Columbia Bowl back Mandolin 35 ribs

[MetaMandocom]

I'm trying to find out more about this Mandolin of my grandfather's. No sticker or marking inside. Just a Columbia plate over the tuners. Has 35 ribs and strums and plays well.

[MetaMandocom]

I'm trying to figure out how to upload a picture, but find myself lost.

[MikeEdgerton]

It's an old brand name that has been re-used as a model name as well. The Mugwumps Encyclopedia of Musical Instrument makers lists two companies using this as a brandname. One was a well known banjo maker and the other I had never heard of. Chances are this was manufactured for the trade with a brand name supplied by the retailer or distributor by any one of a dozen builders. Here is every message on the Cafe with the word Columbia in it. You may have to dig to find anything applicable. One of our resident bowlheads should be along soon to add anything they can add to the comversation.

[brunello97]

I'm at a loss at the moment.

The headstock shape with the top knob looks like that used for L+H Washburn line, though I seem to recall maybe others on the East Coast (maybe Schmidt, or on some Bruno mandolins...whoever they were made by) using it on occasion.

The extra big soundhole doesn't look like an L+H product, but that's not a decisive feature, either.



The scratchplate, and rear headstock to neck detail look like Vega details....if it were a Vega we would assume to see the bridge to the South of the cant in the top. The current bridge position looks ambiguously located.

We've seen that star inlay on the headstock on a range of bowls as well. Also not a smoking gun in its own right.

One thing we can tell for sure though, is that this doesn't really have 35 ribs, but half that number or so.

You can distinctly see on the ribs where the grain figuring spans between any two adjacent ribs.

A strip of the white binding was inlaid into the rib to make one appear to be two.

I first 'discovered' this bit of trickery on a few old L+H bowlback basketcases I dissected.

The rosewood on this bowl is so pretty that the slight of hand isn't a drawback to my eye.

That's not suggesting for that reason that it is a L+H (which is rarely a bad guess on these bowls) but..

I wish I could be more help.

Somebody will, Jim or Nick, likely.

Mick