1920s Gibson H-1 Mandola

  • $1,599.00
    Unit price per 


Summary: This 1920s Gibson H-1 Mandola is a beautiful instrument crafted at Gibson's Kalamazoo factory. With its sheraton brown finish and bound spruce top, this mandola showcases the timeless legacy of Kalamazoo craftsmanship. The dark finish on the birch back and sides adds to its vintage aesthetic, set off further by the oval soundhole and its double rings of wood purfling. The mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard offer a delightful playing experience.

Body: Spruce top with Birch back and sides in Sheraton brown finish

Neck: Mahogany with an Ebony fingerboard, 15 7/8” scale length, 1 3/8” nut width, 21 frets, pearl dot inlays.

Pickups/Hardware: A-Style body, "The Gibson" tailpiece cover, 4-on-a-plate open-gear tuners with ivoroid buttons, Ebony bridge,Ivoroid-bound top, back, fretboard and soundhole, with no pickguard included.

Cosmetics: This mandola is in good shape. It has surface scratches and small indentations on the body. The back of the neck is clean, with a few dings, and the frets show some minimal wear. The headstock has a small crack, as does the finish of the rear butt. The back has light buckle rash, and the face of the headstock is showing finish checking and wear around the edges. The lower bout of the front has good wear. Overall, this mandola plays very well and sounds fantastic.

Playability: Our in-house guitar tech has inspected, setup, and restrung this instrument with a new set of strings. The neck is straight, the truss rod is fully functional, and the action has been setup low and comfortable. The frets are in good shape with no major grooves or divots from use and it plays beautifully up and down the fretboard with no dead spots or choking out.

Weight: 2.2 lbs.

Case: This guitar ships in a gig bag, professionally packaged, and fully insured.