Guest farnsbarns Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 I have this very old mandolin that was left to my by my grandmother, she was an antique dealer and had no interest in musical instruments and had bought it as a speculation not long before her health took a dive. It's in very bad shape, has the rounded back made of segments. If anyone knows anything about them speak up and I'll post pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damian Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Post pics........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Versatile Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 I've often seen this type of thing in antique shops...I guess often bought as a trendy ornament to hang on the wall Obviously if there is a visible label it might help with ID Does it look playable re neck etc? If so, a mandolin can be a great instrument to broaden a guitarist's pallette... V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveinspain Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Depends which one you have but they can be worth some good coin... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rogerb Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 You can also send pictures to Gibson customer service, we will try to help identify the mandolin. email service@gibson.com keep attachments under 2mb's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Anistasios Stathopoulos's first instruments made in the US were mandolins, probably the round back. I think Gibson MAY have made this type of 'tater bug' mandolin. If the maker is well known, it could be worth something. There is a guit tar shop in my area that has a dozen or so of these stave built, bowl-back mandoins on display. None are strung up, few have tuners. I asked about whether they were for sale or not. I was told no, they are just decoration. So, I suspect if they were worth much, they would have strung them up and set them up for selling. You could wander over to another forum I haunted, years ago, mandolincafe.com. Those guys ought to be able to help you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest farnsbarns Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 You can also send pictures to Gibson customer service, we will try to help identify the mandolin. email service@gibson.com keep attachments under 2mb's. Thanks Roger but I'm pretty sure it's no gibson. Here it is... There's no name anywhere, there's a very small ink stamp visible on the inside but if it's letters it's illegible . The interior appears to be paper lined. If it's worthless, as I suspect, I'm gonna have the neck off and attach it to a cigar box because the top is warped and it ain't playable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad1 Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 It has the body shape of a lute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buxom Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Send me that pick guard if you break that baby down, in fact, send me the whole body. I can find creative uses for it. That thing looks rad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 I've seen a number of 'em through the years. We have one in the local museum that I'm involved with. Yours looks old enough, and worn enough, for sure. I have no idea of "value" other than what it might mean to you. But yeah, I'd do some googling in terms of trying to learn more and perhaps that mando site suggested above. When I was a kid, there were some for sale in various sorts of shops, but that was 50 years ago and they weren't so "old" back then. <sigh> My favorite musical instrument museum has some that may be of interest for some background, too. (I knew the museum's founder as it was set up at the state university.) http://orgs.usd.edu/nmm/PluckedStrings/Guitars/MartinGuitars/3604/3604MartinMandolin.html m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest farnsbarns Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 I've seen a number of 'em through the years. We have one in the local museum that I'm involved with. Yours looks old enough, and worn enough, for sure. I have no idea of "value" other than what it might mean to you. But yeah, I'd do some googling in terms of trying to learn more and perhaps that mando site suggested above. When I was a kid, there were some for sale in various sorts of shops, but that was 50 years ago and they weren't so "old" back then. <sigh> My favorite musical instrument museum has some that may be of interest for some background, too. (I knew the museum's founder as it was set up at the state university.) http://orgs.usd.edu/nmm/PluckedStrings/Guitars/MartinGuitars/3604/3604MartinMandolin.html m I have signed up to that forum and asked on there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 yeah... They're looking for a new director, last I heard. I think personally that they've long forgotten the people side of the equation. <sigh> As have many of us and our institutions nowadays. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest farnsbarns Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 yeah... They're looking for a new director, last I heard. I think personally that they've long forgotten the people side of the equation. <sigh> As have many of us and our institutions nowadays. m I actually edited my post. I must confess it was my oversight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 Where's Murph when you need him? It's no Lloyd Loar for sure - and obviously a tater bug. But Murph knew a lot more about mandolins than most of us. Did you post to the acoustic part of this forum as well? Someone there might know something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 Just to be on the safe side, talk to those guys over at mandolincafe.com before you take a band saw to it. They may help you get it appraised. It'd be a shame if you found out it was a Stradivarius or some such after you carved it up. The innards do look wall papered, possibly to hold the staves together. not sure if this is the usual and customary assembly technique or not. It appears old enough to be from the 1800s or early 1900s. The inlay and fit and finish look to be top notch craftsmanship. Playable or not, it could be worth something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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