Vintage Mandolin Identification Help

[Mogley]

Hello all, I have been a guitar player for many years, but I recently picked up a mandolin from an estate sale for cheap in hopes of learning how to play. It appears to be in solid shape, but there are no marking on the headstock or inside the sound hole. I'm very curious to know what I picked up. Any help/leads would be greatly appreciated.
http://imgur.com/a/VQmpBPA

[NickR]

You have picked up a 1920s or early 30s Harmony or Regal. If made by Harmony, it may have been retailed as a Supertone by Harmony's owner- Sears, Roebuck. Here is a Regal on eBay- very similar but the Harmony and Regal entry level mandolins made out of birch are alike in so many ways. The Regal on eBay has a "Bell Brand" tailpiece while yours has the "clam shell" version which was ubiquitous at the entry level. Yours has some binding which takes it up the ladder a little and has "worm under" tuners which may make it a few years older.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/12484473185...AAAOSwiAJhBCSS

[NickR]

Here is a Supertone made by Harmony and I now think that is what you have. The reason is the board- yours like the Supertone is sawn of square with 17 frets while the Regal has 20 with a taper. One other arcane feature, is the tuners on your mandolin have three screw holes- Harmony seems to have liked tuners with three holes- to save screws and a little time! The Regal has tuners with five holes but only three screws have been given to this entry level mandolin!

https://www.banjohangout.org/photo/33204

[Mogley]

Thank you! The one in that banjo hangout link looks very similar. I think you've hit the nail on the head. The one I purchased is definitely in need of new strings and some of the tuning pegs are a bit stiff. This is a total beginner question: Do you know if vintage mandolins are compatible with today's strings?

[NickR]

Old mandolins are fine with today's strings- just start with very light gauge. I tend to buy GHS ultra light- 09-32 and I buy them mail order from Strings & Beyond. I like light strings for how I play but with an old instrument it is best to tread carefully! You could try oiling the tuners- I then use a string winder to give them a spin for a while but they can bind in the headstock, so it may not be the tuners themselves. If they are tight you could try cleaning them. There is a link to Paul Hostetter's site that is useful which details tuners and their maintenance. Sadly, Paul is not with us now but his advice lives on. I will post the Supertone ad from the 20s. Your mandolin is at the top right- or a very similar version with no binding. Back then four dots- like the one in the photo was the norm but they dropped to three.

[MikeEdgerton]

Paul Hostetter's tuner site is here.

If these things don't loosen up the tuners the holes may have been drilled slightly off.