Bowlback Mandolin -determining age.

[Flutedude]

I recently bought a bowlback mandolin on Ebay, for a relatively low price. The seller didn't know the maker or the age. A patent number on the tailpiece says PATOCT 2680 (1980?), but is the patent for the tailpiece, or the mandolin? Anyway, I suspect, from it's relative good condition that it's not all that old. I noticed that the inside of the bowl is lined with some kind of black fabric that had been glued or plastered on. Could that narrow down when it was made? I uploaded pics of it.

One more question, the action is way too high, making it really difficult to play. The neck looks pretty straight. I've tired adjusting the position of the bridge, but then the intonation goes way out. Is it acceptable to sand down the bottom of the bridge to get the action to a more manageable level? I've done some minor repairs and adjustments on other instruments, but want to know if there's a better solution, baring taking to a luthier, who will charge more than the instrument is likely worth.

[nmiller]

That patent date is most likely Oct 26, 1880. Bowl-backs were mostly finished by the 1920s.

[allenhopkins]

Washburn, a Lyon & Healy nameplate, featured dark gray cloth lining the bowl starting around 1915, on some models. The general shape and herringbone purfling of this one suggest American manufacture. Pictures of the entire headstock, tuners etc. would aid in ID'ing it. The pickguard shape also is like some Washburn/Lyon & Healy instruments.

The neck may be "straight," but its angle of attachment to the body may be distorted, often by the use of too-heavy strings. This would probably require a neck re-set, as heavy strings will pull the neck "forward," raising the strings too high above the fretboard. Most bowl-back bridges are quite low, and there's not a lot of wood to sand away. If you have the bridge located for proper intonation, and the action's 'way too high, a likely diagnosis is improper neck angle, from too much string tension.

A neck re-set's more than I'd try myself. You might get some relief by sanding down the bridge; it's not to hard to fit to a flat top like a bowl-back's. Were it my mandolin, I'd get at least an evaluation and an estimate on what's needed.

[Flutedude]

Thanks Allen. I might get an assessment of the problem, but a neck reset is probably out of my price range right now. My grandfathers old Weymann mandolin, (sadly unplayable right now), is first in line for costly repair. Here are some more picks if that helps the dating.

Chris

[allenhopkins]

Continues to appear Washburn-esque, IMHO. Other bowl-back mavens may chime in.

[Nevin]

There are a lot of helpful and knowledgeable folks here who would help if you chose to try and do the neck reset yourself.

[MikeEdgerton]

On a bowlback?

[multidon]

Maybe a compression refret and/or a fret board planing would help?

It is obvious that the bridge does not sit where it is intended to be. The old position is obvious from the footprint, and the footprint appears exactly where we would expect it to be, above the bend, not below. Some previous owner moved it to the wrong side of the bend to lower the action, to the detriment of intonation. Unfortunately, returning the bridge to where it belongs will only exacerbate the action problem.

What guages is it strung with now? So many people have strung these too heavily and that is almost always what kills them. Maybe if you put some extra lights on there the neck would straighten a bit on its own without all that tension pulling on it.