Some years ago, after purchasing the sadly damaged beyond repair Howe-Orme Mandolin, I came across the Howe-Orme exhibit from the Museum of Making Music and learned that like all the other makers, but a full decade before them, Howe-Orme had produced a full quartet of instruments (sadly, no bass has ever been produced). Naturally that put the set on the radar.
The Cello-Mandola is the Mandocello equivalent, but considerably smaller with a 20″ scale length.
This particular cello came from Players Vintage out of the personal collection of Lowell “Banana” Levinger. He’d converted it to a 5 string tenor, but thankfully still had the original bridge and nut, and so I have converted it back to full cello glory.
The transition to the east coast though hadn’t been kind to this poor one as there had been a piece of plywood somehow attached to underside of the neck between the soundhole and block which came off; still do not know what it was for. It also developed a back crack which has been also repaired. It seems to have had some neck work done at some point — definitely before Lowell acquired it.
Unbound mahogany back and sides; rosewood veneered headstock with the signature cylinder spruce top. All original hardware. Fully intact decorative pickguard with the HO styling and label with matching serial number on the headstock. Regular player scuffs here and there
It is more delicate that the larger scale mandocellos but has a sweet full sound nonetheless. Thanks to E-Mando for devising an set of extra light strings to keep the tension down.
While there are likely more of these out there, there are only 3 serial numbers recorded.
SN: 294
Original photos from Players Vintage
