Teens A-4 Needs Help

[NickR]

It's nearly all there including the Handel tuners- the clamp is missing but the pictures tell a story- I'm not sure how bad but the strings look high along with other worries.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/12567719084...Bk9SR8SezYWoYQ

[William Smith]

That needs a bit of help but I like it and it doesn't need too much besides a possible neck set. I've seen quite a few of those old A's with the vertical peghead split-that wouldn't scare me away but I sure don't need anymore goods that need repaired! Finish is all original from what I can tell from the pix. For the start bid it's well worth it for the original hardware alone! IMHO it's worth getting it for a resto- and would be a great player!

[Jim Garber]

Not a teens... seller did a little homework and SN is around 1908 but around the time they stopped using the inlaid "south Jersey" pickguards. I don't know why but I sense there may be a bit of top sinkage aside from the obvious issues.

I doubt, Bill, that it will stay at that opening bid. I am guessing more like $800 or so. It has more than 6 days to run.

Is this the original bridge, non-compensated?

[rcc56]

7854 would be extremely early for an A-4 with an elevated guard. My guess is that the mandolin may have been held back in production for some reason, and did not leave the factory until 1910 or so. The bridge base appears to be correct for 1910 - 1912, but is missing the original removable compensated saddles.

Worthy of consideration if the bidding doesn't go too high.

[William Smith]

Very correct gents, that back varnish crackling reminds me of a few pre-1912 Gibby A and F's I've had. Yep on the saddle unless it's a transition type "I'm not up on those years too well but I want to say the pre-1910 bridges/saddles were different" Those early ones can be fine sounding if not too tubby but there are a few tricks to fix-brighten that up on the low end. Also as you know the necks were fairly under set at the shop so a better angle on the majority of em overall works out better to give them just a little more IMHO, can't go too much "Duffey style on those". I also think it has the potential "if the bidding doesn't get too high", for a player as nowadays its tough to get a few extra bucks after the repair bill! I've got some pretty good deals off evilbay on some of those very early gold script A's from 05-06. A few with complete headstock breaks, bummer as the rest of the bodies were very nice with no issues whatsoever! In those years was that a weak spot? I know it's a weak spot on all of em, when whacked just right but it seems I've seen the most breaks like that on the really early ones. I do know some had hollow necks but not sure of the year they stopped doing that.

[Jim Garber]

I seem to recall that Orville did the hollow necks but did the post-Orville ones have that?

[Eric Platt]

Am thinking close to 1910 when they added that center wood in the neck. Early ones had pearwood or a similar, soft wood, that is known to not hold the glue for some reason. Had an A that someone did a homebrew repair to fix it. To do it right would not be cheap.

[NickR]

Judging by the single hole in the support rod for the pickguard it had the earlier clamp. crown tailpiece cover- so as mentioned probably about 1910 and I am sure it will attract some attention as on the surface it appears to be reasonably okay but this may be deceptive as, sadly, is often the case with an instrument that has not been played in a long time. I bought an advertised non-playing "wall hanger" recently that needed no attention to get it to play- while a supposed player had a tone bar adrift inside the body- although I have received what I consider a reasonable refund and it came with a mandola case- which was a bonus. You win some...

[NickR]

It made $1009! Let's hope there are no hidden issues.