MANDOLINS AND MANDOLIN FAMILY
78-7310 Corrado Giacomel (new) J-5 Mandolin, #6607, aging toner finish, housed in a delightfully modest wooden box suitable for pet burial.
Corrado Giacomel.works at Via Zamperini 48 16010 S.Olcese, in Genova, Italy. If you happen to be in Genova, do say Ciao. The website is: www.corradogiacomel.it His mandolins are distributed in the USA by mandolin monster David Grisman, and Mandolin Brothers is the newly selected East Coast Display Showroom (and non-denominational chapel) for this brand. David is shown holding his own Giacomel on the cover of his recent duet album with John Sebastian. The builder’s website states (edited): Giacomel mandolins and mandolas are the result of a study of the American mandolin-building tradition, revisited according to this Luthier’s own taste and experience. These models have technical and sound features typical of the American instrument, optimized by careful tuning of soundboard and back and by the interplay between them. This is achieved through a system that, utilizing a frequency generator, excites the woods and tests their response at different frequencies. Both soundboard and back are hand-carved, separately tuned and subsequently assembled; this way the instruments need no further adjustment. Each Giacomel instrument has a balanced and warm sound, plenty of volume and a natural reverb at the highest frequencies. The building process follows the traditional steps, thus requiring longer completion time. His mandolins are built one at the time by the same hand, presumed to be his own hand, resulting in a limited annual production. All the woods come from Italy and are personally and carefully selected by the Luthier. The varnishing process follows the tradition of the Italian school -- it starts with the sealing of the wood, then the applying of a natural layer, and finally the application of a vegetal poly-resinous varnish that the cats and kitties that live around the Coliseum lap up like mother’s milk. Each ebony component (the bridge, tailpiece, pickguard) as well as the mother of pearl inlays are hand-crafted one by one dedicated Luthier named Corrado Giacomel. Tim O’Brien owns one of Giacomel’s Octave/Bouzoukis. Tim says (about this larger instrument of similar design): “Corrado Giacomel, of Genoa, Italy, built this octave mandolin. I call it 'The Turtle.' Corrado makes great guitars and mandolins, as well as these fine octave mandolins. The scale length on this one is 20 inches from nut to bridge saddle. While many octave mandolins have a longer scale, which provides for tighter string tension and more volume, this one compensates by having a greater neck angle. The shorter scale also enables me to use mandolin fingering than I can't use on my other bouzouki/octave mandolins. Unlike my Nugget bouzouki, on which I string the two low pairs of strings in octaves, I string the courses on this instrument in unison.” To which we can only add, “If it’s good enough for Tim O’Brien and David Grisman, two of the finest acoustic artists in the short list of ‘the best there is,’ it’s good enough for us.”Brace yourselves like an Italian spruce crossbar, here come the statistics: The back material is curly maple, the top material is spruce, the neck material is likewise curly maple, the rim material – you guessed it - curly maple; the truss rod is steel, and adjustable; the fretboard material, that would be ebony, the bridge is ebony and adjustable; the tailpiece is ebony, steel and brass, the tuners are Schaller, though we have never in our lives seen them before -- with pearloid buttons that look like pearl, gold-plated, etched in a floral and filigree pattern plates, with large pearl inlaid spiders and steel gears with large gold-plated caps. The scale length is 13 15/16”, the body length is 13”, the body width is 10 ¼” , the body depth just 1 ¼”, and the overall length is nominally 27”.
Its comely features are most unusual. The body shape is almost trapezoidal – the upper bass scroll, known in these parts as “The Claw,” looks like a slot into which you swipe your credit card; the f-holes are modern and sweeping and like everything else, quite original; the right-angle tailpiece is 4 ½” long measured diagonally and 8 loop ends can be easily posted to 8 gold plated (or brass) pins; the bridge is a hand-carved two-piece ebony adjustable, the pickguard is slightly contoured and carved to a controlled arc and touching it makes your fingers go “whoo-whee.” The headstock is large, rosewood bordered and ebony-capped and bears the Giacomel script logo and a stylized 7-part flower pot and flower; said headplate is bordered in maple, as is the rosewood bound ebony fretboard which is cantilevered over the body so that top vibration remains unimpeded. Both the face and back display a central area that takes the form of a recessed circle of (in this instance) bear-claw spruce – truly, uniqueness abounds. The maker provides block marker pearl inlays at frets 10, 12 and 15 (only) with pearl side dots in 5 positions starting at 5. The ebony truss rod cover resembles a rocket ship.
We should mention the sound – for a young mandolin this instrument has a degree of maturity of tone and volume unfounded in lesser models. The sound of the Giacomel J-5 is throaty, resplendent and rich, replete with acoustic density and mass and yet retaining shimmering highs and effervescent mids. One is enthralled by its considerable clarity in every range, hearing it makes one think of a mandolin that is considerably older, like: read, the 1920s or ‘30s. It’s sound, right out of the crate, is colorful and confident. Reflecting on the credentials of the genius player who imports these instruments, and taking into consideration the other-worldly vision that created such a modernistic fantasy and made it into one incredible sounding mandolin, this Giacomel J-5 will be a more than worthwhile addition to your permanent estate. Without case, in a utilitarian pine box, only $12,887 or, at our Cash Discount Price, $12,500.
78-7138 Big Muddy (new) M-2, #0268, the maple sides and back flattop/flatback mandolin with the great sound and low price, and zipper gigbag.
The MB List is $698 and you are invited to email or phone for our insanely low price.
78-7139 Big Muddy (new) M-OW, wide-neck flattop, flatback mandolin #0281, made with Sitka spruce top and mahogany sides and back, with a zipper gigbag.
The BM List is $658 and you may phone or email for your own low, low pricing.
78-7140 Big Muddy (new) M-11W wide-neck flattop, flatback mandolin #0285, having an all solid mahogany body, sweet, silky tone, with zipper gigbag.
The List Price is $748 and you may phone us for our Discount Price and Cash Discount Price.
78-7204 Big Muddy (new) M-3 walnut sides and back, Sitka spruce top flat top mandolin, #0291 with gold-plated Grover tuning machines and a zipper gigbag.
The List Price is $738 and you may phone us for our Discount Price and Cash Discount Price.
78-7205 Big Muddy (new) M-1W wide neck mahogany sides and back, Sitka spruce top flat top mandolin, #0290 with a zipper gigbag.
The List Price is $718 and you may phone us for our Discount Price and Cash Discount Price.
78-7203 Big Muddy (new) M-1 mahogany sides and back, Sitka spruce top flat top mandolin, #0286 with a zipper gigbag.
The List Price is $668 and you may phone or email us for our Discount Price and Cash Discount Price.
78-7163 Bill Collings (new) MT mandolin – faux-tortoise celluloid bindings, glossy black finish top, A-1478, black-white purfling, with plush lined hard shell case.
$2273 or, at our cash discount price, $2205.
78-7390 Bill Collings (new) MT-2 mandolin, A-style, A-1569, with hard shell case.
$3248 or, at our cash discount price $3150.
48-4264 Collings (new) MF, F601, glossy black top, ivoroid binding, with hard shell case.
This is $4315 or, at our cash discount price, $4185.
48-4551 Collings (new) MF, F644, blonde top with ivoroid binding, with hard shell case.
This is $4083 or, at our cash discount price, $3960.
48-4719 Collings (new) MF, F659, blonde with ivoroid binding, with hard shell case.
This, also, is $4083 or, at our cash discount price, $3960.
78-7191 Eastman (new) MDA615CS Mandola, a Florentine model, with the large body scroll and two points on the treble side, with matching headstock.
We present a fine effort to recreate the extremely rare H-5 mandola of the Lloyd Loar Era, originally made 1922 to 1924. Tuned ADGC (high to low) the mandola, the tenor banjo and the tenor guitar share the same range, adding a dimension of breadth and depth to your instrumental ensemble. $1645 or at our cash discount price $1596.
78-7172 and 78-7173 Eastman (new) MD815V F-Style Mandolin, Oil Varnish finish with an Adirondack spruce top, #2560-1MB and #2561, each with plush lined hard shell case.
We saw these for the first time at the NAMM Show in January – an all solid wood varnish finish Florentine mandolin with crème-black binding on the top, sides, back , fingerboard and headstock, an ebony headstock overlay, an ebony truss rod cover, 6 abalone moon inlays in a scooped peninsula bound ebony fingerboard, a two piece carved ebony bridge, and a gold-plated proprietary tailpiece. The neck is V-shaped with an ebony central laminate down the back (for strength as well as beauty). The f-holes are unbound, the Cremona brown sunburst yellow to brown, the back and sides are fantastically figured and formidably flamed. The sound is superlative, the playability positively pleasing. The Eastman List is $1950, and yet our discount price is just $1560.
78-7132 Flatiron (new) Festival F-2 mandolin, in Cremona Sunburst, DW07060031, an F-5 style mandolin with no carrying case - (we recommend the Levy’s/Mandolin Bros. zipper gigbag as an add-on).
