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I'm not sure if this inquiry is best suited for the building forum but couldn't think of an alternative.
I had picked this up from an estate and am curious as to the application. There is only one. The pins are on 5/8" centers and I assume they were for a slotted head because they are very short. They are just over 1/2" long and the string holes are located 1/4 on center when measured to the plate. I'd like to see these put to use but don't have a clue. Very heavy with real ivory buttons. Thanks for your assistance, Jeff

Jeff,

There were lots of five course pair string instruments in the cittern family and versions of mandolins, plus lots of varied "harp" instruments. Also the tiple (Martin made some) had four courses of strings that went double, triple, triple, double that needed ten tuners. Maybe posting on somewhere like the Mandolin Cafe Forum would help.

_________________
Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Plus, I would add, not a slot-head, in my opinion. Slot-heads usually have longer pins than solid head instruments, and these appear to be shaped nicely on the end of the pins as well, which would be wasted on a slot-head.

Joe

Thanks for both your responses. I have a tiple and had considered it to possibly be half of a set but I was hoping someone might recognize the specific application and/or maker. It is a good point concerning the fancy tips but a head would have to be 3/16" thick or less in order to expose the string holes. I am also registered on the Mandolin Cafe site and they were my second choice but I thought I'd try a more generalized forum first. Thanks again, Jeff

Hi Jeff,
I will say with a fair degree of certainty that those tuners came off of a concert zither. They are a complete set, as only the five strings over the fret board used machine tuners. The rest of the strings use zither pins.

I believe you're due the cigar Clay. Concert zither was also suggested at the Mandolin Cafe and a Google image search pretty much confirms it. Thanks again to all who participated, Jeff