Mandolin Central

1926 Gibson A-Jr. #79821, FON 11215A. Extremely fine original condition.  Introduced in 1923, the A-Jr. held its place at the bottom of the line until 1928 when it was replaced by the A-0; it was the least expensive of the Loar era mandolins at $35.  Make no mistake about the quality of the workmanship or the sound, however.  Many have witnessed the extraordinary sounding A-Jr. that has been on tour with Mike Compton this days, and for those who really know their mandolin history, the A-Jr. of Howard Frye is the stuff of legends.  In terms of sound, #79821 is right up there with those legendary mandolins;  in condition and originality, it surpasses 99% of the mandolins of this vintage for sale today.  Stamped in 1925 and shipped in 1926, the features are consistent with factory specifications for this style and year and include graduated spruce top, birch back and sides, mahogany neck, ebony fingerboard and nut, bound sound-hole, square-end nickel tuners, peghead with highly desired Loar-era tapered shape. When introduced in 1923, style A-Jr featured an orange-colored varnish top (“pumpkin” top), but only a few of those were made before color was replaced with Sheraton brown.  Obviously, the difference in the Junior line from the comparable A models represented efforts toward making a quality mandolin at a more affordable price. Cost saving appointments include solid neck without truss rod; one piece compensated bridge (instead of adjustable bridge); no inlay in peghead;  unbound top, back and fingerboard; “cloud” tailpiece instead of standard stamped “The Gibson” tailpiece.  What was not spared was Gibson’s brilliance for graduating tops and back for optimal sound and the sturdy Gibson dovetail neck joint that has stood the test of time.  One suspects that another aspect of the savings mifht have been to use A model necks left over from the pre-truss rod era.  As many people understand, if those solid mahogany necks have not warped after 100 years, chances are they will not ever going to be a problem unless the instrument is mistreated.

A bit of personal history:  Gibson A-Jr. 79821 was originally the pride and joy of Betty Kleinsteuber of 1717 Jefferson St Savannah, GA., who played in the Savannah High School Mandolin Orchestra from 1926 to 1930. The mandolin was purchased for her by her father, Max Kleinsteuber, a German immigrant and stone mason.   After High School, Miss Kleinsteuber attended nursing school, got her RN license, and worked for the Dept of Public Health in Savannah until her retirement.  She never married, and continued to play her mandolin almost until her death in 2006 at the age of 94.  Obviously, she took immaculate care of her mandolin.  This beautiful instrument is now ready for the next owner to play, appreciate and care for it as did Ms. Kleinsteuber. 

The bottom ‘line’ is, this is one great, fantastic sounding Lloyd Loar era Gibson instrument in extremely fine original condition at a price any serious player could afford. Now available for $2250 (which includes UPS ground shipping east of Mississippi and shared costs in other destinations.