1940s Strad-O-Lin Fancy A-Style Archtop Mandolin

So, I've worked on a lot of old Strad-O-Lins in the past. Most of the solid top instruments sound amazing for their price point (both now and when they were made) and need very little TLC to make them superb players. I've also worked on plenty of the later '50s all-ply models and they're perfectly good instruments but a lot less exciting. I've also worked on a number of the early, carved-top (I think), round-soundhole instruments and those are superb.

This f-hole instrument, however, is a real winner. I wish I'd gotten a soundclip for this, but it was only in for a while-you-wait setup and cleaning today. But, seriously -- its pop, volume, and clean/woody tone beat the pants off most period Gibson A-50s and the like that I've played.

Seeing the pictures, one can tell right off the bat that this isn't the average Strad-O-Lin, though. While its painted-on binding and celluloid tailpiece cover-cover and pickguard are par for the course for mid-nicer grade Strads of the early late '30s/early '40s, that cool stairstep fretboard extension (with its awesome dots pattern) and two-piece w/center-stripe maple neck are not normal. Clearly this was meant to be a bit upscale from the "typical" Strad.

I'm also pretty sure that (despite having no date stamp) it dates to 1941. Those covered, Kluson tuners suggest that. '40 or '41, just pre-war.

Other neat features? No cracks, the neck is dead straight, the frets were good-enough to leave as-is (no level/dress job done), everything is completely original on it, and it was still living in an original Lifton hard case with plush interior. How about that?

Curiously, though, it has a shorter 13" scale length.

The top is solid spruce, the sides are solid maple, the back is probably ply maple (w/flamed maple veneer), the neck is two-piece maple, and the fretboard is ebonized-something and so is the bridge.