Up for Auction is what we believe to be a custom ordered Larson Bros.
mandolin.You look at all the pictures and do your research and make up
your own mind… It is branded Carleton but all the signs point to
Larson. The label reads : The Carelton , known by all professionals to
be the best toned instruments. Made to order expressly for Mrs. A.J
.Osswald 568 N. Ashland Ave. Chicago Usually when these show up they
are in questionable condition. Not this one. It appears to be in like
new condition. There are no cracks, splits chips etc. The bowl is
Rosewood (Brazilian) Ebony finger board and real Abalone inlays.The
inlays are over the top and we could not find any examples of Larsons
with this much Abalone on the top. The nut and bridge are bone or Ivory
(not sure how to tell the difference) The bridge has a couple of slots
filled but works fine. Classic Larson headstock shape with backplate
with elegant engraving around the edge. Tuners work fine . The open
cloud tailpiece is classic Larson. AND… there is a 4 digit serial number
in the brace right under the top of the sound hole! ( typical of Larson
branded instruments ) The only flaw I see is that at some time someone
reattached the binding on the left side of the neck because it had
shrunk slightly. The only thing I did to this instrument was very
light cleaning .. lightly oiled the fingerboard with almond oil ..
lubed the tuners and put a set of new strings on. I am a guitar player
and ‘mess around ‘ with Mandolins but this one plays super nice with low
action across the fingerboard. The TONE on this instrument is just
unbelievable ! I hit a chord and it rings for days and almost sounds
like there is reverb coming from the bowl. This is a very special
instrument for the player or the collector. The price reflects the
rarity of this instrument. Condition Condition Condition. You will never
see another custom ordered Larson Mando like this ! Great investment !
I have a pdf of an article from the Chicago Tribune from 1908 that
mentions Mrs. AJ Osswald leading a mandolin and zither group. ( it will
be included with the Mandolin ) No case but will be packed carefully !! I had a collector look up the serial number and says it dates to 1915. I am new to Reverb but have been selling on 'that other site" since 1999 check my feedback for flotsamfe ! DO NOT BE AFRAID TO MAKE ME A REASONABLE OFFER !!!!!!
