Folkway Music -- Instrument Sales - Mandolins and Banjos




Last updated: May 8, 2008 Questions? Please email info@folkwaymusic.com. Looking for more mandolins and banjos? Check out Folkway's selection of Breedlove Mandolins and Gold Tone Banjos!
Main Photo	1917 Gibson A-1 Serial #35106. A wonderful sounding, well set up, and beautifully well kept pumpkin-top A-1 from the glory days of the mandolin era. This under-the-bed special is in remarkable condition, especially when you consider that it was built 91 years ago! No cracks, no top sinkage, no excessive finish wear, and no fret wear on this instrument. It's completely original except for an identical replacement bridge made in our shop (have a look at the detail photo). Very nicely set up with action set at 3-4 64ths and excellent neck and frets. Carved spruce top and birch back, bound top and ebony fingerboard, The Gibson logo inlaid in pearl, ivoroid button Waverly tuning machines, tortoiseshell celluloid pickguard with intact mounting bracket; The Gibson engraved nickel-silver tailpiece. No repairs and no issues. Loud and warm, if you're into mandolins at all you'll love the sound of this A-1 - it definitely holds company with the best A style mandolins that have passed through Folkway over the years. With original hard shell case On Consignment $2200 (US $2200) $2279 (US $2279) with credit card More photos: Front detail Back detail Headstock detail Full Front detail Full Back detail Tuners detail Bridge detail Case Open Case Closed

Main Photo	1933 c. Bacon Senorita Tenor Serial # 30562. Fred Bacon's Groton, Connecticut base company began manufacturing banjos in 1921, after marketing his own line of Fairbanks and Lange built instruments for some fifteen years. By 1922, David Day was hired on as Vice President which signaled the start of the B&D brand. The company's "Silver Bell" banjos would go on to become amongst the most desirable instruments of the banjo's golden from of the mid and late 1920's. But only a decade later - after years of depression, lagging banjo sales, and a hurricane that would ultimately spell the end of the line for the company, Bacon's trademarks and assets were sold to Gretsch and the quality of Bacon instruments would fall dramatically. The mid-level Senorita model was introduced in 1931, and featured a simple rim / tonering combination, pearloid clad resonator, rim, fingerboard and headstock. The instrument is in excellent condition and plays and sounds very nicely. One of its original tuners was non-functional, so we replaced all four, but will happily include the originals with instrument. The tailpiece is a Richelieu replica of the Oettinger original, and the skin is obviously a replacement. With period softshell case $999 (US $999) More photos: Front detail Back detail Headstock detail Full Front detail Full Back detail Tuners detail Case Open Case Closed

Main Photo	1922 (Circa) Lyon & Healy Style A Professional Serial # 1797. The favorite vintage American instrument amongst Classical Mandolinists, the Lyon & Healy Style A Professional was offered for a period of roughly twenty years beginning in 1917. The first incarnation of the Style A had a symmetrical body, but was very soon replaced by the asymmetrically pointed instrument pictured here. The model was built in very limited numbers, branded first as the Lyon & Healy Style A Professional, then from 1923 as the Washburn Style A, and in 1928 (when Tonk Bros. acquired Lyon and Healy) the model was renamed the Washburn "Deluxe". Quality deteriorated somewhat after the Tonk Bros. acquisition, and today the pre-Washburn asymmetrical Style A's are the rarest and most desirable non-Gibson Mandolins from that era. Similar to the instruments built by Gibson, the Lyon & Healy mandolins featured carved plates, akin to those standard in violin building for the previous two centuries. They are exceedingly fine instruments, but not well suited to Bluegrass, as they were designed to be bright and clear, rather than percussive and loud. The Style A was built by some of the finest craftsmen of the day, as is exemplified in the details of the mandolin pictured here. Lyon & Healy's best mandolin line consisted of three models, Styles A, B, and C; Style A being the most ornate (and most expensive) of the trio. Its top and back are meticulously carved of spruce and figured maple, with all sides bound in triple layers. Its most striking features are the violin-like carved scroll headstock, with inlaid tuning machines covered by a black "Vulcanized Hard Rubber" cover, and its ornately engraved tailpiece cover. The new Bakelite-looking "Hard Rubber" was also formed into the instrument's pickguard, neck reinforcement, and tuning machine buttons, while ebony was chosen for the fingerboard and bridge. This Style A is in absolutely stunning and original condition. It is both breathtaking and perfectly preserved, with no cracks, structural issues or finish wear. We have replaced its original bridge with a custom fabricated height-adjustable and intonated part that fits exactly within the footprint of the original, which we will furnish with the instrument. We chose to replace the bridge as it was both too high and without compensation, which made the instrument mostly unusable. This mandolin is now very playable, with original fretwork that is in excellent condition and a very comfortable set up. It has a scale length of 13 inches and a bone nut 1-1/8" wide. Very fine sound, with surprising volume and fullness. It is unlikely that you will ever find another Lyon & Healy Style A professional in comparable condition. With original hard shell case. $6995 (US $6995) $7199 (US $7199) with credit card More photos: Front detail Back detail Headstock detail Headstock detail 2 Full Front detail Full Back detail Tuners detail Tuners detail 2 Tailpiece detail Case Open Case Closed Catalogue detail 1 Catalogue detail 2 Catalogue detail 3

