Lyon and Healy A

[peter.coombe]

Yes the fretboard widths certainly did vary. My 1918 style A symmetric points has a nut width of 29.2mm, my later approx 1924 asymmetric points style A has a nut width of 27.8mm. They are the only ones I have measured, but other owners have told me their later L&H mandolins have a slimmer neck. The earlier ones I have come across have a really chunky neck, and I think they slimmed down the neck and made the points asymmetric to make them easier to play and to improve accessibility to the high frets.

[Tim Logan]

Thank you Peter. That is very, very interesting. If I am measuring/converting correctly mine measures 1 and 5/64" or 27.4mm. I wonder if the differences were due to deliberate changes in production specks or a slight randomness due to individual hand working on each instrument? I wonder if they used an assembly line approach or one luthier made an entire instrument (doubt it)? I'd love to observe that factory floor!

[Jim Garber]

My earlier L&H (symmetrical, long scale): 1.15" or 29.2mm

Later Washburn (asymmetrical, short scale): 1.10" or 27.9mm

However, I believe that the earlier ones had a weak spot in the neck design and the later ones were a but thicker to counteract that problem.

[peter.coombe]

I think it was a deliberate change. Those guys know what they were doing. The Lyon and Healy mandolins are very well made, and they are not easy things to reproduce accurately.