S.S. Stewart Mandolin

[Hoovetone]

I had a friend hand me a S.S.Stewart mando tonight and wanted me to tell him all about it. I had no clue.
A-style. Looks to me like a 60's era cheapo, but he really thinks it is way older than that,
Help me out! !

[fatt-dad]

From what I learned researching my S.S. Stewart Banjo, they were made in Philadelphia during the late 1800s or early 1900s. I have never seen a Stewart mandolin. My banjo was actually labled Acme Professional, which was the Stewart issue for the Sears and Robuck company. I am not sure, but I think they were low to mid value instruments.

Good luck in your research.

fatt-dad

[pathfinder]

Your buddy's right, Hoovetone. #The S.S. Stewarts go way back, and were no longer manufacturing in the 1960s.

[Bob DeVellis]

I don't know all the details about Stewart mandolins, but here's a little bit off the top of my head. Samuel Swaim Stewart was a highly successful banjo innovator and promoter at the end ofthe 19th Century and beginning of the 20th. He is credited with playing a significant role in the elevation of the banjo from a folk instrument to a serious concert instrument (a stature it no longer maintains). This was in the day when banjos were gut strung and played in what was called "guitar style" (i.e., fingerpicking) as opposed to the earlier strumming style. Stewart's company was based in Philadelphia, as you said. He published a widely read journal in which he agressively promoted the banjo as THE instrument.

Mandolins branded as S. S. Stewarts came later and were mostly made by other companies that had acquired the rights to the name. The S. S. Stewart company may well have made some bowlbacks as mandolins began to edge out banjos as America's most popular instrument, but if it's not a bowlback, it's most likely not from the original company. Weymann, another Philadelphia banjo maker that absorbed a lot of Stewart machining and employees when the earlier company closed down, may have made some Stewart mandolins. Eventually, the name seems to have gotten passed around a bit through various licencing arrangements, kind of like Washburn and Vega were later -- venerable names applied to instruments of varying quality.

[mandodude]

I have an old oval hole, flat top S.S. Stewart mando myself that I literally pulled out of a trash pile. A luthier friend of mine rebuilt it for me, including hand-carving the missing half of a busted peghead which was nowhere to be found in the trash heap.

After the rebuild it played O.K. - clearly without the tonal presence of a high-end mando, however. Sure is a looker, though! Spruce top, mahogany rims and back, tortoise pickguard with MOP accents, fancy MOP inlay work around the soundhole and, of course, my buddy's hand-carved peghead details.

The top's been starting to cave a bit so I now keep the tension off... nice "wall-hanging" in the family room!

[Hoovetone]

I said it looked from the 60's. Well I forgot about the shrunk up and deteriorated tuner knobs. So it is older than I thought. It has very readable model and serial numbers.
As soon as I get the numbers from him, I'll post them. Thanks for the info so far!
The lady that owns it dug it out of her shed and sent it with her husband #to the Mon. jam session I go to. She had been watching Antique Road Show.on T.V. and got "inspired".
This thing looks to me like it could have real TS binding.
#Tony

[Jim Garber]

Hoovetone, even better if you could post a pic of it. I think (don;t hold me to this) that I have seen 1940 Stewart instruments that resembled Strad-o-lins.

Jim

[gibby24]

I think one of these was used on a tone poem cd with Grisman and Rice. I think the jist of the description was "sturdy, lacked an elegant tone but perfect for the blues" I couldn't find the tone poems booklet so I'm going off the top of my head.

[Jim Garber]

You are correct, gibby24. It was an SS Stewart Snoiw Queen from the 1930s. In the booklet it says that Gruhn says that the archtop guitars were all made by Regal and that they assume that the mandolins were also. The tone is described as not particularly refined.

Jim

[Jim Garber]

Hoovetone:
Is your friend's Stewart like this one?

It looks very similar to Strad-o-Lin mandolins.

Jim

[Hoovetone]

Jim, Real close. Plain ts-type binding. Tuner buttons are shurnk up and are basically gone. I'll try to post a photo.

[Jim Garber]

It is interesting. I have a Strad-o-Lin clone that is labelled Weymann. Both Stewart and Weymann were Philadelphia firms so there is some connection there.

Jim