Was given this the other evenin'....

[STEViE Simpson]

Hi folks. I'd say I'm new here but I've been lookin' at this site for a while an' I may once have been a member on here.

A good mate of mine passed this family heirloom onto me the other night. It's not to everyone's (or many folks probably) taste. I quite like it myself even though there is a fair amount of damage. Providin' my luthier mate gives it the go ahead I'll put the full 16 strings back on it, just for the hell of it. I want to hear it ring out again. It won't be gettin' gigged as from comments I've read here an' from what I can guess it's gonna be a bitch to keep in tune. It may well make it onto the album I'm recordin' though.

Here's a link to the photo's of it on my MySpace....

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/inde...lbumID=1864602

CHEERS !!

[JEStanek]

Hi Stevie and Welcome to the Café. That link required a myspace log in to view the photos. You might get some more responses if you post the images directly here. You can post them from your computer by clicking go advanced below then using the paperclip to path to and attach the photos.

Jamie

[STEViE Simpson]

Thanx for that. I didn't realise that would be the case. I'll get on with that.

CHEERS !!

[STEViE Simpson]

[STEViE Simpson]

[F-2 Dave]

Way cool. That's a bunch of strings.

[STEViE Simpson]

I'm told it's called a mandriola. Yeah sixteen strings. I was told they reckon it's around 90-100 years old. I'm researchin' what I can.

[JEStanek]

Wow. I bet that's a bear to restring. I've not seen one of those before.

Jamie

[brunello97]

Are we to suppose this is from Valletta, Malta? That is exotic indeed. It made me recall a conversation we had last year around a Maltese mandolin. In doing a search it led to this thread

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...Malta&page=184

where our friend Jim posted an image of a sailboat soundhole similar to your mandriola. What could be more fitting for an instrument born in the heart of the Mare Nostrum? I am always charmed by these designs from the deep south . Please do what you can to get it up and playable again and let us know how it sounds.

Mick

[Jim Garber]

Hmmm... I just reoplied to your post of two pics on another thread. noiw i see more info is here. Here is what I said:

Yikes... looks like a quadruple-strung mandolin. That decorative soundhole illustration looks familiar. I think I saw a mandolin with the same one and I believe it was Sicilian in origin probably Catania.

I think 16 strings is too much and might be pretty hard to play. I would string it with 8 strings initially at first and see how it fairs. Maybe go to 12 if you are brave.

16 strings sort of resembles Filipino bandurrias but those are strung with 14 and not tuned the same.

Now I see a label and location. Is there a Valletta in Italy? I just did a search and there is a Valletta way up north near the Austrian border.

The only Cosentino mandolin I have in my files is this one. I would say the oddball soundholes and colorful inlay would connect these two. This one only had 12 strings.

[Bob A]

I'd bet Malta. The lady in the boat and the Marine Street label argue for a maritime origin. (Actually I prefer to think of her as stepping out of the bath, boldy waving her towel, but that's just me).

I'd also worry about the tension from 16 strings.

[Margriet]

just found on ebay UK a mandolin with the same image. Label: Carlo Martello.
http://cgi.ebay.nl/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?...ht_1209wt_1165

[STEViE Simpson]

I'm sure it's Malta. By the way folks I dont pick a mandolin, I strum chords only so I'm rather intriged to see what playin' across four beds of four strings will sound like. Thank you all for your comments so far they're appreciated.

CHEERS !!

[Tavy]

OMG.

I've heard about 16-strigers before but never actually seen one.

Will sure be interesting to see how this one turns out!

John.

[Graham McDonald]

That wonderful lady in a boat scratchplate turns up fairly regularly. I would suggest That the label is that of the shop which sold it, rather than the maker. I have an old flatback 12 string mandolin, probabaly of Catanian origin, which has a label from G de Liso, Music Dealer, Port Said.

cheers

[STEViE Simpson]

Found out today from the chap I received it from that his older brother confirmed it was definately brought back from Malta by his Grandfather who had served there durin' the first word war. As Graham pointed out though, the label is probably that of the shop not the maker. That puts it around 90+ years old. Havn't been able to trace anythin' so far through the label so that may be as far as we get with findin' out about it.... we'll see.

CHEERS !!