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Q:

I have a rather unusual bowl-shaped mandolin. The peg box resembles a violin peg box. The pegs are ivory. There is inlaid mother of pearl around the sound hole, and tortoiseshell between the sound hole and the carved bridge. I was able to play it until it was damaged in a flood some years back. Right now it has cracks and is very fragile. The mandolin was given to me over 35 years ago by an old Italian lady, who said “Here, you’re a music teacher.”

The mandolin was sold by a John Brandt who was a salesman from “Salesroom 21” at the Central Music Mall in Chicago (at the corner of State and Randolph) before 1900. The building was replaced by the Marshall Field store after the Chicago fire of 1871. The actual date was written in ink on the label but has since faded- flooded(?) off. I remember it as being January of 1864/84.

Have you any info on the marketing of bowl-backed mandolins in America? I would appreciate any info on old bowl-backed mandolins.

Mary

A:

Hi Mary,

There were a lot of American-made Neapolitan style (bowlback) instruments manufactured in the last 25 years of the 19th and the early years of the 20th century. There were also a number of instruments made in Italy during the same time period. There were many variations on the peghead and tuners, some due to the luthier’s familiarity with violin construction (like yours), some to vary the construction of the instrument sufficiently to allow it to be eligible for a unique patent number.

I can’t identify the instrument from your description. It might be easier to identify if you take some good pictures of it. Particularly, try to get good pictures of the pegs and pegbox, the front, the ribs and the bridge. A picture of the label inside the instrument is usually also helpful, except I understand the damage it has sustained.

I’ll be happy to post the pictures on the CMSA webpage for the membership to comment on and perhaps get some further information for you. (If you need help with getting the pictures to me, let me know.)

Q:

My name is David, I have a mandolin that I would like to have appraised. This instrument is quite old and in near-perfect condition, (for its age). I received this mandolin as a gift from my grandmother in 1979. At that time it was quite old and in the same shape it is in now. I have only opened the case 6 or 7 times since then. It was owned by her brother, who was down on his luck and was going to sell this, so she gave him some money and kept the instrument. That transaction was in the 1940s, so I know the mandolin is old.

I have no idea what maker this is, but it is very ornate and it is the original “taterbug” type. I can take pictures ,or send it out for appraisal, but I was wondering if there was anyone in Colorado I could take it to for this appraisal. I won’t sell it until after I find out what it is worth.

David

A:

Hi David,

You don’t say where you are in Colorado, but a quick Google search located the following:

Woodsongs (Boulder)
Olde Towne Pickin Parlor (Arvada)
Music Resources (Ft. Collins) (scroll down to the Music Stores/Products section)

Any of these folks should be able to give you an idea what you have.

Look inside the instrument or on the headstock (where the tuners are) and see if there’s a maker’s label or identification information. Most inexpensive Neapolitan or “tater-bug” style mandos don’t have an identified maker, but if yours is identified, maybe it’s a better one. The inexpensive ones had a regrettable tendency for the neck to “pull up” (due to poor internal bracing) making the action too high to play at the 12th fret. Carefully measure the distance from the strings to the 12th fret with a small steel ruler. If that distance is not more than about 1/8″ and the neck is straight, you may have a good one! Otherwise, you have a nice memento of your uncle!

If you contact any of the folks in the list above, they’ll want to see the instrument or they’ll want good photographs. Particularly, take pictures of the headstock, the top and the label (if there is one), then the back of the headstock, and then the body. Carefully note any cracks or separations at the seams of the instrument, or missing or damaged inlay or purfling (the strip of pretty wood or pearl around the top). All that figures into the value.

Q:

Hello my name is Dean. I was wondering if you could give me any information about a mandolin made by a company named Juliette from New York. Do you know anything about it?

Dean

A:

Hi Dean,

In my experience (which is admittedly limited), your mandolin is one of very many that were sold under a number of names and brands in the early 1900s, on the crest of the wave of popularity that the mandolin enjoyed then. I do not know the name “Juliette” specifically.

The relocation of the bridge as shown in your attached photograph indicates that the “action” (height of the strings above the fingerboard) on your mandolin may have risen up unacceptably high. This is very common, as a large number of this style (Neapolitan) of mandolins were not adequately constructed internally, and the necks have “pulled out” of them under string tension.

If yours suffers from this kind of defect and you want an instrument to play, it is usually more expensive to repair than the instrument is worth. Find another one. On the other hand, if the instrument belonged to a relative and you are keeping it as an heirloom, this does not matter!