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Thread: Funky but pretty mandolin on Ebay

  1. #1

    Default Funky but pretty mandolin on Ebay

    This has got to be the weirdest mandolin I've stumbled upon on Ebay. I kinda like it.

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/20425425343...mis&media=COPY
    I guess I'll just stay right here, pick and sing a while...
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  2. #2
    Registered User Charles E.'s Avatar
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    Default Re: Funky but pretty mandolin on Ebay

    Yeah, incredible skill with the pearl inlay, making a playable mandolin not so much.
    Charley

    A bunch of stuff with four strings

  3. #3

    Default Re: Funky but pretty mandolin on Ebay

    Two sound holes, since the strings are in pairs.

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    Default Re: Funky but pretty mandolin on Ebay

    Run!

    Look up the maker.
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    Registered User Ranald's Avatar
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    Default Re: Funky but pretty mandolin on Ebay

    Here's an Anontio Tsai F5 with one sound hole. In terms of sound, it's not my cup of tea, though I'm not a bluegrass player.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2x5...A1sP%C3%B3gyor



    And another Tsai oddity:

    https://reverb.com/item/61188604-ant...in-double-neck
    Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
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    Default Re: Funky but pretty mandolin on Ebay

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    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Funky but pretty mandolin on Ebay

    There have been numerous discussions of this shop along with others on eBay with the Taiwan-Vietnam connection. I believe that they have gotten a bit better over the years in seasoning and drying the wood but they are still not what you want in quality instruments.
    Jim

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    bon vivant jaycat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Funky but pretty mandolin on Ebay

    That there's the fanciest two-holer I done near ever seen.
    "The paths of experimentation twist and turn through mountains of miscalculations, and often lose themselves in error and darkness!"
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  11. #9
    Confused... or?
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    Default Re: Funky but pretty mandolin on Ebay

    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Garber View Post
    ... numerous discussions of this shop ... gotten a bit better ... still not what you want in quality instruments.
    What Jim is saying, politely, is that they've been known to self-destruct. I've commented before about seeing a rather elabotate "F-style" guitar be retired mid-concert. (Look up The Kennedys' "Better Dreams" album cover.)
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    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Funky but pretty mandolin on Ebay

    I have always thought that if they ever figure out what a real mandolin is actually supposed to look like and they dropped some if not all of the bling they might capture a piece of the market. Antonio Tsai and Bruce Wei pumped this stuff out for years and the unknowing public has always been mesmerized by the shiny stuff.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
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    Default Re: Funky but pretty mandolin on Ebay

    Someone I knew bought one and brought it to me to set up. It actually didn't sound bad, but I haven't seen him in awhile and I don't know if it survived.
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  14. #12

    Default Re: Funky but pretty mandolin on Ebay

    At those dimensions, not even a mandolin! Perhaps not even a mandola!
    So, given the scarcity of the larger relatives, this might be an attractive oddity, even as a wall-hanger.
    Or, suitably overcoated with something tough, a street sign for a shop.

  15. #13
    Gone Fishing Tiderider's Avatar
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    Default Re: Funky but pretty mandolin on Ebay

    If I had $250 to cast away it would be on lotto tickets, at least I'd have a chance at having some satisfaction in the end. The back has multiple cracks, I sure there's no truss rod under that cover. Buyer beware for sure.
    Lee Hill

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    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Funky but pretty mandolin on Ebay

    Quote Originally Posted by jaycat View Post
    That there's the fanciest two-holer I done near ever seen.
    I dunno ... my grandpappy done had one with two half moons, one for each hole! And instead of the Sears & Roebuck catalog, his had Neiman-Marcus!
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    Professional Dreamer journeybear's Avatar
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    Default Re: Funky but pretty mandolin on Ebay

    I believe y'all're takin' 'bout two different kinds of crap, here. BTW, while Neiman-Marcus is a bit more spiffy of a store and also catalog than Sears & Roebuck, I'll wager there's slicker paper in the catalog, which might make for prettier pictures, but not be as utilitarian for its intended use in yer grandpappy's two-holer.

    Here's this two-holer, preserved for posterior.

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    Moderator JEStanek's Avatar
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    Default Re: Funky but pretty mandolin on Ebay

    Photos of the Antonia Tsai double Hole mandolin from the auction. You get what you pay for but these are highly stylized.

    Jamie

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    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Funky but pretty mandolin on Ebay

    I'm not at all surprised there are cracks in the back.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
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    Default Re: Funky but pretty mandolin on Ebay

    I DO like the two dragons on the back, they are quite nice, but the cracks running through them I don't like so much. But it IS interesting-looking.

  23. #19
    Professional Dreamer journeybear's Avatar
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    Default Re: Funky but pretty mandolin on Ebay

    I see it hasn't sold nor gotten any bids and the listing has been removed. But I also found the seller is a dealer in "Antiques and Collectibles" located in a suburb northeast of Orlando. Perhaps I can adjust my route when I go on vaycay in a couple of weeks and check it out.
    But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller

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    Default Re: Funky but pretty mandolin on Ebay

    There was a FB Journal article where an author took a trip to Vietnam and hit their "Instrument Alley." (Sorry, can't recall the city offhand and not home to check). There was some junk, but, overall, he was pretty complementary of the craftsmanship and actually bought one of the better guitars he found. Unfortunately, even with aggressive humidification efforts, it eventually failed (I can't recall if the neck joint failed or it developed cracks). Even if they let the wood season for an acceptable period of time the humidity is so high there that it just never really dries, so bringing it into a relatively significantly drier environment is going to cause issues.

    They're fun to look at every now and then, but not something I'll ever recommend to a beginner looking for "the best mandolin under $500."
    Chuck

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