# General Mandolin Topics > Vintage Instruments >  Rare Gibson-made Cromwell GM-6

## pfox14

This is a very rare 1936 Gibson-made Cromwell Model GM-6, the only F-style budget brand mandolin Gibson made in the 1930s. Nicknamed the "lump scroll" because of the lack of the standard F-style scroll, it may be one of only 9 ever made. This one has an FON of 573B. It is possible that there were a total of 2 batches of these made which would make the total produced more like 18-20, but rare none the less. Gibson's main distributor for the Cromwell line was Grossman's Music, but they never appeared in any catalog that I've ever seen. According to the Gibson shipping ledgers, one of these was re-labeled as a CWM-6 and sold to Coast Wholesale as a CW Mason branded mandolin, and the rest were dumped on a pawnshop. They were pretty pricey for a budget brand mando which is probably why they didn't make very many of them.

----------

brunello97, 

Dobe, 

Jim Garber

----------


## William Smith

Very Kool mandolin there, I've only seen one other one thus far! I like that its missing the treble side lower point toward the end of the mandolin, I love the weird depression era Gibsons and own and have sold loads of em that are rare. I've yet to find one of these though and would love one for my collection.
  How is the sound? Is the back carved or heat pressed or flat? Is the body maple and the neck hogwood. I would love for ya to show more photos, I'm really Jazzed over this one!

----------


## pfox14

The mandolin is carved top & back. Flamed maple back & spruce top.

----------


## Tobin

Is that a strip of binding material down the center of the fretboard?  I wonder what the purpose of that was, especially considering that it would add to the cost of building it (and this is a budget brand).

----------


## William Smith

Its early double post?

----------


## William Smith

I think that strip down the center of fret board is painted on. Maybe a generic way to make sure the neck is on straight? I think its a kool looking mandolin, looks like you can see a back brace through the F holes, If the back is carved it shouldn't have that?, Its gotta be pressed top and back? I also like the "Cromwell" name on the tailpiece cover. Neat

----------


## MikeEdgerton

*Here's* the first thread where one of these came to light a year or so ago. It's also the one that I sent to Paul right after I bought his book. I'm glad we finally have the correct number. I guessed it was a GM-5 or GM-6 from the list in Paul's book. Do we know what a GM-5 looked like?

----------


## MikeEdgerton

The strip down the center of the fretboard is a piece of binding and was used on the Cromwell guitars by Gibson as well. It's simply trim as far as I can tell.

----------


## pfox14

The GM-5 was an A-style mandolin with carved maple back and carved spruce top. The GM-6 was the only F-style mando Gibson made. The skunk stripe down the center of the FB is inlaid binding material. It was a distinct feature on almost all Cromwell instruments.

Gibson also made a "lump scroll" Gibson-branded version (I believe it was designated A-12)

----------


## MikeEdgerton

Thanks. The lump scroll A models are well documented here. The main difference between the shape of the Cromwell and the other Gibson lump scroll models is the lack of the bottom point on the body. A member here pointed that out after all the rest of us missed it.

----------


## Jim Garber

The A-12 lump scroll was made much later than that Cromwell, correct? As for the binding down the middle of the fretboard, wasn't that common across the entire Cromwell line?

Paul: do you own that one?

----------


## William Smith

Yes the white stripe is found on all the Cromwells. The A-12 was late 60's early 70's, Gibson probably got the idea from the 30's Cromwell, they just gave the new A the F-5 F holes instead of the budget brand f holes and must've used a carved top and back on the A " I've never seen one in person, so I figured they were carved?" because they didn't have the back brace that was found on the budget brands of the 30's and 40's and I believe all or most budgets were pressed or flat backs.

----------


## Joe Mendel

I like the way the binding of the lump scroll on the Cromwell goes a bit farther around than on the A-12. It adds something that I find a bit more attractive, though I've always had a thing for the lumps scroll Gibsons. Probably because my first Gibson mandolin was an oval hole lumpy, it sounded like what I imagine a brick with strings on it would sound. I like the lack of the bottom point and the headstock shape of the Cromwell as well. I wouldn't mind running across one of these.

----------


## brunello97

Great stuff.  For posteriority here they are side by side.

Mick

----------


## MikeEdgerton

You need one these as well  :Smile:

----------


## Joe Mendel

That's the model I had. As I recall the sunburst on mine was much uglier. I can only blame my newness to mandolins and naive, blind faith in the Gibson name for the purchase, the dangers of combining inexperience with money. I have more experience now.

----------


## Ken Waltham

Wouldn't the Cromwell be a pressed back? You can see the brace through the F hole. BTW, I have a Cromwell archtop, forget the model right now, but, it has the fingerboard stripe as well.

----------


## jim simpson

Excuse to post pics of my Cromwell

----------


## FL Dawg

> Is that a strip of binding material down the center of the fretboard?  I wonder what the purpose of that was, especially considering that it would add to the cost of building it (and this is a budget brand).


One of the coolest things about some of budget Gibson brands was the bling they added. Recording King flat tops and arch tops got lots of inlay, the Cromwell crop circle fingerboard, and the Oriole Kalamazoos with tortoise binding and maple bodies.

