Re: Bowlback Mandolin -determining age.
Washburn, a Lyon & Healy nameplate, featured dark gray cloth lining the bowl starting around 1915, on some models. The general shape and herringbone purfling of this one suggest American manufacture. Pictures of the entire headstock, tuners etc. would aid in ID'ing it. The pickguard shape also is like some Washburn/Lyon & Healy instruments.
The neck may be "straight," but its angle of attachment to the body may be distorted, often by the use of too-heavy strings. This would probably require a neck re-set, as heavy strings will pull the neck "forward," raising the strings too high above the fretboard. Most bowl-back bridges are quite low, and there's not a lot of wood to sand away. If you have the bridge located for proper intonation, and the action's 'way too high, a likely diagnosis is improper neck angle, from too much string tension.
A neck re-set's more than I'd try myself. You might get some relief by sanding down the bridge; it's not to hard to fit to a flat top like a bowl-back's. Were it my mandolin, I'd get at least an evaluation and an estimate on what's needed.
Allen Hopkins
Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
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Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
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