# General Mandolin Topics > Vintage Instruments >  Weymann Mandolute #40

## MANDOLINMYSTER

Heres a few pics of a very nice style 40 mandolute. Gold tuner plate with real MOP buttons, and most importantly it does not have the top crack we see on so many of theses.

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## MANDOLINMYSTER

and

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## MANDOLINMYSTER

side ways sort of-

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## MANDOLINMYSTER

burled neck

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## MANDOLINMYSTER

try again

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## MANDOLINMYSTER

back view-modest flame

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## MANDOLINMYSTER

interesting detail-ebony finger board support extension(ala Lloyd)

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## JEStanek

Lovely!, How's it sound?

Jamie

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## bratsche

Nice looking instrument!  Mine, (SN #15931), also crack-free and in excellent condition for its age, is almost the twin of yours.  The pegs are some kind of grained ivoroid, though. My tuner plates look silver to me, though they don't look any different than those in your picture.  How do you know they're gold?

And I'm curious to know if yours has the (rather typical, I hear) bowed neck?  I had to make a replica bridge for mine in order to be able to play past the 12th fret, but the string action's too high to be comfortable (for me) over the bowed part.

And do you know what kind of wood the neck is made of?  Mine looks the same.

bratsche

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## MANDOLINMYSTER

Jamie- I would discribe the sound as bright with mild bass, yet it has some resonance and warmth on the low strings.

bratsch- mine is sn# 35791  neck has some relief but I have action pretty low and plays with no buzz. The color of the tuner plates are gold, not sure if its real gold or not but there gold colored, not barss tho.

I suspect the neck is burled maple, with no finish, hey an early speed neck :Laughing:

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## Darryl Wolfe

My Style 20 is 23076.  I really like the added trim on the 40

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## MANDOLINMYSTER

(I really like the added trim on the 40)

From what I understand there is a style 50 and even fancier style 70 that were made.

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## 8ch(pl)

35791 is from 1924.

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## bratsche

Yeah, the tuner plates look definitely more gold now, in the picture of the mandolute in the case.  The earlier closeup one must have been too overexposed, or had too much highlight or reflection, to tell.  I have never seen a set of that kind of tuners in gold before.  Neat!

I keep thinking I should have mine worked on to straighten the neck, so that I'd actually play it.  It does have nice tone.  But I have no idea who I could take it to.

bratsche

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## MANDOLINMYSTER

> 35791 is from 1924.


Thanks for the date info.  I guess that makes it a Loar era :Laughing:

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## 8ch(pl)

Yeah, too bad he didn't sign it.

I wonder how many Army Navy models he signed.

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## Darryl Wolfe

I also have a Style 20 that is Mahogany with no fiddle type edges.  That one sounds extremely good.  The maple one is sort of a dud, heavy and not too responsive.

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## Bob DeVellis

> I also have a Style 20 that is Mahogany with no fiddle type edges.  That one sounds extremely good.  The maple one is sort of a dud, heavy and not too responsive.


Yeah, I'd pretty much describe my maple Style 20 the same way.  It's a cool looking instrument, with the fiddle edges and all.  And it's in great shape.  But it's pretty shrill and I can't say I love its tone.

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## Darryl Wolfe

Here is the mahogany 20

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## brunello97

This is a helpful discussion for me.   I have always enjoyed the look of these and have had 'mandolute' on my MAS list for a few years.  The ones shown here look to be in great shape compared to many that I have seen.   Kind of enlightening/disappointing to hear the lukewarm testimonials.  Any other mandolute owners willing to describe their sound/playing experience? 

Mick

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## allenhopkins

I had a 20, I guess, mahogany with no fiddle edges.  Several repaired top cracks, but quite playable.  It had a thin, sweet sound, and I used it for years for historical programs until I acquired a couple of late-19th-century bowl-backs that worked better, and I traded it in when buying my Eastman mandola.

Nice, easy-to-play mandolin, very user-friendly, with a decent sound: moderate volume, treble emphasis, closer to a bowl-back sound than a lot of other vintage flat-backs I've played.  I paid $95 for it 30 years ago, got more than that back when I traded it in.  No complaints.

