Spotted on Reverb this morning. A double neck mandolin/mandola.
https://reverb.com/item/37935072-dou...ard-shell-case
The slotted peg head(s) was an interesting choice to me.
Spotted on Reverb this morning. A double neck mandolin/mandola.
https://reverb.com/item/37935072-dou...ard-shell-case
The slotted peg head(s) was an interesting choice to me.
I like the look of it in a strange way, but is that particle board I see near the tailpiece?
I've played one that a friend owns - it's a typical Vietnamese Antonio Tsai instrument. Not my favorite instrument - and I have played other Vietnamese single necks that I do like - and I own a nice one as seen in my avatar pic.
It wasn't terrible, it just was not a winner.
https://www.mandoharp.com/Mandolins/...ble/index.html
- Ed
"Then one day we weren't as young as before
Our mistakes weren't quite so easy to undo
But by all those roads, my friend, we've travelled down
I'm a better man for just the knowin' of you."
- Ian Tyson
They'd have done better making a single neck 5 string mandolin/mandola.
It looks to me like double vision.Reminds me of a Dali or Picasso face with, ya know, two mouths?
And then there is this......
https://www.wish.com/product/5f187d2..._wcB&share=web
Charley
A bunch of stuff with four strings
John, that Gibson is pretty cool. Is that a production model or was it custom ordered?
Charley
A bunch of stuff with four strings
"it's not in bad taste, if it's funny" - john waters
Worlds okay-ist mandolin player
Relative newcomer
Weber Yellowstone F (2015)
Red Valley EM (2018)
Howard Morris Blue A4 (2023)
Flatiron 1N (1982)
https://youtube.com/@zachwilson54?si=iGum4xPlSj0pbcjj
The Reverb instrument could be interesting without the nearly pulled out tailpiece and without the side cracks.
A friend of mine showed up to a mandolin workshop with a fairly early Tsai instrument, a mandola that was basically unplayable.
I agree with Charley: without the issues, caveat emptor+; in this shape—run away like the wind.
Here's something that fits into this thread—from the 1920s, a Turturro Turnover: One side and mandolin and the other a uke. Not very sensible design though. I used to own one and the body is so thin that neither side sounds like anything, plus there is a soundhole on both sides.
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
Like I said, I've played one of these (even the same finish as the Reverb example), and a bunch of other Vietnamese made mandolins of different designs by various makers.
I own one of the kind with flat top, side holes, some sort of inner ring and not too much inlay, supposedly based on some French design. It's a nice instrument and has been stable for well over a decade so it's well made enough.
However, many if not most of the instruments I've seen from this maker and many other makers are questionable as they have lots of inlay but are not solidly built; as Jim said, "basically unplayable" - or will be after a while.
That said, I know of several mandolin players with decent sounding and playable Vietnamese mandolins, so there are a few out there to be had - but buyer beware.
Paul Hostetter, luthier extraordinaire, who passed away a few years ago, liked those side port flattops that Tsai and other of the Taiwan/Vietnamese sellers sold. I believe he said he had to do some set up on them.
The main problem with mandolins coming from these folks was that in the early days they didn’t dry the wood properly. I also had a metal tailpiece that fell apart on an American instrument I had. Hopefully these days quality control is better.
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
Jim, I used to have one of those Tutorro Turnovers, like you said, not very practical...but cool as heck. They may not sound like much but they are collectible.
Charley
A bunch of stuff with four strings
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