Fullerton Gloucester - What Happened?

[Chords]

From everything I've seen this was a nice product. What happened?

[Chris Keth]

What are you talking about?

[Chords]

I cannot find anything on these mandolins anymore. Did they stop making them? Why?

[Chris Keth]

I've never been able to find much information. All of my searches lead to this website. I liked mine while I had it.

[mcH]

IIRC (someone more knowledgeable feel free to correct me)-- The Fullerton line was a house brand of musiciansfriend.com, who was bought out by Guitar Center about 2 years ago. One of the byproducts of the buyout was to discontinue the house brand (Fullerton), so MF sold the remaining instruments at a substantial discount. All the Fullerton line were imports spec'd out to MF's standards, and some cafe members here claimed that the mandolin lines were rather awesome.
I personally owned a Fullerton Hammonton, which was definitely OK for a low end mandolin (nothing to rave about sound wise -- even with a good setup). I have since thinned the herd, and sold it to a friend, who still plays it; the sound has improved in the past year.

[Chords]

So they were bought out and liquidated. What mandolin would you see as a replacement to this particular brand/model? GuitarCenter's brand is Rouge, is the fit, finish and sound comparable to the FG for the price?

[John Flynn]

IMHO, in that general price range, I think the Kentucky brand (Saga) is delivering the best value right now, although admittedly that is a generalization. I personally have not been that impressed with Rogue, but I haven't played every model they've ever made.

[Chris Keth]

If you want a fullerton, get a fullerton. They come up on the classified page here regularly. I just sold one about 2 weeks ago.

[MikeEdgerton]

Close. They were a house brand owned by music123.com when they were purchased by Guitar Center who owns musiciansfriend.com. The Gloucester was one of several mandolins that were sourced from the pacific rim by music123 and sold under the Fullerton label. Somehow all of the Fullerton's got a mystical reputation (even though they obviously came from different sources) when it was the Gloucester that was actually the stand out in the crowd. It was a copy (basically) of the Gibson F-9 series of the time, plain brown, not very ornate. Jim Broyles bought the first one and it grew from there. I will note that they were selling them at fire sale prices (Jim paid more than anyone else did if I recall). The last batch went out at around $150.00 with free shipping if my memory serves me well. At a sub $200.00 price they were outstanding, I don't know what the original price was but there was a point where other mandolins would have been a better choice. They were a great mandolin at bargain basement prices and that's what propelled them to the fame they have today. To be honest I doubt they would have received this much attention if they weren't giving them away. I'm just sorry I sent the one I bought back.

[Jim Broyles]

It was Music123 they were the house brand of, and the Gloucester was their best model. The Hammonton had fancier inlays but the Gloucester had the tone. With a cast tailpiece and a bone nut mine really wails. When MF bought M123, they kept the Rogue nameplate as a house brand and bagged Fullerton. Too bad, the Gloucester is a fine mandolin. The guy at M123 who was responsible for obtaining the Fullerton mandolins has posted here. I forget his name.

[Jim Broyles]

Yeah, I paid $269.00 and they were going for $179.00 at the end. Three guys I jam with bought Fullertons - two Gloucesters and a Hammonton. Jim Simpson is one of them. I guess Jim still has his, I haven't seen him for a while since he moved to WVA. As far as I know he likes his.

[pager]

I was at a jam about a week ago and an age 15ish fellow had an F Fullerton Pennington. I believe the Pennington was the least expensive F of the Fullerton F mandolin line. He let me play it. It played VERY nicely with great low action and I was actually impressed with the fit and finish. When he told me he paid $89.00 for it, I was amazed. It sounded as good as the Kentucky 630's I have played, and he bought it for $89 bucks including shipping during that fire sale. For the price he paid, he got a once in a life time deal on a GREAT student grade instrument!

Jillian

[MikeEdgerton]

Any group of instruments that were named after towns in New Jersey are OK in my book.

[Jim Broyles]

I wanted a Mahwah.

[MikeEdgerton]

Your lucky they didn't send you a Hoboken.

[Jim Broyles]

Might have only played Frank Sinatra songs.

[John Flynn]

Any group of instruments that were named after towns in New Jersey are OK in my book.
From the "Weird Names for Towns" website, some other names of NJ towns that might have made good mandolin models:
Bivalve
Brick
Cheesequake
Cologne
Colts Neck
Egg Harbor
Good Intent
Ho-ho Kus
Love Ladies
Piscataway
Succasunna

[man dough nollij]

I had a Cheesequake F6. It was a monster.

[Chords]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Evidently Guitar Center did a very good job of wiping out the brand and product.

