I just inherited what I believe to be a 12 string mandolin. It has a round back (tater bug style)and seems to be pretty old. It has no markings. Can anyone tell me where to turn? Value? Set up? Tuning? Thanks, glenngtar
I give the address of one that looks exactly like mine.
http://www.massmedia.com/~mikeb/citt...ageGallery.htm
Glenn Seaton
Do a search for "mandriola". In a nutshell: not particularly rare, and a bit of a nightmare to tune and to play. Tuned like a normal mandolin, but with triple courses, on the bass courses sometimes with one of the strings tuned an octave above the others. Many of these are German-made. An unlabelled 12-string bowlback is likely to be worth very little, even if it may be well-made and fun to play.
Martin
If it were a newer instrument I would say it is probably a mando-guitar, which is tuned much like a tiny 12 string guitar. But because it is an older instrument I don't think that is what it is. Best of luck with it.
Dan
Domhnall: no, this type of 12-stringers had four courses of three strings each, not six courses of 2 strings. As I said, they're tuned GDAE, same as any other mandolin.
Martin
If that pictured really does look exactly like yours, it is very clearly marked by its maker. The stylized "OS" overlaying each other and inlaid into the scratchplate is a logo of the original Oscar Schmidt company of Jersey City. That makes sense; they were almost certainly the US's most prolific producer of triple-strung, 4-course mandolins. Value? Unfortunately very little. They are hugely abundant and have almost no demand.
I came across a 12 string in a little music store in Prague a few months ago, and found it very clumsy to play. That extra string in every course severely limited what little agility I have. I'm sure a beter player could have gotten more out of it, but I certainly don't wonder why they never became very popular.
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