This revival of the Flatiron name, by Gibson, is presently produced in China at a level of production quality that, for its reasonable price, will command your attention. They call it an “F-2” but really it’s a version of Gibson’s famous F-5 model. It has a solid spruce top that’s close-grained and pretty in a crème-to-brown “Vanilla Wafer” sunburst, a two-piece adjustable ebony bridge, a slide-on “The Flatiron” tailopiece cover, a double-bound pickguard, top, back and headplate, a “scooped” fingerboard extension, and an ivoroid, inlaid fleur-de-lis on the black headplate overlay. The back is two-piece in dramatic figured maple, the sides are more widely flamed and pretty and the neck is one-piece and only mildly flamed. One presumes from the sticker on the pickguard that only the top and neck are solid. Somebody might want to tell the person who types the model on the interior label that the name is “Festival” and not “Festivoil.” On the other hand, if he or she ever gets it right, the error could some day make this early example collectible. The Flatiron List is $1332. Your own cost, however, is only $799 or, at our cash discount price, $775.
78-7334 Gibson Style A- “Snakehead” mandolin, brown top finish, #71259, c. December 1922, in very good plus condition with original hard shell case.
During a relatively brief window of time Gibson’s A-style mandolin design included a headstock that gets “skinnier” as it goes upward instead of being flared out (like a paddle). Anomalously, according to text books, the style A went to “snakehead” peghead in 1923 and then back to standard peghead in 1928. This mandolin was made in December 1922 and there is a possibility that, because it was “on the cusp” of the standard time period for snakehead it was simply made at the earliest possible time (the last instrument made by Gibson in 1922 bore number 71400 and this one is only 141 numbers lower. Another anomaly is that this guitar has a script Gibson logo in white silkscreen on the top of the headstock – and Gibson did not affect this manner of identifying its instruments until 1928, ceasing in 1943. Our first thought is that this was originally made (as they often were in the Style A) with a black headplate (no logo). So, one theory is that an owner wanted to have it say “Gibson” and sent it back to the factory for the addition of a logo, between 1928 and ’43 when it was white silkscreen. Gibson factory also provided the instrument a replacement elevated plastic pickguard that bears no patent stamp but which retains its “July 4, 1911” patent stamp on the side clamp, This mandolin has its original original filigreed plate, ivoroid button tuners, which buttons have turned a lovely shade of jaundiced yellow, a squared-end ebony fretboard inlaid with 6 mother of pearl dotmarkers in 5 positions, a “January 18, 1921” patent stamp adjustable ebony bridge, and a slide-on “The Gibson” and floral pattern nickel-plated tailpiece cover. The body and neck surfaces show normal signs of use and wear; the oval soundhole is bound in ivoroid and there is a five-ply rosette around said orifice. The top is bound in ivoroid but not the neck, back or peghead. In addition to being rare and beautiful, the snakehead mandolin, which was made whilst Lloyd Loar stalked the halls of 225 Parsons Street in Kalamazoo, Michigan, is considered the finest sounding of all Gibson A-styles. The original hard shell case has ancient, empty “Gibson Mastertone” string packages in the pocket. Too cool. $3,608 or at our cash discount price $3,500.
78-7309 Gibson (used, 1924) Style A-2 "snakehead" mandolin, Sheraton brown top, #75037, with hard shell case.
Behold one of the most desirable of all Gibson prewar A-style mandolins -- the snakehead A-2 that is complete and ostensibly wholly original. Yes, friends, it has its black plastic truss rod cover, the ivoroid bound neck and body, the elevated celluloid tortoise shell colored pickguard with the Mar. 30 '09 patent and the side clamp with the July 4, 1911 patent, as well as the adjustable two-piece ebony bridge with the 1921 patent stamp, the slide-on "The Gibson" tailpiece cover, and the original celluloid buttons four-on-a-plate tuners. The condition is overall excellent showing light normal signs of use and wear, dings, and hand wear behind the neck, minor scratches overall. Work was performed on it in the past including gluing and filling of seam separations around the back at the sides, the back and sides were buffed up, the top was polished. Our workshop is doing additional set-up work on it (even as we speak) including a re-radius of the bridge saddle, and a complete fret replacement. When this emerges from the nether regions it will be a mandolin of high degree, bearing the greatly desired “inverted headstock,” made at the heart of the Lloyd Loar Era over there in the Gibson plant, 225 Parsons Street, Kalamazoo, Michigan. [The townspeople sing:] “Nothin’ could be finer in keys major and minor; there is no better peghead for an Etude played on Snakehead.” $5149 or, at our cash discount price, $4995.
78-7324 Gibson (used, 1917) A-3, natural finish top, #34930, in very good condition with original hard shell case.
The Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Company, established in 1894 and incorporated in 1902, was the progenitor of the modern arched top mandolin and guitar. They made a series of six or more mandolins in the teardrop or “A” style, each having an oval soundhole (until the late ‘20s or early ‘30s when they introduced f-holes). The least expensive model was the plain A-Jr., and this had no body binding – it was all brown, and did not have a Gibson logo on either headstock or tailpiece. Then you have the A- which had a black headstock but it had top binding and, like all the higher models above it, it had an engraved “The Gibson” with floral pattern slide-on tailpiece cover. Then you got you’re a-2 which had all of the above plus back binding, and the A-3 had all of the foregoing plus a “squiggle of decorative pearl inlay” on the headstock under the script inlaid logo. The fanciest model, A-4, had a fleur-de-lis inlaid, fancier woods and trim. The A-3 came in either natural top or “white enamel” finish. This mandolin and its frets show normal playing wear; the reddish finish back and sides are probably birch and are beautiful; the top is carved wide-grained spruce with twin rings of wood marquetry around the ivoroid bound oval soundhole. The fingerboard is ebony, bound in ivoroid on 3 sides, hosts 6 mother of pearl position markers in five positions on its front and five tortoise celluloid markers on the bass side binding. The tuners are original filigreed plate open-gears with ivoroid buttons; the bridge is one-piece ebony with the compensated top section for better intonation, and the little hole on the treble side of the base in which a metal stalk extended from the elevated celluloid pickguard it once had but no longer has. On the face, in the treble bout, is a, well, um, that’s a small hole, and our workshop has filled in that space with a spruce plug. While this is not an “invisible repair” by any means (like Capt. Hook you’ll know it has the patch) at least it won’t have a hole. If you have the wherewithal to buy this mandolin and also purchase it an elevated replica tortoise shell pickguard said guard will, literally, make the hole thing“go away” by being both out of sight and completely out of its mind. Where the original owner positioned his or her pinky on the face between bridge and soundhole is a lighter area of minor erosion. The A-3 is a classy reminder that the second decade of the 20th century was a time of elegance and prosperity. The sound is lush and radiant and it plays easily and comfortably. $2159 or, at our cash discount price, $2095.
78-7179 and 78-7180 Kentucky (new) KM-150S, A-style mandolin #071212-6 and #071210-3, each with hard shell C-1521 carrying case.
The Kentucky List is $328.95 and your own cost is only $274 at our discount price, $266 at our cash discount price.
78-7144 Kentucky (new) KM-1000 hand-made F-style mandolin, #07120150, solid woods, maple sides and back, high grade carved spruce top, hard shell case.
List is $2104.95. Your cost is $1627 or at our cash discount price $1579.
78-7210 and 78-7209 “The Loar” LM-500VS, ISI-1814 and ISI-1813, each being a Florentine mandolin based on the work of Lloyd Loar in the period 1922-’24, housed in a tweed hard shell case.
This modestly priced mandolin preserves many of the cosmetic elements of the original including the Cremona brown sunburst finish, the spruce top with the flame maple sides, back and neck, the flowerpot inlaid peghead -- on this model inlaid in a combination of mother of pearl and abalone that is quite striking. Elegant touches include black and crème top, back, pickguard and headstock binding, single-ply crème side and neck bindings, pearl dotmarker fingerboard inlays, a nine-fret fingerboard extension, an elevated tortoise shell celluloid style pickguard, and a slide-on, floral etched tailpiece cover. The sound is bold and boisterous, the overall effect (for this price) is probably well nigh unbeatable. Just $791 or at our cash discount price $768.
78-7211 Peter Mix (new) “New Millennium” A-5 mandolin, electric-acoustic 8-string, made entirely from graphite composite, #046, with tweed hard shell case.
$3969 at our Discount Price, $3850 at our Cash Discount Price.
78-7197 Phoenix (new) “Standard” Mandolin, #482, with plush lined hard shell case.
This Phoenix double cutaway carved top and back instrument makes an exceedingly impressive sounding mandolin – as all Phoenixes are. It is quite suitable for bluegrass and yet much less costly than the famous Phoenix Bluegrass model. $3340 or, at our cash discount price $3240.
15-6311 Phoenix (new) Bluegrass mandolin, #467, with hard shell case.
Traditional sunburst stain under the hybrid varnish finish, fossil bone or ivory nut, nickel-plated hardware including an engraved Phoenix tailpiece, ivoroid binding on body, neck, and headstock, and a fine quality hard shell case. $4,454 or, at our cash discount price, $4,320.
78-7120 Weber (new) Bitterroot Florentine (F-style) Mandolin, #8327901, mahogany sides and back, carved spruce top, with an ebony adjustable Brekke bridge and hard shell case.
The Weber List Price is $3030 and you may phone or email for our discount and cash discount pricing.
