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I have Dogal medios on one of my Embergers and it's keeping great and sounds great with them. I was initially hesitant, but a year have passed and so far so good...

Not a Calace. The label is a fake. There is a seller in Italy on ebay that regularly lists such fakes and seems to be getting away with it, having good ebay feedback.

A small guitar :)))) I guess a hybrid instrument of charango-cavaquinho type for the use of guitar players. Double first courses may not have been there originally. Basically it is a guitarlele in...

An interesting one, clearly Mozzani inspired boatback (Maccaferri was his apprentice once).
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/335143953049

Just noticed this old thread. I have somehow missed it a year ago so will put my five cents in. Zimmerman was a large scale importer. He had also a factory, I believe in Markneukirchen, where he...

Suzuki or Ibanez or any other budget-friendly Japanese bowlback would be good starters. $300-400 should get you a nice one. Most of them would be second hand, though, so choose carefully.

And one more:
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My little arrangement of a Russian song.

https://youtu.be/65zU43-QPTs

Hi Mark. Tried to have a look at your page and got warning that it has a virus. Check it up! Thanks.

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Was going through ebay today, there is a seller from Italy with lots of mandolins, several supposedly top tier instruments with highly dubious labels that look almost handwritten. If you were to buy...

A very nice instrument and this particular pickguard design (providing it's original and not a later modification) is the one I haven't seen before. If the instrument is sound structurally Elixir...

Finally had a chance to inspect the Russian instrument in person and here are some observations. Nicely playable one with perfect intonation, great action and with quite a bark. Some fretboard...

Hi Mick. The original post has a readable pic of the label. Yes, has Venezia written there. One never knows. It has a swan on the water on a scratchplate, perhaps an allusion to Venezia in a way. A...

I came across this one, labelled Ernesto Vacca, Venzezia. Looks Catanese, with Silvestri-shaped headstock and Catania Carmelo style scratchplate. But the tuners are pre-1920 and the instrument in...

Yes, as Jim said, a student model style B. "I Fiori" as it is sometimes referred to. It has a distinct headstock shape typical for only A and B models and the flowers on the scratchplate. A nice...

Very nice Vinaccia indeed. Looks like Dogal Calace Dolce strings were put on (one photo has a pack of those nearby). Good choice. From the Vinaccia range this one considered an intermediate one,...

FYI

https://www.facebook.com/groups/256091367862365/user/100067555156922

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It's a mystery, Jim. I haven't seen them anywhere else, but Russia. My guess is they were probably made in Catania. Perhaps Calace brothers farmed some work to there and didn't want their name to be...

It is not made by a famous luthier, so I'd confidently divide the asking price by 10. And that on a good day if some collector wants to add a curio to his/her collection.

Certainly a highly unusual instrument, beautiful in a way, but the price is way out of reach with the reality.

Yet another instrument found in Russia, this time with the label missing and with the slotted head. Quite possibly of the same obscure Fratelli Calace Napoli-Catania breed. Restored by Dave Hynds....

Wallpaper was often used by the makers. It's thick, has entertaining patterns and does the job well. Vintage wallpaper rolls still can be bought and if I was redoing an old bowlback, I'd use it....

They pop up for sale on ebay and other sites from time to time

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I've seen a few of those on mandolins made in Catania. Different women. Just models of that time, I guess. Just like those on numerous "ladies with mandolins" postcards.