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I am an avid promoter of a certain style of Strad-O-Lin mandolins. They have the comma f-holes. The body is slightly smaller than the average A shaped Gibson mandolin and - as far as I know - it was...

Done, but it’s MK V. The first version using the original gear and worm in a new, solid housing, failed because the gear would be the part that failed and would be expensive to reproduce. The next...

I acquired this via French site Leboncoin - some interesting instruments can appear there but you usually need a French phone number and mailing address.

It needed some attention: raising the...

I now have three different Stromberg Voisinet mandolins, none of which have a complete set of functioning tuners. The nicer two have mahogany sides and back (laminate?) while the other appears to be...

Amazing post from Deke Dickerson on FB. (It's public, worthwhile, and easily searchable)

My favorite bit:

"He reveled in telling us great stories of the old days (“Elvis called me his ‘little...

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Nick, thanks for the alert about about the mandolin in the original post: I just ended up buying a much earlier French instrument from the same seller:
...

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That looks to me like a Philipine Bandurria, a relative of the Spanish one developed during colonial times which is used in Rondalla orchestras. The smaller body is typical of them, but they usually...

Seen in the classifieds. No personal connection. This A-Jr defies my observation that it's rare to see the economy models in 'closet' condition. And much more common to find an A-4 that was put aside...

I thought you all might enjoy this video we made about a really cool piece of Gibson history featuring a mandolin built and signed by Orville Gibson himself! We've got it hanging in our shop on loan...

David, the H1407 was a cut above other Harmony arch tops, I think, because of the solid spruce tops (albeit pressed, not carved) and solid mahogany elsewhere except for the rosewood fingerboard. Mine...

From Music Trades April 1954:

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From Music Trades February 1977:

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It doesn't seem to have been discussed anywhere on here before, Acoustic Music have posted the 1936 Gretsch catalog (the 1933 has been discussed here) and it is the first and only catalog I am aware...

Just wanted to share the pics of Gibson-like instrument found in Russia. Undated, but probably made in the 1970's. Labelled Luthier M.M. Pavlov, Irkutsk. Nothing is available on this luthier in the...

Our reference books are not always entirely complete, nor do they always agree with each other.
According to Gruhn's Guide to Vintage Guitars, 2nd edition, model A-1 was discontinued in 1918, but...

I had a National Rosita mandolin with the same body.

Perfect for a duet with this one:

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The way I understand it, Washburn was originally a product line of the Lyon & Healy company.
Lyon & Healy was a vast enterprise, building many different kinds of instruments, operating retail stores...

Many years ago when he worked on my Vinaccia my luthier was quite proud that he had in his parts box some MOP from the handle of a Colt revolver that he cut nicely to fit that pearl triangle on the...

Yes, indeed. Same with my 1898 Giuseppe Vinaccia -- the little MOP piece got lost in the intervening decades, but I had it replaced when it was restored. See attached photo.

Martin

Thanks, Nick.

I posted this one, with some commentary of course, over on the "Flatbacks of Note" thread a couple weeks ago.

It's an interesting mandolin as varies from the numerous Leland...

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Added the new bridge and restrung, set the intonation (I think I got it pretty close).
Sounds pretty good.
I also took care of a few cracks on the side and back of the mando.
The...

Here is the sound sample:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOH9LStZWCk

Don't worry, you can't bore the mandolin nerds here!

I agree!

And I'd love to play the mandolin in question here.