1926 Luigi Embergher Orchestra Model No. 3 — Roman bowlback mandolin, all original.

1926 Luigi Embergher Orchestra Model No. 3 — Roman bowlback mandolin, all original.

A genuine Luigi Embergher mandolin built in Rome in 1926, during Luigi's own lifetime production. This is an Orchestra model No. 3 . It has the deep fluted bowl and the slim, fast Roman neck the workshop is known for.

Identification

• Original paper label inside the bowl (visible through the soundhole): "Luigi Embergher, Roma, Via Belsiana, N. 1169, Anno 1926."
• "L. Embergher Roma" stamp on the headstock.
• the inside of the bowl carries a handwritten 'Luigi Embergher, Roma' signature, visible through the soundhole .
• Serial N. 1169.

Condition Apparently all original and unrestored, in very good condition for its age. The fluted bowl, soundboard, fretboard with mother-of-pearl flower inlays, rosette, tortoise pickguard, bridge, tailpiece and original tuning machines are all present and in honest, played condition. Expect light finish wear, minor surface marks and normal fret wear consistent with a century-old instrument — all shown close-up in the photos.

Disclosure: there is a short, fine hairline line in the wood at the base of the bowl, right next to one of the mother-of-pearl dots (shown in the close-up). It is tight and stable — it does not move, and it only catches the eye under raking light at a certain angle. It appears to be a natural stress line where the wood has shrunk and expanded over the decades around the pearl inlay, rather than a structural crack: the fluted bowl ribs are sound with no separation. Unrepaired and left exactly as-is. Disclosed here in full — please study the close-up and ask for any further detail before buying. Aside from this, no cracks or structural issues are noted.

Sold with a Gewa bowlback case.

A note on originality Well-preserved, unrestored Embergher examples are valued precisely for being untouched — I've deliberately left it exactly as it is. Any cleaning or setup is best left to a specialist familiar with Roman mandolins.

Offers welcome. Buyer questions and additional photos happily provided.