Well, I can't call it a compulsive purchase, because I wasn't waking up from a nap, but it was kind of impulsive. I'd been casually looking at two of these mandolinettos, mainly because when I bought my Octofone, the seller had one that he offered me, and every time I see one I feel a little ping of regret (or is it a MAS flare-up)
One was in Canada and I pretty easily let that one go by because of potential import issues.
I know very little about these, except I've read that many were made by Regal.
It's labelled L Yosco Mfg company (mis-spelled in the post title), 74 3rd Avenue, New York,Banjos Mandolins,and Guitars, which seems to be a company that mainly made banjos and guitars, so I suspect it was made elsewhere. Any thoughts?
Here's what I found at vintagebanjo.com
It's pretty beautiful; the seller says solid tight grained spruce top, Brazilian rosewood back and sides (one minor crack), rosewood fretboard and good frets. Here's how he describes the sound, "sound is loud with lots of sustain....a lot of these mandolinettos dont sound that great,,,,this one has excellent quality of sound...sweet,balanced, and good volume..it rings out forever and is loud"The Iosco familly emigrated from Italy to the US in 1877 and Rocco Lorenzo Iosco (b 1869) changed his name to Lawrence Yosco.
He began maufacturing fretted instruments, at the turn of the 20th C and by 1919 had premises at 204 W 34th Street, NY. In that year he was granted a patent on his "double rim" banjo, effectively a resonator with a 3" void built into the rim.
While Yosco made Italian style bowl backed mandolins, guitars and 4 string banjos, no 5 string models appear to have been made.
The fitted case looks very cool. I can't wait.
Here's a few pictures:
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