1913 Gibson K1 Mandocello
(Serial No. 15041) Excellent minus condition. The Gibson mandocello is one of the great under-appreciated instruments of the early 20th century. Originally designed for the 1910s mandolin orchestras, these imposing beasts never found another home in any other style of music despite being wonderful and unique sounding instruments to play. Double strung and originally tuned in fifths starting with a C below the low E on the guitar, the mandocello has an imposing tone and deep resonance unlike any other fretted instrument. The late Stan Jay described it as "the voice of singing whales". This particular instrument is in cello tuning which is CGDA. It could of course be restrung and tuned GDAE and played as an octave mandolin. This example is a wonderful sounding instrument and is nicely set up with excellent playability. The top shows some minor sinkage under the bridge, typical of these instruments. The neck angle and bridge height are perfect, with a nice low action. All finish and hardware is original, but it is missing the pickguard. There is a short top crack in the upper bass bout, away from any stress areas. It has been glued and cleated, and should pose no problem in the future. Scale length is 24 3/4 inch and the nut width is 1 9/16 inch. Comes with the original hardshell case which is in nice condition.
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