Look for the antique mandolins serial number, which may be inside the soundhole, and the company name on the headstock. Print or paint may wear away with time, so see if any faint impressions of letters or partial words remain. Determine who made your vintage mandolin.

How old is a mandolin?

Mandolin, also spelled mandoline, small stringed musical instrument in the lute family. It evolved in the 18th century in Italy and Germany from the 16th-century mandora. The instruments modern form and proportions were strongly influenced by the maker Pasquale Vinaccia of Naples (1806–82).

What are mandolins worth?

How much does a mandolin cost? One should expect pay at least $300 for a good quality mandolin. Now this doesnt mean that every $300 instrument is good quality. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Do mandolins sound better with age?

Not only does a solid top sound better initially, over time the vibrations from playing the guitar result in the top vibrating more and more freely. This phenomenon is called aging which means that the more the guitar is played, the better the guitar will sound.

How do you date a Washburn Mandolin?

Washburn has used many serial number formats over the years, ranging from 4-12 characters long. The year of manufacture can always be deduced from the first few numerical characters in the serial number. Either the first 2 digits, or the first digit, are typically used to identify the year of manufacture.

Is a mandolin Chinese?

The liuqin (Chinese: 柳琴, pinyin: liǔqín) is a three, four or five -stringed Chinese mandolin with a pear-shaped body. It is small in size, almost a miniature copy of another Chinese plucked musical instrument, the pipa .LiuqinChinese柳琴showTranscriptionsAlternative Chinese nameChinese柳葉琴6 more rows

What can I do with an old mandolin?

What to do with that old mandolin?Get it restored/repaired. Mandolins that have been sitting for a while usually need a little work before they can be safely strung up and played. Learn to play it. This might be the best thing for you and the mandolin. Consider donating it. Sell it.

What is the best wood for mandolin?

Maple Mandolin Wood - Western Bigleaf Maple is the preferred mandolin tonewood for back and side sets by many luthiers and players seeking traditional mandolin sound. The curly (fiddleback) and somewhat rarer quilted figure yield beautiful instruments.

How do you read a Washburn Mandolin serial number?

The serial number can be found in the sound hole of the acoustic or on the back of the headstock on electrics. In most cases**, the first two numbers of the serial number are the year of manufacture. For example, if your guitars serial number is 94000000, your guitar was made in 1994.

What is the Chinese flute called?

dizi The dizi or bamboo flute is one of the most popular instruments in traditional Chinese music. The Chinese flute is played horizontally, much like a western flute, and is commonly carved out of a single piece of bamboo with a cork-lined blow-hole.

What is the Chinese version of mandolin or ukulele?

PipaPipa in Chinese charactersChinese琵琶showTranscriptions2 more rows

How much does it cost to fix a mandolin?

Luthier Price GuideMandolin RepairRe-glue loose brace, each$75.00Mandolin Nut, bone$50.00Re-shape tone bars, (mandolin only) gives more volume and a better sounding mandolin.$175.00Restring, (plus cost of strings)$30.0041 more rows

How do you clean an old mandolin?

With the strings off, use a clean dry cloth to remove all the dust, dander and debris that will easily wipe off the mandolin. Wet a quarter sized section of cloth with naphtha or other mandolin cleaner, wipe the entire mandolin body, neck, fretboard, and headstock until you are satisfied with its cleanliness.

How difficult is the mandolin to learn?

Fortunately, the mandolin is not a difficult instrument to learn. It also has less strings than many other instruments, like the guitar, which makes reading tablature much easier. The mandolin is just unusual enough that people will be curious as to what instrument youre playing.

Why do old guitars sound better?

Older guitars often sound better than newer ones as they dry out over time which causes them to become harder leading to a more resonant tone with better sustain. The increase in age affects the tone more in acoustic guitars than electric ones.