Results 1 to 16 of 16

Thread: Lyon & Healy Style A, B, C fretboard - all radiused?

  1. #1
    Timothy Tim Logan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2017
    Location
    Shutesbury, MA
    Posts
    664

    Default Lyon & Healy Style A, B, C fretboard - all radiused?

    My Style A has a radiused fretboard. However I have seen reference, by prominent luthiers, to original Style A's having radiused as well as flat fretboards. Can anyone shed light on these differing opinions? Also, when did radiused fretboards become a "thing"?

    “There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats.” ― Albert Schweitzer

    1925 Lyon & Healy Model A, #1674
    2015 Collings A (MT2-V)

  2. #2
    Teacher, repair person
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
    Location
    Southeast Tennessee
    Posts
    4,071

    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Style A, B, C fretboard - all radiused?

    The Lyon & Healy carved mandolins varied in specifications over the years. I have seen quite a few, but I don't recall if any had flat boards. I think it would be more likely to see a flat board on one of the later instruments, when they were looking for ways to cut manufacturing costs.

    Widespread interest in radiused fretboards on mandolins is a recent trend.

  3. The following members say thank you to rcc56 for this post:


  4. #3
    Registered User Glassweb's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Bellingham, WA
    Posts
    3,107

    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Style A, B, C fretboard - all radiused?

    Quote Originally Posted by Tim Logan View Post
    My Style A has a radiused fretboard. However I have seen reference, by prominent luthiers, to original Style A's having radiused as well as flat fretboards. Can anyone shed light on these differing opinions? Also, when did radiused fretboards become a "thing"?
    I believe radiuses boards became "a thing" after Grisman started playing and touting the virtues of John Monteleone mandolins. Monteleone made David a mandolin that had a radiused board to combat the tendonitis that was plaguing him at the time.

  5. The following members say thank you to Glassweb for this post:


  6. #4
    Timothy Tim Logan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2017
    Location
    Shutesbury, MA
    Posts
    664

    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Style A, B, C fretboard - all radiused?

    From the first two responses (thank you!!!) it sounds as if Lyon & Healy was ahead of its time, yes? I know nothing about Gibsons - but am wondering if they also offered radiused fretboards in the 1920's as well? Thanks again.

    “There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats.” ― Albert Schweitzer

    1925 Lyon & Healy Model A, #1674
    2015 Collings A (MT2-V)

  7. #5
    Registered User William Smith's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Sugar Grove,PA
    Posts
    3,364
    Blog Entries
    1

    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Style A, B, C fretboard - all radiused?

    Yes Gibson had radius boards on some Loar F-5's! If I remember correctly Ronnie McCourys Loar has a factory radius board. And on their Loar L-5's they were radius, not positive on their other teens and 20's guitars?

    Oh some Gibson mandolins from the 30's had radius boards that I've had!
    Last edited by William Smith; Oct-05-2020 at 6:40am.

  8. The following members say thank you to William Smith for this post:


  9. #6
    Registered User
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Halifax, Yorkshire, England
    Posts
    233

    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Style A, B, C fretboard - all radiused?

    The Italians may have got there first! Roman mandolins from about 1890, often had radiused fingerboards. They were a feature which helped make Embergher mandolins successful amongst professional players. Later makers in the Embergher style, such as Raffaele Valente and Pasquale Pecoraro continued the tradition into modern times. Lyon and Healy may have based their fingerboards on the Roman design.
    Anglocelt
    mainly Irish & Scottish but open to all dance-oriented melodic music.
    Mandos: Gibson A2, Janish A5, Krishot F5, Taran Springwell, Shippey, Weber Elite A5; TM and OM by Dave Gregory, J E Dallas, Tobin & Davidson.

  10. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Anglocelt For This Useful Post:


  11. #7
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Westchester, NY
    Posts
    30,736

    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Style A, B, C fretboard - all radiused?

    Yes, radiused boards were a feature of the Roman style of mandolins. This went along with the idea of making them closer (sort of) to violins which, of course, always have radiused fingerboards.

    Getting back to Lyon & Healy though. I just checked on my two. On both my earlier one (pre-1921 with the longer scale) and the later (short scale, Washburn labeled) I can see no radius on either fretboard. I wonder if that was an occasional custom request by some players. I even checked out Stan Jay's description for a rare extended fretboard De Pace model and he didn't mention any radius to the fretboard.

