I acquired this 100 year old Italian Calace Mandolin years ago from an estate and pretty much forgot about it. This amazing century old relic from musicians past is perfectly playable now and with a new set of strings it would sound even better. The tuners turn easily, smoothly and hold the tune which is a tribute to the quality of the tuning mechanisms----especially considering the strings could be 30, 50 or maybe 100 years old.

I re-discovered it when I decided to clean and set up my Grandfather's Fischer Bros. (Vine St. Cincinnati) Mandolin. I am a guitar player, enjoy playing chords on my Grandfather's Mandolin but would like to move special Prof. Raffaele Calaci Mandolin to someone who can really appreciate, be a good custodian and hopefully, make some music with it or even allow it to be properly displayed. Obviously, the inlay surrounding the sound hole is missing-----otherwise, I would consider it to be in very good, playable condition with some cracks on the upper body on the sides of the neck bottom. The wood on the neck is gorgeous and the colorful woods on the bowl are simply fabulous!!!

This Rare, Cav. Prof. Raffaele Calaci Mandolin was made in Napoli, 1925. Please do not confuse this museum piece with the more recent (1970s) Calaci Mandolins sold in Japan. Prof. Calaci was apparently considered the "Stradivarius" of Mandolin makers.....this one is the real deal.