My Grandfather's Mandolin

[JoeACNJ]

Hi all, I'm new here and don't know a lot about mandolins.

I recently inherited my grandfather's mandolin which I know he had in the 1930s. It is a Vincent De Luccia & Son with original case. It seems to be in fair condition but it's missing a couple of strings, has a few knicks, has a loose guard, and a long crack on the back.

Is an instrument like this worth restoring? How much might that cost? Is it worth anything in its current condition? I don't think it's any kind of rare antique... or is it ?
Here's some pics:






Any info would be appreciated. Thanks,
Joe

[brunello97]

Yours is a pretty nice looking mandolin, with an interesting provenance, the added Joan Miro pickguard notwithstanding.

I did a Google search for DeLuccia and turned this up, which perhaps you have already found.

"Vincenzo (Vincent) DeLuccia was born in Casigliano Sessa Cilento, Italy in 1882. There he studied instrument making with his father Michael and Grandfather Mateo. he moved to Philadelphia in 1901 where he worked for 20 years in a cigar box factory. Worked in the evenings at home making and repairing instruments. He established a shop in Philadelphia and operated it until he retired in 1950. He was assisted by his brother Giovanni until his brother's untimely death in 1943. He was very well known for his mandolins and guitars as well as his violins and bows. Did mainly repair work but made quite a number of instruments and bows."

Here is a link to all the discussion threads here on DeLuccia.

Some other folks from those conversations will likely weigh on back in about yours.

Mick

[slimt]

Nice looking Mandolin, love the colorful pick guard. I know nothing about what you have. But I like it.

[JoeACNJ]

Good input, thanks.

In as much as my grandfather lived in Atlantic City, the Philadelphia connection makes sense.

Your link doesn't seem to work for me... but I did search this forum for De Luccia.

As far as provenance is concerned, believe it or not, I have a silent, black&white moving picture of my grandfather playing this instrument in the early 1930s ! He was a doctor and not a professional musician... born in Italy and emigrated here in ~1920. If you're interested, I could find a way to upload that video here (it has already been digitized).

Thanks again.

[Ben Vierra]

Thanks for sharing this instrument. It would be fun to see the video, if possible.

[mdowlin]

The floating (?) "Miro pickguard" seems to be a latter addition. The two pins presumably locate in holes drilled in the fingerboard. Curious as to the function of the metal bracket near the tailpiece. a clamp for a pickup, perhaps, or even a pick holder? Whatever it maybe, it looks like one of the screws is the cause of the crack in the back.

[Bob Clark]

Hello Joe,

Congratulations on having such a beautiful mandolin in your family and thanks for sharing pictures of it. This is a very nice instrument and a real South Philly historic piece. My suggestion to you is to show this mandolin to Joe Todaro at Todaro's Music in Lansdowne. By your Cafe name, I am assuming you are in Atlantic City. Lansdowne would be an easy ride for you. If you have questions on getting there, feel free to PM me. I'm between you and Joe, in Salem County.

I view Joe's shop as the center of the mandolin universe for this region. It's worth the trip just to see it, but Joe, who also heads the Philadelphia Mandolin and Guitar Ensemble, has extensive knowledge of the history of mandolins in the Philadelphia region. I believe he and I have spoken of the builder of your instrument and he also has at least one made by this builder, to which you can compare yours. If I remember correctly, Joe actually knows members of the De Luccia family who are still in the South Philly area.

Joe is currently in the shop only on Thursdays and Saturdays. It wouldn't be a bad idea to call before you go. The shop's URL is https://worldfrets.com/
but don't use the email address posted on the site (I think it's defunct) just give him a call. Again, PM me if there is anything I can do to help.

[Ray(T)]

Looks to me that the pickgard is made of celuloid which has started to “gass off” which will ultimately lead to it’s deterioration. The tell-tale sign is corroision on the frets adjacent to where it would have been mounted. It’s probably better left off and this may be the reason why it’s no longer attached.

The metal bracket, mentioned by mdowlin shows on both the front and back views. I wonder whether it was added to try to stabilise the crack? It would be better for this to be glued, clamped and cleated.

[JoeACNJ]

Bob, Thanks for the great info. Yes, I'm in AC. I'll try to contact Joe Todaro and see what he thinks.

Ray, I think I'd remove this added guard if I got the mandolin restored.

[CarlM]

Financially the cost of the restoration as opposed to the value of the instrument might be a wash or not make sense if you were going to flip it or consider it purely from a dollar and cents standpoint. But if it were mine I would restore it. It is a beautiful instrument. If it sounds and plays anywhere nearly as good as it looks then it is well worth having. The family connection makes it even more so.

[JoeACNJ]

Carl, If I could find someone able to restore it at a price that I could afford, I would probably do it. But, if not, I'd be happy to sell it to someone who would appreciate and use it... but again, I'd have to find that person.

I really have no clue of how much a restoration might cost... $100, $1000, $10000 ???

[CarlM]

Carl, If I could find someone able to restore it at a price that I could afford, I would probably do it. But, if not, I'd be happy to sell it to someone who would appreciate and use it... but again, I'd have to find that person.

I really have no clue of how much a restoration might cost... $100, $1000, $10000 ???

My best guess would be a few hundred but less than a thousand. The gentleman mentioned before might be able to give you a better sense of the cost in your region. There are people who post here regularly that specialize in restoring antique instruments but they are in places like Tennessee, Carolina and Vermont.

[allenhopkins]

Besides Todaro's, there's Vintage Instruments, who also do "restorations." Fred Oster has been associated with this shop for years.