Re: A little help with a new toy, please
Here's one at Fred Oster's Vintage Instruments in Philly. He says "Lyon & Healy" and he's quite the expert, so I'd go with that.
His isn't nice as yours; you've got alternating maple and mahogany (?) ribs in the back (please, someone, correct me if I've mis-identified rosewood as mahogany). The low number of ribs, lack of decorative inlay, and simple purfling indicate a student-grade instrument. Those alternating-woods ribs are generally found on older instruments (1890-1910) rather than later, and here's a beat-up Improved Columbus on Worthpoint that has a back-strip stamped with a "Pat. 1891," so I'd tend to put yours at turn-of-the-20th-century or so.
The black tuner buttons might also be a clue as to vintage, but I'll leave that to someone more learned.
Can't really tell from the pic, but please check and make sure you have only the lightest grade of strings on your mandolin. Bowl-backs don't take kindly to the gauge of strings that most carved-tops take without a problem. GHS makes an extra-light set that's as heavy as most would go on a bowl-back.
Allen Hopkins
Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
Natl Triolian Dobro mando
Victoria b-back Merrill alumnm b-back
H-O mandolinetto
Stradolin Vega banjolin
Sobell'dola Washburn b-back'dola
Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
Flatiron 3K OM
Bookmarks