I looked at an A and F Epiphone as well as an Applause and Ovation at Guitar Center today. Just couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger on the A Epi since the F Epi that was $250+ more expensive was already falling apart. I believe the A was $175 and the F was $550. I'll pay more attention to Ebay and the Classifieds here.

Thanks again!

[Lee Callicutt]

I believe I have the distinction of snagging the last Gloucester (a return, with cracked f-hole) for $99. I also have a Pennington and the A model (I forget the model name) which was really an outstanding value for a solid top at $49. They are all a great value if you just don't pay too much. I also have a couple of their guitars which are also incredible values if you can get them for not much more than the closeout price.

[Rick Cadger]

I had a Gloucester. I sold it some time back and I really miss it. In a strange way I miss it even more than I miss my Bovier Tradition. The Kentucky I managed to grab recently has sort of filled the void left by the departure of the Bovier, but there was just something really appealing about that Gloucester - it seemed more individual, quirky. If I had it to do over, I wouldn't sell it.

All solid woods, low action and a very, very acceptable sound indeed. Mine was $199 in the legendary close out.

The Gloucester was a plain Jane, but a very commendable low price mandolin. More for playing than looking at. IMHO it was definitely worth a lot more than those final low prices. A fine candidate for hardware upgrades to get the most from it.

Despite the plain brown looks they have quite a personality for such a cheap mando. Although I no longer own one, I still think (where the solid wood Gloucester is concerned) that the reputation was mostly justified.

[mandotool]

I had a look at the Gloucesters..
The first one i got hold of was not bad at all...not pretty ..but played easy and with decent tone,volume,chop, etc...
Well that got my curiosity going and so i picked up a few more along the way but found the next several to be sub par...
So it was only one out of four that was worth the trouble in my case...
Just my 2 cents..not exactly a rave..

[jim simpson]

"Jim Simpson is one of them. I guess Jim still has his, I haven't seen him for a while since he moved to WVA. As far as I know he likes his". - Jim Broyles

Hi Jim,
I did like mine but found myself jonesing for a Collings A model. I sold off the Fullerton and a fiddle to a fellow who was happy to get both from me. I also sold off some other stuff to finance the Collings. It seems like a better match to my Daley as far as alternating between them both.
Miss the jam!

[devilsbox]

Just a thought here... If they were imported from a nameless foreign source, wouldn't someone else likely be still selling the same or at least similar product? Does anyone know what became of the maker?

[ApK]

Imported from a foreign source doesn't mean they were pre-made, bought off the shelf. Just 'cuz one factory makes stuff for a bunch of labels, they don't necessarily make the same design to the same specifications.
As I recall, somone involved in the brand was on this forum at the time.

That $49 closeout price solid top A style was the Nottingham.
That's what I have, too. It sounds and plays ridiculously well for that price, and would still be best-in-class at $99 easily, IMHO.

ApK

[MikeEdgerton]

I think at some point we had a pretty good guess as to what company built them, I've never seen anyone else market the same model under another name.

[devilsbox]

Thanks, I guess that answers my question.

[Misterbenwilliams]

Hate to revive a Fullerton thread- It's been beat to death at the cafe, but i really feel I need to offer my late 2 cents-

I have done all kinds of shopping around the beginning sub-$500 portion of the market.
I have owned the following in just 4 years of playing-
Johnson laminate a style
Ovation mcs 148
Bean Blossom White lightning copy
Morgan Monroe Mahogany A
Paris Swing Jorgenson Model
Michael Kelly Legacy festival
Michael Kelly Legacy plus

I have mostly just sold and traded up. (Or traded "over" based on on the varying quality of this dubious line-up of beginner mando's.)

I sold my last mando out of financial necessity (Baby in the hospital) and I have missed a mando in my life more than I ever thought. I still don't have alot of money floating around, and the surprising near-mythical reputation of the Fullerton Gloucester led me to invest in one from the cafe classifieds. I knowingly spent more than any of the close-out prices that were posted on the cafe forum. I did this because the Mandolin Cafe has been right about every one of my purchases and these were nitpicks that I eventually came to find out on my own with previous brands as my ear developed.

I love this Fulleron. It plays so much better than either of the MK's that I had! (And better than any of my other mandos in the past...) While I'm not putting it up against any $1k+ mando (Because I"ve never owned one...) It is obviously one of the best sounding mandolins I could have gotten in my price range.

