Weymann Information?

[Richard Eskite]

A friend of mine recently bought this mandolin.

It has the name Weymann on the headstock. Other than that, it is unmarked. The back and sides are lightly figured birdseye maple and the top might be spruce (?). It seems to have a recently added tailpiece and tuners and is drilled for a pickguard, which is missing. The top of the bridge seems to be screwed to the foot. The endpin is missing. I've done a couple of searches for Weymann mandolins and never saw an instrument that resembled this one.

Any idea how old it might be? Has a lovely, mellow sound.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v670/RCE1/Weymann.jpg

[Jimmie]

Your mandolin was made by Stromberg-Voisinet, which became Kay sometime around 1930. The distinctive headstock suggests that this one's from about that time, 1930-33. Stromberg-Voisinet and Kay supplied a lot of instruments to Montgomery Ward and others under a variety of names: their own, Kay Kraft, Continental, Kay, etc.

[Jim Garber]

I have a Weymann with that same peghead logo that I thought resembled a Strad-O-Lin. Here are some pics. I think this may be from the same era. I would guess around 1940s.

I think mine may have been made by the same company that made Strad-O-Lins. The f-holes are different from the Kay Kraft one of OP.

[allenhopkins]

Weymann was a major Philadelphia music company, selling a wide variety of instruments. They definitely manufactured banjos, and probably also the distinctive "Mandolute" mandolins, but they had some of their instruments made by other manufacturers.

Here's a description from a ukulele-banjo website: (http://www.banjoukes.com/)

Established in 1864, Weymann's first location was 1108 Chestnut Street. Over the years they relocated at least twice in Philadelphia, and in 1931 their address was 31 N. 10th Street. The company sold instruments made by other companies that varied in quality from student to high grade. They had various trade names, including Weymann, W&S (Weymann & Son), Varsity, and Keystone State...Weymann's "Musical Merchandise" catalog No. 50, issued circa 1931, describes the company as "Manufacturers, Importers and Jobbers of Everything Musical." It is 112 pages in length and does, indeed, include a vast array of products, including some very fancy Weymann "Orchestra" banjos of their own manufacture.

No surprise that they would sell instruments from Stromberg-Voisinet, Homenick/Hoverick or whoever made Strad-O-Lins, etc.

[Richard Eskite]

This is great. I knew the readers of this forum would be able to steer us in the right direction.

[mandobassman]

The tuners and tailpiece are nice improvements but it seem like the most logical improvement would be the bridge. A good bridge might make a marked improvement in sound. They sure are great looking mandolins.

[Richard Eskite]

The tuners and tailpiece are nice improvements but it seem like the most logical improvement would be the bridge. A good bridge might make a marked improvement in sound. They sure are great looking mandolins.

That's what I would do, but my friend's reluctant to change anything. The bridge is funky, however. I was thinking it might have been screwed to the top, but he hasn't taken the strings off yet. He likes the way sounds and doesn't want to make any changes.

[Jim Garber]

I think that is a std Kay Kraft bridge on that. I would also try another esp if that one is not attached to the top (I hope not!).