I have a feeling that they have a photo studio and the lighting will be very different from outdoor sunlight.
Printable View
Beautiful catch, Jim. Hope it come alive to meet your expecations.
Great score, Jim, it’s in good hands. What I want to know is - how does it smell? Must be quite different than one that’s been played all its life.
Thats a Nice looking A4. Congrats.
You remain an inspiration, Jim.
Just to fulfill my obsession with newly acquired mandolins, here is my 24 next to my exquisite copy by Hans Brentrup from 2007. Only 83 years difference.
Attachment 204532 Attachment 204533
Jim, all I can say is...WOW! :mandosmiley:
Nice pair Jim, you are a fortunate man.
The amazing thing to me is how close Hans' mandolin is to the 1924 one. Aside from the chocolate buttons and the Virzi is it nearly identical. He even opted for the slabcut back wood vs. flamey quarter-sawn. Even the sunburst is extremely close.
They look like twins. How different do they sound?
IIRC they sound similar but I think the Brentrup is a bit more responsive. I am not sure of the correct acoustic term but I feel the Brentrup has more headroom, in other words, when you push it, it seems to respond whereas the 24 Gibson is acting a little shy. After all, we don't really know each other well. I heard a famous violinist in an interview say that the Stradivari he played actually took him quite a while to figure out how to get the tones he wanted. Not that either of these fit in that league (nor do I). But in any case, we shall see. In the meantime, they are definitely twins from different mothers (or fathers).
I just played both mandolins today switching back and forth. The Brentrup has my regular favorite strings, D'Addario NB mediums. The 24 A-4 has whatever Elderly strung it with which are some PB strings. Both sound great and are not exactly identical in tone but in the same general range. I am still unsure that what exactly the Virzi adds to the tone. I know that theoretically it is supposed to add more overtones.
One thing I did notice was that the depth of the Brentrup neck is a deeper/thicker than the A-4. It doesn't really bother me that much. The width at the nut is exactly the same.
I did write to Hans once again to show him the two mandolins together and even he was marveling at how close he got to the look of the Gibson. Amazing work. BTW his health is not good these days and I think he appreciated my reaching out.
Mandolin heaven! Those photos of the two together!
Yes, they seem to get along fine together. I was worried when bringing home a new puppy… er… mandolin. :)
What is especially amazing about both of them is that they each have plenty of sustain.
I remember decades ago, reading an interview with the folk singer Odetta. I believe she called her guitar "Baby", but any way one day she brought a new guitar home and put them on her bed next to each other. After some time she was pleased that Baby taught the new guitar everything it knew.
Exquisite pair of mandolins, Jim.
I am acclimating nicely to the newly-acquired Gibson. Most amazing is how much sustain it has: it rings and rings. I like the tone but haven’t a clue if the Virzi does anything, maybe but not sure what. I hope to get together some time with a friend who has one from the same years as his main mandolin since the 1980s. I always liked his and his playing but it will be interesting to here them side by side. And I still have the PB strings that I assume Elderly installed.
Thanks to Dan Beimborn: my 24 A-4 was admitted to the illustrious Mandolin Archive. You can view the listing here: http://www.mandolinarchive.com/gibson/serial/79273
Nice catch!
I wish I'd spotted this one a couple of weeks ago, listed at approx. 40% of market value ...
https://offerup.com/item/detail/1510760871