Vintage Suzuki M-50 Master Hand Bowlback Mandolin Nagoya MIJ Japan w/ Hard Case

Up for grabs at the Japanese Guitar Company is a beautiful, late-1970s Suzuki M-50 "A Master Hand" Bowlback Mandolin. Handcrafted at the world-renowned Suzuki Violin factory in Nagoya, Japan (Image 7), the Master Hand series represents their top-tier dedication to classical Italian-style orchestrations. Unlike many vintage bowlbacks that suffer from warped necks or collapsing tops over time, this M-50 has remained structurally flawless. It features a fine-grained solid spruce top, an ornate butterfly-style tortoiseshell grain pickguard/scratchplate, and a highly complex, multi-ribbed rosewood bowlback design with alternating maple purfling strips (Image 2 & 8). The voice is bright, articulate, and deeply complex with the traditional sweet sustain you only get from old-world Japanese violin builders. This instrument has been thoroughly inspected and is completely optimized for performance:

• Playability & Action: The neck profile is straight and comfortable, setup with excellent, nice low playing action across the entire scale.
• Fret Wear: We rate the original frets a 7.5 out of 10. There is some honest, notable fret wear visible from decades of use, but it is entirely superficial and plays beautifully up and down the neck with zero dead spots or buzzing issues.
• Cosmetics: The wood is in remarkable shape with no structural cracks along the bowl seams. For complete transparency, there is a small rectangular patch of faded lacquer / old sticker residue on the treble side of the bowl (Image 10). It is purely cosmetic and smooth to the touch.
• Case: Includes its original form-fitting plush-lined hard shell case with functional latches and a golden interior (Image 9).

If you are looking to add an authentic, beautifully preserved piece of Japanese orchestral history to your studio or performance rig, this Suzuki M-50 is fully dialed-in and ready to play.

Case: Hard

Scale Length: 13“

Nut Width: 1.08“

Fret Wear: 7.5/10

Action at 12F (6th): .07“

Action at 12F (1st): .05“

Weight: 1lbs 10oz

Overall Condition: 8.5/10

Sound Factor: 11 out of 10

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Internal Use (Bin) - I4