Mandolin Information

[Titus]

Thanks for the opportunity to post here! Need help identifying this vintage bowl back. No label or identifying numbers or marks. Seems to be a very nice quality. Also has a hand tooled leather case. Thanks in advance for any and all input!

[rcc56]

Since no one else has said anything, I'll contribute what little I can, which is that I believe the instrument was built in southern Europe. Italy would be my first guess.
It indeed appears to be an instrument of high quality.

[Jim Garber]

The style of the build is DeMeglio especially from the scratch plate shape. However the neck construction is not like DeMeglio or other of those made in Napoli. The multiply neck construction is characteristic of Anastasios Stathopoulo, the founder of Epiphone and the ornamentation especially the top border is reminiscent of this maker. Also AS used that same shape scratch plate on some of his mandolins, baglams and bouzoukis.

It is late and my computer files are not available but I will check tomorrow for similar examples. I am not 100% sure but it is possible.

[allenhopkins]

Bad news is that someone's apparently glued the bridge in place. Ain't supposed to happen; mandolins generally have "floating" bridges held on by string tension.

Of course, I'm extrapolating from the fact that the instrument's posed vertically in the two frontal shots. From the other pics, seems that might be only the camera's orientation, not the mandolin's, and the bridge is only set on the top. If that's the case, disregard & carry on...

Very similar tuner cover plates on this American Conservatory (Lyon & Healy) mandolin sold by Greg Boyd. Additional evidence of likely US manufacture.

[Jim Garber]

The style of the build is DeMeglio especially from the scratch plate shape. However the neck construction is not like DeMeglio or other of those made in Napoli. The multiply neck construction is characteristic of Anastasios Stathopoulo, the founder of Epiphone and the ornamentation especially the top border is reminiscent of this maker. Also AS used that same shape scratch plate on some of his mandolins, baglams and bouzoukis.

It is late and my computer files are not available but I will check tomorrow for similar examples. I am not 100% sure but it is possible.

Aha... I had a feeling... here is a nice set of photos from Bernunzio's in 2010 to compare with the OP's. I have a few others that bear a lot of resemblance to others by A. Stathopoulo.

I also have a scan of a 1913 page from House of Stathopoulo in Greek.

[Timbofood]

Allen, I think you may be mistaken about the bridge being glued, I think it’s simply resting on that top. The mandolin is not hanging as one might assume but lying on its back top facing up. I may be mistaken but, that’s what I see..
I’d thought the same in the beginning.