They probably won’t top many Christmas lists next year, but many mandolinists will eventually give in and buy one of the Neapolitan mandolins. They’re easy to find if you know what to look for, provide great tone for the price, and are often heirloom quality instruments.
Background
“Bowlback mandolin” or “Neapolitan mandolin” almost always describes an instrument with a deep, round back, made of staves of wood rather than the one- or two-piece construction on modern instruments. Woods less common on modern mandolins, such as Brazilian rosewood, are often arranged in alternating light-and-dark patterns. Instruments with more staves — 20 or 30 — tend to be of higher quality than those with eight or ten. The mandolin’s top, or face, almost always had a bend just below the bridge, called a cant.
While some bowlback mandolins have been produced recently in Japan and the United States, most of the instruments you find will be old Lyon and Healy instruments, with Washburn as a top brand. Washburn mandolins can be over a hundred years old; if the label inside the soundhole has the word “Cremonatone,” it’s closer to or over 100. Production continued until the early 20th century.
These instruments are very affordable, from a few hundred dollars for a high-end, playable mandolin to under $50 for a repairable bowlback on eBay. They are cheap because too many were produced — a sort of “mandolin inflation.” Antiques dealers and mandolin collectors may bemoan the low value, but players will be happy to get high quality at a low price, much like the original working-class owners of the Washburn bowlbacks.
Potential Problems
Many old bowlbacks are damaged to some degree. The most common problem is cracking in the top, caused by heat or cold stress and low humidity. These can be fixed by most luthiers, and if you don’t have a professional available, superglue can penetrate the crack more easily than other glues.
Sometimes the staves on the bowl of the mandolin separate. Because there is no string tension on the back, this is only a nuisance if the damage is stable. Even if that piece of wood falls off entirely it would have little effect on the structural integrity of the mandolin. Still, a visit to the luthier is not a bad idea.
But if the top is separating from the back, or the top has “sunken” and a dip is visible around the bridge, the instrument is probably beyond repair and should not be purchased. A sunken top usually comes from using bluegrass-style strings — an old, delicate bowlback needs very light strings, such as GHS Classical/Extra Lights. A bowlback I purchased appears to have had its headstock ripped off at some point, probably because it was strung with heavy strings.
Don’t buy an instrument unless it has lots of pictures from many different angles. Most instruments will have some sort of damage, but if repaired it should be fine. Take “great condition, no damage” listings with a grain of salt. Don’t hesitate to ask the seller for more pictures and information.
You should not pay more than two or three hundred dollars for an undamaged bowlback mandolin, but if you’re unsure of an instrument’s value, ask at the Mandolin Cafe forum. The regulars can identify and price most old bowlbacks extremely well.
In addition to the names mentioned, also search for “tater bug” and “potato bug.” Gibson ads disparaged bowlbacks with those names, but they have become more endearing terms over the years.
Old bowlback mandolins are extremely good instruments for the price, and their charm is hard to match. With a good eye and a little luck, finding a good instrument is easy.
