1930s Strad-O-Lin Archtop Mandolin

This is an early-model Strad-O-Lin with the round soundhole. It's a customer's instrument and was in for a brace reglue but we also leveled/dressed the frets and adjusted the setup at the same time. I'd previously done a quick setup on it and modified the bridge to an adjustable format for the owner (as I recall, anyway).

It's a great-looking Strad (these were by United in New Jersey -- or the factory that became United) and features the cool, cream-colored "purfled" top edge that Strads tend to have along with the more-open, older-style voicing that old Gibson A-models tend to have. These are not fancy instruments but they sure do punch way above their value-weight.