Although the headstock could be correct for this particular instrument's body, it cannot be sure as the inlaid pickguard mandolins came with two headstock shapes, the rounded paddle shape headstock, the earlier variation.

And because of this instrument's pickguard inlay it is an early one, most likely prior to 1909. The label was missing and it's even possible the back isn't original but from the same mandolin that supplied the headstock.

What can be said with certainty is the back on this instrument had been off at some point. This back had open seams and not a factory original 'fit' so it's suspected it's not original to the instrument.

Nor is the fretboard, as it's not ebony but an ebonized rosewood. And was unbound when it arrived as was the ill fitting and falling off back.

From what was original this was either an A-2 OR it was an A-3 probably made prior to 1911. As the back required refitting and the fretboard needed removal to correct the useless repair of the neck, we elected to bind the fretboard and back after refitting and closing open seams.

At right you can see the pumpkin top is also not necessarily original as the pumpkin coloring, which was a sprayed on lacquer overlaying the inlaid rosette and an earlier crack and pair of drill hole repairs. I am doubtful that spray lacquers were used at the time this was made although it's close to the genesis of that era.

However, in several deep pits, covered with pumpkin was residual black shellac, providing strong evidence this once had a black shellac top like many of the early ones. When we restored or composited this instrument so it could again be functional, we elected to go with what we suspect it originally had and used a black lacquer.


The neck repair was the largest challenge. In the neck repair photos to the right you can see the neck with it's poorly spliced headstock. Totally unplayable and disfunctional.

We removed the fretboard, and reopened the splined joint to correct the angles both side to side and for proper fit and break angle of the strings over the nut at the headstock.

Once that was corrected we carved a new back for the neck. We carved the spliced neck into a V leaving the heel and headstock intact.

Then we spliced the new neck back into the carved away area of the neck under the original neck heel and joining the headstock in the underside of the curved swell of the peghead.

Then we replicated the original neck's profile before refinishing with a deep Gibsonesque cherry shellac finish.

We carried the dark cherry finish onto the back like many of the Gibson's of the time and bound the back.

After replacing several frets, and creating a semi-replical bridge (modified with Red Henry's violin style style cutaways, this instrument may not be original but is one of the best sounding and playing vintage early A's that exists.