F5G or Weber?

[sachmo63]

Lately i've had a hankerin' for an F5G but my question........?

What are the similarities or differences between the G and say a product from Weber, maybe a Yellowstone?

I know over the last few years Gibson has made fantastic strides in they're mandolin line and I've owned a Yellowstone a couple years ago that I wished I'd never gotten rid of. Interestingly enough, no one 'cept me like the Weber. Don't know why but I thought it was a nice mandolin but I didn't want to put the time in to break it in so there it went.

So, lately the G's look interesting particularly for the price in the classifieds lately.

Your thoughts? :popcorn:

S

[MikeEdgerton]

There are Weber fans here and there are Gibson fans here. The only advice I'd give you is to play a few of each. There are others that will swear by one or the other. Good luck on sorting that out.

[Shawn Gambrel]

If you have noticed for the last year i have went from Weber to Gibson. I always wanted a Weber Bigsky but never have played one. I went to Nashville and see Big Joe and he had a used Big Sky. It sounded nice to me I really liked it but after that i went to Gibson.

The difference in the Weber and the Gibson are different from each mandolin. Weber has the fatter neck and wider nut. Gibson have the small neck and nut for easier playability.

For the tone part i think Gibson has it. Weber mandolins sound clean and clear while Gibson have a woof and a bark. This is all in my opinion. I like the Jam Model but i wanted to change so much for it to be what i wanted. The F5G is my pick out of all the mandolins.

[Mike Snyder]

So lets assume that you're aware of the extra trim the Yellowstone has over the G. My best pickin' buddy has one, and he loves it. Buckskin color, sounds good...very Weber sounding. The F5G I play does not sound like the Weber. It has a bassy, midrangy thump with quick decay. The deal is, the instruments are voiced differently. I prefer the Gibson sound, so I own a Gibson. My pal, just the opposite. The build quality edge probably goes to Weber. My F5g surely is not perfection. Whatever your tastes are, we can't tell you. There is a Flatiron Festival F in the classifieds at a very reasonable price. That's a Gibson-built instrument identical to the F5G except for the color and headstock logo. I owned one prior to my G and they are fine instuments.

[sachmo63]

How were those flatirons when they were made side by side Gibson's. Was that during Gibsons dark years?

[tburcham]

I traded a very good F5G for my Weber Yellowstone (with Red spruce top). I would do this trade again, and again, and again. Now that being said, I believe my Weber is exceptional, as I have played others that were good not great. I can say the same thing about Gibsons...I've played some that were good and some that were great. When you get to the quality level of a Yellowstone and an F5g, you really have to play the instrument and go for the one that sounds and plays best to you...no matter which company's logo is on the headstock.

[allenhopkins]

How were those flatirons when they were made side by side Gibson's. Was that during Gibsons dark years?

No, that was after Gibson bought Flatiron, and subsequently consolidated all mandolin-building in Nashville, including people who'd been working for Flatiron in Montana. As Mike S points out, Gibsons and Flatirons were nearly identical when they were made in Nashville. Here's an excerpt from a letter to Folk Of the Wood (http://www.folkofthewood.com/) about the Gibson-Flatiron relationship after the consolidation:

Hello there. I have a 2001 Flatiron Festival F that I love playing. Not long ago, I sent Charlie Derrington, at Gibson, an inquiry about my Flatiron. He told me that the Festival F and the Gibson F5- G were essentially the same instruments. The Gibson differs in the fretboard extension length and has smaller fret wires. That was one of the reasons they discontinued the Flatiron line as they were competing with themselves. The Flatiron was selling for much less than the F5-G but was the same instrument.

Also, Charlie told me that all Gibson mandolins made in Nashville, including the Flatirons, are graduated to the 1923 Gibson Loar specifications. Another significant difference between the Montana Flatirons and the Nashville Flatirons is that the Nashville Flatirons have traditional dove tail neck joints whereas the Montana versions - both pre and post Gibson, had bolt on necks.

It's unfortunate that Gibson chose to discontinue the Flatiron line. Great history behind this name. I suspect that in another 10 - 15 years, the Nashville Flatirons will have established their own reputation. I believe their reputation is fine already but they have not had the time to age like their Montana brothers. Hope this helps!

Of course, Gibson has revived the Flatiron nameplate, but now puts it on a line of mid-price Asian import mandolins.

[pickinNgrinnin]

I wrote that letter to Folk of the Woods some time ago. Nice to see the information is still out there. This was before FOTW's imploded. Charlie Derrington (R.I.P.) sent me some detailed information about the Mandolin so I thought I'd share it.

[sachmo63]

Thats very usefull information. From what I read Flatiron owners really love their instruments.

[GRW3]

Is the F5G the one without back binding? That would make it more akin to the Weber Bitterroot, which can be had in gloss too. (I would see binding being a bigger deal than gloss/satin.) With the F9 and Jam Masters falling between the Gallatin and the Bitteroot. They are not bound but have the traditional scroll where the Gallatin has (hmm, how to describe it...) a proto-scroll.

Be that as it may, Gibsons tend to sound like Gibsons, Webers like Webers, Collings like Collings, etc., etc. I beat the same drum all the time, what you like is the most important thing. I will not discount the impact of tradition on that decision. Tradition is important too. In general I'm a Taylor guitar fan but I cannot deny the extra jazz I felt when I owned a Martin. Be true to yourself...