78-7275 Big Muddy (new) BM-0 mahogany back and sides, spruce top flattop mandolin with no top binding, #0278, with a zipper gigbag.
The Big Muddy List is $558 and you are entitled to phone us for our discount and cash discount price.
78-7276 Big Muddy BM-0, #0272, mahogany back and sides, flattop mandolin with a spruce top and no top binding, with a zipper gigbag.
The Big Muddy List is $558 and you are entitled to phone us for our discount and cash discount price.
78-7277 Big Muddy (new) BM-11 mahogany top mandolin with mahogany sides and back, #0275, with a zipper gigbag.
The Big Muddy List Price is $688 and you should definitely phone or email for our discount pricing.15-5087 Collings (new) MF-5 Deluxe Varnish f-style mandolin, #F666,
one of the world’s finest mandolins, made in an oil-based varnish finish with a classic Cremona sunburst finish. It is fully carved top and back, and the top is select “Red” spruce while the sides and back are exquisitely figured (almost quilted) maple. The fingerboard is radiused, the body, neck and peghead are triple-bound with grained ivoroid and added black/white purfling. The polished headplate with its flourish of Victorian flora features the mother-of-pearl Collings logo and Waverly brand (super expensive) tuners. It has the ever popular floating ebony pickguard, hand-engraved Collings tailpiece and a fine hard shell case. $11,970 or, at our cash discount price, $11,610.
48-3444 Collings (new) MF-5 mandolin #F435, in Cremona sunburst finish, with hard shell plush lined case.
$7,423 or at our cash discount price $7,200
15-6863 Eastman (new) MD-815 Classic Sunburst, F-style mandolin #2239, with a semi-hard shell case.
The Eastman List is $1950. Please phone or email for your cost.
78-7224 Eastman (new) MD-505 A-style mandolin with f-holes, sunburst top, #2463, with hard shell case.
The Eastman List is $750 but we’d like you to phone or email to receive the advice about price that’s so nice.
78-7301 Gibson (used, 1917) A- mandolin, #36136, Factory Order No. 3554, in excellent with an original hard shell case.
This most standard of Gibson A-style mandolins sports the darkened pumpkin color top, uniform brown possibly birch back and sides, with an ebony-rope-ebony soundhole rosette and a crème bound oval soundhole. It has its original Gibson one-piece ebony bridge, original “The Gibson” floral etched tailpiece cover, the original celluloid pickguard (Pat. 3/30/09) also has the original adjustable (7/4/11) side clamp. The mandolin shows light normal signs of use – but only light dings, crazing, some wear in the upper treble bout, two lines of hand wear down the back of the neck. Our workshop will have performed a complete refret and so when this mandolin is in your embracing arms it will sound and play very much like a considerably higher priced spread. One aberration from 1917 is that the tuners are replaced, high quality, pearloid button replicas, each with an individual screw end, utilizing a filigree etched back-plate that reminds us of the tuners of the late 1920s, by anyone’s standards a fine set of tuners. This is a rich, warm, involving sounding Gibson A-model that’s worth keeping and using for the next 6 or 7 decades just like the family that owned it did. In all candor – it’s a great mandor. $1856 or, at our cash discount price, $1800.
78-7068 Kentucky (new) KM-161 A-model, teardrop-shaped, f-hole mandolin, sunburst, #070828-2, with hard shell case.
$329 at our Discount Price or, at our Cash Discount Price, $319.
78-7229 and 78-7228 (sold) Kentucky (new) KM-150S, solid spruce and maple A-style f-hole mandolin, #071026-2 and 071030-8, each with hard shell case.
Each is $273 or, at our cash discount price $265.
15-6787 Kentucky (new) KM-1000 Master Model Mandolin, #07110133, Cremona sunburst, with the Model CD1520 hard shell Golden Gate case.
Kentucky Mandolins has truly outdone itself with this honored KM-1000 model. Largely hand-made by a dedicated group of trained luthiers, this instrument reflects a level of attention to detail seldom seen in instruments of its price range. The crème bound glossy black headplate hosts a “The Kentucky” pearl inlaid logo and a standard powerflot decoration. Tuners are silvered, etched and each shaft bears a pearloid button; the top is closed-grained carved spruce with considerable crossgrain; the crème and black bound sides, double-bound neck and single-ply bound back are highly figured maple, the tailpiece is silvered, slide-on, and etched with a floral pattern and script “Kentucky.” The dotmarker inlaid, crème bound ebony fingerboard carries a 9 fret extension; the bridge is ebony, two-piece and adjustable. The sound and the appearance of prewar verisimilitude are remarkable for only $1627 or, at our cash discount price, $1579.
78-7089 John Monteleone (used, November 1978) F-5 mandolin, #27, in excellent minus condition with its original form-fitting hard shell case.
We had originally sold this mandolin to its only owner (after all these years) in November of 1978, back when we were the exclusive seller of Monteleone mandolins, and here is what we wrote in our appraisal at that time (even then we were masters of hyperbole): “Not since Lloyd Loar walked the production line in the early 1920s has an F-5 mandolin been produced in the United States which meets Loar’s obsessive standards. John Monteleone has had an opportunity to study disassembled Lloyd Loar F-5s ([then]worth [a big] $7500 to $9000) and [he] has replicated their august contours and capabilities. Little is dissimilar except for the name “Monteleone” in pearl on the peghead and on the engraved tailpiece cover. The finest woods have been found, from all parts of the world, maple and ebony aged in the cask since the beginning of the century. The case is plush-lined hard shell.” Now, 30 years later, we can also add that Monteleone instruments have become one of the most sought-after examples of their respective genres and that this one, which predates the gradual evolution into Monteleone’s Grand Artist model is, of course, closer in specification to the original Kalamazoo product than the re-interpretations that came later. Other than having the maker’s last name inlaid in pearl on the crème celluloid headplate, and the name etched with a floral pattern and border on the gold plated slide-on tailpiece cover, the quality of workmanship, attention to detail and beauty is comparable to the historical standard.The top, back and ebony form fitting pickguard are bordered in white and black purfling; the sides, neck and headstock are bound in grained ivoroid; each of the two body points is capped in plain ivoroid. The bridge is an adjustable two-piece ebony construction of the builder and the tailpin is also ebony. Tuners are high quality gold-plated open-gear with ivoroid buttons. The “ears” which are the sections of wood located on either side of the center of the neck, which are carved in a large and small scroll, are somewhat tactile, the finish having sunken into the seams, as sometimes happens with a similar sensation sensed at the back seam below the heel. Neither is even an incipient sort of separation, but one can feel these seams with one’s finger. The back of the mandolin is made from an exciting book matched piece of tiger-striped maple and the sides and one-piece neck are striped maple as well. Other than a recalcitrant truss rod, some thumb-wear on the back of the neck, treble side, behind the second and third frets, the instrument shows little sign of use. There are some normal light dings, scuffs, scratches on its pickguard, and it also shows normal wear on the first six frets.
These aberrations notwithstanding, the sound of this mandolin teased into life with nothing but a stiff flatpick is enough to give one the shivers. Its work reflects the meticulousness of the master, the unwavering continuity of its heroic voice, the sultry sustain of the sumptuous. Anyone seeking to own the mandolin against which all others might well be judged, please line up here. $21,645 at our Discount Price, or, at our Cash Discount Price is it is $20,995.
78-7258 Morgan Monroe (new) Model MMS-9FE, something new from this fine company, an F-style mandolin with a built in factory Fishman pickup and preamp, #07110062, with hard shell case.
Morgan Monroe List is $639 and the MM MAP is $449.
15-6959 The Nao (new) Model NF5V #019136 with black glossy Eastman type form fitting hard shell case.
THE TIME IS NAO! This mandolin is made by one of Japan's leading mandolin makers, a luthier who has built over 200 mandolins. This is a highly traditional model, tone bar braced and largely based on the teachings of Lloyd A. Loar. As Roger Siminoff says in his famous article about the illustrious builder: "Lloyd Allayre Loar's contribution to stringed musical instruments ranks in the high order of the musical genius of Antonius Stradivarius, Orville Gibson, Leo Fender, and Christian Martin." It is good, then, that Mr. Naoki Yusukawa, who works in Gifu, located in south central Japan, in roughly the same position that in the USA Texas is located, has used the mandolin of 1922 to 1924 as his paradigm.His instrument is gracefully and proficiently fabricated, utilizing white-black-white purfling on top, sides, back, fingerboard and headstock (including both headplate and side), having a carved top of select Sitka spruce which is parallel grained with eddies of medulary rays at the treble f-hole, a carved back of intensely flamed tiger stripe maple with wood equal to it on the sides and back of neck. He utilizes striped ebony for the back plate on back of the pointed and scrolled headstock, and supplies a filigreed border slide-on tailpiece cover that is shiny nickel plated with "Nao Mandolin" engraved, at an angle. The ebony veneered headplate is inlaid "The Nao" in pearl with a stylized and beautiful butterfly inlay below designed by Mr. Nao's wife, Yuki. Below that is an abalone truss rod cover with swirls of color. This is a tone-bar braced mandolin, for power and projection, and the end of the dotmarker inlaid ebony fingerboard is scooped after the 22nd fret so that your plectrum will not have to suffer the indignity of contact with the peninsula (perish the thought). The pickguard is ebony, triple bound, and properly petite. The bridge is carved of ebony and two piece adjustable. The f-holes are unbound and free. Tuners are Elite with engraving and ivoroid buttons. A player that uses a Nao mandolin is Katsuyuki Miyazaki who plays in the band Blue Moon. The sound is quite remarkable for a new mandolin. You'll be impressed. In every way this instrument preserves the best features of the distant past with the professionalism and accuracy of the modern maker. $5671 or, at our cash discount price, $5500.
