A harp mandolin on Ebay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/40373506620...Cclp%3A2047675
A harp mandolin on Ebay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/40373506620...Cclp%3A2047675
Not the highest workmanship if I can tell from the photos. Also hard to tell but it looks like purfling might be painted on or even drawn with a Sharpie. Then again, kind of cool in an insane way.
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
Less than half an hour to go and not up to the cost of just the tuners. Obviously posted by the builder, who’s too modest to put his or her name on this mutliply-innovative creature.. Wouldn’t call the craftsmanship very primitive, but it does appear to have a double top at least around the ‘f’ holes. Description shows familiarity with the known elements of lutherie so I’m reminded of the famous Musical Joke - something one might do when cynical about one’s audience.
Personally, FWIW, I think it’s amazingly clumsy in overall design, and likely to miss the mark on the sympathetic strings for lack of resonator volume, but a high mark for novelty.
There have been precursors to this design primarily Chris Knutsen: https://www.harpguitars.net/knutsen/mandolins.htm. A d also the Larson Brothers Dyer harp in struments.
Many of these did not have the harp strings but there are a few examples that did.
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
Last edited by Jim Garber; Jun-30-2022 at 9:31pm.
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 have an earlier eBay harp mandolin by the same builder. It's sort of the MidMo/Big Muddy of harp mandolins: good quality build with an emphasis on simplicity. The tone is all right although I haven't worked with it enough to figure out what to do with the bass strings. I put in a snipe bid on this latest one but I guess it wasn't high enough.
There might be one or two ballo liscio pieces in my mandolin/guitar duo's repertoire that could use a little embellishment from the harp side of the instrument.
Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.
Notorious: My Celtic CD--listen & buy!
Lyon & Healy • Wood • Thormahlen • Andersen • Bacorn • Yanuziello • Fender • National • Gibson • Franke • Fuchs • Aceto • Three Hungry Pit Bulls
Not all the clams are at the beach
Arrow Manouche
Arrow Jazzbo
Arrow G
Clark 2 point
Gibson F5L
Gibson A-4
Ratliff CountryBoy A
One of them's still there, displayed over the fireplace in Eldon's son Dave's showroom. Run through the opening website slide show and you'll see it.
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
Bookmarks