Originally Posted by
rcc56
My guess on the origin of the instrument is based upon instinct and process of elimination. I do not know bowl-backs well.
We do know that the majority of bowl-backs we see in the US were made in the US. The largest manufacturers were Lyon & Healy, Vega, Martin, and Oscar Schmidt. This one was clearly not made by Martin, and does not remind me of Vega workmanship. For the record, I do not see any Larson characteristics, and the off-center inlays are not something I would expect to see from the Larson shop.
The work reminds me more of Chicago than New York/ New Jersey [where Oscar Schmidt was located], and Lyon & Healy was by far the largest manufacturer of fretted instruments at the beginning of the 20th century. So I'll go with L & H.
If there are any experts on bowl-backs on the forum who can identify this instrument with a high level of certainty, I would welcome their comments, especially about details and characteristics that aided their identification.
Bob Chuckrow
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