Seeking help identifying a unmarked bowl back mandolin

[John SRP]

New to this forum and hoping to gain a little insight into a bowl back mandolin I acquired a few years back. I know just what I've learned about mandolins trying to learn more about this unit.

Nothing fancy, not dripping in MOP. Pinned posts for the strings. Not fancy wood. but a slotted headstock and eye catching tuners. Brass with peened on tuner parts with bone tuner buttons. Mounted with flat head screws. Headstock and neck appears to be coated with Japan black finish. Headstock maybe a piece attached to the neck with a triangular joint. Inside is lined with a paper liner. 3 top braces, one under the fingerboard extension and 2 behind the sound hole to the rear sloping angle of the face.

It looks to have been a victim of a few attempts to repair the neck as it was off the unit when I purchased it. Only held in place with the nail that originally used to mount it.

[NickR]

My first impression from seeing the slotted headstock and that old tuner strip and string pegs is that it is from Europe. The tuner strip would be German made but metal ware from Germany was used across Europe and exported to the USA as well. Whether it is central European- German, Bohemian or Italian I don't know. I would expect to see a metal tailpiece on an American instrument- the pegs are more typically Italian.

[Bob A]

FWIW, the use of pegs to secure the strings is generally indicative of a pre-1900 instrument.