OTbanjopicker - Posted - 01/07/2011:  10:47:45

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firstqualitymusic.com/p_BGF5MF...owth.aspx

what i wouldnt do to get my ands on that thing...dear lord

Weber F - Posted - 01/07/2011:  11:48:17

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very nice but a little over my budget I'm afraid

irishbanjos - Posted - 01/07/2011:  12:30:01

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I wish I could buy it, but it's too much expensive :'(

theonly1hardway - Posted - 01/07/2011:  17:13:13

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Better go ahead and latch on to it you will save $12,100!!!
harrisonbanjos.com

dmiller - Posted - 01/07/2011:  20:32:33

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What a gorgeous instrument! I bet it sounds better than it looks.

Where's that winning lottery ticket when you REALLY need it, eh?

coelhoe - Posted - 01/08/2011:  07:41:24

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Just to be a little cynical here, It may be wonderful, and it may not. If you've played a lot of mandolins, you probably have a sense of what one has to sound like in terms of volume projection, single note tonal quality, chord projections ("chop") and other such factors. How many of those factors are due to the age of the maple remains to be seen. The age and quality of the spruce top has to be factor as well, perhaps an even more important factor.

Construction theory, graduations, neck density, bridge construction, type of finish, scale length, neck angle and reinforcement, and most important: type and placement of top bracing all figure into final sound.

To say that this Gibson "...sounds just like a 1920's Loar" is a kind of weasel statement. Not all Loars from the time period have that typical desired volume and projection. Sound wise, some are just average, a possible consequence of the inserted and then (sometimes) removed "Virzi Tone Producer" a pie shaped wooden piece inserted between top and back. Loar himself was believer in the Virzi, and a part owner in the company. Others did not share his faith in the device.

Gibson has been trying for years to find the holy grail of mando construction, or at least of mando marketing. Hiring Steve Carlson away from Flatiron in the late 1980's was a good first step, but (IMO) the marketing ploys of the 1990's with "signature" instruments supposedly designed and approved by various well-known players (Sam Bush, Doyle Lawson, etc.) has not worked out too well and others seem to agree as these instruments have not retained value in the used market. The Monroe specials and Master models have had the same result. I have played most of these while visiting Mandolin Brothers in NYC.

For me there are a couple of tone standards that current production has to come up to, if not exceed. First, there are the cross-braced A and F models from the Carlson days at Flatiron. Equal to those or perhaps even a bit better are the Gilcrist mandolins of roughly the same time period. These are instruments that have appreciated in value, especially the Gilcrists.

As to this FQ mandolin, for me a lot of the rhetoric about "factory floor" maple is just silly. If the instrument is so good, one has to wonder why Herschel Sizemore (a really great player who deserves to be better known) didn't use it for his entire album and not just for two cuts.

Nowadays, there are a great many mandolin builders producing top quality instruments at reasonable prices, in fact once inflation is figured in these prices are often better relative to the economy than they were twenty-five years ago. I would advise buyers that before you get swayed by such advertising promos you take the time to try a lot of instruments. You can often do so just for the cost of shipping.

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Edited by - coelhoe on 01/08/2011 07:42:10

TI_USER - Posted - 01/08/2011:  12:36:35

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I would have to agree with "coelhoe" on this one. There are so many factors that go into making a great mandolin. There are so many players out there that hanker after a Gibson F5 of any kind that they make themselves believe that any Gibson is automatically the best there is. Just because a mandolin looks beautiful does not mean it will sound as beautiful. While I do believe that Gibson does make a fine instrument, I have heard and played many Gibsons over the years that were just average sounding mandolins, including some Loars. For the most part, Gibson refuses to work on new building techniques or designs because no one will ever build a better design than Lloyd Loar. Bottom line is there are lots of mandolins out there that are as good or better than many Gibsons at a fraction of the cost. The top tier instruments from Gibson are outrageously priced and (IMO), unless you are are buying strictly for investment purposes, you do not always get what you pay for in terms of sound quality.

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Edited by - TI_USER on 01/08/2011 12:40:05

Bill Johnson - Posted - 01/08/2011:  20:48:35

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I imagine that in my hands it would sound like a $100 Chinese import.
And much like the world of World Quality Violins, while capable of truly magnificent sounds. These magnificent sounds are only available when produced by the hands of a World Quality Talent. But it is nice to dream.

Bill Johnson

TI_USER - Posted - 01/09/2011:  07:20:37

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That's an excellent point. I once had a upper level Kentucky mandolin that, in my hands, sounded like a above average instrument. But I once let David Peters use it to sit in with my band and suddenly it sounded like a much more high-end mandolin. The player has so much to do with tone.

fairportmando - Posted - 01/10/2011:  18:19:24

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quote:

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Nowadays, there are a great many mandolin builders producing top quality instruments at reasonable prices,

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I agree with this statement on a first hand basis. I owned a Gibson F-2, it was the mandolin I always wanted. I sounded OK in my hands but I couldn't justify owning something that expensive that just sounded OK. I sold it to a serious mandolin collector/player and he loves it. For about a third of the cost of the Gibson I bought my present mandolin from a small builder Scott Hennis. I had it set up the way I wanted it and it fits me better than the Gibson or any of the other factory made F-style mandolins I have owned. So I firmly believe you can get more mandolin for the money from a mandolin builder of your choice.

mrbook - Posted - 01/12/2011:  16:27:00

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The picture makes it look exactly like a lot of nice mandolins. I can't get excited every time I see a beautiful, expensive instrument. I certainly don't need it for my next $25 gig, or even for the $100-200 gigs I usually get. I've got a decent, handmade instrument I've played for a decade or so that feels comfortable in my hands and sounds good.

I'm not a reverse snob, though. A friend let me try his Red Diamond, and I've never encountered a mandolin for the first time that sounded or played so good. I was too intimidated when I tried another friend's Loar to do it justice or get a good impression of it. Most times, however, I only want an instrument after playing it, not by looking at a picture.

helichuck - Posted - 01/21/2011:  20:27:57

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I wouldn't trade my handmade "The Bluegrass" Mandolin for it.,made by Glenn Dean Cecil in Charleston WV

uselesswali - Posted - 01/30/2011:  07:43:56

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to short for a good canoe paddle

Sheldon - Posted - 01/30/2011:  09:18:14

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Expensive? Yes . . . But you get free shipping.

Sheldon

el dobro - Posted - 02/05/2011:  10:17:19

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Maybe Herschel used it only on two tracks because he used one of his Loars on the others. That's pretty good that he used it at all.

coelhoe - Posted - 02/05/2011:  17:43:19

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Yeah, I thought of that after the post, that Herschel had other options, but then why did he use it at all? Hardly matters. I've been a fan of his since the early 70's. But I don't think it makes much difference to the value of this mando. I've recently seen"Bill Monroe" model Gibsons that sold in this $14K range as new now going for 1/3 of that.