Gibson A-Junior Snakehead Carved Top Mandolin (1925)
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Gibson A-Junior Snakehead Model Carved Top Mandolin (1925), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 78869, brown stain finish, birch back and sides, spruce top; mahogany neck with ebony fingrboard, black tolex hard shell case.
This is a great-playing and sounding original A-Junior mandolin from the mid-1920s, made JUST after the "Loar era" at Gibson but still embodying many of the "Masters" ideas. This lovely example of Gibson's mandolin craftsmanship was built and shipped in 1925 based on both the factory order and serial numbers; Master Loar had just left the building in late 1924. Right at this time the company's focus was shifting primarily to banjos and interest in the mandolin was noticeably slowing down.
Original "Snakeheads" are generally considered the best-sounding vintage roundhole "A" style mandolins made, revered for their unmatched tone and projection compared to both earlier and later A-models. They are so nicknamed for their Loar-designed peghead that angles inward towards the tip, a feature inexplicably abandoned by Gibson a couple of years after this one was made.
The A-Junior was Gibson's lowest priced arched top mandolin in the 1920's, designed primarily for sale to students. The solid wood top and back are fully carved like the higher priced models, as the instrument was designed to still sound "Gibsonic" at the lowest price point. To this end it has no ornament at all but is built to the same standards as the company's higher end instruments.
While this basic A-Junior lacks some of the other advanced features of the era (it does not have an adjustable truss rod or height-adjustable bridge) it does sport Loar's slimmer neck profile and sleeker peghead shape. The finish is a clear lacquer coat over an overall brown stain; this is the period when Gibson was switching from varnish to lacquer finishes.
There is no binding at all; the same tortoise celluloid pickguard as the higher grade models is secured by a side bracket still using up the old lever-action clamp. The tailpiece has a simple "clamshell" cover plate and the tuners are plain openback strips. Even this most basic "A" model is a very fine instrument, with sonic and playing improvements carrying over from "Master Loar's" tenure still evident. Exactly 100 years on this still makes for a very fine sounding (if plain looking) mandolin.
Overall length is 25 3/4 in. (65.4 cm.), 10 1/4 in. (26 cm.) wide, and 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 14 in. (356 mm.). Width of nut is 1 1/16 in. (27 mm.).
This 100 year old mandolin has seen some light use along the way but remains cleaner than most, all original and an excellent player with a lively sound. The finish overall is still shiny with typical checking to the top and fairly minor dings, dents, and scrapes overall, with one noticeable wear spot above the foot of the bridge on the top. There is very little wear-through to the usual spots like the unbound body edges and the back of the neck. There are no visible cracks or repairs, even the often popped back/side seams are solid and look untouched.
All hardware remains original and complete including the tuners, tailpiece and pickguard/clamp assembly. The pickguard has some surface scuffing but is fully intact. Even without a truss rod the neck has remained true for a century and the original frets show only very minor wear. This an excellent example of Gibson's plainest 1920s A Model, cleaner than many and still an excellent player's instrument with a lively sound. It is housed in a modern HSC…these usually originally came swathed in chipboard. Overall Excellent - Condition.
This is a great-playing and sounding original A-Junior mandolin from the mid-1920s, made JUST after the "Loar era" at Gibson but still embodying many of the "Masters" ideas. This lovely example of Gibson's mandolin craftsmanship was built and shipped in 1925 based on both the factory order and serial numbers; Master Loar had just left the building in late 1924. Right at this time the company's focus was shifting primarily to banjos and interest in the mandolin was noticeably slowing down.
Original "Snakeheads" are generally considered the best-sounding vintage roundhole "A" style mandolins made, revered for their unmatched tone and projection compared to both earlier and later A-models. They are so nicknamed for their Loar-designed peghead that angles inward towards the tip, a feature inexplicably abandoned by Gibson a couple of years after this one was made.
The A-Junior was Gibson's lowest priced arched top mandolin in the 1920's, designed primarily for sale to students. The solid wood top and back are fully carved like the higher priced models, as the instrument was designed to still sound "Gibsonic" at the lowest price point. To this end it has no ornament at all but is built to the same standards as the company's higher end instruments.
While this basic A-Junior lacks some of the other advanced features of the era (it does not have an adjustable truss rod or height-adjustable bridge) it does sport Loar's slimmer neck profile and sleeker peghead shape. The finish is a clear lacquer coat over an overall brown stain; this is the period when Gibson was switching from varnish to lacquer finishes.
There is no binding at all; the same tortoise celluloid pickguard as the higher grade models is secured by a side bracket still using up the old lever-action clamp. The tailpiece has a simple "clamshell" cover plate and the tuners are plain openback strips. Even this most basic "A" model is a very fine instrument, with sonic and playing improvements carrying over from "Master Loar's" tenure still evident. Exactly 100 years on this still makes for a very fine sounding (if plain looking) mandolin.
Overall length is 25 3/4 in. (65.4 cm.), 10 1/4 in. (26 cm.) wide, and 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 14 in. (356 mm.). Width of nut is 1 1/16 in. (27 mm.).
This 100 year old mandolin has seen some light use along the way but remains cleaner than most, all original and an excellent player with a lively sound. The finish overall is still shiny with typical checking to the top and fairly minor dings, dents, and scrapes overall, with one noticeable wear spot above the foot of the bridge on the top. There is very little wear-through to the usual spots like the unbound body edges and the back of the neck. There are no visible cracks or repairs, even the often popped back/side seams are solid and look untouched.
All hardware remains original and complete including the tuners, tailpiece and pickguard/clamp assembly. The pickguard has some surface scuffing but is fully intact. Even without a truss rod the neck has remained true for a century and the original frets show only very minor wear. This an excellent example of Gibson's plainest 1920s A Model, cleaner than many and still an excellent player's instrument with a lively sound. It is housed in a modern HSC…these usually originally came swathed in chipboard. Overall Excellent - Condition.