Hello, When I saw the picture for this Social Group, I thought it was a Stadium, like mine. But the title said Strad-o-lin. Can you tell me what the difference is. They really look the same! I post some pictures of my mandolin, which I bought second-hand for 60$ in 1985 in Pennsylvania. I have played on it ever since and have never really had the need to get another one because I like its soft sound. I have no idea where these Stadium mandolins are (were) made, but I figured the similarity shows they may have been built by the same sort of people. So maybe that piece of information can lead to something in your quest for the origins of Stra-O-Lin mandolins...!? Great website, and great Social Group! Marc
The company that built the Strad-O-lins, or at least some of the Strad-O-Lins also built your Stadium. That's what we call a Strad-O-Lin genre mandolin. They were built with many different brand names.
Greetings,I replaced the top on a Stadium and they are built exactly like the Stradolins,even sound like them.I have three Strads one Stadium and one without a logo but they are all built alike and sound very much alike.If I can ever figure out how to upload I will post pics.One of the Strads.is a long neck small body . Regards Kirk
My Stadium short neck round hole is a great beater for the beach. I had thought Stadiums were consistently roundholes, but apparently not. The tone is soft - stronger with a stiff pick with a beveled edge. I scraped off the paint on the neck and had my luthier slim it, light oil finish it, & add side dots. It's better now.
I see Mike has posted in our gallery the photo from Big Joe's ad for a "Nobility" branded Strad. That's a new name to me. It's a nice early oval-hole Strad, with the fingerboard extension and the longer neck that joins the body near the 11th fret. For comparison, David Newton's photo of his Strad shows the shorter (later?) neck, with the join around the 9th fret. The Nobility looks to be in good shape, with a nice looking spruce top. The fingerrest is like those in Jim's 1935 catalogue images, so I think this was the earliest type used on Strads. The one that came off my own Strad had a different shape, and I think must be a little later. Is your Stadium similar, Michael?
And now, a Strad-o-lin banjo! http://www.banjohangout.org/myhangou...9&albumid=1596
These were imported in the 60's-70's and have nothing to do with the American made mandolins.
Oh, I know Mike, but I'd never seen a SOL badged banjo or guitar, and things are very slow.
I uploaded 3 more headstock pictures from mandolins that look the same like a Stradolins : Stadium , Orpheum , G.B.Walters . Whoever built Stradolins made these too.
