Re: Help with identifying old bowlback mandolin
I think Nick is on target with L&H or Regal...or maybe both. When Lyon & Healy acquired Regal they also acquired a pile of mandolins in various states of completion that they marketed on their own, some with labels (the Lakeside brand was purportedly all Regal leftovers) or without...a common practice.
This is a modest mandolin, but the two-tone bowl is nice. It looks like rosewood and mahogany.
Is that so?
Not your most common pairing out of Chicago. They look good together to my eye.
Many, many bowlback mandolins out of Italy from this era had a super light finish on the tops...often just wax.
I've never been certain whether this was a cost cutting move, or a way to keep everything lighter and more resonant, the hallmark of that classic sound.
I've tried a lot of things, all equally amateurishly executed: spray on lacquer from S-M (looks great, easy to apply...is it appropriate?) rub on oil finish, shellac, and just the simple wax.
Others, particularly folks in the 'builders and repair' section can certainly offer better advice....
Nothing beats keeping it in a case in a well humidified space. It's made it 120 years. Those top cracks can be heartbreakers.
Mick
Ever tried, ever failed? No matter. Try again, fail again. Fail better.--Samuel Beckett
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