1938 D'Angelico A-Style Mandolin sunburst

This rare instrument is one of only around 50 mandolins made by John D'Angelico, the most highly regarded builder of vintage archtop guitars. This is what he called his "Plain" model, with f-holes, out of spruce and maple. It has a sunburst finish which has had some french polish repair to an area on the back, otherwise it's in excellent condition, and appears to be all original. The serial number is 115, which predates the mandolins recorded in his register. Slightly bigger than a Gibson A with a shorter scale - he was mostly building for the classical/Italian player - it has a very nicely shaped small neck. Comes with its original hard shell case and a certificate of provenance signed by me.