Re: Any information on this Carlo Lorenzo bowl back mandolin?
From the few pictures you've provided, your mandolin appears to be in fairly good cosmetic condition for its age.
Has it been kept in a case?
While the Carlo Lorenzo label suggests an address in Napoli, a few key things suggest to me a Sicilian, like Catania origin of the mandolin.
The wide grain spruce on the top, the farfalla scratchplate and slightly crude soundhole inlay.
Not that the Catanese couldn't make excellent mandolins, of which we have seen many. We do feel pretty confident that many, many MOR mandolins sold in mainland shops or exported to the UK or France, were made in Sicily.
A practice that had its corollary here in the States when some of the bigger instrument companies would make mandolins to be sold under other...often local shops...labels.
I know that might not add up to a smoking gun in terms of its Sicilian origin. It might have been made in lesser shop in Napoli, but I kind of doubt it, and it wouldn't really make much difference in regards to your inquiries.
So to address your questions....
Age: My guess would be sometime between 1895 and 1905
Value: That would be totally dependent on its playability...and a function of the condition of the neck, which is hard to tell from the photos. A good side photo would help.
If the neck is in in good playable condition, the mandolin might be worth $3-400. Maybe more if it intonates properly. Carlo Lorenzo is not a 'name brand' but he did run a musical instrument shop in a nice part of town.
So that label doesn't add value in and of itself, but a playable Italian mandolin, even a MOR one, is a delightful thing to have. Even on these more modest instruments, they have the "shimmering sound" that is very appealing. The fret spacing can be muy sketchioso though, and so the intonation can be dicey. If the action is in good shape and the intonation is correct you might double the $$ I noted above.
Collectability: Not likely a museum piece so as to be valuable outside its playability. It looks to be in good cosmetic condition and the rosewood used for the bowl and veneer is very nice. But there are a lot of these around in unplayable condition if aesthetics alone are to be considered.
Post some more side and side angle images if you can so we can make an estimate of the neck angle / action / playability. That will be the key to its value. These Italian bowlback mandolins are very difficulty to repair an out of position neck. So if you've got one in good shape, fair play to you!
Mick
Ever tried, ever failed? No matter. Try again, fail again. Fail better.--Samuel Beckett
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