There are some Kentucky mandolins from that period, when Eiichi Sumi was building for them, that stand up to any instrument made in the US or anywhere. At that point Japan, and later Korea, was the main country manufacturing for the US market, and was building some really nice instruments, and some crummy cheapos as well. "Assuming" about overall quality levels for 1970's made-in-Japan mandolins can be misleading. Frankly, some of the laminated rosewood backs and sides on the 70's guitars are superb and being laminated may contribute to their longevity.MIJ mandos are pretty cheap so do the best research you can on a given instrument and try to ask questions.1. You may find a nice solid wood instrument and find another 'just like it' that is laminated. I assumed that mandolins were of the same quality.You will not find much agreement on this forum as they might as well call this the Gibson Loar Cafe. I am a big fan of MIJ guitars and have quite a few. I have never bought an instrument from him but all the pertinent info seems to be covered with great photos. Check out 'Joe's Vintage Guitars' on line, he has a lot of 70's guitars and some excellent mandos. and you can find some without makers ID of any kind. As to specifics, many of the myriad brand names of guitars also manufactured and or exported mandos. MIJ mandos are pretty cheap so do the best research you can on a given instrument and try to ask questions. One example is fancy and another with the same model # is more plain. I have a Ventura that is laminated with rosewood inside and out it is really hard to tell it is laminated at all. Frankly, some of the laminated rosewood backs and sides on the 70's guitars are superb and being laminated may contribute to their longevity. ![]() You will not find much agreement on this forum as they might as well call this the Gibson Loar Cafe. ![]() Many sellers guess as to the factory of manufacture and believe that because a mando has the same furnishings as one labeled it is from the same factory and this is hard to prove. Just as with the guitars the records aren't there. Many are but it is hard to know when you cannot see them in person. I assumed that mandolins were of the same quality. So: top-quality mandolins, and most of the '70's Asian instruments you're inquiring about, will almost invariably have maple as the back-and-sides wood. (Did you know that the major use of rosewood was for kitchen knife handles, since the high-oil-content wood stands up to washing? Probably a thousand rosewood logs went to this use, for every one that went to making musical instruments.) Also, the cost of rosewood has become a major factor in construction decisions. Rosewood is associated with a more "bassy" sound in guitars, and that's generally not what mandolins feature. One now finds other woods used here and there, especially in Asian instruments, which will list linden, basswood, nato, mahogany or other woods, generally laminated. Gibson used birch back and sides in some of its models. Martin flat-back mandolins - and Martin made quite a few 1920-60 or so - had back and sides of mahogany or rosewood a few were made of koa wood. This has largely become the standard for mandolin construction. Therefore, he followed the violin pattern of a spruce top, and maple back and sides. Gibson explicitly based his designs on the violin, which he considered the most advanced stringed instrument. However, the advent of the carved-top, flat-back (well, actually carved-back) instrument, largely attributed to Orville Gibson around the turn of the 20th century, changed the paradigm. Many bowl-back mandolins from the late 19th-early 20th centuries had bowls made of rosewood staves, and rosewood was considered the mark of a "better" instrument, more than maple or mahogany - the other prevalent woods. ![]() is my thinking right that Rosewood back and sides are not the big deal on mandolins as on guitars?Very true.
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