Bigsby 10-String Model Solid Body Electric Mandolin (1951), made in Downey, CA, serial # 113051, natural finish, maple body and neck, original brown hard shell case.
This most unusual instrument is one of the rarest even we have ever handled: a 1951 Bigsby 10-string solid body electric mandolin, one of only a handful Paul made in the early 1950's. The best educated guess is that Bigsby made a maximum of 8 or 9 mandolins of all types between 1949 and 1956, and none after. After several top "Hillbilly" musicians began playing Bigsby electric guitars, mandolins and steel guitars, he quickly had a waiting list two to four years long. Bigsby refused to consider mass-producion (Leo Fender's stock-in-trade), instead making one piece a month in his garage completely by hand, which accounts for the cachet of any original Bigsby-it was created by the hand of the man himself.
This particular mandolin was originally ordered by a Jefferson City Missouri DJ named Johnny Muessig in 1951, who owned and played it for many years. It sports five courses of strings instead of the usual four, a configuration popular in western swing. It is all original if well played, a birds-eye maple beauty that only re-surfaced a few years back. This ultra-rare bird also comes with the original hand-made rectangular case (Bigsby made his own cases as well), a period "cowboy" strap and a nearly unique piece of documentation: a copy of the original order letter from Muessig to Bigsby. The sound is both unique and spectacular, and just holding this practically unique piece is a unforgettable experience.
Overall length is 27 1/2 in. (69.8 cm.), 10 1/2 in. (26.7 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 13 3/4 in. (349 mm.). Width of nut is 1 7/16 in. (36 mm.).
