Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread: Stewart Mandolin

  1. #1
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Nov 2020
    Location
    Vancouver Canada
    Posts
    3

    Default Stewart Mandolin

    If I send any of the good folks on here pictures of my Stewart Mandolin. Can they tell me a bit about it? Age. Country of origin. Model ????
    I want to give it to a friend and don’t want to trouble him with research.
    Thank you from Vancouver Canada
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

Name:	6F0F93CD-7DEA-4BF2-BE0D-F98B9A7CD56F.jpg 
Views:	117 
Size:	395.3 KB 
ID:	189638   Click image for larger version. 

Name:	69A0047C-8778-4A99-9A74-3CF879687801.jpg 
Views:	155 
Size:	528.9 KB 
ID:	189637   Click image for larger version. 

Name:	6FC8FC3B-0AC8-45EE-9F50-506AB7E5221F.jpg 
Views:	121 
Size:	357.6 KB 
ID:	189639  

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	C163838D-4E12-489D-8E17-8D633B960F9B.jpg 
Views:	146 
Size:	429.5 KB 
ID:	189640  
    Last edited by Vintageracer1000; Nov-03-2020 at 11:18pm. Reason: Photos

  2. #2
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Howell, NJ
    Posts
    26,875

    Default Re: Stewart Mandolin

    You could just post them here in the forum.

    How to post a picture
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

  3. #3
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Howell, NJ
    Posts
    26,875

    Default Re: Stewart Mandolin

    The Stewart name was used by different makers over the years. When people see this name they immediately think of the early banjo manufacturer S.S. Stewart. I don't think this had anything to with them. There were major musical instrument manufacturers in Chicago and elsewhere that were building instruments "for the trade". That way a company could buy a non branded instrument and sell it as their own. They might label it, they might now. The label on yours is a little off center and I'm assuming it was labeled by a retailer, a distributor, a school, or a teacher. I'll date it someplace in the late 30's to 40's. You have a common US made Waverly cloud tailpiece and the tuners appear to be Kluson. Common products used by many manufacturers. The segmented F holes were used by different manufacturers as well. I can't quite tell in the image of the back of the headstock. Is there a screw in the middle of the cog on the tuners or does it look like someone dropped a little molten meta there and polished it? Have you looked inside with a flashlight? Can you see any numbers stamped in there?

    There is also a Canadian builder that pops up from time to time with some curiously similar instruments to those made by Harmony in Chicago. They are usually labeled.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

  4. #4

    Default Re: Stewart Mandolin

    As suggested, it might be Canadian made- R S Williams being the best known maker but there were some others over the years. The mandolin is probably late 40s early 50s and has a strong resemblance to a Kay model from that time. However, the headstock shape is wrong for Kay and that company made vast numbers of instruments for third party retailers without changing the shape of the instrument. Generally, it was the finish and appointments that were increased or diminished depending on the price point:

    "R. S. Williams and Son built musical instruments from pianos to banjos, mandolins, guitars and violins in Toronto and Oshawa, Ontario Canada, from 1855 to 1951."

    Here is a thread on a B & S (Beare & Son of Toronto) Barrington mandolin- probably made by R S Williams- the headstock has a strong similarity:

    https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...ngton-mandolin

  5. #5
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Nov 2020
    Location
    Vancouver Canada
    Posts
    3

    Default Re: Stewart Mandolin

    Wow. You fellows really know your stuff. All very interesting. The Canadian connection makes perfect sense since the original owner immigrated to Canada (Toronto ) in1947/48 from the then USSR (Ukraine). Then moved to Winnipeg in1950.
    I strongly believe that this a Canadian made and labelled instrument as suggested by both you and the next contributor.
    I really appreciate your input and agree with your findings. Knowing it’s most likely origin will make my friend happy. I’ll be giving it to him as an early Christmas gift.

    Take care of yourselves and thank you very much for your insight into this well loved mandolin.

  6. The following members say thank you to Vintageracer1000 for this post:


  7. #6
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Nov 2020
    Location
    Vancouver Canada
    Posts
    3

    Default Re: Stewart Mandolin

    Thank you for your time. Just to let you know. There doesn’t appear to be any numbers or labels on the inside of this mandolin.
    I truthfully appreciate the time you took to give me some insight into this instrument that was loved and played for many years in several folk music groups of Eastern European flavour...... mostly orthodox Ukrainian.

  8. #7
    Registered User Cobalt's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Location
    United Kingdom
    Posts
    238

    Default Re: Stewart Mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by Vintageracer1000 View Post
    Wow. You fellows really know your stuff. All very interesting. The Canadian connection makes perfect sense since the original owner immigrated to Canada (Toronto ) in1947/48 from the then USSR (Ukraine).
    Around this date, large numbers of Ukrainians, having been forcibly removed from their homeland during the Nazi occupation of WWII, found themselves in Britain. Many then had the opportunity to migrate to Canada while some settled in Britain.
    Last edited by Cobalt; Nov-05-2020 at 1:08pm.

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •