c.1900 Washburn Style 115 Cremonatone Bowlback Mandolin

Hot potato! Hot potato bug! Hot taterbug! Yeap. This is a nice old Washburn bowlback from just around c.1900 and it's loud, sweet, sustained, rich, everything you want wrapped into that classy classical tone. It plays great, too. This fellow had a neck reset, some seam repairs to the bowl, and a couple hairline repairs to the top, as well as the usual cleaning, setup, etc. Everything is original on it except for its new rosewood bridge which I've lightly compensated.

Bowl is rosewood, neck is (cedar?), fretboard is ebony, MOP dots and bar frets, and an ebony headstock veneer. Nice hinged tailpiece cover, spruce top... purfling is line-style with red/white/black and smart-looking celluloid binding. Essentially... this mando sounds, feels, and acts like a comparable Vega model, which (in my estimation, as put Vega bowls way at the top) says a lot.

Ebony nut, nice ivoroid tuner buttons and cool tuner shaft tops.

While the red line on the purfling around the edge has faded to a coffee color, it's bright red yet around the soundhole, which gives a refined and elegant apperance. The pickguard looks absolutely beautiful on this guy.

"Crown" tailpiece.

Really nice rosewood.

...and the tuners are in really great shape, too. Note how well the finish has been preserved.

...overall a well-made little dandy. If only I could keep everything I'd be sitting pretty!