78-7279 Ovation (new) Celebrity Model MCS-148RRB Mandolin, #7100354, with hard shell case.
The Ovation List is $835 and the Ovation MAP is $589.
78-7271 Phoenix (new) NeoClassical model two-point mandolin, #479, designed for classical performance and for this you are looking at one of the finest mandolins of this type in the world, with hard shell case.
Our price is $3340 or at our cash discount price $3240.
78-7046 Weber (new) Yellowstone “F” model mandolin, red’burst with ivoroid binding, with hard shell case.
The Weber List is $4399. You may phone or email for our selling price.
78-7235 Weber (new) Alder 2, the Celtic Flat Mandola, all blonde, matte finish, #816401, with hard shell plush lined case.
The Weber List is $1799 and we can tell you that we charge less than this. Call or email for our actual pricing.
15-5437 Weber (new) Alder 1, Celtic style flat mandola, matte finish, natural, #616009, with hard shell plush lined case
The Weber List is $1499 but that’s not the end of the story. Call or email for the end of the story.
78-7262 Weber (new) Gallatin F-style mandolin, natural matte finish, mahogany sides & back and Sitka spruce top, #8325601, with hard shell case.
The Weber List is $2279 and we can intone the suggestion that you phone or email for our own affordable pricing..
78-7263 Weber (new) Y2K teardrop shaped mandolin, matte natural finish, #865301, with hard shell case.
The Weber List Price is only $1129 so one can imagine how comfortable our Discount Price and Cash Discount Price might be.
78-7273 Weber (new) Custom Vintage F-Style mandolin #8321501, in a deep cherry sunburst finish, with hard shell plush lined case.
Weber invents something new, something that is both beautiful and semi-F-4’dable. We can’t tell you what it reminds us of, but the phrase “A Love F-4 To Remember” would apply. It has the large body scroll and the two large body points (much like ourselves, the smaller headstock point and the two headstock scrolls, which represent (as I remember) our exodus from Egypt. It has the raised “W” right angle cast tailpiece which stands for Wicked Good or it could also refer to the sweet mystery of life which states that Weber Mandolins sound Wonderful. The ivoroid bound oval soundhole is bordered in black-rope-black-crème-black-rope-black; the bridge is a standard adjustable two piece ebony, the top and back, neck and headstock are boundin crème ivoroid. The top is close-grained carved spruce with a plethora of medulary markings; the ebony fingerboard carries a 7- partial fret extension (would that we all did); the fingerboard end is elevated, and the back, sides and one piece neck are all flamed maple. The Weber List Price is $5299 and you are entitled to ask us what our actual selling prices are.
15-6924 Gibson 1915 A-4 mandolin, blackface, #20563, which is in very good plus condition with original black hard shell case.
This is the standard A-4 of its time, the top of the line teardrop shaped oval hole mandolin, having deluxe features such as an ivoroid bound soundhole, an oval rosette made up of rope marquetry (with black and crème on each side), then celluloid, then a repeating triple rope pattern. The crème celluloid bound ebony, dotmarker inlaid fingerboard has 10 frets to the body joint and 24 frets in total, the last three of which are partials. The original “Pat.Mar.30, ‘09” elevated tortoise celluloid pickguard is cut away for the one-piece ebony bridge with the four removable ebony saddles, and the adjustable side clamp bears the “Pat. July 4, 1911” stamp. Much has been done to this mandolin in the past – it has, perhaps 50 or 60 years ago, been professionally “restored” by a careful and competent repair person. Here’s what he did: new nut, new frets, new (shorter than standard) brace under the top beneath the bottom of the soundhole, a mahogany shim was placed under the fretboard and the celluloid grained ivoroid binding on all three sides of the fingerboard replaced, and it was entirely over sprayed in a somewhat gloopy fashion. The mandolin presently shows finish checking overall – an over sprayed finish that is alligatored so much so that there are some surfaces that are dull from case contact, body contact, crazing and impure thoughts. There is finger wear behind the neck, mainly in the lower positions, crazing on both sides of the ebony overlaid headstock that bears “The Gibson” in inlaid yellow pearl and a large fleur-de-lis flower. The Handel tuners are each individually inlaid, on each side, with a pearl and nickel-silver flower. The neck is a three-piece laminate, the center stripe being pear wood, and the back of the headstock is finished in black and comes down to a widow’s peak. Top and back are bound in crème celluloid, it retains its “The Gibson” tailpiece cover with floral pattern and also its ebony tailpin with pearl dot. Overall this mandolin shows normal light scratches and dings but it also displays one short but dramatic dent in the top to the left of the bass side bridge base that resulted in a mostly innocuous 1” long crack in the top at the site of the impact. There are, as well, indications of fret wear, a flattening of the frets in the lower positions with visible divots. Our workshop will have performed their professional fret dress (and the short but sensuous dance that goes with it), put glue into that open crack. . $3190 or, at our cash discount price, $3095
15-6863 Eastman (new) MD-815 F-style mandolin, #2239, with semi hard shell case.
$1560 or, at our cash discount price, $1513.
78-7964 and 78-7965 Kentucky (new) KM-250 A-model mandolin, #070526-4, and #070523-1, each with hard shell case.
Each mandolin is $452 or, at our cash discount price, $439.
78-7966 Kentucky (new) KM-380S A-model mandolin, #070815-1, with hard shell case.
$442 or, at our cash discount price, $428.
15-6836 and 15-6837 Eastman (new) VL105 Violin, ISI-1781 and ISI-1780, with semi hard shell zipper closure case, and bow.
$619 or, at our cash discount price $600.
15-6863 Eastman (new) MD-815 Classic sunburst finish, F-style mandolin, #2239, with semi-hard shell (fabric over balsa with a zipper closure).
This Lists for $1950 but your own cost is only $1560 with a cash discount price of $1513.
15-6803 Gibson (used, dated November 9, 1991) A-5G, sunburst top, uniform brown highly figured maple sides and back, #1175129, in very good condition, whose interior label is signed by Steve Carlson, the founder of the Flatiron Division of Gibson in Montana. It is housed in a high quality Harptone plush lined replacement hard shell case.
The A-5G of 1991 was a less expensive but no less great sounding alternative to the fancier A-5L. It retains the grained ivoroid top binding that extends up to join the fingerboard at the 15th fret, but has no back or neck binding; it has an ebony elevated fingerboard with a 9 partial fret extension at bottom, that displays six mother of pearl dotmarkers. Its ebony snakehead headplate is inlaid with the script mother of pearl “The Gibson” logo and a fleur-de-lis. This mandolin shows normal signs of use and wear, including but not limited to dings and nicks – all an indication of playing time. Such marks are visible on the back, on the edges, on the back of neck near the headstock and elsewhere. It has an aftermarket strap pin in the treble side of the heel. There is finish chipping on the treble edge of the fingerboard, finish checking on the treble side, and little dents on the back of the headstock from a tuner (or something), nicks and dings. There’s a divot of wood missing from under the bass side bridge base. The mandolin has its original Gibson elevated bound tortoise shell celluloid pickguard and looks quite classy. It is a very fine sounding instrument and one that will please a future owner and allow for a lifetime of professional use. Instruments that are signed by Steve Carlson have an added layer of collectibility that make them excellent investments for the short or long term. $2469 or, at our cash discount price, $2395.
15-6854 Gold Tone (new) GM-6 Six-string A-style mandolin-guitar, #2710320, sunburst, with a zipper gigbag.
A very unusual instrument from the folks in Florida import their instruments from that age-old supplier of American fretted instruments, um, China. This is an “octave guitar” measuring 26 ¾” in total length, 10 ½” in body width at widest part, having a nut width of 1 9/16th”, a hand-filling C-shaped neck, a scale length of 13 7/8” and a bridge spacing of 1 15/16th” on the bone or micarta saddled two-piece ebony-esque adjustable bridge. The ivoroid bound fingerboard appears to be rosewood and is inlaid with 6 diminutive ivoroid dotmarkers; the top is bordered in ivoroid and black, the sides just in a line of black; the headstock is unbound, overlaid in black veneer and bears the Gold Tone logo with a fleur-de-lis inlaid there under. The slide on traditional mandolin style tailpiece cover has floral engraving at the top edge; the twin f-holes are unbound, the fingerboard is built up to a full half inch height off the face; the tuners are unsigned Kluson replicas with small metal buttons. The top is solid, wide-grained spruce, and the back and sides are laminated fancy flame maple. It has twenty full frets plus 3 partials. The sound is actually quite good – it is crispy, clear, loud and clean and makes the perfect accompaniment to James Taylor’s “Something in the Way She Moves” as sung on helium. It would also be great fun on trips, or to play while waiting for the traffic light to change to green. With the gigbag, $358 at our discount price, $347 at our cash discount price.
