Help indendify mandolin

[Elgotto325]

Was given to me by a friend. Don't know anything about it. Brand, value and if I should have it worked on so I can play it. Found no brand anywhere, not on inside either. Has a patent pending on the end plate
Thanks John Genaway

[Jim Garber]

This looks like a “made for the trade” simplest of bowlbacks probably made by or for a large distributor to sell by the half dozen wholesale for retailers to put their own label on or not. Not too valuable. If the neck joint is decent and the neck angle will allow for a bridge and there are no cracks or warps then string it with ultra light strings — best on the cheap are GHS A-240 sets. The pickguard is half gone but you could get some plastic or wood veneer to glue in its place. If major work has to be done by a professional than probably not worth it.

[brunello97]

As Diego says, if you can get it up and running, it's likely to be a pleasant sounding mandolin if nothing spectacular.

But bowlbacks are great fun to play and (for me at least) make a wonderful physical and sonic connection back to another era of music and mandolins.

It's remarkable to think just how many of these were "made for the trade" as Jim puts it, in Chicago, Philadelphia, NJ, NY, PA, Boston, Saginaw, Milwaukee.

This in contrast to today when mandolin options are either from boutique--and high quality--instruments from sole proprietor builders, or mass market instruments from a country that has no real mandolin culture of its own.

Value? It's going to be worth the music you make with it.


Mick

[NickR]

It looks as though the tuners are not the originals ( and may have been put on upside down) but they are old but I would imagine that shell tailpiece is original. The headstock shape is somewhat unusual but may be simple and squarish to save time in its construction as it has clearly been made at a price. Some more photos would help but I think it will not be possible to get to an individual maker- rather than the places it might have been made which have been listed above.