Neapolitan mandolin

Trade Name American Conservatory (trade name of Lyon & Healy)

Date1908-1924 ca.

Place MadeChicago, Illinois, United States, North America

ModelNeapolitan / American Conservatory

Serial No.none

SignedBranded on brown cardboard label in oval: AMERICAN / CONSERVATORYMarkingsnoneDescriptionNote the steep angle between neck and head that may be a hallmark of Lyon & Healy products. Lyon & Healy bought the Regal name out of bankruptcy in 1904 and the Regal company was reincorporated in 1908, at which point the secondary Lyon & Healy College Line became the American Conservatory. It is not clear whether these were made by Lyon & Healy or Regal, but are higher quality than some of the Harmony products of the period. Bowlback mandolins were discontinued by Lyon & Healy in 1924.

Soundboard: two-piece spruce: fine grain broadening toward edges
Bowl: 22 rosewood staves, inner 20 ribs narrower, divided by light hardwood stringing
Clasp: rosewood; festooned lower end
Head: Spanish cedar or mahogany veneered with rosewood on front face
Neck: Spanish cedar or mahogany; integral with head
Binding: alternating strips of angled mother-of-pearl and ebony; 5-ply light hardwood, black hardwood and green-dyed hardwood strip trim with black strip at center; binding and purfling finished with same varnish as body
Fingerboard: ebony; 17 nickel-silver frets; mother-of-pearl engraved triangular inlay behind 1st fret; single mother-of-pearl engraved dot behind 5th fret; double mother-f-pearl dots behind 7th and 12 frets; mother-of-pearl engraved modified lozenge behind 10th fret
Nut: ebony
Bridge: ebony
Tuners: two sets of enclosed worm-gear machine tuners with nickel-plated steel covers, nickel-plated steel rollers, and ivoroid heads
Tailpiece: nickel-plated brass with scallop-shaped cover
Rosette: elliptical; abalone surrounded on each side by 3-ply light and black hardwood purfling
Pick guard: light-colored imitation-tortoise-shell celluloid with festooned lower edge; inlaid with foliate mother-of-pearl decoration
Lacquer: slightly yellowed with craquelure
Bowl lining: white gauze
Linings: kerfed light hardwood
Top braces: tapered spruce braces above and below soundhole; angled, scalloped spruce brace (ascending from treble to bass) at center bout; light hardwood graft at bridge position; spruce graft along center joint below break lower bout
Neck block: unknown
End block: light hardwood
DimensionsTotal mandolin length: 606 mm (23-7/8″)
Top length: 306 mm (12-1/32″)
Maximum body width: 198 mm (7-3/4″)
Maximum bowl height: 138 mm (5-11/32″)
Head length: 143mm (6-1/8″)
Head width, top: 69 mm (2-9/16″)
Head width, bottom: 52 mm (1-7/8″)
Neck length (nut to ribs): 145 mm (5-23/32″)
Neck width, nut: 28 mm (1-3/32″)
Neck width, heel: 39 mm (1-1/2″)
Soundhole height: 24 mm (1-13/32″)
Soundhole width: 40 mm (2-7/16″)
Vibrating string length (nut to bridge edge): 328 mm (12-29/32″)

Credit LineGift of Patricia A. Meisel, 2012

Object number14701

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