1937 Gibson A50 Mandolin


(Serial No. 1992F-21) Nice original wide body mandolin. Has an original sunburst finish, highly flamed maple back, sides and neck, ebony fingerboard with Lucas style inlays and the "thick" pearl peghead Gibson logo and fleur-di-lise. Has the original tailpiece cover but is missing the pickguard, however the pickguard mounting hardware is in the case. Tuners are correct type Klusons but are a little later wartime era with riveted gears. Looks like it might have had Grover tuners on it at one time. At 14 1/2 inches, these are the longest scale mandolins ever made by Gibson. Frets and neck set are good and the mandolin was and set up by my luthier. Plays like silk and has a good chop. Here is a video clip of this mandolin as played by Joe Donahue. These mandolins were used extensively in bluegrass as they were more affordable than the F5 but still pretty fancy. Comes with a newer hardshell case that fits well.

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