looking for information

[OHIOSTEVE]

I am not a mandolin player, so I am hoping you guys can help me out. I was gifted a mandolin this past weekend and I am trying to find any information that I can on it. It is an F style Mandolin with an ivory cross inlay in the headstock. Inside there is a piece of paper that says BURKE MANDOLINS hemlock top, maple back and sides Oneida TN. it has the date and serial number also..... I have played guitar for years so I can usually tell if something is decently made and this seems to be a very nice build. I can find NOTHING online about this. ANY info would be much appreciated.
THANKS.

[JeffD]

Can you post a few pictures?

[OHIOSTEVE]

I can try to.. my buddy is here right now who IS a mandolin guy and he is going nuts over it.. says the quality is very high and ( to him) very obviously hand made no machines in the carving or anything.. I am clueless lol

[billhay4]

The world s full of quiet types who build instruments, some are quite good. This may be one of them. Pictures and a sound clip will help a great deal.
Bill

[OHIOSTEVE]

[OHIOSTEVE]

[Tobin]

Well, it's definitely hand-made...

Judging by the details on it, such as scroll and point shapes, my guess is that it's someone's home build. The neck join seems like it's based more on an F4 style, despite it having F5-style f-holes. Based on what I see at the f-holes, the top looks a little thick. But it's certainly an interesting and unique mandolin. How does she sound?

*edited to add: Can you tell if it has tone bars inside, or some other type of internal bracing?

[OHIOSTEVE]

cant tell about the bracing.. yeah the top is thick...not a mandolin guy but as i was typing this my buddy said it has a hard punch. i am taking it to my luthier. he is a genius and i will post his ideas on it. i appreciate the responses.

[mrmando]

Pretty crude work, '70s or '80s vintage ... but if it sounds all right, that's what matters.

[Darrell D]

I used to play with a banjo player whos brother in law made mandolins. The joke was that he would knock the post off the front porch and build a mandolin out of it. He didn't care what he made it out of. If I remember right his name wasFred Burke and may have lived ssomewhere around Jamestown Tennessee. I only met him once about twenty five years ago, but he was playing one he made out of a sheet of plywood! It looked like you would guess but actually it would knock the leaves out of the trees.. I actually have one he made thats not too good but ive seen a couple that are good sounding. I believe theres a picker here in central Indiana that played one regularly. Im probably 75% sure this is one of his. Wouldn't know how to value it though. I hope this helps.

[Darrell D]

I just noticed you mentioned Oneida Tennessee. Im sure now this is one of his.

[OHIOSTEVE]

Thanks guys

[billhay4]

Sound is going to be the key to judging this one. The construction is a bit crude, but not terrifically so. The wood choices are also a bit crude, but again nice sounding instruments have been made of such wood. If it sounds really good, we'll forgive all of that I think. Frankly, it looks to me like what you'd expect from a fairly talented unschooled luthier of the early '70's when there wasn't much go go on but a few Gibsons you'd seen lying around the dance hall, and your own instinct.
Bill

[MikeEdgerton]

I bought something like this (not this one) many years ago on eBay.

[OHIOSTEVE]

Once again, thank you all for the information. I attended my uncles funeral over the weekend in KY and his brother ( obviously my other uncle) has had several strokes so I took a guitar over and played some songs for him. as I was leaving my aunt asked me if I wanted this mandolin because someone had left it there a few years ago. I accepted it honestly in hopes it was valuable so I could sell it and give them the money. they have pretty much nothing. I will keep it, have my luthier set it all up and do a minor repair on the bridge and try to learn to play it some.

[Jim Garber]

If you are intetrested in history or finding the relatives of the maker or the maker him (or her) self, perhaps this obituary might help. Oneida is a small town with a population (at the last census in 2010) of 3,752 so it is possible that one of the people listed in the obit might be the maker.

[Darrell D]

The maker is Fred Burke, but im not sure if hes still around Oneida or not. If youre interested I may be able to get contact info for him.

[Paul Busman]

It can't be worth much- it's missing a string

I actually think it's a charming looking unpretentious mandolin. It LOOKS country. If it sounds good I think you have a gem. It might benefit from a setup to make it play easier and possibly sound better. Looking forward to sound clips.

[gman2604]

I am not a mandolin player, so I am hoping you guys can help me out. I was gifted a mandolin this past weekend and I am trying to find any information that I can on it. It is an F style Mandolin with an ivory cross inlay in the headstock. Inside there is a piece of paper that says BURKE MANDOLINS hemlock top, maple back and sides Oneida TN. it has the date and serial number also..... I have played guitar for years so I can usually tell if something is decently made and this seems to be a very nice build. I can find NOTHING online about this. ANY info would be much appreciated.
THANKS.

Hello, I have a fred burke mandolin

[gman2604]

it is also from Oneida TN , My friend is friends with the maker.

[gman2604]

[gman2604]

- - - Updated - - -

According to my friend there is only 7 in exsistance.

[Ellis170]

Are any of these Burke mandolins for sale?

[Ellis170]

Would you sell that mandolin if you still have it?

[pheffernan]

Would you sell that mandolin if you still have it?

gman2604’s first and last activity on this forum both occurred on April 9th of 2017.