FINALLY, New Mandolin Day! And it's a doosie!

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by Br1ck

...$4000 isn't chump change, but I was told by a guy that he had never regretted buying fine instruments.

This is where I'm at right now. I won't miss the $4000 because this mandolin is a fine instrument, and giving up the tone I was chasing. As I said, it's a rock and roll mandolin, and that's what I play. It mixes great with electric and acoustic guitars, and when played solo, it sounds like rural traditional blues instrument and I like blues as much as I do rock and roll. The same bark that works well for Bluegrass works in my style of music too. I like that it can hold it's own as rhythm instrument.

And speaking of Gibson, I personally like the current Gibson company, and I think it's being steered in a much better direction than just a few years ago with Henry at the helm.

They have reduced the models to more of the classic stuff that I like, and I like what they are doing with the Les Paul Jr, SG Jr, and the Les Paul Special USA models, which are priced right and are seriously good bang for the buck rockers.

One visit to my studio and you would see how big of a Gibson fan I really am...

Besides the F5G mandolin, and my 50's Gibson BR9 lapsteel, I own 2 J45s (Custom Shop, and a 1964 vintage), J-100 Xtra, 1964 ES125, Firebird, 3 Historic Les Pauls, Historic SG Special, Dave's Limited Edition '61 SG Reissue, and my two L5s guitars ('75 and '78). Of all these guitars I only bought two of them new.

I am not a collector, I use all of these guitars on a regular basis recording for myself or playing for other people. FOr my profession I mostly gig with the Gibson acoustics, but when I play electric on sub gigs I play a '57 Goldtop reissue, and a Fender Custom Shop Deluxe Telecaster. So I will always be tied to Gibson.

[darylcrisp]

thats a beauty of a mandolin. i think you got a killer deal, Gibson mandolins increase in price almost daily it seems. Cool song you wrote, neat looking studio you have there as well.

you posted these pics on the mandolincafe yet? if not, do so, those folks will enjoy it immensely.

d

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by darylcrisp

thats a beauty of a mandolin. i think you got a killer deal, Gibson mandolins increase in price almost daily it seems. Cool song you wrote, neat looking studio you have there as well.

you posted these pics on the mandolincafe yet? if not, do so, those folks will enjoy it immensely.

d

No, I haven't posted on mandocafe yet. I am a member there, and actually did a lot of research on that site to find out about the quality of modern Gibson mandos. So I probably will post when I have the time.

Thanks on the kind words!

[M Sarad]

Every F5G I've played makes me want to sell the F9 and step up.

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by M Sarad

Every F5G I've played makes me want to sell the F9 and step up.

I thought the F9 was an F5 without the bling. There used to a fingerboard difference but the F5 now had rosewood. The rest is just ornamentation. (binding, gloss finish, etc). And the F9 doesn't have the fingerboard extension.

[guitar12]

Great mando content in this thread! The figuring on the back and neck of that F5G is stunning. I think that that you chose wisely, play the heck out of it!

Rob

[Br1ck]

Here is what my experience has told me, and it makes nothing but sense. I played many times, from cheapest to most expensive, the Collings F style lineup. They will say the cheapest is the same fine quality as the most expensive, but every time the cheapest is very good, but there is a perceptible difference. Could it be my eyes tricking my ears? Maybe. Then I got to try Gibsons back to back. The F 9 is very good, The F 5G better, the Goldrush better than that. So then I did the same at a Weber dealer. Incremental quality bump every time you spend another $1500.

Would you expect any different? Wood is selected. I imagine what they think will be best is put in the we're building a $9K mandolin pile. Most experienced carvers build them. The saving grace is that the starting point is so high, you could be happy buying a plain Jane Collings MF or Gibson F9.

Bruce Weber told me that my mandolin, being a relic, has a much thinner finish, and that they always sounded better. I'll take his word on that. Might be why I like an Eastman MD 315 over most MD 515s.

