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Thread: Vintage guitar-shaped archtop mandola

  1. #1
    Registered User Martin Jonas's Avatar
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    This is just a quick cross-link to the thread in the pictures forum discussing my vintage German archtop. When I started that thread, I thought it was a long-scale mandolin, but I have now decided it works much better as a short-scale mandola, so it has become relevant to the CBOM forum.

    Link to the thread.

    Link to a ahort MP3 clip.



    Martin

  2. #2
    Mando accumulator allenhopkins's Avatar
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    Nice, Martin. Framus, or related?
    Allen Hopkins
    Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
    Natl Triolian Dobro mando
    Victoria b-back Merrill alumnm b-back
    H-O mandolinetto
    Stradolin Vega banjolin
    Sobell'dola Washburn b-back'dola
    Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
    Flatiron 3K OM

  3. #3
    Registered User Martin Jonas's Avatar
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    No idea, really. There is no maker's label, just a headstock decal from a music shop in a small town in the Black Forest. They may have made it themselves, or commissioned it from a local luthier. It's certainly German, and probably from the late 1940s or early 1950s. At that time, there were lots of makers of guitar-shaped mandolins in Germany, for some unfathomable reason, including Framus, Hofner, Otwin and Hoyer. However, most of them used exclusively cat's eyes soundholes, not proper f-holes as on mine, with the notable exception of Hoyer. Therefore, after I had bought it and before I had in in my hands, I speculated it might be a Hoyer. Hoyer's 1948 catalogue has a very similar instrument in it. However, I have since seen photos of that Hoyer model and it looks quite different from mine. More garish, to my eyes. I now think that mine was made by a small luthier shop, possibly a violin maker. It looks hand-made rather than a production model.

    Martin

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