15-6787 Kentucky (new) KM-1000 professional quality Master Model Mandolin, in Cremona Sunburst, #07080114, with hard shell case.
The Kentucky List Price is now $2104.95 including the CD-1520 hard shell case. Your cost is $1627 or, at our cash discount price, $1579.
15-6785 National (new) RM-1 Vintage Steel resophonic mandolin, sunburst, #13068, with hard shell case.
The loudest mandolin in the known universe awaits you. If they laugh at you at university this is what you will need to repel them. $1731 or, at our cash discount price $1679.
15-6480 Washburn (circa 1895) Cremonatone Neapolitan mandolin, #213888, Style 259, incredibly fancy, in very good condition with newer plush lined hard shell case.
The mandolin spread before us is one of the fancier models of Washburn turn-of-the-century bowlback. It has a fingerboard that is entirely covered in a veritable aurora borealis of multi-colored abalone, etched and blackened on frets 5,7,10 and 12 with Victorian era illustrations, a mother of pearl bordered oval soundhole – said hole is, itself, bound in grained ivoroid, then there’s a ring of checkerboard, a crème and then a red wood purfling line, the pearl, and the pattern is reversed. Below said soundhole is a 5 3/8” wide, 2 ½” high inlaid tortoise shell or celluloid pickguard that is, in turn, inlaid with a sweeping flourish of ferns. Below that is the carved and elegant ebony bridge, with four dots and an arrowhead on each side of the base, and a fret wire saddle, and below that is an easy-open crown shaped tailpiece cover that is heavily engraved with a floral cameo, vines and a hummingbird. The face of the mandolin is bordered with three contiguous rings of checkerboard wood marquetry. The back of the headstock bears a nickel-plated cover that is, as well, etched in floral filigree with a vertical cameo filled with flowers at its center and a banner reading “Washburn” through the cameo. The back of the bowl is comprised of an expanse of Brazilian rosewood including continuous ivory or ivoroid border, 34 rosewood ribs each separated by a line of maple, and crème-red-crème purfling surrounding. The back of the neck is mahogany, and it bears a lovely little carved volute, or hand stop. The face of the mandolin is bound in ivory or ivoroid with crème and black lines. We should point out that the tuners have been replaced with modern F-style staggered tuners with pearloid buttons whose gear box is just slightly bigger than the originals they replace and so the fancy cover on back of headstock is lifted slightly. There is just the hint of a separation of the rosewood on the back just below the neck-to-body joint (center of back), There’s a 4 1/3” repaired crack from the bottom purfling to the bottom edge of the tortoise pickguard – well repaired and touched up but visible. The action is a bit high but not elevated enough to make it impossible to play up to the 10th fret where the neck joins the body, and there is a rise in the fingerboard over the body which is not resolvable (with the fingerboard being wall-to-wall abalone you can’t plane and refret the board. This rise in the board is causing the mandolin to “fret out,”, meaning that the strings buzz against the frets when played above the 10th fret. This is regrettably not something we can fix. The top of the mandolin is flexing a bit - it rises at the soundhole and declines under the bridge and at the base of the fingerboard. There is no way to lower the action since the bridge is as low as it can go – it is not easy to play. Our repair staff states that there is nothing at all we can do to help this mandolin beyond the excellent set-up it has received. It is what it is, “sell it ‘as is’” they say. And yet it is exceedingly beautiful, it comes from a good family with a fine heritage, and WAS priced at only $1907 but is NOW ON SALE (big time) at $1650 at our discount price, $1600 at our Cash Discount Price.
15-6748 Collings (used, c. 2006) MT Mandolin, black glossy top finish, made with the optional nut width of 1 3/16th” for ease of playing, #A1174, in excellent condition with original hard shell case.
This mandolin shows normal light signs of wear, some pick marks and dings overall but mostly on the face, and displays a chrome-plated strap pin in the treble side of the heel of the neck. In the pocket of the case are found a Mandolin Dampit and a mandolin strap. There is some extremely minor sign of fret wear in the lowest positions mainly under the first and second string. It is solidly excellent of condition and like all Collings mandolins it sings with the throaty, sensual alto voice of the experienced. WAS $2056 but NOW ON SALE for $1952 at our Discount Price, or, at our Cash Discount Price, $1895.
15-6743 Gibson (used, 1929) Style F-2 mandolin, #89433, in excellent condition with adjustable truss rod and original pink-lined form fitting “red line” black tolex covered hard shell case.
The Gibson F-2 was one under the top of the Mandolin line until 1922 when Gibson superseded the one above it, the F-4 with the F-5. So by 1922 it was the third from the top of the line. That’s still okay since it is a beautiful thing, having the large Florentine body scroll on the bass side and two points on the treble side, crème top binding, with a matching point and two scrolls on the headstock. This one is all original having the dark yellow tuning buttons, open-gear tuners with twin floral engraved nickel-plated four-on-a-plate plates, a moderately figured maple back whose grain can be easily seen and more plain maple sides, with a carved spruce with close grain and plenty of medulary rays, shaded to yellowish at center, beneath the fancy ebony-ivoroid, rope and ebony on each side of a celluloid center rosette and a crème bound oval soundhole. It has an ebony board inlaid with 7 inlaid mother of pearl dots, a two piece ebony adjustable bridge with the Pat. Jan ’18, ’21 base, and a nickel-plated The Gibson with floral pattern slide-on tailpiece cover that bears the original owner’s jeweler-etched initials, small, in the lower right corner. These initials are “F. L. L.” and it is very tastefully done. There are small signs of the beginnings of oxidation to the elevated celluloid pickguard, especially under the side clamp and at the top metal connection into the fretboard end. In 1929 Gibson was using an L-bracket to connect pickguard to side, and not the adjustable clamp. The mandolin shows a few scratches and dings overall but not many. There appears to be the incipient suggestion of a typical separation at the headstock scroll but it has not gone beyond the top surface of the overlay, and an equally insignificant indication of a hairline coming up from the lower treble point on the face – also typical of this model. It is, however, overall cleaner than most. The original hard shell case has decal banners of New York University and Mt. Holyoke College (from the 1920s) on the lid; the belt-like handle is replaced. $6,181 or at our cash discount price $5,995.
15-6759 Weber (new) Bridger “A” mandolin with the D-shaped centered soundhole, #7202109, in natural matte lacquer finish, with a carved solid spruce and carved figured maple sides, back and neck, and housed in a plush lined hard shell case.
The internal bracing is “Modified X,” the headstock veneer is bordered in ivoroid-black-ivoroid and the headplate is rich East Indian rosewood inlaid with the stylized “Weber” pearl logo and the large pearl Celtic Knot. There is also a dual action adjustable truss rod with a rosewood cover held in place by two stout Phillips head screws. The scale length is the standard 14” and the radiused fingerboard is ivoroid bound. The sides are bordered in ivoroid, the top and back in ivoroid and black, the soundhole in black-white-black and then checkerboard wood marquetry. The nut width is 1 2/16th and the fret markers are mother of pearl diamonds – 7 of ‘em in 6 positions. The Brekke bridge is now traditional two-piece, adjustable. The tailpiece is shiny plated and bears a raised stylized “W” in relief, and what a relief it is. The most important part is the sound, which is exquisite, sounding like no other A-style and like no F-style. It’s a cross, as Stan once said, of a Snakehead with a Loar, and the only mandolin that has this sound. $2,474 or, at our cash discount price, $2,399.
15-6583 Neapolitan mandolin, whose label seems to say “Merillin” in script letters pressed into the wood on the neck block, but it’s really hard to make out, and then “New Model” and then a serial number of 4264, very good cosmetic condition with original canvas “end load” case.
This mandolin is extremely beautiful – even though its name is not known to many, it is truly a work of art. Its ebony fingerboard is saturated from first fret to the last full length fret with a glorious tree-of-life inlay pattern. Every fret has as few as 3 and as many as 5 individual pieces of inlaid highly colored pearl to form a magical vine. The headstock is inlaid to continue that vine, culminating in a sweeping arc of flowers. The tuners are recessed behind a floral engraved metal plate that is polished to shiny; its tuner buttons are mother of pearl with a non-removable brad on the end. The top is inlaid with black, then spruce, then checkerboard, then abalone, and then the outer border repeats the inner in reverse. The soundhole is capped in ivoroid and then bordered in the same marquetry and abalone; below the soundhole decoration is a large mother of pearl with abalone fern (or octopus) inlaid pickguard, to which two additional pieces of oddly shaped mother of pearl were added on the treble side, by a former owner who was evidently eroding the face by using a plectrum with reckless abandon. This is tastefully done but not symmetrical. The slide-down scalloped tailpiece cover is floral etched, lightly rusted from perspiration at the bottom, and a little bent up and out on the bottom side. There are professionally applied diamond shaped patches on the inside of the mandolin that keep what was at one time a back seam at the 10th rib from the bass side from re-opening. The bridge is ebony and ivory and bone and floating; there is back-of-neck wear especially on the sides at frets 5 and 6 (perhaps they used a capo). The screws at the top end of the back of the plate on reverse of headstock have caused incipient cracks at the “ears” above that plate. This is a 38-rib mandolin whose Brazilian rosewood sections are contrasted with one other by having a line of maple. The Brazilian is strikingly grained and beautiful. It shows, overall, signs of use and wear, binding oxidation. It is, very much, a lovely period piece that can either be perched with great pleasure on your mantelpiece and worshipped from afar or used, day to day, week to week, in the mandolin orchestra. We have installed a new set of Thomastic light gauge strings and it is ready for the races. $1547 or, at our cash discount price, $1500.