[posternutbag]

Originally Posted by Br1ck

Here is what my experience has told me, and it makes nothing but sense. I played many times, from cheapest to most expensive, the Collings F style lineup. They will say the cheapest is the same fine quality as the most expensive, but every time the cheapest is very good, but there is a perceptible difference. Could it be my eyes tricking my ears? Maybe. Then I got to try Gibsons back to back. The F 9 is very good, The F 5G better, the Goldrush better than that. So then I did the same at a Weber dealer. Incremental quality bump every time you spend another $1500.

Would you expect any different? Wood is selected. I imagine what they think will be best is put in the we're building a $9K mandolin pile. Most experienced carvers build them. The saving grace is that the starting point is so high, you could be happy buying a plain Jane Collings MF or Gibson F9.

Bruce Weber told me that my mandolin, being a relic, has a much thinner finish, and that they always sounded better. I'll take his word on that. Might be why I like an Eastman MD 315 over most MD 515s.

This is interesting because it does not mirror my own experience. The single greatest bluegrass mandolin I have ever played was a Kimble A5. That mandolin had chop like a shotgun blast and that punchy, bright tone that let its go from “dentist drill” to “hive of bees” (in a good way!).

But the second best bluegrass mandolin I have ever played was an F9. It had fantastic punchy tone and nearly infinite volume.

Bet tone is subjective, and it is unlikely that we have any overlap with respect to the mandolins we have played. There could be an F5G or a Goldrush out there that will blow my doors off.

PS
I prefer the Eastman 3xx to their higher priced offerings as well.

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by guitar12

Great mando content in this thread! The figuring on the back and neck of that F5G is stunning. I think that that you chose wisely, play the heck out of it!

Rob

Thanks I love it, and have been playing it every chance I can get, although I had 4 gigs in the last 3 days, so not much time to play mandolin. I have another gig for Sunday, but I've got Monday through Wednesday to play it before my gig schedule blows up.

[Br1ck]

I'm not saying an F 9 is not a stunningly good mandolin, nor do I propose an A style is not every bit as good sounding a mandolin as an F, it is just when I have played mandolins back to back, which is the only true and valid test, the more expensive mandolins are the best. We are talking shockingly little for the money here, and exceptions abound. Scientific studies have shown auditory memory to be very short. I had an uncle who worked for the NIH who knew a lot about hearing. Drive across town to the next shop and your comparison is not too valid.

So I played Webers, four of them, back to back and they did get better. None floated my boat. My Weber sounds to me better, but that could be pure self delusion over the year and a half gap. But I did get to play a Northfield Big Mon, and a Collings MF. The Weber was not better or worse, just different. I'm also very willing to be told the $2500 price difference clouded my judgement. Ditto on the fern, the relic job, and the 14 years of break in.

Would I swap it for a Gilchrist, an Apitius, a Red Diamond, or Gibson master model? In a heartbeat. When I tried Gibson F 9s, the Mandolin Store had a Harvey and an older one. The Harvey was better, but just a bit. Once again, drive across town and they would both be remembered as the same. This is why when you reach a certain level of expenditure, a plane ticket to Nashville is in order.

As an addendum, I had my SilverAngel in Gryphon one day and played it next to Collings. Completely different sonic spectrum, but equal quality of tone. My SA cost me $1400 used, is fully bound, and held it's own. You don't HAVE to break the bank. Another affordable I'd look at is Radcliff. If you get the chance and find yourself in a store with both Eastman and Collings or Northfield, pay attention to the resonance of the G string. That is the make or break difference. If you are in this for the long haul, cross that threshold as soon as you can. My Eastman MD 505 got me hooked. I only had it for a few months, but in those months I went into stores and played the high priced spread. Being cheap I took a chance on my SA and never regretted it.

If you were to buy a Collings MT used, you'd never lose money on it. I'd tell anyone that had already gotten reasonably good on another instrument to buy one as a first mandolin. You already have conquered one challenge, so have a great chance of success. I use the MT only as a readily available example.

