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Thread: Lyon & Healy Mandobass

  1. #1
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Lyon & Healy Mandobass

    I was just cruising around Tom Crandall's inventory page and found this one-of-a-kind beauty from around 1918. I don't recall seeing any mention in my old catalogs (but will take another look) and I didn't see anything about an L&H mandobass in Hubert's book either. I have seen a good handful of mandocellos but never this. I would love to play this one but it looks like the same quality of the other L&H instruments. I also wonder about the provenance. Most mandobasses were played in mandolin orchestras and in some cases the orchestras themselves purchased them. I believe that the NY Mandolin Orchestra owned a Gibson back in the 1920s but when I joined in the 1980s they had a contrabass balalaika.
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    Jim

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  3. #2
    Joe B mandopops's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Mandobass

    Wow!

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    Registered User j. condino's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Mandobass

    $9,999 .........
    www.condino.com

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    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Mandobass

    Quote Originally Posted by j. condino View Post
    $9,999 .........
    Nobody would pay 10 grand for one but they might pay 9,999.99 for one.
    "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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  7. #5
    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Mandobass

    Holy mother of tuna fish ...
    Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.

    Notorious: My Celtic CD--listen & buy!

    Lyon & Healy • Wood • Thormahlen • Andersen • Bacorn • Yanuziello • Fender • National • Gibson • Franke • Fuchs • Aceto • Three Hungry Pit Bulls

  8. #6
    harvester of clams Bill McCall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Mandobass

    Quote Originally Posted by j. condino View Post
    $9,999 .........
    I believe that’s known as an “asking” price. Selling price may vary
    Not all the clams are at the beach

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  9. #7
    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Mandobass

    If I were going to trade my car for a mandobass, that would be the one.
    Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.

    Notorious: My Celtic CD--listen & buy!

    Lyon & Healy • Wood • Thormahlen • Andersen • Bacorn • Yanuziello • Fender • National • Gibson • Franke • Fuchs • Aceto • Three Hungry Pit Bulls

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  11. #8
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Mandobass

    Quote Originally Posted by mrmando View Post
    If I were going to trade my car for a mandobass, that would be the one.
    You might put an engine in it and drive it down the freeway.

    yes big bucks but have priced the mandocellos they are close to that assuming you can find one. I think the last one I saw for sale was $8000.
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  12. #9
    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Mandobass

    If I adopted 5 kids my stimulus check would cover this mandobass ...

    or maybe we can get a PPP loan for the orchestra to pay for it ...
    Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.

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    Lyon & Healy • Wood • Thormahlen • Andersen • Bacorn • Yanuziello • Fender • National • Gibson • Franke • Fuchs • Aceto • Three Hungry Pit Bulls

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    Registered User Timbofood's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Mandobass

    Now, that’s a cool one if I’ve ever seen one! Very cool indeed!
    Timothy F. Lewis
    "If brains was lard, that boy couldn't grease a very big skillet" J.D. Clampett

  14. #11

    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Mandobass

    The one and only mandobass that doesn't look absolutely terrible-- a complete white whale. .

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    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Mandobass

    Wow. In the Oregon Mandolin Orchestra, our bass player has a Gibson J. I'd love to hear this L&H!

  16. #13
    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Mandobass

    Seattle Mandolin Orchestra owns a Gibson J and two more are privately owned by members ...

    but if I had a Gibson J I'd trade it in on this.
    Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.

    Notorious: My Celtic CD--listen & buy!

    Lyon & Healy • Wood • Thormahlen • Andersen • Bacorn • Yanuziello • Fender • National • Gibson • Franke • Fuchs • Aceto • Three Hungry Pit Bulls

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    Registered User j. condino's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Mandobass

    Perhaps.....but pay ten grand for a proper double bass and you will earn 10x that over the next decade of gigs!
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  19. #15
    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Mandobass

    Quote Originally Posted by j. condino View Post
    Perhaps.....but pay ten grand for a proper double bass and you will earn 10x that over the next decade of gigs!
    Perhaps I should get better at playing the double bass I already have ...
    Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.

    Notorious: My Celtic CD--listen & buy!

    Lyon & Healy • Wood • Thormahlen • Andersen • Bacorn • Yanuziello • Fender • National • Gibson • Franke • Fuchs • Aceto • Three Hungry Pit Bulls

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    Registered User Cary Fagan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Mandobass

    It looks somewhat like the Vega mandobass depicted in Graham McDonald's "The Mandolin: A History." p. 188. Also with a double-bass style headstock and two points. But it's not as nice.
    Cary Fagan

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    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Mandobass

    The size of of it in the picture above is deceiving. This is a pic of it from Facebook.

    Phil

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  24. #18
    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Mandobass

    Hm. So more like a violoncello in terms of body size, and maybe more like an electric bass in terms of scale length? It probably isn't 42" like a Style J.
    Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.

    Notorious: My Celtic CD--listen & buy!

    Lyon & Healy • Wood • Thormahlen • Andersen • Bacorn • Yanuziello • Fender • National • Gibson • Franke • Fuchs • Aceto • Three Hungry Pit Bulls

  25. #19
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    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Mandobass

    That mandobass-in-action photo makes me wonder if it the endpin extends -- or used to extend.

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  27. #20
    NY Naturalist BradKlein's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Mandobass

    It's a neat instrument. And I believe that it does have an endpin. It's been a while since I've seen it in person.

    Like all bass mandolins, it's not comparable to a double bass in almost any respect. All bass mandolins are much closer to acoustic bass guitars, and of course they predate the bass guitar.
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  29. #21
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Mandobass

    I just wrote to them to ask what the scale length is. I don’t know why they didn’t put it in the description.
    Jim

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  30. #22
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    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Mandobass

    Great thread!!! What a handsome mando!!

    I think I read that the instrument doesn't have a label. Was it a one-off, prototype or a shrunk-down sample?

    Most mando-basses were built for use in mandolin orchestras in the early 19-teens. In the un-miked days, a loud mando-bass was essential. (I know, I wasn't around 100 years ago, but I've had a lot of experience with modern mandolin orchestras and several mando-basses in those settings)

    Even though it's Lyon & Healyesque in design and looks like it was made with very nice woods by a skilled luthier, the size of the body and expected modest projection would not be attractive to anyone in a mandolin orchestra. The most popular mando-bass design, the Gibson J, had real limited volume and it was much bigger.

    Thanks for posting the photo with the masked mando-bassist. It adds a nice perspective. - Paul

  31. #23
    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Mandobass

    Projection isn't just a matter of size, y'know. Everybody in the orchestra complains about how loud my Lyon & Healy mandola is. Four second mandolins combined are bigger than a mandola and I can still blow 'em away.
    Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.

    Notorious: My Celtic CD--listen & buy!

    Lyon & Healy • Wood • Thormahlen • Andersen • Bacorn • Yanuziello • Fender • National • Gibson • Franke • Fuchs • Aceto • Three Hungry Pit Bulls

  32. #24
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Mandobass

    I wonder how much bigger the body is than an L&H Mandocello?
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

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

  33. #25
    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lyon & Healy Mandobass

    It looks significantly bigger than the mandocello body. Maybe not quite twice as long but close.
    Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.

    Notorious: My Celtic CD--listen & buy!

    Lyon & Healy • Wood • Thormahlen • Andersen • Bacorn • Yanuziello • Fender • National • Gibson • Franke • Fuchs • Aceto • Three Hungry Pit Bulls

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