15-6311 Phoenix (new) Bluegrass mandolin, #467, with hard shell case. The Phoenix List is $4800.
$4454 or, at our cash discount price, $4320.
15-6025 Breedlove (used, circa 2003) “Alpine” mandolin, #7303, in excellent plus condition with original hard shell case.
This is a fairly fancy variation based on a theme of the snakehead type A-style mandolin that’s dressed up, made up, and ready for professional use. The Alpine has an abalone “flying B”-for-Breedlove peghead logo, a colorful abalone flower inlaid there under in a black overlay bordered in crème ivoroid with a black underlay. The ebony fingerboard is inlaid with 7 pearl dots and bound in grained ivoroid with a black line under it. The bridge is two- piece ebony and adjustable, the tailpiece is Monteleone style in gold plate. Twin, unbound, s-shaped soundholes are centered on the east and west side of the top which is black line and ivoroid bound; flame maple sides are likewise bordered and the two-piece back of figure maple is deliciously pretty and bordered in black and ivoroid. The heel cap is ivoroid, end piece is ebony and tuners are Schaller, gold colored with engraving and ivoroid buttons. It sounds great. When new these list for $5329. This WAS $3,397 but is NOW ON SALE for $3191 or at our cash discount price $3,095
Breedlove announces the new 2007 model Radim Zenkl model mandola:
The specs are as follows: Voiced K-body shape with F holes, Tone bar bracing, arched top and back, it’s a 4-string mandola tuned to CGDA Fifths, utilizing nickel wound strings. It comes with a custom humbucker pickup, it has a block inlay pattern with “Z” split block at the 12th fret to maximize high performance, it has a custom tailpiece and provides the player a comfortable, fast-playing, hand rubbed neck. The Manufacturer’s Retail Price is $2929 and you may phone for our price, waiting time and how you can obtain one.
15-5087 Collings (new) MF5 Deluxe Varnish mandolin, #F666, with hard shell form fitting plush lined case.
About this mandolin the maker says: The Collings MF5 Deluxe V has a fully carved top and back and is crafted with a seasoned select Red spruce top and maple back and sides with tone bars. A radiused fingerboard extends to the 22nd fret with a graceful extension that compliments the headstock. The top, sides, back, neck, and peghead are triply-bound with grained ivoroid binding and added black/white purfling. A mother-of-pearl Collings logo and hand-etched inlay adorn the headstock which is fitted with Waverly silvery tuners. The finish is an oil-based varnish in the classic Cremona sunburst. Additional appointments include a floating ebony pickguard with matching ivoroid-ebony binding and purfling and a unique hand-engraved Collings tailpiece with Victorian era floral work. The woods on the sides, back and neck are so flamed as to invoke second degree thoughts of maple lust; the complex and convoluted fern on the headstock is pumped and prodigious, as if having just consumed a plate of snails. There is considerable cross-grain (silking) in the Adirondack top, and the sound that emits from that top is deep, throaty, barky and profoundly articulate, much like the Texan force of nature who designed it. It is modestly priced, for something of its supreme quality. $11,970 at our discount price, or $11,610 at our cash discount price.
15-5525 Gibson (used, 1919) Style A-3 mandolin, #48452, in very good condition with 1950s Lifton hard shell case.
This is one for the fretted instrument sleuths: behold, if you will, a Gibson A-3, originally a white-face with a matching white (now turned crème) ivoroid pickguard, that was probably sent back to the Gibson factory in the mid to late 1920s in order to have an adjustable truss rod installed in its pretty little neck, and to be refinished in the new color for that time – three-tone sunburst. Not only did it get a truss rod, but it also got an aluminum truss rod cover, bell-shaped, with a pointy tip at the top, something we don’t recall seeing exactly this way before, held in place by two round-head screws. The bridge is also adjustable ebony two piece and bears the impressed legend: “Pat. Jan 18, -21.” The original tailpiece cover is a “The Gibson” with floral pattern slide on; the tuners are original open-gear with ivoroid buttons, the ebony fingerboard hosts 6 mother of pearl dots in 5 positions and is bound in crème ivoroid. One interesting side note is that A-3 mandolins have a flourish (sometimes called a squiggle but flourish sounds better) of mother of pearl made up of ferns, vines and dots on their headstock, below the Gibson logo. When they installed the adjustable truss rod they covered up half the headstock inlay. Nice. But at least it has an adjustable truss rod. Back and sides are attractive maple stained reddish brown, and the neck is mahogany or birch, similarly stained. The mandolin shows normal light signs of use and wear including finish checking, chips and small mars in the finish overall, back-of-neck wear, end-of-headstock wear, but overall it is in very good condition and, having just been set up, with a modicum of fret work and the benediction of our head of repair, this will be a mandolin shall have, we prophesy, a long, useful life ahead of it. $2,572 or at our cash discount price, $2,495
15-6535 Big Muddy (new) M-1W mandolin, #0010, with top binding, mahogany and spruce with zipper gig bag.
Formerly called Mid-Missouri. The MSRP is $718 and you may ask us the revealing question “what’s my deal?”
15-5469 Eastman “Bluegrass Violin Outfit,” Model VL-105, Size 4/4, ISI-1721, in dark violin amber finish, with semi-hard shell zippered and latched case including a K. Holtz Carbon fibre bow.
This one’s completely in left field – betcha never thought we’d offer a new fiddle. Neither did we, but we saw this at a NAMM show and were taken by its warm, strong yet mellow tone, pulsating projection, easy playability, monumentally good looks, the fact that it’s all solid wood, that it was designed for the bluegrass player and not necessarily for the classical student. It has an Aubert – Made in France -- birds eye maple bridge, individual fine-tuners for each string, a fine set of violin strings that are color coded on the headstock end, an ebony chin rest (in one-size-fits-all Medium), two elegantly cut lower case f-holes in a solid close-grained carved spruce top with curly maple sides and back exhibiting some nice figure at the overhanging edges, a maple neck that’s faux-unfinished at the center to emulate years of intense practicing (so you won’t have to), and four ebony tapered friction tuners that properly balance the impressive, timeless authority of the ram’s horn scroll headstock. The case is burgundy velvet lined with storage compartments and a silken style sheath that covers the instrument’s frontal resplendence when you are ready to rest. This violin celebrates professionalism and is simultaneously fine enough and inexpensive enough to make you want to take up the fiddle. Instrument, case and bow deeply at the end of the performance for only $619 or, at our cash discount price, $600.
48-4264 Collings (new) MF mandolin in Glossy Black top and headstock and ivoroid Binding, with form fitting hard shell case.
$4315 or, at our cash discount price, $4185
15-5092 Acme Professional (used, c. 1900) round belly Neapolitan style mandolin, in “good” condition with no carrying case. ISI-1702,
Acme Professional was a subsidiary brand name of the S. S. Stewart Company – which was a famous and large builder of mandolins and banjos in Philadelphia during the period c. 1870 to 1903. This is a good looking instrument, conforming to the standard description of a round belly having the rounded gourd-like back made up of ribs of Brazilian rosewood alternating with lighter colored maple stripes, a flat spruce top that has a “bend” or angle built into it below the inlaid floral decorated tortoise shell or tortoise shell celluloid pickguard that is in turn inlaid below the wood marquetry repeating-pattern rosette below the ivoroid bound, checkerboard-bordered oval soundhole. This soundhole is situated below the ivoroid bound stained pear wood fingerboard that has 10 frets before the body joint, and 7 more over the body, and which is inlaid with 6 squares and one longer diamond at the 7th fret. The face of the mandolin is decorated in checkerboard wood marquetry surrounded by five plies of ebony, spruce and red stained wood on each side and the slide-on tailpiece cover is scalloped. There is a border of ivoroid, in relief, around the back of the mandolin, the neck is mahogany and the ivoroid button tuners are recessed behind a pair of nickel- plated cavity covers on the back and side of the headstock. The head plate is East Indian rosewood and inlaid (vertically) with a flower, a crescent moon facing up, a five-point star, a crescent moon facing down, and a flower facing down. We’re sure this means something in Egyptian but we’re not sure what it is. The top shows normal hand oil soiling, there is some pickwear into the wood on both sides and underneath the oval soundhole, but the back and neck are remarkably low on signs of use. It has been set up by our repair persons to play comfortably and is ready for another hundred and six years of heavenly pickin’. $613 or at our cash discount price, $595.
48-4796 John Monteleone (used, 1992) Grand Artist mandolin, #162, Cremona sunburst like the coffee creamer, near mint condition with original hard shell faux ostrich -skin covered hard shell plush lined case.
