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    Dec 2003
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    I was in a music store today and discovered the singular most beautiful mandolin I have ever seen... Again, sorta. It's VERY beat-up looking right now, but it will be absolutely BEAUTIFUL if it's fixed up.

    It is a bowlback mandolin that was made by a John Brandt, on whom I can find no information. The date on it says March 23, '98, meaning 1898. The back has 40 ribs, all intact and uncracked, though a little scuffed (the store is the most haphazard music store you can imagine). The neck and head are one solid piece, and the head has a scroll like a violin. The tuners are an inlaid brass (?) thing that's really nice, and the tuner buttony things are mother of pearl. The top is spruce, with real tortoise shell on it. There's mother of pearl around the sound hole and around the edges of the top. Around the edge, there is also a thin strip of tortoise shell, and then alternating pieces of ebony and mother of pearl. The fret board is NOT ebony, but more mother of pearl, and it's pure white. The frets themselves are made of high grade silver. The real kicker on the mandolin (for me) is that the head, neck, and back are all brazilian rosewood, and really pretty...

    Obviously, there must be a downside to the pretty mandolin... There is no tailpiece, bridge, or nut. There is a crack on the top that goes from the soundhole all the way down the top. The top has come loose, and most of the inlay around the bottom has bee lost entirely. The tortoise shell is cracked and popping up a little, and some of the inlay on the top is missing (though most is still there). The frets have been filed down to within an inch of their life, and four of the pieces of MOP from the fretboard are missing. The head, neck, and back are completely fault free as far as I can tell...

    I can buy the mandolin as is for $120, and the estimate of repairman at the shop is between $200 and $300, depending on what he has lying around and what he needs to special order for me. So, should I get it or not?

  2. #2
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    May 2007
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    App.Mtn.Country
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    I have long admired the classic, original, Holy Grail acoustic instruments of the 20th century...the first steel string Martins, the arch-top Gibson guitars, the pre-war Martin D-28 and D-18, and of course the Loar mandolins. In that mindset I came upon the bowl-back mandolins.

    Why not? thought I. Good materials, fine workmanship in many of the remaining examples. Why not? indeed. They are better sounding than the pac-rims of similar price, right?

    On the face of it, the bowl-back should be a true bargain. I fell in love with an old bowl-back, and I feel qualified to offer some advice. None of which anyone gave me as I was getting into this.

    You will probably have difficulty with this instrument. They need frequent re-tuning, the tuners will be challenging (if original), the scale may be shorter than "usual", there may be ongoing structural issues, and you may find it difficult to to get typical sounds if you play Bluegrass style music. This on top of your re-assembly challenges.

    My bowl-back, which was in mint condition when I got it, is now a display piece. My shop-worn pac-rim F style mando--$400 at the local music store--is more satisfying as a daily player. It can nice to play these classic beauties--and I do pick mine up and play it a bit--but they are not without the possibility of limited usefulness and daily challenges.

  3. #3
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Mar 2003
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    Westchester, NY
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    jumpyroo:
    There is no real point in posting in two places. Most of us hit the new posts button and would catch either. Besides this is really more for posting photos of your mandolins or related.

    I started posting here but thenm realized that there is a more active thread you started here.
    Jim

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