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Instrument Maintenance and Repair
Q:
I own my grandfather’s mandolin inlaid with ivory and the back of the instrument is fat like a belly. It is a dark wood. It is in good condition but needs to be restrung, the wood reconditioned and inlay replaced. How would I go about finding a reputable repair expert?
Douglas
A:
Check your Yellow Pages or the Internet for Luthiers (violin repair persons) or perhaps Guitar Repair in your area. Depending on where you are in the country, there should be a selection of folks near you who can do what you want. You are best advised to take the instrument to your selected repair person. Don’t just send a photo, since the repair person can give you a better quote by handling the instrument, thus the recommendation to find someone local to you.
The cost will be dependent on the damages to be rectified of course, but also your plans for the instrument. That is, many bowl-back or Neapolitan mandolins were sold in the US in the years between 1890 and 1930 (guessing at the age of your instrument). Some of these were of poor construction and can no longer be played (the necks in many of these were inadequately braced against the tension of the strings and have “pulled out” of them, raising the “action” (the height of the strings over the fretboard) too high to play correctly. If yours is such an instrument and you wish to play a mandolin, a reputable luthier will advise against spending very much money, versus purchasing another instrument. On the other hand, since it’s a valuable keepsake of your grandfather, you may elect to have the cosmetic damage repaired so the instrument displays well.
Or, you could be lucky and have inherited a better quality instrument. Again, the luthier will be prepared to advise you. The make and model is often found on a paper tag inside the instrument (look through the soundhole with a good flashlight.) It may have become illegible with time, but that will help in assessing what you have. Alternatively, look for any writing or printing inside the body of the instrument, or name on the headstock (where the tuning pegs are.) Any info you find can be researched on-line (with Google or another search engine) and more can be learned.