The unlikely, but welcome, arrival of the Vega Mandobass prompted an immediate scouring of the internet to find the last member of the Vega set, oddly enough, the easiest to find. But which one?
We know next to nothing about Vegas, and the only catalog we heard about was a reproduction now no longer sold from Bernuzios. There were some available on the west coast from a dealer we’d dealt with before, but then out of the blue one shows up at a Guitar Center of all places. A Guitar Center 10 miles from the Home, no less.
Two visits and a lot of questions later and it is safely nestled next to its mandola sibling.
Based on the generic body appointments (rope binding around the edge, abalone around the sound hole, the fancier pick-guard and the more involved fret decorations, we’ve concluded that this must be a Style 205. The only substantive difference between the 205 and 207 models is all the detail work on the 207s is abalone.
Despite scouring available images, we have not seen any other model with these specific appointments
- Heart shaped top of headstock
- Inlaid star on the headstock with Vega in it
- Engraved tailpiece (there are two, not sure which if either is the original)
- Engraved plate on the back of the headstock with ‘Made by the Vega Co, USA’ laid out horizontally with another engraved star
Patent declaration stamped on both the block and on the top brace.
All the hardware seems original. Gorgeous flamed maple back, sides and neck. Spruce top. Not a crack on it. The only cosmetic issue is the pick wear.
The real question about this one is whether it had been refinished. All signs scream that it was (or it was immaculately cared for), but the Guitar Center tech examined it with a blacklight and their conclusion is all original. It has a graduated stain on the back, mirrored both on the sides and the neck.
Has an original, if worn case.
SN: 38051
