Re: Mandolin Advertisments from the UK 1914
Thanks Dave for uploading that image of the Windsor Pyxe 'Gibson homage' mandolin.
I have one of those pictured in the ad and a thing of wonder it is too. I had thought it was part of an attempt to expand Windsor's product range in a shrinking banjo market in the 1930s (they were the UK's biggest banjo maker by far and probably the biggest banjo maker outside the USA - I wish there were some decent stats) but I see the ad dates from 1914.
I used to live in Birmingham where the Windsor banjos were made and were commonly found for sale second-hand but I never saw a Windsor mandolin for sale, suggesting they were a short-term proposition. The Windsor banjo-mandolins were much more common, and often very well made, suggesting they stuck to what they knew best in later years.
Kevin
Anglocelt
mainly Irish & Scottish but open to all dance-oriented melodic music.
Mandos: Gibson A2, Janish A5, Krishot F5, Taran Springwell, Shippey, Weber Elite A5; TM and OM by Dave Gregory, J E Dallas, Tobin & Davidson.
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