Odd snakehead logo

[mrmando]

Dude selling a 1924 snakehead on Craig's List sent me this photo. A straight-across script logo like this one appears on some Gibson mandolins from around 1927, but usually not 1924. (1927 is too late for a snakehead, at least according to conventional wisdom.) It looks a little off to me in other aspects ... I'm inclined to say it was added later. Your thoughts?

[Glassweb]

I've seen these stenciled, horizontal logos on snakeheads before... don't know about the date though as our whole thinking regarding dates has shifted. I wouldn't worry about that too much... I'd be more concerned with the intonation on these later snakes.

[Jim Garber]

I'd be more concerned with the intonation on these later snakes.

Bob Jones showed me the difference in intonation and how far it was off on a '24 F4 compared to the correct fret location. It was truly off esp in the upper frets.

As far as the headstock logo: possibly left over parts or more likely a Gibson factory repair job done later? Very curious, tho.

[pfox14]

What's the serial # of the mando? Can we confirm it's date of mfg.?

[mrmando]

SN is 81327 so it's a late one. Unfortunately I don't have the FON.

[GTison]

I don't see the oddity in it. It looks like a A-junior or an AO model. is that what it is?

[mrmando]

No, it's a blacktop with an A2Z-style rosette. Anyhow, an A-jr snakehead wouldn't have a script logo at all. And there's no such thing as a snakehead A0.

[Glassweb]

No, it's a blacktop with an A2Z-style rosette. Anyhow, an A-jr snakehead wouldn't have a script logo at all. And there's no such thing as a snakehead A0.

I had the exact same model years ago... same stenciled, horizontal logo as well. Played horribly out of tune!

[mrmando]

Here is an old thread with Beimborn saying that many later snakeheads (81xxx and up) have this silkscreened, straight-across logo. Even some Juniors have it, evidently. Good enough for me.

[pfox14]

The serial # according to Spann puts the mandolin's date of mfg. in 1927. Also according to Gibson's 1926 Catalog P all of the A-style mandolins have "snake heads", but the illustrations of the A & A-0 show no logo on the peghead at all. My guess is yours is a 1927 A-2 with a straight non-slanted PH pearl logo, which isn't that unusual for Gibson. Gibson's 1928 Catalog Q no longer shows the "snake head" design for the A mandos. There was no guitar or mandolin catalog for 1927. Really don't know how accurately the catalogs reflect actual instruments, but that's what they show. I don't think 1927 is that late to still have a "snake head" A-2.
Here are the catalog pages from 1926 Catalog P

[mrmando]

Thanks Paul. According to Spann, the serial number signifies a ship date, not a manufacture date -- but a 1927 ship date would explain the presence of a 1927-style logo. Check the photo -- it's obviously silkscreen, not pearl.

For most Gibsons in this serial number range, the Archive lists a manufacture date of 1925. I suppose this means the conventional wisdom still holds -- that manufacture of snakeheads ceased in 1925? In that case, it would seem that the ones appearing in the '26 catalog were old stock.