1919 Vega Style 203 Cylinder-Back Mandolin

As I mentioned in my last post about a 1920 Style 202 -- I adore cylinder-back mandolins for their unique, clean, sweet, clear, and nuanced tone. As I said before, they've got a mix of the best traits of good bowlback instruments and the best traits of good flatback instruments. This one, with flamed maple back and sides, certainly fires on all "cylinders," too! It's loud and cuts nicely, with a tone that suits just about any genre shy of the midsy bark of bluegrass. There's a woody "center" to this one's sound that makes it ideal for melody playing.

It's also entirely original and in quite good shape. There's pickwear at the bottom edge of the pickguard and minor usewear throughout but it really does look lovely. The top has the interesting "reverse burst" Vega look -- sort-of a subdued iced-tea-burst kind of effect. The back and sides feature a more traditional shading but it definitely serves to "pop" the figure in the maple right out to the forefront.

Post-repairs (glorified setup) it plays perfectly and is ready to go.

Repairs included: a fret level/dress, shim added to the bridge foot (to raise action), compensation added to the bridge, and setup.

Top wood: solid spruce

Back & sides wood: solid flamed maple

Bracing type: ladder

Bridge: ebony

Fretboard: ebony

Neck wood: mahogany

Action height at 12th fret: hair-under 1/16" (fast)
String gauges: 34w-10 or similar

Neck shape: medium soft V

Board radius: flat

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: low/small

Scale length: 13 3/4"

Nut width: 1 1/8"

Body width: 10"

Body depth: 2 3/4"

Weight: 1 lb 10 oz

Condition notes: aside from a healthy amount of pickwear to the finish at the bottom of the pickguard and a few small scratches throughout the rest of the finish, it's in fantastic shape. It's crack-free and looks gorgeous.

It comes with: an original hard case with Vega badge inside.