Nice to see my old mandolin still inspiring conversation and debate. Whoever made it knew what they were doing and it is a VERY cool thing.
Nice to see my old mandolin still inspiring conversation and debate. Whoever made it knew what they were doing and it is a VERY cool thing.
Hartman included it in his book---did he attribute it to the Larson Brothers?
So I'm guessing that Clem is ending the thread? Here is the link http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...Brothers-mando!
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Far be it from me to question an authority on vintage instruments but I'm really not ready to attribute that mandolin to anyone unless they happen to have a catalog page, a labeled similar instrument or something to actually place it there. Two very respected mandolin people on this thread have differing opinions on if it is an Orville Gibson mandolin. I have too many books in my library where experts have classified unmarked instruments wrong.
"It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
--M. Stillion
"Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
--J. Garber
Orville was a promoter of the first rank. Did not he label everything he made? Is there not a label, or evidence of one?
Don't know if it's Orville-made, but I hope it is. Just for the coolness factor.
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If it is a Larson made instrument it's still cool! There's a picture of a Larson made violin style mandola on that Instrument Museum in South Dakota and I haven't been able for the life of me to post it on here. It has a lot of similarities to the one in this thread and it has quite a few Gibson elements to it. If anyone can snag it and post it here that would be nice. Larson's are noted for NOT being labeled! The owner of this mandolin would probably like it to be confirmed as OG made. There might be a monetary factor as it would be a unique collectors item!
barney: do you mean this Mandola by Carl and August Larson, Chicago, ca. 1927?
Jim
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William C. Stahl maybe? That would follow for Larson. '27 seems late in the game. Scratch plate similar to an early Gibson. The headstock pattern on this one is common to a lot of Larson instruments. It's not the same as the other one but has some similar elements. Larson Bros always astounds me how many different styles they could produce.There was just supposed to be the two of them --how did they find the time? The headstock on this one shows up on quite a few Larson built instruments like Prairie States guitars.I kept getting a circle with a line through it when I tried to move the photo.
Well they are similar in that they are black and carved and they have strings. Not a whole lot more in common. It is nice to see that faux south jersey pickguard as well
"It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
--M. Stillion
"Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
--J. Garber
Not OHG.
Anyone know if there was any kind of label in the OP's instrument?
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That mandolin has been in two threads on the cafe (the second is linked to in one of my messages). The first time no mention of a label was made and the second time no mention of a label was made. I would assume that if someone was trying to ID and there was a label of any kind they would have mentioned it. In the thread I linked to one of the owners of that mandolin posted. You could PM him and ask if it had a label.
"It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
--M. Stillion
"Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
--J. Garber
No way that's a Gibson mandolin.
I wonder if that case dates back to when the instrument was made. The case is presumably of amateur construction. The D L Spero name on the cardboard can at least be broadly dated, to circa (and it's a pretty big circa) the time of the second world war.
Aaron Spero, who had emigrated from Prussia in 1875, moved to Brownsville, Texas in 1906, and opened a clothing store that same year (A Spero). They sold clothes labelled as by "Spero, Michael & Son, Clothes" although there doesn't appear to have been a Michael, rather it was a brand. The store was a success, and branch stores opened in nearby towns. David Lawrence Spero was Aaron's only son, although he didn't work in the family store following his marriage in 1910, looking to move into the automobile trade. His father had retired by 1930, but ownership of the stores doesn't seem to have transferred until after the death of both parents (father in 1934, mother in 1936).
The only direct mention that I can find of D L Spero as a men's outfitter in the archives of the Brownsville Herald comes in 1942 when the company is referenced twice. If there's a cafe member actually in Brownsville, they may be able to turn up more specific dates for the company under that name.
It's a wonderful looking instrument, but I suspect that it's not as old as most people here are thinking. It's obviously got significant age, but doesn't look to have the sort of patina associated with an instrument that's over one hundred years old. That ornate bridge looks magnificent, but I suspect that whoever made that had already seen Loar's adjustable bridge.
My guess is that it's the work of an extremely skilled amateur, and the retro appointments are intended to enhance the wonderful vintage vibe.
But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller
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