Yooper - Posted - 07/20/2020:  12:21:13

So I was pondering the types of mandolins and think I can distill it down to the following types:
1) round back; always (as far as I know) with an oval sound hole
- e.g., neopolitan, classical, anything before about 1900
2) flat back, flat top; always (as far as I know) with an oval sound hole
- e.g., Gibson Army-Navy; Martin A thru E; Flatiron pancake
3) carved top and back, oval body
3a) oval sound hole
- e.g., Gibson A thru A4 and copies
3b) f holes
- e.g., Gibson A5L and copies
4) carved top and back, curly cues and points
4a) oval sound hole
- e.g., Gibson F2/F4 and copies
4b) f holes
- e.g., Gibson F5 and copies
5) carved top and back, two point (oval or f holes)
- e.g., Gibson A5 (Jethro Burns); Pheonix, etc
6) rounded body (oval or f holes)
- e.g., Rigel and the Gold Tone clone

Any other design categories? I guess you could throw in mandola, mandocello, octave mandolin, and mando bass into the mix. Would you group differently? I know this is esoteric, but I actually think about stuff like this. Maybe the pandemic is getting to me.

TSSN - Posted - 07/21/2020:  04:22:01

That seems pretty succinct to me. 

You could have an "Other" category for cigar-box mandolins and similar such novelties.  "Other" might also include shapes like the Seagull model (which, incidentally, sounds rather nice), though that could be in your #6 maybe?

You might also include electric mandolins: some as acoustic-electrics, others as chambered (like the Godin A-8), and also solid bodies; then one can ask 4-string or 8-string.  Not being an electric player, I'm sure I'm missing something there as well...

Yooper - Posted - 07/21/2020:  08:53:37

Oh, and I forgot the Ovation mandolin!

Mandodennis - Posted - 07/21/2020:  08:55:41

Yeah, the things we think about during a pandemic shutdown.

I'd go nuts creating a complete categorization of mandolin types based just on some of the stuff I have seen over the years. There's a world of variation once you get beyond the Gibson type mandolins.



How about resonator mandolins? Banjo mandolins? How about guitar body mandolins (Selmer, Maccaferri, Tacoma, Ovation, etc.)? 

How about cylinder back mandolins (Vega)?

Two point symetrical versus asymetrical? On and on....



I would distinguish between flat top mandolins and cant top (bent top) mandolins. Having owned an Army/Navy flat top and Martin cant top they are two different voices entirely - not to mention the differences in structural integrity and durability.



What do you call Giacomels? And the Breedlove K style mandolins?  Batwings? 

Do you distinguish between between carved top/backs and "press formed" top/backs?

Why limit things to post-1900 as an arbitrary date?  That completely discards much of Orville Gibson's original works?  One could at least put that line at the year he set up shop (early 1890's) or the year of his first patent (1898 maybe?).  I guess that's pretty close to 1900.

Some classical mandolins, particularly those made after 1900 are really great mandolins (D'Angelico, Lyon and Healy, Martin style 1 and 2, etc.). I played a Martin 2-15 for many years- terrific, tonally balanced mandolin.  I guess most of these still qualify as carved top, some two point, some just a-style teardrops.  But they are different voices from the usual bluegrass mandolins.

And there was a mandolin, that I think Bobby Osborne played in the 60's sometime, that had an exaggerated point on the lower bout like the D'Angelico can-opener guitar.  Where the heck would that one go?



I don't know.  You're right. Pretty esoteric stuff.



There is a taxonomy of mandolin types over on that other mandolin board under "eye candy". I guess that is their take on things. Always seemed somewhat arbitrary to me in some cases. The classifications are at the bottom of the page under "more eye candy".

mandolincafe.com/archives/builders/f.html

 

Yooper - Posted - 07/21/2020:  09:04:56

Insightful Dennis! I was thinking that there was not a lot of variation in mandolin design relative to guitars, but I might go the other way now.

Jim Yates - Posted - 07/22/2020:  15:56:23

How about this fiddle shaped mandolin from the old Mandolin World News?

Edited by - Jim Yates on 07/22/2020 15:57:56

 

Yooper - Posted - 07/22/2020:  17:03:14

Nice! And I forgot the KayKraft Venetian (I found both f hole and oval hole versions, but can't get them to copy and paste). Also, Stromberg-Voisonette made some oddballs.

TSSN - Posted - 07/23/2020:  03:28:43

I found this Regal specimen at Stutzman's Guitars in New York.

1920s Regal Mandolin

 

Yooper - Posted - 07/23/2020:  06:50:18

Wow! You win Patrick. That one is the weirdest.

Jim Yates - Posted - 08/03/2020:  18:21:57

My cousin has an old mandolinetto in pieces. There is also one pictured in much better shape.
Some strange and wonderful mandolins.