1913 Gibson H-1 Mandola
1913 Gibson H-1 Mandola. At 111 years old, this instrument is definitely one of the cleanest vintage instruments to come through the doors in a long time. The details are exactly as one would expect. Maple reinforced mahogany neck with a 15-3/4” scale bound ebony fretboard and “The Gibson” proudly inlaid in the peghead. The body has birch back & sides with dark red finish. The top is carved from red spruce and has the orange/natural color know to Gibson aficionados as “pumpkin”. Most of the hardware is original including tuners, tailpiece with the original “The Gibson” engraved cover, and the tortoise celluloid raised pickguard with the decorative hook near the bridge. The only weirdness with this instrument is the letter P with 12 numbers following scratched on the peghead. Probably a top secret “Kalamazoo kode”, that, in the right hands, will lead to a secret stash of red spruce and highly figured hard maple. The neck is 1-5/16” at the nut, making it quite comfortable to play for us with large hands. Spa treatment here at the SFI shop included a refret with a fretboard dressing & polishing. We also installed a new adjustable compensated mandola bridge, as the original was cracked. If you have been looking for an instrument with a low C string, this one could be calling. Hot tip: Capo the mandola at the second fret and suddenly you have a low D-string, making things a little easier to play your favorite fiddle tunes in a jam. $2,800 and the original excellent condition hard case is included.