Ornamented Dolphin Flat Back 1900-20s
This is for sale in Chicago and my guess is that it was made there, too. Very nice looking instrument in good order, it seems. I imagine this may go for quite a lot and I assume the wood is the real thing- no faux finish! Somebody over-clipped one of the tuner units!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/20358620052...ndition=4%7C10
Re: Ornamented Dolphin Flat Back 1900-20s
I like the "John Duffey stile"[sic] that the seller claims; obviously a Seldom Scene fan.
Re: Ornamented Dolphin Flat Back 1900-20s
Yes, I should have written Dolphin/Duck in my headline!
Re: Ornamented Dolphin Flat Back 1900-20s
Love the hinged tailpiece. Why it wasn’t copied and popularized seems beyond reason.
Re: Ornamented Dolphin Flat Back 1900-20s
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Bill McCall
Love the hinged tailpiece. Why it wasn’t copied and popularized seems beyond reason.
My bowlback has the same hinged tailpiece. Notice the curve in the tailpiece. It fits your forearm so you can support the mandolin better without a strap.
Re: Ornamented Dolphin Flat Back 1900-20s
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Bill McCall
Love the hinged tailpiece. Why it wasn’t copied and popularized seems beyond reason.
As hard to believe considering the very minimal concept, I found a patent by Gutman, 1901 #688,243 on a hinged tailpiece and maybe one later by Durkee. One of our experts would know for sure, but it is quite possible that such a patent might have been enforceable, cutting down on the number of similar models. Today, the tailpiece technology seems to run to castings, which may have design patents (a different kind of thing).
Since mandolins were a big business back then, I suppose IP protection may have been sensible.
Re: Ornamented Dolphin Flat Back 1900-20s
My 1890's Washburn bowl-back mandola has a hinged tailpiece cover, with a rotating pin to hold the cover closed during normal use. Only one of my arsenal with anything like it; the other mandolins that have tailpiece covers all have the slide-on detachable ones, which are SOP now.
Re: Ornamented Dolphin Flat Back 1900-20s
These have been discussed here in the past, I think they are also referred to a "sunfish" mandolins. This one appears to be nicer than others.
Previous post from 2013....
https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...hlight=sunfish
5 Attachment(s)
Re: Ornamented Dolphin Flat Back 1900-20s
Here are a few images of this one for posteriority.
Mick
Re: Ornamented Dolphin Flat Back 1900-20s
I tried to find that earlier discussion which I had seen a while back but I just could not recall which marine creature had been used and I went for dolphin! Yes, it was sunfish.
Re: Ornamented Dolphin Flat Back 1900-20s
It is indeed a sunfish and you'll find a bunch here.
Re: Ornamented Dolphin Flat Back 1900-20s
Judging by the headstocks on some of those sunfish mandolins, I would conclude they were made by Regal which probably would have been my main choice anyway. Possibly, earlier examples were made by Regal's close partner in manufacturing- hence that hinged tailpiece one sees on L & H made mandolins.
Re: Ornamented Dolphin Flat Back 1900-20s
I looked through some of the older threads but couldn't find anyone having admitted to actually playing one. Does anyone out there know how these sound?
Re: Ornamented Dolphin Flat Back 1900-20s
Yeah, its cute but close-ups show pretty sloppy, big factory workmanship and (I think) dyed pearwood fretboard. Looks fancy than others I have seen but still seems pretty budget. Bidding up to $180 but I would be surprised if it went much higher than that.