There are many Bowlback Mandolins in the world - some fine examples by esteemed Italian builders, and many import instruments that exhibit a vast array of quality and ornamentation. Buegeleisen and Jacobson, otherwise known as B & J, are one such company, that was known to build an affordable but very nice instrument similar to some marketed by Ciani (Galiano) or Bruno. Often these NYC brands would share builders, so there are plenty of similarities and differences from one to the next - often times making research tricky. What we can say, is that if the primary objective, is to have a playable and sonically pleasing instrument, which we are pleased to offer this aforementioned B & J "Victoria". The Victoria model features some nice but not too outrageous appointments, including a colorful multiply binding, a 21 ribbed rosewood skirt and back, and a decorative rosette, simple inlay and pickguard. It plays very well, with a nice tone suitable for any classical mandolin player.
This Bowlback has been well preserved, likely from the 1920's, with a clear coat overspray - all of which to say, this is truly a nice instrument that can play well. A nice straight neck with a good neck angle yields easy playability, that measures a comfortable 4/64" in height at the G string at the twelfth fret, and 3/64" on the E string at the twelfth. The bridge has been taken down a bit, but the instrument retains power - with a nice balanced tonal response and a fair bit of volume. The original frets are in good shape with minimal wear, having likely been leveled recently in its life. The tuners have been upgraded with nice Wavery style open gear tuners which function very well. Cosmetically, there are very imperfections in the instrument, again, having been over-sprayed sometime yesteryear. 1 3/16" nut width, and a typical 13" scale length.
This is a great playing instrument for any Mandolin enthusiast. Included in the sale is a nice wooden hard case with custom cut foam.