# General Mandolin Topics > Vintage Instruments >  Monroe's epiphone?

## Pete Martin

In the box set "Blue Moon of Kentucky", there are several pics of Monroe playing an Epiphone mando (an A5 type with "wings" down near the end of the fingerboard).

What model was it? Does anyone know of any recordings he made with this instrument?

Thanks!

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## Jim Garber

> an A5 type with "wings" down near the end of the fingerboard


Not sure what the "wings" mean. Do you have a photo you could post?

From a 1984 article on Gruhn's site:



> Bill Monroe used an Epiphone Strand mandolin during the early 1950s, and Monroe's publicity photos of that era show him with the instrument.


Jim

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## evanreilly

Here is one:

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## evanreilly

Here is another:

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## jmcgann

That was a fast mandolin, witnessed by the Monroe Bros. recordings...

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## cooper4205

> That was a fast mandolin, witnessed by the Monroe Bros. recordings...


i thought he just played the F7 in those days, did the Epi get some action, too?

i've also got a picture of Bill and Charlie (it looks like they are standing on a wheel-barrow) where he has what looks like an A-Jr. snakehead. I wonder if it got recorded as well, or if he played it in their strictly radio days (what, pre-1936?)

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## MikeEdgerton

The Epiphone was a Strand (it has two points not wings)as far as I know. George Gruhn has a blurb here.

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## evanreilly

Bill played his F-7 when he was playing with Charlie. He also played it with the Blue Grass Boys until he bought #73987. I suspect he played the Epiphone while repairs were being done to the Gibson.
To my knowledge, he did not use it to record.

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## johnl

There's a posting at the Mandozine site here  where George Gruhn says the Epi Strand was probably used as a backup or for alternate tunings. As for the promo pics, maybe they used the Epi because Bill Monroe had 'distressed' the headstock on his Loar? Or maybe this was while Gibson had his F-5, and he was trying to tell them he wanted his mandolin back (Epiphone was a competitor at the time)...

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## Darryl Wolfe

I agree with the "theory" that any pictuce that depicts something unusual is a backup mandolin. Owned or borrowed.

There is no evidence that he ever owned anything he is pictured with other than the F5 and the F7 and possibly the Stradolin

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## Soupy1957

Well what'dya know..Bill played an Epi eh?! Won't THAT cause a stir to all the folks!! (Teehee)

-Soupy1957

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choctaw61

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## mythicfish

Oh, I thought you meant epiphany ... never mind.

Curt

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## MikeEdgerton

If anyone has an image of the ad showing Bill Monroe playing that pacrim mandolin could you post it? It would make Soupy's day big time.

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## MikeEdgerton

Another image where Bill isn't playing his Gibson...

Is that a rare six-string mandocello?

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## cooper4205

> i've also got a picture of Bill and Charlie (it looks like they are standing on a wheel-barrow) where he has what looks like an A-Jr. snakehead. I wonder if it got recorded as well, or if he played it in their strictly radio days (what, pre-1936?)


here's the pic i was talking about where Bill has the snakehead (also, is Charlie playing an old Prairie State guitar? it looks like a rod in the middle of the sound hole on his guitar)

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## cooper4205

> If anyone has an image of the ad showing Bill Monroe playing that pacrim mandolin could you post it? It would make Soupy's day big time.

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## MikeEdgerton

That's it, now people will be flocking to buy those Ibanez mandolins  

That does look like a rod and the general shape would lead me to think it might be a Larson Bros. Prairie State. What's Bill playing? 

By the way, If Charlie steps off the wheelbarrow BIll is going down big time.

More info for anyone wanting to know can be found here.

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## cooper4205

Mike-

It looks like a snakehead Gibson in the picture, maybe that's what he was playing when they were first getting on the road around 1932 or 1933?


I guess he had been playing the F7 by the time him and Charlie made it into the recording studio for Bluebird in 1936

He also had this cool looking Black A-style, i wonder when he played it? it looks like an old gibson style a that has f-holes.

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## MikeEdgerton

The one in the picture above almost looks like a flat top.

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## cooper4205

it looks like it has some recurve to it, see it on the bass side (i tried to zoom it in, but oh well)

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## evanreilly

I believe that Donny Lewis, son of Ralph Lewis, now owns that Ibanez mandolin that Bill is shown playing.

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## MarthaWhitePicker

A buddy of mine in Nashville has video of Moroe playing an electric mandolin at a pickin party. You think that would stir up some raw emotions?

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## Steve Davis

Post it on youtube!

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## jimmy powells

I've never found an Ibanez F5 with volume although the Ibanez Jethro Burns style A5 did have decent volume. I had a gorgeous looking block pearl Ibanez F5 in the 1970s but very quiet and most of them seem to be but then again I recently played a 1970s Gibson F5 with the fancy fingerboard and mint conditioned hardly used but it was the same. No volume. So anyone thinking of dashing out and buying Bill Monroe style Ibanez F5, best to take your time.

Jimmy
UK

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## David Lewis

You've all probably seen this, but anyway:

https://youtu.be/AEb3-RC2DBI

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xSinner13x

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## f5loar

> That was a fast mandolin, witnessed by the Monroe Bros. recordings...


The late 30's Epip Strand was given to Monroe by the Bluegrass Boys in 1949 as a gift.  Bought used probably didn't set them back to much in those days.  He used it as a back up and other tunings.  He later loaned it to Benny Martin's brother.  It was sold a few years back through Curtis McPeke's store.

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David Lewis, 

Timbofood

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