1911 Vega Lansing Special Bowlback Mandolin

Vega made a darn good bowlback and this Lansing Special was up the food chain when it was made. It's got fancy inlay, fancy trim, and a rosewood bowl with a ton of ribs. It only needed a level/dress of the frets and some bowl-seam repairs (well, re-repairs -- the gobbly goo on the back was all the last guy's attempt at fixing it) and then a setup and new, compensated, saddle insert. Considering that most old mandolins will generally need a neck reset and associated work, that's not bad at all!

I've long been a fan of Vega bowlbacks and I think their builds and Larson bowlbacks were the best of the vintage US-made bowlbacks -- save for a few high-end bowlbacks from small builders that pop-up once in a while. They have warm, wide, full sounds that a lot of other makers could just not achieve.