The Flatiron Model 1N mandolin (serial #88083975) used by session guitarist Tim Pierce during the recording of “Iris” by The Goo Goo Dolls — the exact instrument used to overdub the signature descending mandolin part on the track, as confirmed by Pierce’s signed letter (April 24, 2021) and photo-matched to a photograph of Pierce with the instrument taken at the time of sale, through a partially visible serial number. Accompanied by a handwritten session reference note by Pierce found inside the case, an unopened set of GHS mandolin strings, and a signed letter of authenticity. Tim Pierce directly references this sale on camera in a 2022 Dead Wax YouTube interview, stating: “It was a different mandolin [from this one, that was used] that I sold to a Goo Goo Dolls fan with a letter.” Producer Rob Cavallo additionally tells the full story of the session on camera in a video on Pierce’s own YouTube channel.
Video Documentation
Photo-Match
This mandolin is photo-matched to a photograph of Tim Pierce with the instrument, taken at the time of sale. The serial number — 88083975 — is partially visible through the soundhole in the reference photograph, providing direct instrument identification beyond standard visual matching. Two dedicated photo-match graphics are included in the photographic documentation accompanying this listing, matching different areas of the instrument.
Historical Context
“Iris” was written by Goo Goo Dolls frontman Johnny Rzeznik for the 1998 film City of Angels and produced by Rob Cavallo. Rzeznik has described drawing on the 1987 German film Wings of Desire — the basis for City of Angels — writing the song from the perspective of the angel protagonist, a figure willing to surrender everything to experience the full range of human emotion. Originally written for the soundtrack, the song was subsequently added to the band’s own album Dizzy Up the Girl.
“Iris” spent 18 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart and reached #9 on the Hot 100. According to producer Rob Cavallo, it topped the charts simultaneously across seven radio formats — alternative rock, rock, active rock, AAA, hot AC, AC, and top 40 — and remains the most-played song on North American radio since its release. That airplay record stood for 20 years before being broken by Ed Sheeran. The song earned the band four Grammy nominations — across “Iris” and Dizzy Up the Girl — and won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. The City of Angels soundtrack sold an estimated 15-20 million copies. Rzeznik has noted that the decision to incorporate orchestral strings — a 16-piece ensemble, the first time the band had worked with strings — was a calculated risk that proved transformative, both commercially and in defining the band’s trajectory.
Tim Pierce is one of the most prolific and respected session musicians in recorded music, credited on over 1,000 albums including recordings with Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Don Henley, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera, Sheryl Crow, and Alanis Morissette. He was named one of the top 10 studio guitarists in history by Guitar World magazine.
The Flatiron Mandolin Company was founded in Bozeman, Montana in 1979 and acquired by Gibson in 1987, with production remaining in Bozeman through the late 1980s and into the 1990s. Flatiron’s serial number system decodes #88083975 to August 1988 — the first two digits (88) indicating the year, the next two (08) the month, with the remaining digits representing batch and sequential production numbers. This places the mandolin as a handmade Bozeman-built instrument from the post-acquisition but still Montana-focused period, when Flatiron’s craftsmanship standards were at their most respected. By the time Pierce brought it to Record One Studio for the “Iris” session in 1998, it was a decade-old working instrument — seasoned, broken in, and entirely consistent with the kind of well-used gear a session musician would reach for.
Recording Use
Per Pierce’s signed letter (April 24, 2021): “This Flatiron Mandolin is the exact one I used to overdub on ‘Iris’ by the Goo Goo Dolls. The session was at ‘Record One’ Studio, in Sherman Oaks, CA. In attendance: Rob Cavallo, Alan Sides, Johnny Rzeznik, Tim Pierce.”
The full story of how Pierce came to play on the session is documented on camera by producer Rob Cavallo: late in the evening at Record One Studio B — where Dr. Dre was simultaneously recording in Studio A — engineer Alan Sides walked in and mentioned needing a mandolin and slide player. The first choice was veteran session musician Dean Parks, who was unavailable. A second engineer suggested Pierce specifically because, in Cavallo’s words, “he’ll probably play a mandolin that’s in guitar tuning” — a practical necessity given the song’s unconventional BDDDD-based open tuning. Pierce arrived the following morning with an extensive guitar rig in addition to his small mandolin case; Rzeznik was skeptical, but Cavallo convinced him to let Pierce try. As soon as Pierce played the descending line that opens the song, Cavallo later recalled: “you killed it.” The mandolin part was recorded in three takes. Pierce’s mandolin work then led directly to him being offered the guitar solo: Cavallo and Rzeznik met in the hallway and said, “What if we just let him try? What if it’s awesome?”