Main Photo	1926 Gibson A Serial # 83371. From the early post-Loar era, this A model mandolin features the same adjustable bridge and truss-rod that were introduced by Llyod Loar just a few years earlier. The back and sides are maple (another Loar introduction) rather than birch, as was previously used by Gibson on all their carved instruments. All told, this Model A is much more akin to a Loar period Snakehead than to the instruments built before '22 and after '28. And it sounds like it too. This is about as loud an oval hole mandolin as you can find. Although tonally it is very dissimilar to an F-5, it can carry its own in terms of sheer volume. The instrument is in excellent overall condition, but does show finish wear on the back of the neck and on the top under where your arm would rest. It has been played, and it has been well cared for throughout its life. Completely original but for a bone nut that we've made for it, the instrument has a fabulous look and feel. The neck and frets are bang-on (the frets were lightly dressed by us, too), and the action is slinky low. The top is in good shape and shows no signs of sinkage. With original hard shell case $1899 (US $1899) More photos: Full Front detail Full Back detail Headstock detail Tuners detail Case Open Case Closed

Main Photo	National Reso-Phonic Mandolin On top of what you can see in the pictures, this mando features a compensated bridge top and a radiused fingerboard for playing comfort. The tone is rich and warm but good and loud as you'd expect from any National. We are amazed by its sweetness and woodiness of tone - this instrument sounds better than you can imagine.... We've discovered huge versatility in its voice. We're sure that you will too. With fitted hard shell case Currently in Stock More photos: Front detail Back detail Headstock detail Full Front detail Full Back detail Tuners detail

Main Photo	2006 Breedlove KF Custom This Breedlove KF Custom is only one year old and in mint condition. It was sold locally to one of our most meticulous customers, and has been lovingly cared for while in his care. The instrument has a bound body (normally Quartz series instruments are unbound), and was custom ordered as such. It is a very fine sounding instrument, and is well set up. With original hard shell case $1549 (US $1639) $1595 (US $1690) with credit card More photos: Full Front detail Full Back detail Headstock detail Tuners detail

Main Photo	1939 Kalamazoo KH-21 Mandola FON EK-2433. A truly rare and interesting instrument. Mandolas of any brand were uncommon in the late 1930's as the Mandolin craze was pretty much all but dead by the outbreak of WWII, and there wasn't very much call for any mandolin-family instruments; especially the C-tuned Mandola. So what a curiosity this Kalamazoo-branded instrument really is. It shares the same appointments as many Kalamazoo instruments - sunburst top finish and dark back and sides, single-bound body, bound fire-stripe pickguard, and simple tailpiece and Kluson 4-on-a-plate tuning gears. It has a braced arched top and back, Brazilian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, and a bone nut. It has a small and well-repaired crack in the back that may or may not have been locally oversprayed. The repair is very attractively done and does not deter at all from the beauty of the instrument. It plays very well, and has a warm tone with lots of sustain and woodiness. There can't be too many of these instruments out there, especially in this fine condition. With original case $2095 (US $2095) More photos: Front detail Back detail Headstock detail Full Front detail Full Back detail Tuners detail Case Open Case Closed

Main Photo	Vintage Ludwig Plectrum Banjo Case 1920's Era Ludwig Plectrum Banjo case. Fits 13.5" resonators and has an extra-long neck pocket to house long-scale plectrum banjos. Ludwig logo, Goldenrod velvet interior $135 (US $145) More photos: Case Open Case Closed

Main Photo	1905 Larson Mayflower Mandolin The Larson Brothers built all kinds of instruments during the first part of the twentieth century - guitars, harp guitars, and mandolin family instruments of all shapes and sizes. Pictured here is a bowl back mandolin which originally carried the "Mayflower" brand name - although the label was ling ago lost. Most bowl-back mandolins we see are not in this fine condition, their age having turned against them; however, this one seems to have escaped the effects of time and is in excellent original condition. Its playability is perfect, and it is a very fine sounding traditional instrument. 34 Brazilian rosewood ribs, multiple-bound spruce top with inlaid abalone-bound genuine tortoise-shell pickguard and abalone rosette. Original French polish finish, original tailpiece, bridge, nut, and enclosed tuners. 13" scale, 1-1/8" nut, 1950's era hard shell case $940 (US $999) More photos: Full Back detail Tuners detail Headstock detail


