c.1915 Stella Bowlback Mandolin


Here's a simple but grand-sounding Stella I sold over the holidays last year. It's got a spruce top, rosewood bowl, a fun flowery-decal pickguard, and ebony fretboard. Played nicely, too, with all-original hardware.


Deep aged-in cedary-colored top. As you can see from where the bridge used to be (in its improper resting place) the top has sun-soaked in over about 100 years.


Interesting, simple headstock. Bakelite knobs, brass tuner shafts and plates, ebony nut.


MOP dots on the board.


Celluloid pickguard is inlaid into the top with a flower decal. The construction on this mandolin, like most Oscar Schmidt-built instruments, is nice and reassuringly solid.


Simple half-oval tailpiece.


Captain! Rosewood sighted! Indeed.


Tuners -- with "riveted" style gears: no screws to go wacky on these. This also dates the mandolin as earlier rather than 1920s and up.


3/4 view. Bridge is rosewood and original.


Side view.


Here's the simply way-cool label inside.


No binding on this mando, but plenty of tone.


Upsy-daisy!

Comments

beachdrummer1 said…
i recently purchased this same instrument in near perfect condition with the original case. case is rough but mandolin is in excellent condition. please let me know the value for insurance purposes.
beachdrummer1 said…
please respond if you can
Barbara Burns/barbarabbb@tds.net said…
I found one of these at an antique shop in Maine. It seems to be in very good condition. It does need strings; what type/make would you recommend? I'm a fiddle player and would like to learn mandolin as well.
Morgan said…
I just bought an antique mandolin that looks similar to yours, but it doesn't have a bridge. What kind of bridge is that?
Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
This is no longer a music instrument. It is a piece of ART!!
Anonymous said…
Hey we have the complete same one at home. It is in pretty bad shape, one rusty string left and half of the tuning is missing, worth fixing somewere? what do u think
Anonymous said…
I have one exactly like this in pretty good condition no strings How much would this be worth?