Description
What makes this guitar special: A very ornate and rare instrument from near the turn of the century, this Mandolinetto has a charming mandolin tone packaged in a Ukelele sized body. It’s tastefully appointed, with intricate hand-styled inlays on the solid spruce top, and has a rich sound courtesy of the beautifully variegated Brazilian Rosewood back and sides. Bruno instruments were handcrafted in New York, but were often subcontracted to various builders, as such, it is rare to find any two of their instruments that look alike. This century-old beauty comes professionally setup by one of our in-house luthiers, so it’ll arrive ready to play.
Cosmetic condition: Playing condition, with wear consistent with the age of the instrument. There are various surface, playwear, and handling scratches throughout the instrument, and some visible pickwear around the soundhole. The headstock appears to have been repaired at some point in the past, and there is a small unrepaired crack on the lower bass side of the headstock that appears to be quite old. The back of the instrument shows a small crack down the center, which also appears to have been there quite a long time. There is also one very small area of separation where the back meets the side on the upper bout. Frets have seen some wear, but all all notes still intonate properly up and down the length of the fingerboard. This piece is totally playable, with a great sound.
Body: Brazilian rosewood back and sides with bound straight grain spruce top, trapeze tailpiece and rosewood bridge. Top features an intricate hand-inlaid tortoise and gold design, and a four ring rosette. Lower bout width measures 7 3/4" across with 2 1/4" depth. Upper bout width measures 5 3/8” across with 2 1/8” depth.
Weight: 1 lb, 3 oz
Neck: V-shaped mahogany neck with pearl dot inlays. 13” scale length, 1 1/8” nut width. Rosewood fingerboard is in great shape, and while frets do show wear, they neck is still playable up and down the length of the instrument. Aged white Bruno logo on headstock and open gear tuners with what appear to be original tuning buttons. Tuners are a little stiff, but are fully functional.
Case: Vintage hard shell case included. Case is obviously meant for a larger mandolin, but cloths and padding have been added for security.