Main Photo	1915 Vega Little Wonder Guitar Banjo Serial # 31591. Six string banjos from the 'teens are not particularly common thanks, mostly, to the fact that guitar had still not become the predominant instrument that it is today. The 'teens were the mandolin years in popular American music, and the populace still had to fall for both the Ukulele and the Banjo before deciding that the six string guitar was the instrument of choice. All the major manufacturers offered six string banjos, but relatively few were built. Dating from 1915, this instrument is Fairbanks-branded, but manufactured by Vega of Boston. Maple rim with an 11-7/8" head diameter, 30 brackets, and simply appointed with a celluloid band and natural finish. Three-piece maple neck with an unbound ebony fingerboard and simple pearl dot inlays. Original friction pegs and bone nut. The instrument is in excellent and very playable condition. All brackets are intact, and fretwork is spot on. The Remo head and ebony bridge are replacement parts, but the instrument is otherwise original. 1-25/32" nut width, 25.2" scale length; comfortable C-shaped neck. Strung with nickel-wound 10-46 gauge strings the banjo sounds great; it makes for a good ragtime or fingerstyle instrument and is a lot of fun to play. With newer hard shell case On Consignment SOLD More photos: Front detail Back detail Headstock detail Detail Full Front detail Full Back detail Tuners detail

Main Photo	1960's Harmony "Reso-Tone" Banjo set Harmony always built a wide range of instruments, and among their most interesting post-war designs are their Reso-Tone banjos built in the early 1960's. "The tone is amazing" say professional artists who have played the Harmony Banjos. Modernizing banjo construction with the solid non-warping RESO-TONE rim and resonator has produced a series of instruments with superior tone and powerful banjo "ring and snap." ...Try one for yourself to see how Harmony craftsmanship has improved a favorite instrument -From Harmony's 1963 catalog This pair of banjos comprises the No. 8105 Tenor Deluxe 30 Bracket, and the No. 28105 5-string Deluxe. The RESO-TONE material that the rim and resonator are molded of is essentially Bakelite, but in 1960's trade-mark guise. The necks on these banjos are steel-reinforced brown-painted hardwood with "Ebonized" bound fingerboards, and are fitted with open-geared tuning machines. The 5 string is nicely set-up and plays well, the 4 string has high action and would require a heel-cut to be more playable. Both have original calf-skin heads. SOLD More photos: Front detail Tenor Banjo Front detail Both Banjos Full Front detail Both Banjos Full Back detail Catalog detail

Main Photo	New Yanuziello Electric Mandolin Whoa, there! I expected to sound like Kevin Breit when I fired this one up, and what do you know...? It turns out that a good portion of Kevin's magic with Norah Jones (and so many others) comes from the relentlessly awesome instruments Joe Yanuziello has created for him. In short, I've never sounded so much like a master until I wound this incredibly smooth little monster all the way out! Joe builds the chambered body from solid mahogany with a maple cap and mills the bridge and pickup cover completely by hand from solid brass, which is then nickel plated. Every little detail is from the hand of a world-class craftsman. The ivoroid binding and pickguard follow a neo-cowboy esthetic over the flawless black nitrocellulose finish. The headstock and fingerboard are matching pieces of old-growth Brazilian rosewood. That's a custom-wound Lindy Fralin DeArmond-style pickup doing the dirty work that Joe has Lindy custom-build for his instruments... Yanuziello even customizes TKL hard cases to fit his mandolins! A hot little number from one of the planet's best luthiers. SOLD More photos: Front Detail Headstock Detail Full Front Detail Full Back Detail

Main Photo	1921 Gibson F-4 Among the finest instruments we have ever had the pleasure of offering for sale is this Gibson F-4 mandolin. Instruments with this tone quality are rarely this clean. Absolutely original and nearly unplayed, even the original frets are like new. The case is that clean, too! The vivid sunburst is completely unfaded and the subtly flamed maple seems to light up from inside. In pictures these style 4's can look a little garish, in person, everyone who has seen this instrument has dropped their jaw. This was the top of the line when it was made in 1921; the very next year the F-5 usurped that role. Personally, (cash aside!) I'd take this over an F-5, and this is pretty much the holy grail for anyone who doesn't play bluegrass. We repaired a clean "Bill Monroe" crack on the headstock scroll, and a loose end on the single interior brace. I'm glad to report there is no top sinkage, and the crack is all but invisible now, with no finish touch up. This is indeed one of the very best sounding mandolins I have ever played: loud, rich and full, lots of sustain, no mushiness and a big warm bottom end. SOLD More photos: Front detail Back detail Headstock detail Full Front detail Full Back detail Tuners detail In Case

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Contact Folkway Music --
Mail: 163 Suffolk Street West, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1H 2J7 Directions to Guelph/Folkway Music
Telephone: (877)763-5524 toll-free
e-mail: info@folkwaymusic.com

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