1920s Supertone (Harmony) 2-Point Decalcomania Flatback Mandolin

I love these old Harmony-made 2-point mandolins -- they're lightweight, have a wonderful look, and a woody, pretty sound. This one has Sears "Supertone" branding in the soundhole and cooler trim than average, though it's a birch-top instrument rather than the spruce/birch or spruce/mahogany combination that many of them are.

The one design flaw on these is that their neckblocks are underbuilt and so they tend to collapse in on themselves in the most horrible ways. I've sidestepped this problem on this one by installing a 1/2" dowel between the neckblock and the endblock which is anchored at the endblock and "pinned" there. This solves all of the problems with the bad design and, post-repairs, this has been perfectly stable and keeps itself in tune nicely (despite the vintage tuners).

I think we can all admit that the black paint with white trim is too cool, right?

Repairs included: a fret level/dress, dowel stabilization added (neckblock to endblock), bridge compensation, cleaning, and setup.

Weight: 1 lbs 2 oz

Scale length: 13 7/8"

Nut width: 1 3/16"

Neck shape: medium soft V

Board radius: flat

Body width: 9 3/8"

Body depth: 2 3/8"

Top wood: solid birtch

Back & sides wood: solid birch

Bracing type: ladder

Bridge: rosewood

Fretboard: ebonized maple or similar

Neck wood: poplar

Action height at 12th fret: 1/16" overall (fast, spot-on)
String gauges: 32w-9 extra lights

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: low/small

Condition notes: it's actually quite clean for its age. There's finish weather-checking throughout, a couple of very tight thin hairline cracks on the "lower bout" top that are repaired, and a few pieces of replacement binding at the sides of the fretboard. The side dots are new. Everything appears original save said binding and a missing tailpiece cover. The tailpiece cover would have covered the cool decal, however, so maybe that's a bonus? I did add a black-painted 1/2" dowel through the center of the instrument and you can see it if you look in with more than a glance.

It comes with: I don't think it has a case but I may have an old chip case to put it in.

Consignor tag: JW