----------


## pfox14

Here's another Cromwell oddity - a two skunk stripe version

----------

jim simpson

----------


## MikeEdgerton

> Here's another Cromwell oddity - a two skunk stripe version


That I haven't seen. I always try and figure out how these things happen. The fingerboard wasn't all the way in the jig when they made the router pass so to save the wood they just make an identical cut on the other side. You gotta wonder.

----------


## Jim Garber

Hmmmm... extremely rare would be the double-skunk lump-scroll Cromwell mandolin. Or a good name for my next band?

Also: no one has mentioned the unique headstock on the OP lumpscroll Cromwell. Did they even have that on any other instruments?

----------


## William Smith

There were a load of strange things afoot from Gibson in the 30's. Never seen one of those 2 skunk stripes on a fret board. Neat. Kind of off subject but I think Charles Johnson still has a few F-4's with elevated boards, flowerpot peg head inlay, one with F-7 inlayed board the other with F-5 style board. I had a wide bodied A-50 with a flowerpot peg head inlay. I guess they used whatever material they had laying around at the time.

----------


## brunello97

Thanks, Mike, for the trifecta.  We just need a Lumpy Oval Cromwell (sounds like an Irish trad band-name, Jim.) 

Starting to look like Los Ratóneteros Postizos.

Mick

----------


## Dobe

[QUOTE=Jim Garber;1206547]...Also: no one has mentioned the unique headstock on the OP lumpscroll Cromwell. ...

Now that's a Gumby !

----------


## Gary Hedrick

> There were a load of strange things afoot from Gibson in the 30's. Never seen one of those 2 skunk stripes on a fret board. Neat. Kind of off subject but I think Charles Johnson still has a few F-4's with elevated boards, flowerpot peg head inlay, one with F-7 inlayed board the other with F-5 style board. I had a wide bodied A-50 with a flowerpot peg head inlay. I guess they used whatever material they had laying around at the time.


I'd say that there were times in the 20's where they did "other" things....1921 was one of those years with all the truss rod...aluminum bridge.....Cremona brown......adjustable bridge...etc etc.

Also I had a 1927 F4 that had an elevated fretboard and if I remember correctly there were one or two long necks F4's done in that time frame also.

and you have owned a bunch of those A-50's with all their different inlay patterns....let alone the F7, F10 and F12 models of the 30's that you mentioned and own....

When the boys were always doing odd things and then when it comes to banjos where parts are parts etc. ....there are a ton of out of sequence instruments out there

Gibson has always been a "non" standard company

----------


## Jim Garber

> I'd say that there were times in the 20's where they did "other" things....1921 was one of those years with all the truss rod...aluminum bridge.....Cremona brown......adjustable bridge...etc etc.


As I've said over and over: 1921 is one of my favorite years for Gibson. Yes experimental but the mandolins sound good too.

----------


## Gary Hedrick

and in my less than humble opinion, you are spot on Jim......1921 and 1927's have my heart when it comes to F4's....

----------


## pfox14

It's interesting to note that you guys and most everyone agrees that the 20s was the best era for Gibson mandolins, but the 30s produced the best guitars, with the exception of the L-5. I'd say that the 20s was also the best era for Gibson banjos as well. 1930s era mandos just don't command the same prices as the 20s, especially when it comes to the F-5s. Of course the popularity of mandolin took a nose dive in the 30s and Gibson didn't seem to give them as much attention as their guitars. Certainly not when it comes to the variety of models available. Not that the 30s mandos are bad, but just not as good as the stuff they manufactured in the 1920s.

----------


## William Smith

Yes most like the Loar era for mandolins, I'm still a 30's fan for all the weird models Gibson had. Although the 20's had it going on for the F-5 and all the improvements that were born in the 20's that made mandolins better.
 And yes Gary Hedrick, I've owned a bunch from the 30's and still have some, wish I had a few that I sold. but don't own an F-10, that's my unicorn I guess. I was turned onto the F-7's because of my Uncle Dick Smiths F-7 that was John Duffeys in the early 60's plus they make a poorer mans vintage F-5, just change the neck, people have done it to most of the old Gibson tenor banjos to make em better, it also drives the price up in some instances, and the F-7's are really no different granted it takes a bit more to change a neck on a mandolin! You can have a mandolin just as good as a real F-5 for a fraction of the price "must be the old wood" F-7's are not real cheap to start with but I'd take one over an F-4 any day however I sure would like to try out a 27 F-4 with the elevated board like you talked about that sounds ighty interesting!

----------


## Gary Hedrick

Ah yes.....those instruments that we have sold.....looking for that greener pasture all to realize that we should have kept this one or that one......  hindsight always being 100%....

I agree with you that the 30's are just plain fun to see what Gibson did......like the F4 with a mandola sized headstock and fern inlay......all of the different permeations of F4's during that decade......all the inlay patterns....fretboard configurations....finishes.....

I used to own 11 F4's........kinda got taken away with all of them and having a bonus program at work that was funding my excess.....but really they are just plain neat to see all of the differences in them over the years. 

and yes the F7's are neat too.......Duffy and Grisman liked them.....

----------

William Smith

----------


## MandoHog

I remember at Christmas time when a kid and was not good, all I got was a lump of scroll.

----------

Marty Jacobson

----------