The prior owner of this utterly superb mandolin is a famous working professional, formerly the guitarist and lead singer in The Seldom Scene, named Phil Rosenthal. Phil recorded seven albums with the band, receiving a Grammy nomination for his work on Scene 20. Phil writes: "I asked John Monteleone for a slightly shorter-than-normal fingerboard, because I (like most players) frequently like to pick the strings further away from the bridge, for a warmer tone. I always find the extended fingerboard gets in my way on most mandolins (As you play, the pick keeps hitting the fingerboard). So that's what the mandolin has. He put a nice French curve shape to the end of the fingerboard, but it ends a little sooner than standard. There is no pick guard on the mandolin as a result, since there was not enough extended neck to attach it to. I like this feature of the instrument a lot (it gives you more options as to where you pluck the strings). John used some especially nice wood for the instrument. I had talked with him for a couple of years about having him build a mandolin for me, and he had put aside what he considered exceptional wood for the instrument. I used the mandolin for a number of years in the studio; I rarely used it for playing out which is part of the reason it's in such beautiful condition. It is featured on a number of CDs I recorded for my label, American Melody, and Rounder Records."Except for one aberration near the cutaway (between the upper point and the neck heel) where there is what appears to be a lateral, perhaps only surface, split - we will determine this -- this mandolin is nearly new. It has a tiny scratch at the center of the large scroll on the face - truly insignificant but we thought we should mention it, some finish checking and a few small impressions (this time, Ladies and Gentleman, I shall impersonate a duck) in the finish. The color is indescribably pretty, a graduated orange to dusky brown to see-through medium brown at the edge, like the sunset over the ocean as seen from Key West on a late June evening. Top, back and headstock are bound in maple and ebony with ivoroid outermost; the bridge is a hand carved two-piece adjustable that's as graceful as a ballet dancer; the tailpiece is the stout (meaning stalwart and dependable just like John Monteleone himself) gold-plated top-loading easy-to-use cast right-angle design that Mr. M invented; this is engraved "Monteleone/Grand Artist." The S-shaped soundholes are elegant and sweeping, with a larger oval at the bass end than at the treble; the body scroll is likewise morphed to an easily recognized Monteleone Grand Artist shape, while the headstock is thrice scalloped with a black overlay inlaid with the maker's name in pearl script, a banner flies beneath exclaiming "Grand Artist," and a beveled ebony truss rod cover, held in place by two screws, protects the nuts (he uses nuts on his truss rods). The wood chosen for the back is three-dimensionally grained tiger-stripe maple. Sides and neck are a lovely curly maple; tuners are apparently Schaller with engraved gold colored plates on the back and pearloid buttons. Neck is bound in ivoroid with a line of black underneath, with 7 mother of pearl dotmarkers inlaid in the ebony board (in six positions) and 6 dotmarkers on the side. The fingerboard is foreshortened at the request of the owner, in a Curve of Liberty. This mandolin paints pictures of octa-melodic complexity that may inspire its next owner to write original songs and concertos of incalculable beauty. Or, on the other hand, it can be used as a door stop; yes, an expensive and beautiful doorstop with strings. WAS $26,800 but is NOW ON SALE for $24,229 or at our cash discount price, $23,500.
48-4517 Weber (new) Absaroka Mandolin, #6183501, dark cherry gloss sunburst, with hard shell plush lined case.
In a category called “Stuff We Didn’t Know Until Now” -- according to the “Gorp” travel Web site, the Absaroka-Beartooth area is a Wilderness, located on the Montana-Wyoming border of the Gallatin, Shoshone and Custom National Forests – all of this near Yellowstone National Park. The Wilderness gets its name from the Absaroka and Beartooth Mountains – the former being named after the Crow Indians, (Absoroka being the Native American name for Crow) who had lived in much of south-central Montana. The Beartooth Mountains were called that because of a jagged mountain peak that looked like, well, you know what. In Weber parlance, the teardrop-shaped, f-hole, arched top, maple and spruce mandolin called the Absaroka, enclosed sounds great, plays quite easily, and to top it all off it is beautiful. This is a professional quality, gloss sunburst finish on all areas – top, sides, back, neck – having a black headplate inlaid with the “Weber” logo and the Celtic knot, both in ivoroid, having crème ivoroid top, back and neck (the bottom of the fretboard comes to a scallop). The bridge is ebony and fully adjustable using an Allen wrench provided in the case. The tailpiece is the proprietary raised “W” type to signify how wonderful this mandolin is. Tuners are Schaller, open-gear with pearloid buttons. The wood on the back, sides & neck is curly maple, the wood on the top is carved, book matched spruce with an exceedingly close grain and a large number of medullary rays (cross-silking) making it all the more pretty. Also in Weber parlance, the Absaroka mandolin lists for $2175 and has a Manufacturer’s MAP price of $1957.50.
48-4327 Mark Bluett (new) F-5 Mandolin, #J002, in dark sunburst, with hard shell case.
Mark Bluett knows how to do it – he has shipped us a stunningly beautiful F-5 mandolin that has many wonderful features and exquisite sound quality. One immediately visible feature is that the peninsula end of the fingerboard is scalloped in steps – after the 22nd there’s a small step down and then a platform that you could schedule a fashion show on (for well-dressed rug mites). All of this is bound in crème and the brown-streaked ebony fret board is inlaid in 6 positions with etched diamonds (in 5 frets) and a flourish of colored pearl at the 12th. The crème bound scrolly and pointy headstock is inlaid with a gothic B in a circle, just like to door on the castle at the top of the hill, and there under is an intertwining fern and staff figure in abalone and pearl with a mother of pearl truss rod cover that will make the new owner of this mandolin feel like a king or queen. Tuners are high quality Schaller with gold plating and pearloid buttons while the tailpiece is Monteleone style, easily loaded (just like uncle Roy) and it hosts an ebony butt-pin with a gold circle and a mother of pearl dot. The face is a festival of finely figured spruce, gracefully carved like great archtop instrument needs to be, and the back is a forest of tiger-figured fiddle-back maple, with a neck to match and somewhat wider figure on the sides. Top and back are bordered in crème and black, and all of the workmanship is fried to perfection and basted with a perfect Bermuda honey sun-dried tomato brioche nitro-cellulose lacquer crust. Mmmmm-mmmmm. Mandolin-o-philes will find this instrument to be clean, clear and carried a depth of tone and range that brings one back to the era of the original development of bluegrass music on the airwaves and on the wooden tongue-in-groove. Mark Bluett makes exquisite mandolins by hand in York, Pennsylvania. This one is no exception – the special appointments of his instruments are numerous – the stairstep-scalloped end, crème bound fingerboard with etched diamond inlays in positions 3,5,7, 10 and 15 with a flourish of pearl at 12th, the mother of pearl truss rod cover, the delicate intertwined floral abalone and pearl headplate inlay with the “B” in a cameo above, the engraved plate Schaller tuners with the pearloid buttons, the Monteleone-style gold plated tailpiece, the hand-carved two piece ebony bridge, the crème-black-crème top and back binding with the single-ply side bnding, the incredibly flamed maple two-piece back, curly maple sides and one-piece neck are all elements of elegance and beauty to which we can easily become accustomed. The sound is remarkable – it barks like the big dogs and conveys both the high and the lonesome to its fortunate owner/player. NOW ON SALE. It WAS $6186 with a cash price of $6000 but it is ON SALE for $5567 or, at our cash discount price, $5400.
48-4254 Gibson (used, 1920) Style A-4 mandolin #57418, red sunburst, in very good condition with original hard shell case.
This is Gibson’s highest grade of teardrop shaped oval hole mandolin; you can tell this because it has extra fancy purfling around the soundhole, binding on top and back, a large abalone fleur-de-lis inlay in the headplate under the “The Gibson” logo. It also has, and collectors should take note, four repaired hairline top cracks and two other repaired top cracks. Our workshop has closed a separation of the back to the sides at the heel, reset the nut, made a new replica pickguard that attaches to the original adjustable side clamp. Happily, the bridge, tailpiece, tailpiece cover and tuners are all completely original and the hard shell case is original. The frets show normal wear. This mandolin looks great, plays great and sounds simply wonderful and it likes you also. $3087 or at our cash discount price, $2995.
48-3829 Phoenix (new) Ultra Mandolin, #387, reddish-brown sunburst, with rectangular hard shell case.
This is the fanciest Phoenix (rises from the ashes every day at 3:30 p.m.) we have ever encountered. You get not only an abalone top and back border but, instead of connecting at the neck in the old boring, same-as-everything-else way this abalone culminates in two little bent leaves. It is elegant touches like this that set the Phoenix apart from the rest of the 8-string tribe. The headstock is carved into the shape of a spread-winged Phoenix bird when he gets up in the morning and stretches out. Said bird is said to be “zoomorphic” by the builder, which sounds extremely impressive when used in passing conversation at a party (“have you noticed that the man over there looks vaguely zoomorphic?”) that means “having the form of an animal.” This abalone and mother-of-pearl facsimile of a rising Phoenix has an abalone crown inlaid underneath it and then a three-part trifurcated banner or ribbon. The fretboard is, in turn, inlaid with 17 more pieces of seventeen-furcated ribbon. The polished ebony pointy pickguard forms the shape of a primitive hatchet, and speaking of primitive, the bridge base for the two-piece adjustable bridge is made from Old Wood, that is, wood that was submerged under Lake Superior for 6,000 years (or maybe it’s only 600) while waiting for the primordial soup to congeal. The maker, Rolfe Gerhardt, says that on this top-of-the-pinnacle pierogi he uses the very best red spruce and red maple that Mooney, his assistant, can buy, he uses extended tone bars with graduation for fuller sound using medium gauge strings, a Price tailpiece, a mother-of-pearl heel cap and a McIntyre Feather pickup with an end-pin jack. The back of the neck, sides and the two-piece back are a tiger’s worth of striped maple, and the Waverly tuners are heavily etched and equally heavily gold-plated with ebony buttons. The sound is quite amazing. $9500 or, at our cash discount price, $9215.
