Description
| Brand: | Gibson | Country/Region of Manufacture: | United States |
| Model: | A-3 | Type: | Mandolins |
| Exact Year: | 1923 |
This instrument was purchased from an estate. We got it with a bridge that may be original but no hardware. The finish is not original but may have been done at the factory. It's very good but A's with this type of sound hole rosette were black or white. The interior label was missing and the first two numbers on the neck block are occluded by dirt and a bit of glue. The tuner spacing (23 mm instead of 23.6 mm) would indicate that it was made between 1910 and 1925 when Gibson changed to the larger spacing. The back story is that it was damaged in a car wreck and the owner sent it back to Gibson (?) to be repaired through a local dealer. He got it back without he hardware, put it in a box, bought another instrument, and never touched it again. We got it from the family. The cracks visible on the top were the result of storage and have been professionally repaired with pads underneath and are solid but quite visible. The dark line is from hide glue under the lacquer. Some of these pics were taken during the repair. Note the thumb nail wear on the inside of the heel (pic #8). It's been touched up to cover the raw wood but the damage is visible. The back has been refinished and for some reason the back binding was painted over. The tailpiece is a new Allen and the tuners are Golden Age Restoration A-style pre-1925 to fit the hole spacing exactly. These tuners haven't been available until recently and that might explain what happened to the originals. The action was great but the frets were past saving in several spots. NOTE:This instrument has had a complete pro re-fret with OEM spec fret wire. This mandolin sounds AMAZING and plays like a dream with a well balanced, full tone and excellent projection. It's not pretty and it isn't museum quality but if you're looking for the tone of 80 year old wood with the reliability and play-ability of a modern instrument this is an excellent choice. It's a short scale mandolin and would be the perfect choice for a younger player or someone with small hands. And it's an instrument that will definitely increase in value. Ships in a new deluxe TKL hard shell case. Thanks for looking...... |
