Gibson question - F-Series, Size and dimensions

[billkilpatrick]

As often happens when surfing the net, I saw a photo of a man holding what appeared to be a diminutive, F-style mandolin and I can't find it again. Either the man was large, with ham-like hands or the mandolin was a tad small.

Were some of Gibson's F-Series mandolins built on a smaller scale?

[mandroid]

Other builders took the Gibson 'F' outline down to Piccolo Mandolin size, a 12" scale, I think ,
and an octave higher,

than the Viola/Mandola .. CGDA tuning convention. or, 2 8va down from a Cello..

I don't think Gibson themselves did. .. could you see 'Gibson' inlaid on the headstock front face?

[MikeEdgerton]

I think Gilchrist built a piccolo F style.

Apparently at least 4, no pictures in the archive.

http://www.mandolinarchive.com/gilchrist/serial/157

[billkilpatrick]

What I remember seeing wasn't as tiny as the "piccolo" F-5 pictured here being played by el jefe. The one i ... glimpsed ... was only slightly smaller and looked very attractive. Jamie Wiens appears to have made some but no photos.

[JFDilmando]

Jamie Wiens built two piccolos I believe. I have the latest one he built a couple of years ago.

[allenhopkins]

Weber's "sopranolin?"

The pictured one has a "hook" scroll, but the one I bought has a full scroll like the larger Webers.

[billkilpatrick]

Just curious to know if at any point in Gibson's production of F-5 mandolins did anyone make a 7/8 sized mandolin. I think a slightly narrower in width, more dimuntive body would look very nice.

Brian Dean's "Labraid" Concert mandolin comes close - sound samples suggest there's no loss in tone or ... anything ... with its narrower body. I'd miss that scroll, however:

[Willie Poole]

I can`t answer the question for sure but during my time I have seen some Loars that seemed to be a tad smaller than others, it could be just that the person playing them was so huge, I never measured them, just eye sight...Also if plans to build a mandolin were copied on a Xerox machine over and over they lose some size each time even though they are set at 100% and if a builder does that he may be building one at 7/8 size and not be aware of it...

[mandroid]

'Violin' scale mandolins are 13 inch where Gibson is 7/8" longer.. 1/8" short of 14.

But of course there ar 4/4 and smaller .. like 3/4, size violins bass Viols and the other bowed family members too..

[HoGo]

Gibson F styles were very consistent in shape and size up to 1940's, only the scrolls and headstocks varied a little.
They were factory and built to specs on moulds and templates so even the very little variation we see is likely not intentional.
In modern times Gibson changed the technology few times and always the body shape changed a bit as well.

[KGreene]

A guy that's been playing with us has a '78 F5L, of which the body is thinner than my '14 F5G.... the thickness of the binding. not sure if that's an anomaly or not? and it does appear smaller ... But it's tone doesn't even compare with the '14.