Hi all. I'm new here and this is my first post. I purchased this tater bug from my neighbor's estate auction a couple of years ago. As you can see, the inside label is gone so I was just wondering if anyone here can help identify this one.
Hi all. I'm new here and this is my first post. I purchased this tater bug from my neighbor's estate auction a couple of years ago. As you can see, the inside label is gone so I was just wondering if anyone here can help identify this one.
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
If indeed a Ricca, as Diego suggests, the label might have looked something like this.
A bit of the outer oval ring appears visible.
Strange that it appears to have been scratched away....
Mick
Ever tried, ever failed? No matter. Try again, fail again. Fail better.--Samuel Beckett
______________________
'05 Cuisinart Toaster
'93 Chuck Taylor lowtops
'12 Stetson Open Road
'06 Bialetti expresso maker
'14 Irish Linen Ramon Puig
That does look like that's what this is. Any idea of today's value? I'm not wanting to sell it, my grandson is interested in learning to play it. Just wondered if it was appropriate for an 8 year old.
It seems not to have the original bridge.
Ever tried, ever failed? No matter. Try again, fail again. Fail better.--Samuel Beckett
______________________
'05 Cuisinart Toaster
'93 Chuck Taylor lowtops
'12 Stetson Open Road
'06 Bialetti expresso maker
'14 Irish Linen Ramon Puig
Ever tried, ever failed? No matter. Try again, fail again. Fail better.--Samuel Beckett
______________________
'05 Cuisinart Toaster
'93 Chuck Taylor lowtops
'12 Stetson Open Road
'06 Bialetti expresso maker
'14 Irish Linen Ramon Puig
Is a taterbug mandolin worth less than a bowlback mandolin? Asking for a friend.
"It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
--M. Stillion
"Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
--J. Garber
Mike..."taterbug" falls in there somewhere just South of "Gibby" as a virtual reproduction of fingernails on a chalkboard.
Gibby is certainly worse, but the margin is close.
There are others which I'm working hard not to call to mind. The penultimate rooftop scene of Ghostbusters comes to mind.
I think referring to a mandolin by the name of a particular pest for the common Solanum tuberosum should cause the price to increase.
Mick
Ever tried, ever failed? No matter. Try again, fail again. Fail better.--Samuel Beckett
______________________
'05 Cuisinart Toaster
'93 Chuck Taylor lowtops
'12 Stetson Open Road
'06 Bialetti expresso maker
'14 Irish Linen Ramon Puig
I'm hypothesizing that some material was added under the bridge to make fuller contact with the flat top of the mandolin, since the bridge looks like it was designed for an arched-top instrument.
As to market value: $200-250, maybe? I'm not familiar with the maker Luigi Ricca, but this appears to be a entry-level instrument, as Jim G says. Assuming that it's playable.
Allen Hopkins
Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
Natl Triolian Dobro mando
Victoria b-back Merrill alumnm b-back
H-O mandolinetto
Stradolin Vega banjolin
Sobell'dola Washburn b-back'dola
Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
Flatiron 3K OM
Here is my suggestion.
The double mandolin strings can be challenging to push, but according
to reports Sierra Hull started when she was young. Get your grandson
a lesson. If he likes to pursue it, craigslist usually lists modern flat top
(and back) mandolins in the $100 range. Buy him one of those to learn
on. If your grandson follows through you will have made a wise investment.
If not you aren't out much.
Thanks,
sounds_good
Allen, Ricca was involved in the piano making business in the NY / Northern NJ region, I believe before and for some period congruent with his mandolin production.
Some very nice mandolins and some very modest ones came out under his label.
It appears he had some talented folks working for him including one GM DeJulio who made some very ornate mandolins touting himself as the "late foreman at LRicca".
I owned a quite beautiful mid range Ricca for awhile, which for the life of me I don't know why I sold.
I believe Diego G owns one or more Riccas and can likely fill in and / or correct my sketch outline above.
For those interested in the Italian / Italian-American influence on US mandolin-making, Ricca e nel bel mezzo di esso.
Mick
Ever tried, ever failed? No matter. Try again, fail again. Fail better.--Samuel Beckett
______________________
'05 Cuisinart Toaster
'93 Chuck Taylor lowtops
'12 Stetson Open Road
'06 Bialetti expresso maker
'14 Irish Linen Ramon Puig
Methinks the bridge is by some reptilian dentist from yesteryear and that the real saddle is the white part and the rest is merely using the non-BB bridge to raise the action over the soundboard.
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
I sold all my Riccas to another MCer a few years ago. I think the mandolin biz was overtaken by the profitability of the piano biz at least by the turn of the last century which is about when LR moved his manufacturing facility to NJ.
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
Ever tried, ever failed? No matter. Try again, fail again. Fail better.--Samuel Beckett
______________________
'05 Cuisinart Toaster
'93 Chuck Taylor lowtops
'12 Stetson Open Road
'06 Bialetti expresso maker
'14 Irish Linen Ramon Puig
Or a bridge that functions similarly to a zero fret, i.e., one part raises the strings and the other separates them properly.
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
That's the familiar setup on the iconic Vega bridges and the DeMeglios with a brass saddle.
Having a compensated string spacer as on the Ricca just adds that much more compensation.
You've got to keep 'em separated.
Mick
Del and boys would like pull off a pretty sweet BG comp. Nice guitar hook.
Ever tried, ever failed? No matter. Try again, fail again. Fail better.--Samuel Beckett
______________________
'05 Cuisinart Toaster
'93 Chuck Taylor lowtops
'12 Stetson Open Road
'06 Bialetti expresso maker
'14 Irish Linen Ramon Puig
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