In the Dead Wax video, Pierce confirms the mandolin was a Flatiron — this instrument — and directly acknowledges having sold it to a Goo Goo Dolls fan with a letter, confirming the full provenance chain.
Case Contents
Handwritten session reference note: A yellow legal paper note in Pierce’s hand retained inside the case, listing songs and instrument designations from other recording sessions in which this mandolin was used. Songs listed include “BETWEEN THE RAINDROPS” (designated “MANDO”), “CARE,” “WALLFLOWER,” “FISHERMAN 3,” “RICHMAN,” “WALKIN SHOES,” “WOMAN B,” and “I MADE IT SO,” with reference numbers and instrument codes (G-1 through G-4 for guitar tracks; MANDO for mandolin). This track listing has been identified as corresponding to Care of My Soul by Mark Spiro (1994), an album on which Pierce is credited on guitar and mandolin — confirming the mandolin’s active use across professional studio sessions beyond the “Iris” recording. A direct working document from Pierce’s use of this instrument across multiple professional sessions.
GHS Classical Mandolin Strings: Unopened set of GHS Ultra Light Gauge strings (Set A240, 009-032, Phosphor Bronze, Battle Creek, Michigan).
Specifications
· Manufacturer: The Flatiron Mandolin Company (Handmade in Bozeman, Montana)
· Model: 1N
· Serial: 88083975 — manufactured August 1988
· Type: Round-back (Neapolitan-style) mandolin
· Top: Spruce, natural/amber finish
· Back/sides: Solid maple or birch
· Neck: Mahogany with rosewood fretboard and dot inlays
· Tuners: Vintage-style metal tuners with white pearloid buttons and ornate engraved plates
· Bridge: Adjustable
· Tailpiece: Metal with fan-shaped cover and individual string hooks
Condition
Good. Wear consistent with active professional use across multiple recording sessions. Plays and sounds well.
Included Items
Original hardshell case (black exterior, gold lining); GHS mandolin string set (unopened); handwritten session reference note by Tim Pierce; signed Letter of Authenticity from Tim Pierce (dated 4/24/2021).
1 photo. Used CD copy of Dizzy Up the Girl (Goo Goo Dolls, 1998). Used CD single, “Iris” (Goo Goo Dolls).
Provenance
Acquired from a friend of Tim Pierce via Reverb, with Pierce providing a signed letter of authenticity at request. Pierce subsequently referenced this sale on camera in the Dead Wax YouTube interview (August 2022): “It was a different mandolin that I sold to a Goo Goo Dolls fan with a letter.” Rob Cavallo additionally confirms the recording session and Pierce’s role on camera on Pierce’s own YouTube channel.
Accompanied by a signed Letter of Authenticity from Tim Pierce (dated April 24, 2021), which states in full:
“This Flatiron Mandolin is the exact one I used to overdub on ‘Iris’ by The Goo Goo Dolls. The session was at ‘Record One’ Studio, in Sherman Oaks, CA. In attendance: Rob Cavallo, Alan Sides, Johnny Rzeznik.
Tim Pierce
Signed 4/24/2021″
Nostalgia Bandit Letter of Provenance
This lot will be accompanied by a Nostalgia Bandit Letter of Provenance — a document printed on official Nostalgia Bandit letterhead, signed by Nostalgia Bandit’s principal, and affixed with the official Nostalgia Bandit embossed seal. The Letter of Provenance reproduces the complete final auction description for this lot in full, memorializing all provenance documentation, attribution, supporting evidence, and condition details as presented herein. It is designed to travel with the lot through all future ownership transfers as a permanent, platform-independent physical record of the item’s documented history.
Shipping & Measurements
FIRST AND THIRD PARTY SHIPPING OPTIONS AVAILABLE. Contact Nostalgia Bandit for a shipping quote: shipping@nostalgiabandit.com
» Mandolin: 25 x 9.5 x 1.5″ · 2 lbs.
» Case: 27 x 11 x 3″ · 1.90 lbs.
