Gibson A-2 Carved Top Mandolin (1922)
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Gibson A-2 Model Carved Top Mandolin (1922), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 70397, brown varnish finish, birch body, spruce top, mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard, original black hard shell case.
This is a nice playing and sounding example of a just "pre-Loar" Gibson mandolin. This A-2 has an interesting mix of older and newer features, with the late 1910s style "Sheraton Brown" top finish top and wider "paddle" headstock combined with the early versions of the adjustable truss rod in the neck, adjustable ebony bridge and a pickguard mounting which combines the newer metal bracket shaft with the old-style clamp. This fairly rare version of the A-2 was replaced the next year by the whimsically named "A-2z" model, which had the new "snakehead" design and was slightly fancier.
The A-2 was a midline mandolin in Gibson's line listed for $65 in 1923. It did not offer a lot of actual advantage over the less expensive Style A and A-Junior models, which sold mostly to students, just a bit more trim. The top and back are single bound, the soundhole is ornamented with two thin 3-ply inlaid wood rings and a bound edge. You also got a "The Gibson" pearl logo on the headstock face. This is a very nice sounding and playing mandolin, with the playing advantages Gibson's then-new upgraded truss rod and bridge and offering a bright but woody tone.
Overall length is 25 5/8 in. (65.1 cm.), 10 1/4 in. (26 cm.) wide, and 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 14 in. (356 mm.). Width of nut is 1 1/4 in. (32 mm.).
Considering it is now 103 years old this is a nicely preserved mandolin showing some wear and maintenance repairs but no notable alterations. The original varnish finish shows scuffs, scratches and dings, most notably to the top. There is oddly enough some heavy pick wear under the pickguard, which must have been dismounted for a time. There is also rub wear to the back of the neck down to the wood on both sides.
The mandolin is all original including the adjustable bridge, tailpiece and cover and a very nicely preserved set of tuning machines with a very shiny look. There appears to be a secret Tim O'Brien autograph on the underside of the tailpiece cover; we have no idea why this is there or if it authentic! The fingerboard has been fretted with appropriate wire and this is an very nice playing instrument, complete in the original HSC with a new handle affixed. Overall Excellent - Condition.
This is a nice playing and sounding example of a just "pre-Loar" Gibson mandolin. This A-2 has an interesting mix of older and newer features, with the late 1910s style "Sheraton Brown" top finish top and wider "paddle" headstock combined with the early versions of the adjustable truss rod in the neck, adjustable ebony bridge and a pickguard mounting which combines the newer metal bracket shaft with the old-style clamp. This fairly rare version of the A-2 was replaced the next year by the whimsically named "A-2z" model, which had the new "snakehead" design and was slightly fancier.
The A-2 was a midline mandolin in Gibson's line listed for $65 in 1923. It did not offer a lot of actual advantage over the less expensive Style A and A-Junior models, which sold mostly to students, just a bit more trim. The top and back are single bound, the soundhole is ornamented with two thin 3-ply inlaid wood rings and a bound edge. You also got a "The Gibson" pearl logo on the headstock face. This is a very nice sounding and playing mandolin, with the playing advantages Gibson's then-new upgraded truss rod and bridge and offering a bright but woody tone.
Overall length is 25 5/8 in. (65.1 cm.), 10 1/4 in. (26 cm.) wide, and 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 14 in. (356 mm.). Width of nut is 1 1/4 in. (32 mm.).
Considering it is now 103 years old this is a nicely preserved mandolin showing some wear and maintenance repairs but no notable alterations. The original varnish finish shows scuffs, scratches and dings, most notably to the top. There is oddly enough some heavy pick wear under the pickguard, which must have been dismounted for a time. There is also rub wear to the back of the neck down to the wood on both sides.
The mandolin is all original including the adjustable bridge, tailpiece and cover and a very nicely preserved set of tuning machines with a very shiny look. There appears to be a secret Tim O'Brien autograph on the underside of the tailpiece cover; we have no idea why this is there or if it authentic! The fingerboard has been fretted with appropriate wire and this is an very nice playing instrument, complete in the original HSC with a new handle affixed. Overall Excellent - Condition.