Gibson f12-e

[recon]

Anyone ever heard of such a mandolin? Is it a converted F12?

[John Rosett]

I remember seeing an album cover of some bluegrass band, and the mandolin player was holding what looked like a mid-late 50's F-12 with a P90 pickup mounted on the top, just below the fingerboard. I can't remember the name of the band, but I rememeber thinking that it was strange to see a bg mandolin player with an electric.

[recon]

Thanks mandorose.

[f5loar]

The F5 and F12 of the 50's and 60's were custom made to order mandolins. You could request an F5 or F12 with a blonde natural finish top and you could ask for an electric model which likely would include the P90 as used in the EM200 and EM150. Photos would be nice.

[recon]

I am waiting on some photos. Will try to post a few here when I get them.

[recon]

Here are some pictures. My curiosity has been satisfied--not for me.
Pictures of F12-E (http://www.fiddlers.us/gibson/)

[John Rosett]

Is this mandolin the one mentioned is this ebay ad?
<a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-1919-Gibson-A2-Mandolin-and-Case_W0QQitemZ170255857061QQihZ007QQcategoryZ10179 QQss
PageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem" target="_blank">http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage....iewItem</a>

[recon]

Yes it is the one mentioned in the ebay ad

[CountryBoy]

I added some better pictures of this mandolin this morning, any information that members have about this style and the electric option would be great.

I know the 2nd owner (the one that I traded for it) and the story about the life of the mandolin, but just how rare are they? I traded a 1968 Martin D-28 for it; the guitar was in ALMOST perfect condition (the pick guard was curling slightly and there was a "dent" on the back of the headstock... did I make out OK?

[recon]

CountryBoy--How does it sound unplugged?

[CountryBoy]

The sound is quite muffled when played unplugged ..

[f5loar]

Just back from the Charlotte Guitar show and really nice mid to late 60's D28s were in the $5000 to $7000 range.This is also the price I see them at in the Vintage Guitar magazine so I know they do sell in that range.
I've not seen a 50's F12 in that range. I have seen 50's all original F5s in that range. How rare is a 1954 F12?
While the F5 and F12 were custom ordered they made 72 F12s compared to 14 F5s. I doubt there were more than a few made custom to the electric spec since '54 was also the first year of the EM200.

[allenhopkins]

did I make out OK?
Depends: what did you acquire it for -- because you wanted to play it, or as an investment?

In either case, I wouldn't have made the trade, for whatever my fairly uninformed opinion is worth. #You had a Brazilian rosewood D-28, and in the current market Brazilian commands quite a premium. #You say it was in excellent condition, with only one ding and some pickguard curl.

The F-12E was not in as good condition; it had significant replaced parts (bridge, knobs, tuners). #There's damage to the pickguard where someone wrote on it with a glitter pen. #There's a small crack below the pickup, which may or may not go through the finish.

For those reasons, despite the greater rarity of the F-12E, you took a hit on condition. #And, as a musical instrument, there are also issues. #The weight of the large pickup and controls dampens the top movement significantly; as you have found, it sounds "muffled" as compared to a straight acoustic instrument. #Amplifying mandolins by sticking what amounts to a guitar magnetic pickup on the top, is no longer "state of the art." #Most acoustic-electrics now use some sort of piezo pickup, or an internally mounted microphone, or a much smaller magnetic pickup. # They also forego the big front-mounted knobs.

The F-12 was always a step down from the F-5 in Gibson's catalog. #F-style mandolins in this time frame were produced infrequently by Gibson, to special order, so the F-12E is indeed a rare bird. #There may well be collectors out there who want to acquire one. #I'm not as sure that there are many musicians who want to play one.

Wish you luck with it, and hope you enjoy owning and playing a rare instrument. #I'm not sure I'd have traded it "straight up" for a Brazilian D-28, though.

[CountryBoy]

I actually acquired it for my 11 year old daughter (she was 9 at the time) to play thru the system at jams/shows but when you have a condenser mic on the stage you have it coming thru the system on 2 channels and it just didn't work out the way that I thought it would, however, it does sound good plugged in. My daughter also likes to play the same instrument all the time regardless of the situation (we have 13 violins and she plays 1 of them exclusively, a custom made 5 string) and since the sound of this instrument is muffled when played acoustically it wasn't an option for an "around the fire" type of jam where you are competing with Martin and Taylor guitars and Gibson Banjos. Now I am willing to part with it to purchase my son a steel guitar and amp so here I am.

[f5loar]

The things Allen mentioned as "issues" with the F12E and the rather odd looking non-standard cut peghead it is not in the "collectors" category even with it's rarity. I've seen 50's F12s in this condition in the $2000 to $3000 range lately but taking away the lack of it being an acoustic F12 may drive the price down even more. I've got a near mint '54 F12 for sale now at $4250 with great acoustic sound.