88-2790 Gibson (used, 1908) A-Style Mandolin, #11507, blonde top, brown sides & back, in overall very good plus condition, with original hard shell case.
When we got it there was a separation on back and front of headstock (an active crack) and, oh yes, the fingerboard was lifting. In addition, it needed to be cleaned out and humidified. There is, as well, an old repair on the neck heel, the bass side was touched up and its side clamp has been replaced. Nevertheless, it is what we call “a good one.” $1541 or, at our cash discount price, $1495
MORGAN MONROE MANDOLINSWe have a huge selection of mandolins including a brand called Morgan Monroe which makes fine inexpensive F-models. Here are a few – each one comes with hard shell case. You can find information about them at: http://www.morganmonroe.com/morgan_mms.html Or just click on http://www.morganmonroe.com
88-2602 Morgan Monroe (new) MMS-6 Cherry finish, tiger maple:
$1165 or, at our cash discount price, $1130.
88-2913 Eastman (new) 814, #NS0501, dark sunburst, a modern recreation of an old F-4, Florentine Oval Hole,
having a magnificent crème-ebony-ivoroid diamond pattern soundhole rosette, with hard shell case. Behold a new model, last seen on the market around 1940, with the melodic, folksy tone of the non-f hole instrument, differing from the original in having the longer neck with 12 frets before the body joint, with a chrome plated one-piece tailpiece, a bound ebony scooped-end fingerboard (said board has white-black on the sides) with abalone inlays in five positions, a white-black bound headstock with the gold Eastman script logo, high quality, engraved plate pearloid button tuners, crème-black top, sides, and back purfling, with ebony adjustable bridge and tail pin and a highly figured two-piece back with an equally figured one-piece maple neck. This mandolin has a very low comfortable action and plenty of room on the bridge to both raise and lower the action. Your cost is $1809 or at our cash discount price $1755.
88-2001 Collings (new) MT-2 A-Style Mandolin, #A441, with hard shell case.
Triple ply bound just about everywhere -- the neck, the back of the head stock (as well as the front), the sides, the front and back, sporting gold hardware, high grade ivoroid button tuners, and a deeply flame maple back, sides and neck, (well, the f-holes are unbound), this glossy finish, super deluxe f-hole bluegrass barker, with the pearl inlaid “flourish” in the headplate, plays with ease and conveys tone as big and as grand as Texas. $3248 or at our cash discount price $3150.
88-1133 Kentucky (new) KM-750 F-Style, #03050041Y, sunburst, with hard shell case.
While the list price is $1224, this is available to you at the discount price of $946 or, at our cash discount, price $918
88-2494 Collings (new) MF-5 F-style mandolin, #134, with form fitting hard shell case.
Over a period of nearly 8 years Bill Collings told us that he was working on his F-5 mandolin design! As with everything else the man does, he wanted it to be perfect. You can’t rush these things, so it took 8 years. But, blessed bovine ruminant, it was worth the wait. It is utterly and absolutely amazing. The work is flawless, but we expect no less from the obsessive Austonian, Mr. C. The contour at the scroll, the arching of the back, the V-shape of the neck, the golden, new style tailpiece with the eight quick access posts, the hand-carved two piece bridge, the double fine-edged points, the smooth and even frets, the honeysuckle head-plate frill, the golden engraved gears. The sustain lingers on for minutes upon minutes, long after the course is plucked. The asymmetrical triple bound fret board end is, alone, worth the price of admission. The two-piece, heavily flamed, maple back and one-piece flame maple neck are there to be worshipped on a pedestal, but do not think for a moment that this mandolin is one to be seen and not touched. It sounds better than incredible. It is a lacquer finished F-5 mandolin that sounds like it was made 78 years ago and finished in varnish. This is, and we’re not just saying this because we think it’s what you want to hear (we would never do that), one of the finest sounding mandolins of any era as we have set unto our good ear.The cross-grain on the top is so close that it eddies like a mountain stream - grain so dense that you can see it in the unfinished edges of the f-holes. The bridge and fingerboard are jet-black ebony, with gold plated saddle lifters, matching gold plated new Collings tailpiece - the tailpiece that nearly restrings itself. The headstock is inlaid with a small but important Collings script pearl logo, and flourish of vertical vine between the 8 gold plated capstans and their mostly submerged ferules. Back and sides are highly figured maple - maple you can stare at all night. Bindings are grained ivoroid with a crème-black border around back (including heel) side, top, side, fingerboard and headstock. The base of said board is asymmetrically parted, like a proper and praiseworthy pompadour. But the sound, a uniquely haunting sonic construct of elevated yet companionless resonation (that is, it is both high and lonesome). Although we have been told by many people who have played this brand and model that they would have paid twice this amount for it, your own modest admission fee is just $7423 or, at our cash discount price, $7200.
83-3863 Mid-Missouri (new) M-2 Lefty Flat Mandolin 4639 with a gig bag.
The Manufacturer has sets his Suggested Retail Price at $620. Contact us in the conventional ways for real price information. Righties – call us up and ask us which righty Mid-Mo mandolins we presently have!
83-8418 Weber (new) Sage 2 Octave Mandolin, 120406, H.
Between this tenor voice of the plectral choir and the leetle feller that follows (the Mid-Mo Kid-Mo) you get the long and the short of it. This is the long drink ‘o’ water, being 37” in total length and having a 23 ½” scale. It also has a gracefully curved and elegant Brekke bridge with removable ebony saddle. The body top and back are each bound in three-ply ivoroid and ebony with ivoroid outermost, while the diamond inlaid black ebony board is bound in single ivoroid. An ebony headplate is inlaid with the 1890s font Weber logo and a suitably complicated Celtic Knot. Tailpiece is the new Weber “W” embossed matte finish metal and tuners are pearled buttoned Schallers with engraved plates. An Octave Mandolin differs from a bouzouki in many ways, but one of them is that the strings are tuned in unisons, GDAE, same notes as a mandolin but an octave lower. This is the mysterious voice you have heard at those moments of intense déjà vu but never known what instrument was supplying the soundtrack. You may call, write, fax or email for your own discounted pricing structure.
83-8704(5529) Weber (new) Alder 2 mandola, 07203, H.
Similarly appointed to the Aspen model mandolin above, the mandola is, of course, bigger bodied, longer scale, and with a voice lower pitched by half an octave. This Model 2 has a maple neck instead of mahogany, and ivoroid/black/ivoroid bindings. It's classy and great sounding but very affordable. Call or email us for price and availability.
83-5604 C F Martin (new) Backpacker Mandolin, 94120, with Gigbag.
It's little, it's um, ah, light. It's more or less triangularly-shaped, sort of. It's even more portable than the non-Backpacker types of mandolins, and it sounds pretty good. Did we mention that it's portable? It has 8 strings and it has twin f-shaped soundholes.. It's made of mahogany and spruce. What is it? Call or email for price and availability.
83-5319 Weber Bridger Octave Mandolin, 001202, H.
One of our favorite of Weber's designs the Bridger is one of their most original. Having an actual carved top and back, S-shaped adjustable ebony bridge with removable saddle, black-white-black bound peghead, top and back, and a very unusual "three-sided" oval soundhole, the Bridger makes us think of springtime in the Rockies. Or rock time in the Springies. We have oft said that the sound of a Bridger combines the timbre of the mid-'20s snakehead with the bark of the Roaring Loar. Call or email us for price and availability.
Phoenix (new) Bluegrass (Model) Mandolin, sunburst, H.
This model has proven to be the hottest selling new mandolin we've had the pleasure of stocking in a long time. Though non-traditional in appearance, its two-shoulder-point body is somewhat similar to the old Gibson A-5 Florentine that Jethro Burns made famous, but there the similarity ends since this mandolin has twin f- holes, Jethro's was an oval. Rolf Gerhardt carves the tops and backs of his mandolins like a fine violinmaker, graduating their thickness and arch to sonic perfection. in addition, his use of space-age carbon graphite reinforcement in the neck and tone bars results in a lightweight, physically balanced instrument that is responsive and really loud. The finest curly maple and spruce is chosen; body, neck and headstock are fully bound in grained ivoroid, fingerboard inlays are large abalone dots, and the headstock is crowned with Rolf's trademark phoenix in abalone. The sound combines the best attributes of the prewar F-5 with an articulate high end response and punch that is palpable. CALL or email US FOR OUR PRICE and availability. This model is usually in stock.
If you would like more information on MANDOLIN BROTHERS' products and services, please write, phone, fax or email to mandolin@mandoweb.com.
