ANTIQUE VERY FANCY WASHBURN CREMONATONE BOWLBACK MANDOLIN LATE 1890s

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ANTIQUE VERY FANCY WASHBURN CREMONATONE BOWLBACK MANDOLIN LATE 1890s:
$689.00

One of the fanciest Washburn turn-of-the-century mandolins with a multi-colored abalone fretboard, with Victorian etchings blackened-in (some of the blacking has worn off), extensive mother-of-pearl around the oval sound hole and banding the spruce top with three rings of marquetry. This is the A model, serial no. 10563, style 1125, with 42 rosewood ribson the bowl back. Between the ebony bridge and the sound hole is a tortoise shell pickguard inlaid with a floral design. The back of the headstock has a silver plated cover with intricate engraved design and a Washburn banner. The tailpiece is also silver plated and decorated with engraving. All of the various parts are original as far as we can tell. There are a few condition issues- there is oneseparation betweenadjacent ribs on the bowl back, the spruce top has been worn by pick scratching in a few places, someonecarved their initialsin the headstock, and some of the silver plating on the tailpiece has worn off. The instrument has been re-strung with GHS ultra light strings. The mandolin is very playable and the action is good- the clearanceof the E strings above the fretboard at the 18th fret is just about 2 mm.