Just pulled the trigger and bought it on ebay. #I thought it looked pretty good. No cracks, repairs, neck straight, may need a fret crowning. #I'll let you know when I get it.
Just pulled the trigger and bought it on ebay. #I thought it looked pretty good. No cracks, repairs, neck straight, may need a fret crowning. #I'll let you know when I get it.
Another
and another
oh, one more. Thanks for looking
Congratulation Neal,
It looks super clean; lovely top! I really love the way the A-jr's look, especially the clamshell tailpiece cover. I guess it's clear from Bob A's info in the other thread that this mandolin is a round label A-jr. and therefore pre-1928; also must be pre-1923 snakehead, so, 1919-1922?. I assume you don't have the serial number yet...
Keith
Looks great neal. I have a '24 snakehead A-Jr and I love it. Of course Gruhn told me a few weeks ago at the Ohio guitar show that it was '25?
For sitting on my porch playing fiddle tunes it really has an awesome sound of course yours a bit more original than mine but hey they are all different.
Enjoy...post some more pics when you get it. You should submit it to Dan over at the archive it's pretty neat to see where you instrument fits in the scheme of Gibsons. I know I'm easily ammused
here is alink to mine...
http://www.mandolinarchive.com/perl/show_image.pl?2416
Keith, yup, round label, no serial #, it's all scratched out, but I'll look closer when I get it.
Ethan, I really like that snakehead look, don't those have the more pronounced "V" shape neck? I'll get a pic over to Dan when I reel this fish in.
Thanks fellas, I'm pretty exited to get it.
I guessed '26 as it's a paddle head, but could be a 20-23 as well..
The pickguard looks like a clamp now that I look again, so maybe it's a 20-23.
Neal,
Thats a great looking A-jr, nice and clean, I agree with Dan and Keith 20-23, the later ones had the pickguard attached to the side by a single screw, no cam clamp.
Michael Lettieri
It's a clamp. #You guys are great, thanks. #Have you guys actuall tried to look at all the stuff Dan has in the archive? #My eyes are hurting.....in a good way, but still a little blurry. # I guess you gotta know when to quit.
One more question, I asked him to put the bridge in the pick compartment for shipping and he told me that it seemed that the bridge was glued to the top. This isn't the end of the world, but they're not suppose to be, right?
Neal
yeah glued is not right but probably not the end of the world...
and mine has a slightly V shaped neck but I don't mind it...
Would a snakehead like mine have a screwed pickguard attachment I've never been able to locate an old screw hole so I always assumed it would be a clamp? Eventually I'd like to find a period replacement for it.
Hey, I got it today. #The packing job on this was the most professional I've seen, well, I've only seen four packing jobs. #It's beautiful, lot darker than the pics. #tailpiece rattles, bridge is glued, loop-end holder broken on the top G. # But it's great, these are really minor things, I suppose, I can always use the other G holder for awhile. #I venture to guess that there are a lot of you out there using that setup to this day. #I figure, right now, I'll throw some new strings on ,wipe it down dry, get some felt for the tailpice cover, and on Sunday take it to my mechanic for the going over.
Couple questions here. #No end-pin, looks like you'd loop it thru the cover. Any other options? #No side position markers, would it be a very bad thing to have those put in, tastefully of course? # heck, I'm doin' it, this is a keeper anyway. #Really old strings, but what a sound!
Also, I'd really like to put a strap button on it. #Looping it thru the headstock feels really awkward. Feel free to talk me out of it. #I'm torn between keeping it a piece of history and making it more comfortable for me.
and a new bridge and gold plating the tailpiece and..............y'know, I feel like a kid with a new G.I.Joe. #(No, I'm not gonna gold plate anything)
Thanks for listening to me prattle on.
Ethan, you're right, comfortable slight "V".
I'd live with it a while before you make any changes. You might find that you get used to it as is. If, after a while, you decide to make the changes, you can always go ahead with them. If a luthier thinks you can detach the bridge without messing up the top, I'd do that, though. Chances are, the intonation could be improved with bridge re-positioning if the bridge has been in its present location for most of the instrument's life.
Bob DeVellis
Bob, #you are correct. #I don't want to look back on it and ask myself, "did it really need those rhinestones and fins?" #All I'm having him do right now is clean her up, level the frets (and hope I can get by without a refret) # put on an adjustable bridge, #condition the fretboard. #I'll keep everything, of course. # And I'll live with it for a while.
Those clamping pickguards are very cool.
Hey that's a real Clean A-Jr.! Looks a heck of alot better than mine!...
http://homepage.mac.com/craigtoo/PhotoAlbum18.html
enjoy,
craig
Maybe, but I'll just bet that you wouldn't trade it for the world. How's the playability on yours? I can guess the sound, Mine goes to the mechanic today July 4. New bridge, cleanup, fret dress, etc.. can't wait to get it back. I think it was one of you're posts that I found Siminoff for the bridge.
Just after I ordered it, within a minute, Ward Elliot offered to send me one...I need to work on my timing, not just keepin' the beat.
Hey...I love the tone on these things...as a short term solution, I ended up shimming the bridge slightly..(had it done at my local violin shop). #The action is super low.. #It had sometime in the past a new fingerboard installed and whoever did it, really knew what they were doing. #You can just fly over this fingerboard.
I'm waiting on a bridge from Darryl Wolfe (F5Journal).
Right now it's got TIs on it... which are great strings, but I think I'm going to switch back to the semi flat D'Ads for a bit more "Zing" in the sound.
enjoy,
craig
That's nice the color is darker than the pic. Is it orig finish? I ask because it looked lighter than others and the top appeared in such nice condition compared to the label, I though it may have been refisnished at some time.
It's dark, not light at all, finish is original. You can tell in person, it's a bit rougher than the pics show, but no cracks, and that label is trashed! Someone pencil-scratched the heck out of it. It's at the doctors right now.
Isn't she precious?
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