- MANDOLINS
- >
- 1949 Gibson EM-150 Electric Mandolin
1949 Gibson EM-150 Electric Mandolin
1949 Gibson EM-150 Electric Mandolin. My first memory of actually playing a Gibson EM-150 was in the mid 1980’s at the Cuyahoga Valley Festival in Northeast Ohio. Johnny Gimble was a featured performer and when I asked him about his EM-150, he put it in my hands insisting that I check it out. How gracious of an internationally revered performer to trust his valuable working tool to a total stranger! With a limited production of about 22 years, this EM model is based on Gibson’s A-50 mandolin. Specs include; mahogany neck with a Brazilian rosewood fretboard, spruce top, and solid maple back and sides, all finished in a classic sunburst that only Gibson could produce. To make this a “plug-in” model, a 4-pole P-90 pickup with tone and volume potentiometers were added to the top. On this mandolin’s arrival at SFI, I saw the frets were quite worn and the pickguard had decomposing celluloid, inspiring me to do the following maintenance; Refret with medium wire. Considering the fretboard’s playing wear and Gibson’s inconsistent sanding, I dressed the board using a 20” radius. I happened to have a sheet of 5-ply ABS pickguard material from the 1980’s that made a very respectable reproduction pickguard. I also removed and cleaned the electronics before reassembly & stringing. New knobs were installed on the Kluson tuners by the previous owner. This instrument now plays flawlessly with low action. Would Johnny Gimble approve? Maybe not. He strung his EM-150 with 4 strings, not 8. Easy enough to do if you want his specific western swing sound. And a heads up; though the instrument is based on an acoustic mandolin, the addition of the electronics adds enough weight to the top that the instrument sounds like a solid body mandolin when unplugged. All in all, this instrument is in excellent condition. It was played significantly, but never abused. It is priced at $1,900. A non-original hard case is included. We also have the original, worn out, tan colored chipboard case. We’ll be happy to include it if you like. Please ask.