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by Br1ck

I'm not saying an F 9 is not a stunningly good mandolin, nor do I propose an A style is not every bit as good sounding a mandolin as an F, it is just when I have played mandolins back to back, which is the only true and valid test, the more expensive mandolins are the best. We are talking shockingly little for the money here, and exceptions abound. Scientific studies have shown auditory memory to be very short. I had an uncle who worked for the NIH who knew a lot about hearing. Drive across town to the next shop and your comparison is not too valid.

So I played Webers, four of them, back to back and they did get better. None floated my boat. My Weber sounds to me better, but that could be pure self delusion over the year and a half gap. But I did get to play a Northfield Big Mon, and a Collings MF. The Weber was not better or worse, just different. I'm also very willing to be told the $2500 price difference clouded my judgement. Ditto on the fern, the relic job, and the 14 years of break in.

Would I swap it for a Gilchrist, an Apitius, a Red Diamond, or Gibson master model? In a heartbeat. When I tried Gibson F 9s, the Mandolin Store had a Harvey and an older one. The Harvey was better, but just a bit. Once again, drive across town and they would both be remembered as the same. This is why when you reach a certain level of expenditure, a plane ticket to Nashville is in order.

As an addendum, I had my SilverAngel in Gryphon one day and played it next to Collings. Completely different sonic spectrum, but equal quality of tone. My SA cost me $1400 used, is fully bound, and held it's own. You don't HAVE to break the bank. Another affordable I'd look at is Radcliff. If you get the chance and find yourself in a store with both Eastman and Collings or Northfield, pay attention to the resonance of the G string. That is the make or break difference. If you are in this for the long haul, cross that threshold as soon as you can. My Eastman MD 505 got me hooked. I only had it for a few months, but in those months I went into stores and played the high priced spread. Being cheap I took a chance on my SA and never regretted it.

If you were to buy a Collings MT used, you'd never lose money on it. I'd tell anyone that had already gotten reasonably good on another instrument to buy one as a first mandolin. You already have conquered one challenge, so have a great chance of success. I use the MT only as a readily available example.

I heard Webers and Flatirons that were great sounding and some that were absolute dogs and they were all in different price ranges, with the price having nothing to do with the tone. And if you've been following my story closely, you'll know that that is the early 2000s by girlfriend bought me a F5G that I absolutely hated, and that I had a cheap Fender mandolin that sounded glorious which was a total freak of nature because when it got stolen I bought 3 more of them that sounded like absolute garbage. Mandolins must truly be that most idiosyncratic of all instruments I've played. All I know is that I finally got one that checks all the boxes that I wanted checked.

[Br1ck]

You have that right. Even day to day, season to season, they can go fro glorious to meah. In fact, my Weber is the only one I've played that I've liked. Previously I'd have told you I don't like them.

But the few Harvey era Gibsons I've played have been great.

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by Br1ck

You have that right. Even day to day, season to season, they can go fro glorious to meah. In fact, my Weber is the only one I've played that I've liked. Previously I'd have told you I don't like them.

But the few Harvey era Gibsons I've played have been great.

I find it funny that within a few weeks time that we both found mandolins that really do it for us, and at pretty much the same budget. The sun was shining down on us. Now lets go make music!!!

[leew3]

What a beauty and I'm happy for you that you found it. My Breedlove Legacy OF surprises me every time I play it. I think my wife was surprised a couple years ago when I auditioned quite a few mandos at Carter's in Nashville and concluded that none were enough better than what I have to make a change. Keep enjoying both of those beautiful Gibsons.

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by leew3

What a beauty and I'm happy for you that you found it. My Breedlove Legacy OF surprises me every time I play it. I think my wife was surprised a couple years ago when I auditioned quite a few mandos at Carter's in Nashville and concluded that none were enough better than what I have to make a change. Keep enjoying both of those beautiful Gibsons.

That doesn’t surprise me because if you’ve been following my story my Breedlove USA built FF and OF mandolins consistently won shoot outs against a Collings MT that I purchased for almost 3 times the money that the Breedloves cost. But this Gibson is in a whole different class, it just has a sound every time I pick it up it makes me wanna play it. It could be a freak of nature :-)