Hi Folks,
In the interest of potentially upgrading one day, my teacher has asked me to inquire... His mandolin is in great condition, with a highly figured back and sides - X bracing as well. I play this one a lot and it is a great axe.
Any ballpark estimates? Thanks in advance....
- Jonathan in Chicago
Depending on condition I'd say a minimum of $3,500 and a maximum of $5,000. I paid $4,500 for my '87 Flatiron Artist in mint condition.
And to give some persepctive, I bought a Flatiron F-5 Artist new in 1985 for $1,995.
AlanN,
I think that's about what Gus paid for it back then as well.
I'll post pics after the lesson this Sunday.
- Jonathan in Chicago
Mine was 85100106, signed by Steve Carlson. Good mandolin, a bit heavy and thick, but strong tone.
There was a Weber signed Flatiron F5 Artist that sold here on the cafe recently for $2,800. That was a good deal.
Steve,I believe,IMHO,that,in the not too distant future,that they will be worth much more than you paid.You could sell some of the old flattys for the sound alone,If the right person hears it.
John
[in the not too distant future,that they will be worth much more than you paid.You could sell some of the old flattys for the sound alone,If the right person hears it. ]
John, I think you are right, which is why, when I thought about selling mine, I soon changed my mind. Chad Fadely almost bought it, but we could quite come to terms, and this was when he had his Gil before the drop.
Most Flatirons of similar vintage (mine is #78) tend to have faded or mottled sunbursts, but mine is quite strong with no signs of fading.
As to Alan N's comments about his flatiron being heavy and thick, mine is comparible to my Hilburn and Wiens in terms of weight and plate thickness.
IMHO early flatiron Fs should command prices equivelent to Givens Fs, but in today's wacky market, they don't, at least not yet anyway.
A couple of years ago I sold my '84 Carlson Flatiron F5 for $3800. You'll see them advertised for as high as $4300, on Ebay, and in instrument shops.
Charlie
Intermountain Guitar and Banjo have an '89 Artist F on their website for $4900. They call it the "Best-sounding one"
I'll have to ask the boys about that.....
2001 Gibson Master Model F5 #V70311
1996 Heiden F-5 #F-023
2009 Stanley V-5 #44
Thanks to everybody for their very informative responses!
Tune in tomorrow afternoon for some pics!
- Jonathan in Chicago
...and for some more perspective, I bought a Bruce Weber signed F5 in 1995 for $2,900 from Mandolin Brothers. #This was one of the last ones out of Montana.
I'm curious as to how others view the difference between the Carlson and Weber Flatirons. #I have played some killer Carlson Flatirons and I understand there may be a bit of a premium for these.
2015 Chevy Silverado
2 bottles of Knob Creek bourbon
1953 modified Kay string bass named "Bambi"
The first "real" bluegrass-style mandolin that I bought (18 years prior I had stumbled on a Gibson A3) was a 1984 Carlson-signed Flatiron A5-1. I bought it from Gruhn two years ago for just under $1,200.00 and have subsequently invested another $200.00 on a new nut and a radius fretboard. It is just a great mandolin and came with a real nice Loar-style case. I have begun to notice that the market for this mandolin may be getting close to $2,000.00, but who knows/cares - I ain't selling it. I would only imagine with a nice strap hanger, you would really have something!
f-d
¡papá gordo ain’t no madre flaca!
'20 A3, '30 L-1, '97 914, 2012 Cohen A5, 2012 Muth A5, '14 OM28A
Okay, let's try to post some pics... we'll start with the front.
- Jonathan in Chicago
okay, that seems to work. here's the back...
- Jonathan in Chicago
Close up on back..
- Jonathan in Chicago
Neck and side view...
- Jonathan in Chicago
Close up on scroll...
- Jonathan in Chicago
...and the last view.
- Jonathan in Chicago
So thanks for looking! Hopefully the pics will help give you an idea on what the mando is like. Except for the finish wearing off a little right underneath the E strings, she is in very good shape and sounds awesome.
- Jonathan in Chicago
beautiful!
Jason Anderson
"...while a great mandolin is a wonderful treat, I would venture to say that there is always more each of us can do with the tools we have available at hand. The biggest limiting factors belong to us not the instruments." Paul Glasse
Stumbling Towards Competence
Isn't that a gorgeous mandolin? Every time I see a pre-Gibson Flatiron for sale, I salivate. The only one I have played is an '84 A5-2, which had an impressive voice and colored similar to these pictures. I own two later models, a '92 F5 Artist (Weber) and a '93 A5 Artist (Carlson) that are outstanding instruments in every regard. The only Givens (A) I have played was a '70s model, and it had nothing on the Flatirons I have played. The rising prices, I feel, are justifiable considering they were built under the ownership and direction of Gibson. Should the Flatiron mandolins not be of equal quality, therefore of equal value? I welcome your comments, gentlemen.
Jonathan,As Marlon Brando said,"A man who dosen't spend time with his mando,can never really be a man".What a beauty,I'm sure you will spend lots of time with that.Oh,I'm not sure that what Brando said was true,Just wanted to get a little laugh.
John
Looks just like my '87. Someone is going to get a great mandolin when they buy this beauty!
2001 Gibson Master Model F5 #V70311
1996 Heiden F-5 #F-023
2009 Stanley V-5 #44
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