c.1920 Stella by Oscar Schmidt Mandolin

I love these old flatback Stellas from the 20s. This one's in pretty darn good shape despite loads of playwear and is more or less original -- new bone bridge & I replaced some "replacement" tuners from the 40s with some "replacement" tuners (good quality) from the 20s so it'd look the part. Work included brace regluing, fret dress, and installation of a new 2nd mid brace as one was missing.

As expected -- tone is sweet, mellow, but pretty loud and with decent chop. These early flatbacks are essentially bowlback-size instruments but with a flatback instead of the bowl... not wider and long-scale like later flatbacks.

This mando has nice trim -- rope inlaid marquetry around the top edge and rosette and also on the backstrip. Also bound in white celluloid on the top edge and soundhole, too.

Body wood is solid mahogany and so is the back and neck. Fretboard is ebony with inlaid MOP, top is solid spruce.

Rosewood headstock veneer. Original bone nut.

Nice inlaid celluloid "tortoise" pickguard.

Label's in good condition, too.

Here's the new bone bridge I made. The original bridge was nothing but a few splinters, sadly, but would have been bone/ebony.

What's great is that the mando is crack free throughout. Nice mahogany b&s.

I've been saving this set of vintage tuners for just the right mando. And here it is!

Original tailpiece.