1913 Gibson K-2 Mandocello

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1913 Gibson K-2 Mandocello

Serial # 15759. In years leading up to the First World War, about two decades before the guitar's rise to popularity and the first Singin' Cowboys, the most common family of instruments in America was that of the Mandolin. Mandolin Orchestras could be found in just about any urban center in the country, and mandolin-family instruments were being produced in just about every imaginable fashion. The Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Company was one of the predominant producers of high-end instruments, and naturally took an interest in expanding the popularity of their products; they became the nation's largest promoter of Mandolin Orchestras, and outfitted thousands of musicians with their instruments. Among the mandolin varieties the Gibson company produced was the Mandocello, a guitar-sized instrument with a 24.75" scale length and four courses of strings, with unison pairs tuned C-G-D-A.
The instrument pictured here was built in 1913, near the height of the Mandolin craze. It has an ivoriod bound spruce and birch carved body, with a black top and reddish-brown back and sides. Its appointments and construction are consistent with the Style 4 Mandolins (with which you may be more familiar). It has a three-piece neck, pearl "The Gibson" headstock logo and Fleur-de-Lys ornament, bound ebony fingerboard with pearl dot markers, bound oval soundhole with a double rope pattern rosette; non-adjustable compensated ebony bridge, elevated tortoise-celluloid pickguard, and clamshell tailpiece. There are no cracks on this 'cello, and it is completely original save for the pickguard mounting bracket, and the binding on the treble side of the fingerboard up to the 16th fret (the work was very nicely done, a long time ago). The top shows no sinkage, and the neck and frets are true. Its original nut has additional string-grooves from being guitar-strung at some point in the instrument's long history, and a strap button has been added to the heel of the neck. We have just finished a thorough set up of this instrument as well. The mandocello's original shellac finish is intact and in fine condition with minor scratches here and there, and shows no areas of excessive wear. This is a very fine sounding instrument; it has great volume and sustain, and a presence befitting of any contemporary mandolin orchestra.
Two cases accompany this instrument: its original tooled leather Maulbetsch & Whittemore, and a more recent Harptone custom-made hard shell.
SOLD
1913 Gibson K-2 Mandocello
  • 1913 Gibson K-2 Mandocello
  • 1913 Gibson K-2 Mandocello
  • 1913 Gibson K-2 Mandocello
  • 1913 Gibson K-2 Mandocello
  • 1913 Gibson K-2 Mandocello
  • 1913 Gibson K-2 Mandocello
  • 1913 Gibson K-2 Mandocello
  • 1913 Gibson K-2 Mandocello

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