Given a Mandolin but Afraid to Play

[skcekl]

I was given a mandolin to play but it seems very old and I'm afraid to use it. It is a Thiebes-Stierlin, Smith Academy 1853, St. Louis. I cannot find any information about this mandolin online and was hoping to learn something about it from Mandolin Cafe.
Thank you in advance for any information :)
Skcekl

[billhay4]

Pictures are worth a thousand words in this case. Especially of any labels on the instrument, but also of front, back, headstock, tailpiece.
Bill

[Mandobart]

You better be afraid. These things are addictive. Welcome to the cafe!

[skcekl]

Of course... I'll get some pics up shortly.

[Jim Garber]

1853 is prob too early if the label refers to St. Louis, MO in the USA. Mandolins in the US were few and far between back then and really did not become popular until 1880s. Unless St Louis refers to a place in Europe I would guess that this was a mandolin made for Thiebes-Stierlin, Smith Academy.

Ah, I did a quick search and Thiebes-Stierlin was a music store in St. Louis, MO and the building was still standing as of 2004. I believe that Smith Academy was a trade school also in that city. Just a guess... that this was a mandolin made by Lyon & Healy or perhaps one of the other Chicago makers for this music store. :-)

[skcekl]

Here are some pics...
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[Jim Garber]

Very interesting... a little different from what I expected. It looks like the fretboard over the body is a little dicey and might disintegrate. Other than that it looks to be in decent shape tho it is hard to tell if the neck is straight.

[skcekl]

Any idea what the value of this mandolin might be? If it's worth something I'd like to get it to someone that could restore it before it disintegrates.

[Jim Garber]

Prob a $100-200 ... this is a lower- to mid-grade mandolin. You may need a new fretboard and frets and that may cost you more than it is worth unfortunately.

[skcekl]

How do we know what it's worth if were not sure what it is?

[Jim Garber]

I have seen scores of ones that are similar. Trust me... these are not super treasured instruments. There are some that are particularly valuable but unless there is some interesting provenance I doubt it is worth much as-is.

[skcekl]

I am obviously the novice. I was more concerned about playing something I shouldn't. I will most likely have the fretboard repaired and play what is still a beautiful instrument. Thank you for your response, it is appreciated. :mandosmiley:

[bmac]

I don't think I would worry about playing causing any damage to the instrument. The fretboard looks bad near the hole, but outside of wear grooves between the frets near the headstock it should be playable and you will not harm the instrument structurally. The fretboard is replacable and is separate from the neck. The frets appear to be in pretty good shape although they are hard to see clearly in the photo. If the neck is not bent it should be quite playable as is. It is suggested that you use light strings on these old bowlbacks. You should probably change whatever is on there to light strings. When the fretboard is replaced the luthier will likely be able to straighten any problems that may exist. You should have a lot of fun with this instrument. I have several but yours is in a little better shape than mine.

[skcekl]

Thank you for the insight. I will be sure to use light strings.

[EdHanrahan]

Yeah but, "light gauge" can be a misleading term, with different meanings to different folks, and companies. "Light" to a bluegrass player would still be average or heavier.

When restorer (Cafe member & frequent poster) Jake Wildwood strung up my similar, and fairly delicate, bowlback two years ago, he used two sets of tenor banjo strings. I think they're .009 thru .028, which is way lighter than you'll see any legitimate mandolin set. It's worth being cautious at first; increase the gauge later if it seems happy enough.

[Jim Garber]

I would recommend these GHS strings (http://www.juststrings.com/ghs-a240.html). They will be fine and were designed for mandolins such as yours. Personally I don't see the point of two sets of tenor banjo strings unless you prefer that sound of non-bronze strings.

[mrmando]

Given that the 1853 date is part of the Smith Academy seal on the label, it is undoubtedly the founding date of the academy and not the manufacture date of the mandolin -- which looks more like a 20th-century instrument.

[allenhopkins]

Before doing anything, were it my mandolin, I'd take it to a good instrument repair person and have it thoroughly inspected. The ebony (at least so it appears) fretboard is dried out and splitting; there's a dot inlay missing; there may be other problems not apparent from looking at photos.

You have a mandolin that was not a top-line instrument, but may well be serviceable and playable. It has a rosewood bowl, spruce top, mahogany neck with an ebony fretboard. From the moderate number of ribs in the bowl, and the lack of extensive inlay other than in the pickguard, as well as the fairly plain tuners, we can tell it wasn't expensive to start with. There are a lot of these mandolins around, since the bowl-back was the predominant style of mandolin in the late 19th-early 20th century, and thousands were made and sold through catalogs, music dealerships, even "general stores."

You may get a lot of use out of it, but before putting even light-gauge strings on it, I'd have it checked over by a pro. It's a century old, give or take, and lots can happen to an instrument in that length of time.

[skcekl]

That is wise counsel. Thank you Allen.
I appreciate all of the comments in this thread.
Skcekl :mandosmiley: