c.1925 Oscar Schmidt Banjo Mandolin

Update 2012: While I didn't know it at the time, the headstock shape as well as the neck heel style and the inlaid stripes on the rim (as well as rim build) all point to this as an Oscar Schmidt build, c.1925 or so.

Here's some archival photos for you all... a late 1920s or early 1930s banjo mandolin parts project! It's entirely maple with a nice 5-piece neck and decent mid-range quality rim. And after putting it all back together and restoring it, it shaped up rather nicely. Big, lush, clop-clop sort of tone that you'd expect from the instrument, too. I wish I knew the maker: it has Slingerland features, but the headstock is reminiscent of Harmony and Regal-built mandolins, too.

Here's the "after" with brand spakin' new Yellowstone synthetic skin head.

Back. The birdseye veneer was trashed so I simply painted the de-laminated pine back-plate "resonator" black to match the trim.

Headstock. Bakelite tuner buttons, ebony nut. The overlay and fretboard are both dyed-black pearwood.

Very nice Waverly machines on this banjo-mando... so easy to tune!

Head closeup. Original bridge.

Side view.

Heel join. See the nice 5-piece neck? And the nice birdseye veneer on the pot. Maple all around.

3/4 view.

3/4 rear view.

Tuners again -- here you can see the stripe better.

And check out that hardware! Bright and sunny, just the way I like it.

Straight neck, low action.

Original "Vega" stamped bridge.

Tailpiece-up.