1924 Gibson Tenor lute

Refinishing that would be a sin, and would devalue the instrument. I would leave it alone, and play it as is or sell it. Got any pictures of it? I would love to see it.

 

You can clean it up, but like Hopkins says, as soon as it's refinished, its worthless. In crap condition we're still talking north of $2000 to the right collector...

 

Very nice lap fall. If the structure is not an issue why restore?

 

That looks to be in great shape for an 89 year old instrument. Absolutely do not touch that finish. I'm guessing that instrument is worth a pretty penny.

 

That looks to be in good to very good condition although the photos are hard to see. Probably talking $3500 + if everything is intact and it's playable...

 

Not sure where you live, but in some places, that might bring good money in an auction...

 

You're KILLING me here. 320x240? What year is it?

Give us some HD shots, man, that thing looks GORGEOUS!

 

That instrument is tuned GDAE with tenor banjo strings. Alot of makers threw banjo necks on whatever kind of body in the twenties because of the banjo craze. These instruments are more collectible than gig-worthy. I know a few guys who play Irish music on tenor guitars, (yes, professionally) they favor 50's- 60's Martins or Gibsons with the larger guitar-type bodies. They simply project much more and are easier to switch to from a standard folk guitar. This is basically a tenor banjo neck on a H1 Mandola body. The result is a very mellow tone. Not to say that your new axe isn't sweet, or valuable. Certainly perfect for learnin' some reels, or serenadin' your sweetie!

 

If you want a reasonable estimate of value - post pics on the forum at Mandolincafe.com.

There is a lot of real expertise on that site in regards to Lloyd Loar Era instruments.

The best resource for a basic evaluation is a guy named Roger Siminoff.
He is the world's foremost expert on Lloyd Loar and is an approachable guy who will answer your question. He's at: http://www.siminoff.net/

TS