1919 Gibson Style A Mandolin – Used

A nice brown-top A, Gibson called this color “Sheraton Brown” but this variant has been commonly called a “chocolate top” A model for decades. Nice straight neck, all tuners have straight shafts, solid celluloid buttons and everything works. Original tailpiece with “The Gibson” cover, pickguard has gone missing (probably succumbed to celluloid deterioration). Original coloring throughout, note wear to finish on neck and the nicks to the finish on the lower (treble) side. The original shellac-varnish finish on top and back may have been French polished at some point. There are no cracks that we could find. There are some small chips around the lower frets so we’re assuming it was given at least a partial refret at some point. Pretty amazing condition when you realize it’s over 100 years old, and includes a nice original hardshell case, too.