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Mick, I would be interested to hear more about these Martin made Ditson bowlbacks. I have a Ditson Empire that I’m working on which I figure to be made by Vega. But from what I can see it looks...

It definitely isnt a fake, but something was weird about the ad. Anyone here get it? I actually remember this exact same mandolin on eBay about a year ago - those pics in the ad were used from the...

I personally would go with an Eastman 515 if you can. You definitely can't go wrong with one of those as a beginner mandolin. I had one for a while and they do sound great and just feel like a good...

If it was me I would go with the $80 Russian mandolin. You'll be spending more on any new mandolin, (I'm near Vancouver to so I know all about shipping/currency rate) and at $80 you can't really go...

If you`re looking for a cool old mandolin with character I would definitely go for it at that price. You have a great chance of it having a nice sound, its a nice big body oval hole (well more like...

Its at $511?! And still 16 hours to go. I dont understand how these old Gibson go for so much on ebay, can anyone explain it? I buy and restore old Gibson pretty often and I would say real value of...

Try this one - http://www.ebay.com/itm/1922-GIBSON-A-MANDOLIN-SER-NO-70126-FON-11656-SHERIDAN-BROWN-W-ORIGINAL-CASE-/291391869595?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43d84f129b
Silly guy, but hey, it...

Hahaha yes it must be Mr. Loar practicing his signature on the old A's...I will sell the mandolin for "only" half the price of a Loar F5 ;)
It really is interesting though. Since it was also on my...

I'm working on a 1917 Gibson A mandolin and noticed it has a little symbol right after the "GUARANTEED" writing on the label. I remember my old 1920 A2 also had the exact same symbol in the same...

Isnt it almost impossible to find new fret wire as small as the original fret wire in the old Gibsons? I`m re-fretting, and actually making a whole new fretboard, for an old 1909 Gibson A, but I`m...

I have found that simple epoxy actually seems to work good. It seemed to stick good and didnt feel like it would come apart, but I had to make my own clamp/mount which wasnt celluloid so Im not sure...

I wouldn't be too worried about it, as it's quite common on the 300 and 500 series (no back binding). The Eastmans touchy with humdity and heat, chances are over time it will happen in other spots....

Just found this on eBay. It looks pretty cool and unique with those f-holes. Looks older than 1930s which is cool because they`re isnt very many early f-holed mandolins. I have a Waldo f-hole...

If it was me I would go with the Eastman MD-313, or even a MD-515 if you look around for a used one. I havent had experience with a Morgan Monroe but I do know Eastmans generally have a good...

I think a very cool mandolin would be a traditional F-5 but with a white top and dark red (or maybe golden) flame maple back/sides/neck. I havent seen it done yet, has anyone else seen a white top...

I recently bought a 2007 Eastman 515 mandolin which I absolutely love the sound and feel of. But for some reason I feel like it is slightly limited in it's sound - like it can sound better. I've been...

Why is everyone so negative about them? I think they are pretty dang cool, and will be part of mandolin history. I like all the fancy details. I mean, there`s plenty of other uglier mandolins out...

What about all the ones left in old houses and such? Say you bought an old house and found a Loar hidden away up in the attic. You wouldnt need to worry about dealing with an owner ;)
Im sure there...

Looks like it would be a good players instrument. I have the same year A2 and they are absolutely amazing. But for the price of that one you can easily find an all original good condition A2 that...

It has some similar features as my R. Gerome flatback mandolin made in Mirecourt France. The headstock for one, and the back wood is the same burly maple, with flower inlays. The fretboard also looks...

Thank you very much Bill, just what I needed to know and very helpful. I will watch the open crack as I humidify it to see how much it moves, then later start the repair.

Thank you everyone! Ive...

Can you explain a little more on what should I do about the humidified part? Sorry I just havent really learned about that yet

Looks great Marty! Ive never done the self clamping wedge, so thats great to know. I think this is what Im going to do, except the crack is quite wide so I will also need to squish it together a bit,...

A splint was going to be my last resort, but the mandolin pretty much sat in its case cracked with string tension for about 40 years, so the shape of the top has changed and causes the crack to stay...

Yes, I honestly completely forgot I left the house with it yesterday. It was a big mistake, but now I just need to figure out how to get it playing again. Though I remember about 2 days before the...