Hi everyone and thanks for reading my thread! I have a mandolin that I got from my great aunt, but I don’t know anything about it. It looks like it has the mother of pearl inlay on the front and maybe pewter nuts. Any information is appreciated!
Hi everyone and thanks for reading my thread! I have a mandolin that I got from my great aunt, but I don’t know anything about it. It looks like it has the mother of pearl inlay on the front and maybe pewter nuts. Any information is appreciated!
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Charley
A bunch of stuff with four strings
If you google "mandolin butterfly inlay" you'll find as much info as you need and more. These bowl backs were common in the late 19th and early 20th century - in Germany, Italy etc.
Servus
It looks very much like this mandolin -identified as from Oscar Schmidt- it has the same tuners which are American and tailpiece, so it is almost certainly an American make and Oscar Schmidt seems reasonable. OS did originate in Europe with a factory in Carlsbad, Bohemia but opened a works in Jersey City.https://jakewildwood.blogspot.com/20...-bowlback.html
The times suggested are what I would expect. That was a budget American made mandolin mass produced (the low number of ribs on the back tell you that). If you want to restring it use very light strings or you can self destruct it. Those are very lightly built. I have one similar. They sound sweet.
Jamie
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Nice that you also have the case! Use GHS A240 ultralight strings on it to restring it. Enjoy!
I just found one almost identical to this - only difference I can see is in the butterfly inlay. Junk shop in western Minnesota, the owner had played in a bluegrass band ages ago (fond memories). Thanks LadysSolo for the tip on what strings to use - it's currently unstrung.
A question for anyone -- the body is mostly lined with brown paper, is that evidence of repair at some point? It's not lining the whole bowl so I can see -one- narrow crack of daylight between ribs, but looking at the outer surface, I don't see signs of any re-gluing. It looks to be in very good shape except for that one crack. But the edges of the paper are loose/crude enough that it doesn't seem original. There are no marks/stamps/labels anywhere on the instrument.
It’s almost identical to the first mandolin I bought, in about 1971, which has a stamp on the front identifying it as a “Silvestri” built in “Catania” (Sicily). Looking at the tailpiece, however, I’d go along with what NickR has said.
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