Old Bowl Backs and sound

[Mark Gunter]

I got lucky on a whim years ago, buying a MarkStern bowl back on eBay. I had never touched a mandolin before, but it just looked cool and I won the bid really cheap. Made a new nut and bridge for it, strung it up and worked out a couple of my current tunes on it. Played it at a jam (Tennessee Flat Top Box, and Grandfather’s Clock), and I joined this forum about that time but didn’t post anything here.

The instrument was a lowly affair, ca 1910ish, but it sounded awesome and played easily. I loaned it to a buddy who had been a violinist in high school and he kept it about a year. During that year, the sound of that mandolin began to haunt me, and a little over a year later, I bought a cheap little Ibanez from eBay and got serious about adding mandolin to my playing. Made my first post here at that time.

Though I prefer to play modern flat back mandolins, I have a soft spot in my heart for the old bowl backs.

Jim has offered some good advice above.

[DavidKOS]

Perhaps someone (David) would give a general outline of the types of construction and features to look for, etc. .... Also, what gauge strings are appropriate for a bowl back? Thanks to all.

The very lightest ones, sets with 009 as the high E. As Jim said, strings like the
GHS A-240, the Dogal Calace RW-92b Dolce, etc.

As far as the pawn one, if it is cheap enough and you are doing your own repairs, that will give you more of an education than anything any of us could tell you. However, the factory ones from the early part of the last century which were often sold wholesale by the dozen were often made quickly and may not even have any real neck joint. As a result of that design, neck sets are near to impossible. Personally I would stick to the name brands both American and Italian. Like any other mandolin, avoid warpage on the neck or the top.

Yeah, well put.

A couple of other things.

It's hard to guess which bowl back mandolins sound good over the internet. You need to play and hear them to know.

However, even though Jim's advice is generally really good, sometimes things are different in person.

I have a "Carl Fischer" branded mandolin (most likely made by Lyon and Healy) that has very good action and a fine, strong sound. Yet the top is a bit warped near the soundhole, but the action height somehow is very playable - but the conventional wisdom is not to buy a mandolin without a "perfect" top. One thing, though, the neck is in good shape and is straight.

It aslo only has 15 staves; good rosewood, but nothing fancy. It also has almost no decoration, just a plain pickguard, and simple position markers.

Like Jim, I would not have considered this instrument merely based on pictures of the top - but after playing it and hearing it, I bought it some years ago and it has been stable and has not warped any further.

Some pics:



notice the bulge at the soundhole



The front view - a few repaired cracks on the soundboard and an unusual clamshell tailpiece.