Serial number: 75255

Year shipped: 1924

Virzi Number: a Virzi tone producer is fitted but the serial number is unknown

Signed and dated by Lloyd Loar on February 11 1924

Headstock: Diagonal ‘The Gibson’ logo, pearl truss rod cover

Neck/fingerboard: 20 fret neck with dots from the fifth fret and no fingerboard extension 

Body: Maple back, small f-holes

Hardware: Silver-plated metal parts including mandocello tailpiece and Waverly tuners. Short bound pickguard

Notes: This mandocello was strung up as a guitar at one point. The original Style 5 tailpiece was stored in the case. It has since been restored as a mandocello. The unique headstock shape, small f-holes and maple back suggest that it may be a prototype. Fitted with an oversized Virzi but with no visible Virzi label or Virzi serial number. This instrument was featured on the album ‘Tone Poems 2’ by David Grisman

Images courtesy of Darryl Wolfe