I have so say it's much more than the legendary closeout that has given this understated mando it's reputation. It truly is just that solid of a mando and I once again owe the Cafe a debt of gratitude for the collective wisdom that can be found amoungst it's members. I am slowly feeding a mando piggy bank for an Eastman 814 or even a Condino, but this particular Fullerton will stay off of the mando market for many years to come. Thanks, Cafe Members - Ben

[MikeEdgerton]

You should thank Jim Broyles, he discovered them.

[JeffD]

Any group of instruments that were named after towns in New Jersey are OK in my book.

I have thought that Forked River would make a wonderful brand name for a mandolin. But most folks outside of NJ would mispronounce as FORKT river, when it really is supposed to be pronounced FOR KED river.

[billkilpatrick]

there's a "new yorker" mandolin made by gretsch - as dubious as that sounds, i imagine a "jerseyite" would be even woise.

[CES]

Glad you got one you're happy with!! I've come close to picking one up over the years but already have a servicable F-style entry level mando and just haven't made the plunge yet...but, there's always tomorrow!!

BTW, hope your baby is OK...

[swampstomper]

Hey, if Montana can have every rock and rill memorialized in instrument names by Weber, why can't New Jersey? Other Jersey things worth naming a mando:

"The Jimmy Hoffa" --> sort of like, 'no, *you* stand back'
"The Bill Parcels" (now "The Rex Ryan") -- the bowlback
Soprano mandolin (OK, that's already taken)
Port Elizabeth -- for those with toxic finger string-destroyer syndrome

[Tim2723]

I want a Bayonne model. Whatarya? Hey, fogetaboutit.

[JeffD]

Neptune Mandolins, they're out of this world.

They could even have a trident inlay on the headstock.

[Tom Humphreys]

My mando is a Fullerton Hammonton that I acquired through the cafe classifieds. I'm very happy with it, but I'm a bottom feeder by nature;)

Imagine a mandolin with script across the headstock "The Situation"

[dogwood]

I grabbed a Gloucester off Ye Olde Mandolin Cafe Classifieds earlier this year.....schweet!

[Caleb]

but I'm a bottom feeder by natureAh! A kindred soul!

[resophil]

Fullerton Gloucester ...?

Wasn't that the FA Cup final in 1972? :)

[mandopixie]

Any group of instruments that were named after towns in New Jersey are OK in my book.

Hmm..Fullerton, Gloucester, Nottingham, Pennington? Nice to see a line of instruments named after English cities and towns! :whistling:

[MikeEdgerton]

Hmm..Fullerton, Gloucester, Nottingham, Pennington? Nice to see a line of instruments named after English cities and towns! :whistling:

Actually, the original importing company was based in New Jersey and they were named after towns in New Jersey. If you go through every single thread here about Fullerton's you'll find the guy from the company and I discussing it.

[mandopixie]

I love seeing English names for American (and Canadian) towns. I've often wondered: were the naming settlers homesick, or couldn't they come up with enough new names?

[Caleb]

I still wish I'd have bought one of these when they were on the market. . .

[MikeEdgerton]

I love seeing English names for American (and Canadian) towns. I've often wondered: were the naming settlers homesick, or couldn't they come up with enough new names?

If you really want to see something amazing go up to Massachusetts and listen to the pronunciations of those town names.

[Scott Tichenor]

I still wish I'd have bought one of these when they were on the market. . .

There it is (http://www.mandolincafe.com/cgi-bin/classifieds/classifieds.cgi?search_and_display_db_button=on&db_id=46650&query=retrieval), better grab it.

[MikeEdgerton]

I'm tempted and it's not even on my list. With the case and all that's looks pretty good (assuming it comes with the case).

[Rick Cadger]

Oh, the pain...

I really wish I'd kept the Gloucester I had. I think I paid $199 for it and it was at least as good as many of the more expensive mandos I've had since.

[Paul Busman]

I got one of the last ones, and totally love it. I've added a Tone-Gard, Red Henry bridge, inexpensive cast tailpiece, plus had it refretted with higher fret wire and the fingerboard radiused. The luthier work was done in exchange for one of my whistles, so those jobs basically cost me my labor.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v69/Brewerpaul/bridgeandtailpiece.jpg
Went to a local shop today and played Eastmans, MKs, Fenders, Flatiron etc up to $700 and didn't like them nearly as much as I love this Gloucester.
One more mod to go-- I'm going to add a K&K internal pickup so I can use this for Irish gigs instead of the $90 electric mando I got from Rondo Music.
Maybe it's sour grapes, but I seriously can't imagine what on earth could make one of the "big boys" worth 10 or 20 times (or more) the $400 or so I have invested in this mando. Prettier, sure, but for just joy of playing I can't imagine it.