1903 Martin Style 3 Bowlback Mandolin

Tone: It's clean, sweet, and refined -- with good warmth (for a bowlback) and good note separation.

Feel: The neck is fast and easy and it has fairly substantial (for the time) bar frets. They're lower in height but have nice mass and as a result, individual notes are nice and full. 

Interesting features: The inlaid pickguard is a nice touch and its bowl is made from a whole ton of Brazilian rosewood ribs. The edges of the top have multi-ply purfling and it has a nice, decorative rosette. The tuners are under engraved coverplates.

Repairs included: Tim gave it a fret level/dress and setup adjustments and I further-dialed-in the bridge and nut. He also repaired a couple back seam separations in the bowl that had spotty repairs done to them in the past. There are two hairline cracks on the top (below the bridge and near the waist) that he cleated-up and filled as well. It's playing spot-on and ready to go.

• Maker: Martin
• Model: Style 3 (I think)
• Body style: bowlback
• Weight: 1 lb 6 oz
• Scale length: 13"
• Nut width: 1 1/8"
• Neck shape: medium soft-V
• Board radius: flat
• Body width: 7 7/8"
• Body depth: 4 3/4"
• Top wood: solid spruce
• Back & sides wood: solid rosewood
• Bracing type: ladder, angled main brace
• Bridge: compensated ebony
• Fretboard: ebony
• Neck wood: mahogany
• Action height at 12th fret: 1/16" overall (fast, spot-on)
• String gauges: 32w-9 GHS Ultra-Light
• Truss rod: non-adjustable
• Neck relief: straight
• Fret style: lower/smaller

Condition notes: It has a couple of repaired seams on the bowl (one longer) and a couple of repaired hairline cracks on the top. There are two plugged holes (presumably for pickup-mounting) at the rosette. The tailpiece cover is missing but otherwise it's entirely-original and all there. There's pickwear all around the soundhole and upper bout and various small nicks, dings, scratches, etc. throughout the instrument. It looks "grand but played," for sure.

It comes with: Sorry, no case.

Consignor tag: KC