Weymann Bowlback info?

[mandobassman]

I have read a couple of other threads about Weymann mandolins, so I thought I'd throw mine into the mix. I've had this for about three years now. It had belonged to my wife's great-grandfather. We were told when they gave it to us that it was about 125 years old. I was kind of skeptical, but they seemed pretty sure of the family history and the dates. he owned and played it. That would put it around the 1880's. Does that seem accurate based on these photos? How much would one of these sold for when it was new?

[Jim Garber]

Ah... I was going to ask you about this mandolin but decided not to derail that other Weymann-related thread. I doubt it was from the 1880s. It was prob more likely later, like the first decade of the 20th century, possibly 1890s.

I do have some catalogs but I have a feeling that they are later and mostly show banjos, possibly mandolutes.

I always like the way these look tho. No nonsense... yours looks like a mid-grade one -- sort of workingman's mandolin -- and I like those front-mounted tuners.

[mandobassman]

One thing about this mandolin that's interesting is the bridge position, which you can see, has moved from the original spot. The intonation is still off but I can't move it any further without being on top of the bend. Some shrinkage along the way. No big deal though, I don't use it too much.

[MandoSquirrel]

That looks like a nice Weymann. There's always been something intriguing about the brand, though I've never surrendered to one.

[mandobassman]

I probably would have never purchased one. It was given to me by my wife's family when her grandfather passed away. It belonged to either his father or his grandfather, I can't remember which. They figured since I was a mandolinist that I would use it and it wouldn't just sit collecting dust. I was very excited to get it and I do use it now and then. It has a gorgeous tone. I need to lower the action a bit, I just haven't bothered to do it yet. The neck has a beautiful feel to it, and for a mandolin that is around 100 years old or more, the neck is as straight as they come (and no truss rod). It has some cracks in the top plate, but it has been strung up for the last 4 years that I have had it without any issues.