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## Darryl Wolfe

The mahogany 20 I mentioned is actually exceptional.  Very full sound and easy to play.  I would say it sounds fuller and probably as good or better than most Martin flat styles

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## Darryl Wolfe

And...we have a nice one that just posted in the classifieds

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## bratsche

I would never describe mine (maple) as either "shrill" or "a dud".  I like its resonant and warm sound very much for what I play on my mandos (Bach, mostly), and as I said before, it is only the bowed neck that prevents me from considering my mandolute a player instrument.  Though for me, it's easier to play than my bowlback (which I've never been able to master).  It's just kind of hard to love the cheese-cutter effect on the fingers above 3rd position for too much time! But then, I am partial to quite low action.

Out of curiosity, what kind of strings have other people put on theirs?  I have Thomastik "Weich" on mine...

bratsche

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## MANDOLINMYSTER

I think I have GHS A250's on it now. they are very light strings and it could probally take heavier one.

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## Bob DeVellis

I have Tomastiks, also, although I'm not sure what weight.  They do a pretty good job of containing the shrillness.  I've had a couple of rosewood Martin flatbacks and they were/are (still have one of 'em) far more suited to my tastes than the Weymann.

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## brunello97

Here is a style 50 that I have in my files.  With the dye-job I don't feel comfortable making a call on the wood type.  Maybe others can call it.  Are there any rosewood backed mandolutes out there? 

Mick

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## bigbike

> I would never describe mine (maple) as either "shrill" or "a dud".  I like its resonant and warm sound very much for what I play on my mandos (Bach, mostly), and as I said before, it is only the bowed neck that prevents me from considering my mandolute a player instrument.  Though for me, it's easier to play than my bowlback (which I've never been able to master).  It's just kind of hard to love the cheese-cutter effect on the fingers above 3rd position for too much time! But then, I am partial to quite low action.
> 
> Out of curiosity, what kind of strings have other people put on theirs?  I have Thomastik "Weich" on mine...
> 
> bratsche


Can you not sand the bridge down some to lower the action, or is there another issue such as a bowed or twisted neck?

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## bratsche

> Can you not sand the bridge down some to lower the action, or is there another issue such as a bowed or twisted neck?


As I stated, the neck is definitely bowed, and I actually had to make a replica bridge that was higher than the original one, in order to be able to play (and hear sounds other than clicking) above the 12th fret.  Hence the cheese-cutter effect.  

bratsche

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## bratsche

> I have Tomastiks, also, although I'm not sure what weight.  They do a pretty good job of containing the shrillness.  I've had a couple of rosewood Martin flatbacks and they were/are (still have one of 'em) far more suited to my tastes than the Weymann.


I would tend to agree with you, based on the one rosewood Martin I had the pleasure to try.   That instrument was a a real gem!  However, at what prices those things are going for, especially one in as good condition as my Weymann, it's far out of my reach.    :Crying: 

bratsche

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## Mandoist

Any idea of the current value of a Style #40 from the 1920s, in extremely good condition? Slightly worn condition (as in the photos in this thread)?

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## trapdoor2

Hi y'all...new here. I'm really a banjo player, but came over to do some mandolin info mining...

I have a #50 but the top is cracked and she needs some TLC to be playable...on my 'to do' list.  :Disbelief:  I played a #30 for a few years back in the 1980's and always thought it had a sweet tone, very balanced. Not loud by any means but ideal for those quiet mornings out on the porch before everyone else has wakened.

===Marc

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## The Bard Rocks

I had a 20 for a short while, also played a 40 - and didn't like the sound of either. They played fine and were glorious to look at, but the sound was too mild to cut it. It blended in well with whoever I was playing with, but refused to stand out on its own. Kind of dead. Other players who tried it did not like it either. It was unanimous, not a keeper. And I love my Weymann open back 5 string and like my Weymann parlour guitar, so  I was predisposed to like it too.

Roland, "The Bard Rocks"

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