    I looked through my catalogs as well as Hubert's Washburn book and there are no mentions of radiused fretboards. I don't doubt that they existed but I guess the main question is whether they were offered as an option or that they were modified later. I would think that the radius would also be incorporated into the bridge as well as the fretboard.

    Very hard to show radiuses in photos but here are mine (earlier on left):

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	L&Hfbd495-02crpt.jpg 
Views:	137 
Size:	174.5 KB 
ID:	188986 Click image for larger version. 

Name:	L&Hfbd2199crpt.jpg 
Views:	119 
Size:	181.4 KB 
ID:	188987
    Jim

    My Stream on Soundcloud
    Facebook
    19th Century Tunes
    Playing lately:
    1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1

  12. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Jim Garber For This Useful Post:


  13. #8
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Maryland
    Posts
    2,811

    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Style A, B, C fretboard - all radiused?

    Washburn/L&H Style A #2349 flat board.

  14. The following members say thank you to Bob A for this post:


  15. #9
    Teacher, repair person
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
    Location
    Southeast Tennessee
    Posts
    4,071

    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Style A, B, C fretboard - all radiused?

    L & H style C, #420. Very gently radiused board, original frets.
    L & H style B, #837. Radiused board. I can not comment on the degree of radius, the instrument was sold many years ago.

  16. The following members say thank you to rcc56 for this post:


  17. #10
    Pataphysician Joe Bartl's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    Adamstown, MD
    Posts
    452

    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Style A, B, C fretboard - all radiused?

    L & H style A, #2356 (1925). Flat board.

  18. The following members say thank you to Joe Bartl for this post:


  19. #11

    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Style A, B, C fretboard - all radiused?

    I just looked at my L&H Style B, #41 (1918?). The frets appear slightly radiused; they are definitely not flat. I compared them to those on my Martin Model C, #18196 (1925), which are flat.
    As a matter of curiosity, how is fret radius measured?

    EDIT: I see there's such a thing as a "radius gauge". Thanks, Google!
    Steve

  20. The following members say thank you to Steve Weeks for this post:


  21. #12
    Teacher, repair person
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
    Location
    Southeast Tennessee
    Posts
    4,071

    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Style A, B, C fretboard - all radiused?

    The picture of Jim's earlier mandolin appears to me to show a light radius, while the picture of the later instrument appears not to have a radius.
    Computers and camera lenses can distort pictures. Laying a straightedge across the board would confirm the presence or lack of any radius.

  22. The following members say thank you to rcc56 for this post:


  23. #13
    Registered User lowtone2's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    lower alabama
    Posts
    892

    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Style A, B, C fretboard - all radiused?

    My Style C #2328 has a flat board.

  24. The following members say thank you to lowtone2 for this post:


  25. #14
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Westchester, NY
    Posts
    30,736

    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Style A, B, C fretboard - all radiused?

    Quote Originally Posted by rcc56 View Post
    The picture of Jim's earlier mandolin appears to me to show a light radius, while the picture of the later instrument appears not to have a radius.
    Computers and camera lenses can distort pictures. Laying a straightedge across the board would confirm the presence or lack of any radius.
    Good idea... I will do that with both to comfirm.
    Jim

    My Stream on Soundcloud
    Facebook
    19th Century Tunes
    Playing lately:
    1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1

  26. The following members say thank you to Jim Garber for this post:


  27. #15
    Registered User Louise NM's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    New Mexico
    Posts
    825

    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Style A, B, C fretboard - all radiused?

    I have a Style B, probably from 1918, serial # in the 200s. It has a slight but definite radius. I had my luthier take a quick look at it recently, and he thinks it's probably sporting the original frets, so it likely left Chicago with the radius to the fingerboard.

  28. The following members say thank you to Louise NM for this post:


  29. #16
    Timothy Tim Logan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2017
    Location
    Shutesbury, MA
    Posts
    664

    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Style A, B, C fretboard - all radiused?

    Louise, Jim, and everyone that posted to this thread, thank you. It certainly sounds like L&H marched to the beat of a different drum and that we've all perhaps learned something together. Pretty cool.

    “There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats.” ― Albert Schweitzer

    1925 Lyon & Healy Model A, #1674
    2015 Collings A (MT2-V)

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •