1924 Gibson A4 Snakehead Mandolin w/Virzi

Summary: Made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 78686, red sunburst finish, birch back and sides, spruce top, mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard, comes with original black hard shell case with the actual skeleton key and case candy. This A-4 dates to 1924, the last year of LLoyd Loar's employment at Gibson. These "Snakehead" instruments are known for their tone and projection and have all the most advanced features of the era including the adjustable truss rod, raised adjustable bridge and slim neck profile.

Body: Spruce Top, Birch back and sides

Neck: Slim rounded Soft “V” Mahogany neck, ebony fret board

Cosmetics: The top is in great shape with some light play wear, swirling, and light dings. The Sunburst finish is still striking for it’s age, and with this minimal wear, we think this beauty spent most of it’s life in the case.
Overall length is 25 3/4 in. (65.4 cm.), 10 1/4 in. (26 cm.) width, and 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 14 in. (356 mm.). Width of nut is 1 1/8 in. (29 mm.)

Playability: Playability is excellent on the comfortable soft V shape neck. The frets are in remarkable shape for it’s age. The action is low, with no buzz or dead spots. The original bridge still has room to go down and has been gone over by our in-house tech for optimal playability.

Weight: 2 lbs, 1.7 oz.

Case: Original green interior black case