This is an extremely handsome mandolin, similar in some ways
to a Gibson A-50
model, including having the adjustable truss rod feature, except having crème
top binding while the A-50 also has back binding, and also having a flat back
and not the A-50’s arched back. The top is, however, arched and finished in a
glorious prewar sunburst; f-holes are unbound, the bridge is ebony and
adjustable (possibly a replacement since the fingerboard is magnificent
Brazilian rosewood and usually they match). Back and sides are uniform brown
glossy finish over maple. Its unbound fingerboard sports 20 frets including 10
to the body joint; the nut width is a comfortable 1 3/16th” (nowadays
we pay extra to have mandolins made with this generous nut width); the string
spacing at the bridge is 1 9/16th”. It retains its elevated tortoise
shell celluloid pickguard with the simple celluloid and white-black-white bound
right-angle clamp, and it also has its original (amazingly clean and shiny)
slide-on scalloped tailpiece cover. The headstock logo is white script “Gibson”
in silkscreen. Tuners are four-on-a-rectangular-brass plate and in equally
clean condition.
Our workshop has recently performed a
set-up and restring, closed a 13” long back seam separation (by humidifying and gluing), the
touch-up on that repair shows. Our shop also reseated the bridge top and, um,
replaced the nut on the pickguard side clamp. We used our favorite mandolin
string: D’Addario J74 Phosphor Bronze. It now plays easily and comfortably and
offers the player the sweet, melodic sound of the prewar, probably more suited
to classical, folk (it is older than but looks similar to the mandolin being
played by Parker Posey in A Mighty
Wind) and popular Italian melodies than to bluegrass.