Unusual Mandolin

[Bertram Henze]

So, they're kind of like F type mandos then?

(Ducking for cover ... )

I did successfully refrain from mentioning that other worst-scroll-of-the-century thread, so far... oops.

Well-designed scrolls display a certain harmonic balance and an understatement. But what we have here can mean unscrolling what had better be left scrolled. The other difference is that scrolls have no big impact on sound, which probably won't apply here.

There is another class of instruments which may have provided some of these ideas. I guess that's what you have for looking medieval and historical.

[Petrus]

IIRC, Orville was the one who originally pushed the lyre-mando concept, even including an image of one on early Gibson labels, but it never really caught on (maybe for ergonomic reasons?) I think there was also a quasi-lyre craze in early 19th century Europe, but players of guitars and other instruments ridiculed them as being only for dilettantes.

Then Danelectro came along in the mid-20th century and tried to apply the lyre look to its electric guitars, but everyone called them "longhorns," which probably irritated the designer.

BTW, the lyre in the OP's CL photo seems to have a sound hole near where the harp extension begins, so despite lacking harp strings I would think that long hollow extension would certainly have an effect on the tone.

[zedmando]

I'd love to try something like this.

[Bertram Henze]

I'd love to try something like this.

Good luck finding a case

[zedmando]

A rectangular one, with added padding?
Might work--or a large suitcase.

I don't have one for my Mandobird--it doesn't fit most mando cases--too long--even for rectangular ones--and i's too short for most small guitar cases & gig bags.
So I'm looking.

I'd manage with the lyre...

[Timbofood]

Zed, you might try a shotgun case, might need to be fitted slightly diagonally. I picked one up at Cabela's for twenty bucks a while back.

[zedmando]

Zed, you might try a shotgun case, might need to be fitted slightly diagonally. I picked one up at Cabela's for twenty bucks a while back.

Thanks, I keep an eye out for that.

[Bertram Henze]

A rectangular one, with added padding?

Will do. There's this guy turning up at our sessions with a rectangular case he could smuggle his granny out of North Korea in.