Got to play an old Gibson A-model this last Sunday.It belonged to the lead singer of a group that played at my church. his grandfather had bought it many years ago for $25.Just before they left on the tour that brought them to Idaho,his daughter told him to bring the mandolin along so they would have something to play on the bus.He took it to a local music shop (Harrison,Arkansas) to get new strings on it. When he picked it up they asked if he knew what he had. he said he knew it was an old Gibson, but didn't think it was worth too much. They said it was manufactured around 1915 and was worth about $2000.

My camping neighbor at Strawberry is a machine gun mandolin player. He often keeps his instruments in my cabin tent as his isn't big enoughfor everything. One festival he showed up with a Loar F-5 that he had borrowed and kept it in my tent.Found out later it was valued at $35,000.

He also showed up at last years Spring festival with 1957 Florentine.

He was on a long drive and stopped in a small town in the montains of somewhere for gas. He spotted a small music shop and for the want of nothing else to do asked the owner if he had ever run across that kind of mandolin.The owner said he knew of a man who lived out in the woods who had such a mandolin,but didn't know if he would sell it.However he had been looking at a guitar in the music shop and maybe a trade could be worked out.

Well, the music shop owner traded the guitar for the mandolin, then sold the mandolin to my friend for $1300.

I found another just like it at Mars Music for $2495.

Wish I had the money to buy one.

rr