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Thread: Mysterious Washburn flat top mandolin

  1. #1

    Default Mysterious Washburn flat top mandolin

    Well, perhaps only mysterious to a layperson such as myself. Looking for any clues about its date/location of manufacture, or any other historical information.

    A friend has owned this Washburn mandolin for several decades (does not recall the precise date of acquisition.) The body has a flat top and a teardrop shape, and the inside label reads "Model No. M-1 Serial No. 3644".

    From what little I was able to find online I'm guessing this is a reproduction of an early-20th century model... but I'm not savvy enough to determine for sure. Any help would be appreciated! Pictures are attached.

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  2. #2
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mysterious Washburn flat top mandolin

    It's an import, probably 80's-90's, maybe later. It was built many decades after the original company building Washburn instruments all but went away. I have a guitar from the same era. That tailpiece was on many Japanese made mandolins.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
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    Default Re: Mysterious Washburn flat top mandolin

    Thanks Mike!

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    Mando accumulator allenhopkins's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mysterious Washburn flat top mandolin

    And, by the way, there was no "George Washburn." George W. Lyon's middle name was Washburn, and that gave the name to the Lyon & Healy line of instruments labeled "Washburn."

    If a company's going to invoke the name of a discontinued US brand of instruments, they could at least get their facts right...
    Allen Hopkins
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    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mysterious Washburn flat top mandolin

    Actually Allen, they did that on the original Washburn label.
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    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

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  9. #6
    Registered User Martin Jonas's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mysterious Washburn flat top mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by allenhopkins View Post
    If a company's going to invoke the name of a discontinued US brand of instruments, they could at least get their facts right...
    I think the giveaway is the line "Hand Crafted in the Washburn tradition of Chicago" -- in other words not actually crafted in Chicago. The 1989 Washburn mandolin I used to have also had that sticker and had no other label to say that it was actually made in Korea. I wonder if new Washburns still use that misleading label.

    Mind you, my Washburn was very nice indeed, so this is not a grumble about the quality, just the misleading labelling.

    Martin

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