View Full Version : Gibson f-9
Markelberry
Jun-08-2008, 8:31am
has anyone ever heard that the f-9 Gibson did not have a treble tone bar? I was near Bloomington this weekend showing off my A-9 when a person gave me the information,I am not sure I agree with this.
Mark
Kevin K
Jun-08-2008, 8:38am
I would say that is false info
Chris "Bucket" Thomas
Jun-08-2008, 10:31am
My understanding:
Tone bars ARE NOT for tone, but for support of the top plate and the downward pressure excerted by the bridge.
Doug Hoople
Jun-08-2008, 11:21am
An arched mandolin with f-holes has little need for bracing. The tone bars are, in fact, there for their contribution to the tone.
It would be a big surprise to find a Gibson f-style mandolin at any price point that didn't have both tone bars in it.
pjlama
Jun-08-2008, 11:28am
Not true.
Chris "Bucket" Thomas
Jun-08-2008, 11:50am
An arched mandolin with f-holes has little need for bracing. The tone bars are, in fact, there for their contribution to the tone.
I disagree.
I called several luthiers (Gibson, Randy Wood, & several folks on the cafe') to fix a mandolin with a sinking top.
All said within two sentences "you have a tone bar that has come loose."
pjlama
Jun-08-2008, 11:51am
It would be nice if a luthier chimed in but I believe the tone bars are both structural and for tone.
sunburst
Jun-08-2008, 11:57am
Yep, "tone bars" are for both.
Mostly, they are there to modify the stiffness/weight ratio of the top in a controllable way when building, but they have a secondary function as braces.
The top could be carved robust enough to withstand the pressure of the strings on the bridge without "tone bars", but it can be carved thinner and/or lighter if the bars are used. Some builders carve thicker tops with smaller bars, some carve thinner tops with bigger bars, so the importance of the bracing function can vary from builder to builder.
Doug Hoople
Jun-08-2008, 12:15pm
An arched mandolin with f-holes has little need for bracing. The tone bars are, in fact, there for their contribution to the tone.
Yes, I should have added the word "primarily" to the second sentence.
My point was that the bracing in f-style, f-hole mandolins is LESS for bracing and MORE for sound.
Compare that to flattops and in oval-hole mandolins where some of the bracing is used almost exclusively for structural support.
Bill Snyder
Jun-08-2008, 1:15pm
AFAIK the A-9 is braced just like all the other modern Gibsons.