Description
Exc. Condition • SN: 150 • 1 1/8″ Width at Nut
This is the only “Baby Grand” made with oval hole!
This Monteleone Baby Grand is a beautiful blonde mandolin with two points at the shoulders, and oval sound hole. Highly figured Maple back, sides and neck. High-grade Spruce top. This mandolin is fully multiple bound with Ivoroid bindings. Peghead has Ivoroid outer binding with black accent line seen on the face, and the side. Fingerboard bound with Ivoroid with accent line seen on the side. Hand-made Ebony pickguard is Ivoroid bound with black line seen from the top. Body binding is also Ivoroid with black accent line seen from the back and the front. Ebony peghead veneer has Monteleone script logo inlaid at top, with elaborate engraved Banner immediately below, and “Baby Grand” engraved. Ebony truss rod cover near nut. Nut appears to be unbleached bone. Radiused Ebony fingerboard has large Pearl dot position markers, and shows a unique “take” of a double-cut fingerboard extension. Soundhole rosette is simple dual black line purfling. Spruce top shows no deflection or distortion, it is in great shape. Original Ebony, adjustable, Loar-style bridge with Monteleone tailpiece engraved with his logo and the words “Baby Grand” near end pin. Ebony end pin.
This mandolin is in really great shape, and plays wonderfully. The action is set very low. Gold Gotoh tuners with Pearloid buttons. The lacquer is in great shape with no wear from hands or picks. There is some polite finish checking that is hard to find. No player wear on frets or fingerboard. There is one slight “pick rake” on the top. The back has some short scratches in the lacquer. The back of the neck and peghead look almost brand new.
Comes with original shaped hardshell case.
