Description
What makes this instrument special: Incredibly rare bass mandolin originally designed for use in mandolin orchestras that were popular in the early 1900's before Dixieland music took over. It is tuned like a regular bass & its massive size makes it one of the largest fretted instruments ever offered by Gibson. This particular one is in need of a good, professional restoration & would make an excellent project for a skilled luthier to undertake. As such, we are selling this instrument as is.
Cosmetic Condition: A bit rough unfortunately & not currently in playing condition. There is a steel rod that's bolted into the neck block, then runs out through the neck heel, under a portion of the neck, then into the neck & finally exiting just above the nut. This was probably installed to keep the neck straight & by the look of it, was done quite a long time ago. The back has separated a bit from the sides around the bottom & there are some cracks in the back as well. There are various nicks, dents, dings & scratches throughout along with some play wear, but these are really the least of the issues.
Neck: Mahogany neck with beautifully figured ebony fingerboard & pearloid dot inlays. Frets are in great shape with no wear, although the 13th & 14th frets are missing. Original tuners. 1 11/16" nut width; 42 3/8" scale length.
Body: Massive, A-style body with a carved spruce top & ivoroid binding. Bound soundhole with multi-ring rosette. Trapeze tailpiece with tortoise block. Maple bridge. Birch back & sides. The instrument is 62″ in total length, a body width of 24″ and a body length of 33 1/2″. There are two factory-made holes in the body, both designed to insert the endpin. There are two pairs of screws on either side of the body. These were to hold a crossbar, which was actually a factory-installed armrest.
