Summary
1913 manufacture date (traditional estimates)
1912 shipment date, according to Spann's Guide to Gibson
Mandolin, Style F4
Serial 15839
Factory Order number: 1900
Description
Orange Top. Missing lower point protector. Refretted. The original case was the leather type, and has pretty much had it! The nut does not appear to be original (it's a sort of plastic, should be bone or mother-of-pearl), the bridge saddle would originaly have been ebony as well. Very sweet-sounding. Bears a label reading "Sole British Agent: A De Veckey, 1 Stafford Road, Bournemouth" beneath the "Guarantee" label
Eddie Williams tells me that this mandolin came into his family by way of a trade from an American serviceman in the trenches of World War 1. Lovely condition, very fiddle-like in appearance. The treble half of the top is very tightly grained spruce with nice siliking, the bass side is quite wide-grained by comparison. The back also appears to be made of 2 very different maple cuts. The color is not quite as orange as the later "pumpkin" ones, it's more like a violin varnish (especially the back) in appearance
From Eddie Williams
