Just got a new gibby

[kelvin]

Hello Group,
I have been playing for a little over a year now and I just purchased my first high quality mandolin a Gibson F5G. I love it and I already went to the next level in my playing. The tone and volumn is great on it. I recently went to a bluegrass campout and I notice a lot of people where using the tone guardsand arm rest. How many of you use them and what is your feeling on them?

Also I was thinking of having a pick guard installed to protect the finish on the mandolin. What is the going tariff for installing one of these?

Also what type of string come on the Gibby's they seem a bit light to me as I can actually bend them a bit if I don't come straight down on the fret.

Kelvin

[mdlorenz]

Tonegard = invaluable, get one. There's a ton of posts you could research, & waste a lot of time, but they make yoru mandolin sound better & louder (unles you hold it completely off your body when you play)

Armrest helps me because the edge of my flatiron was real sharp, & also when it's hot out it gets your arm. Also seems to get my arm/hand in a better playing position.

I'd bet you can get a pick guard for around $30-$100 (depending on what it's made out of) Doug edwards makes soem nice armrests & guards. & a luthier/shop shoudl be able to install it for you.

[Jonathan Peck]

Most if not all new mandolins come with coated strings like Elixers or EXP's.

Tone guards are great to have, but I've gotten tired of having a chunk of metal between me and my mandolin so mines in the closet...they do work and prevent your body from dampening the back of the mandolin. To see what I mean, hold your mandolin against your body and play it, then hold it away from your body and play it. If you like the latter, then get a tone guard.

As far as armrests go, Doug's McClung armrest are as valuable to me as my pick. I wouldn't play my mandolin w/o either, and Doug is a great guy to deal with.

[woodwizard]

I use a toneguard. love it. I also have an abriviated pickguard. I like it too. Alot of people do not like pickguards of any kind on their mando's. I like the arm rest too but I'm not using one on my Goldrush beacause it made a little mark on my F9 when I had it on it. They are very comfortable to use.

[TomTyrrell]

The "stock" strings on an F5G are the Gibson Bill Monroe mediums. Oddly enough Gibson puts genuine Gibson strings on pretty much all their mandolins!

[Ken Olmstead]

Congradulations man!! When I had my F9 I really like the Sam Bush set on it. Might try them. I am with the others as far as the tonegard is concerned. I am a not a lover of clamp on armrests. Good luck, that should be a great mandolin for years to come!

[mandolirius]

<Most if not all new mandolins come with coated strings like Elixers or EXP's.>

Really? I hadn't heard this. Maybe true for higher end mandolins, but I have a hard time imagining all new mandolins have them as standard equipment.

On finger rests (the two terms have become interchangeable, but they're not actually pick guards, that's what you have glued to the top of a guitar) and arm rests. I am hard-wired to both. They have helped my technique a great deal. I use the McClung model arm rest from Doug Edwards. The finger rest came with the mandolin.

On toneguards, I'm skinny. And I don't hold the back of the instrument against my stomach, so they're of no value to me. I do have a few friends that use them and they swear by them. Course, they're all bigger guys, whose stomachs contact their mandos.

[sean808080]

congrats on your gibson...i love my f9. dont have a toneguard but i do need my arm rest as i tend to hug my instrument for dear life when i'm playing.... :-)

[Mike Snyder]

Congratz on your new G. Be advised that mine was in serious need of set-up when brand new. The nut was just NOT right. I've never heard one that was a real dog, most are well balanced and have good volume. I recieved mine sight unseen on a warranty settlement and have been well pleased. Mine seems to go to sleep easily, but when she wakes up, Oh Mama. If you've got a belly (I do) tonegard
makes mucho sense. Enjoy.

[jim simpson]

Also congrats on your F5G - I have yet to play one that didn't sound great. I miss the one I owned, finances required parting with a few instruments. I felt it was the first excellent mandolin I owned after going through several name brands.
Enjoy

[pjlama]

Congrats on the G, nice mando. If you don't finger plant or pick wildly there's no sense in a pick guard. Toneguards work great and keep the back minty fresh. I've never tried an armrest, I just haven't felt a need. I think too much stuff on the instrument is just too much. You get the tonegaurd, pickguard, armrest, clip on tuner and a strap, you might as well hang a pine scented air freshener off a tuning key and maybe a little virgin mary bobble head for good measure. Sometimes less is more but of course it's your new rig so enjoy and accessorize as you see fit. Well, maybe some fuzzy dice would be cool.

[Philphool]

I hold the mando away from me, so no toneguard.

Armrest is a must for me, 'cause the sharp edge of the mando hurts my arm.

I don't plant, so no finger-rest.

Make yourself happy.
Phil

[MikeEdgerton]

I alternate between J74's and J75's on my F5G. They're wonderful, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

[craigw]

Hey Kelvin, you should have asked me about a pickguard when you were by my place earlier today. I can do F-5 guards in either cyano, figured maple or even ebony. Talk to me. I have never used a toneguard but lots of folks think they are invaluable. I guess it's all what you are used to. I have used an arm rest on my last three mandos and am sold on them. After wearing the finish off the upper bout of the old Gibson I used to have I found that the arm rest not only protected the finish thereafter, but keeps your arm from putting undue pressure and damping the free sound of the instrument. Now isn't that what the toneguard also does? The way they are attached is the same way a fiddle chinrest is, with the contact points only on the rim and not affecting the vibrating surfaces of either the top or back plates.

[Bernie Daniel]

Good choice of mandolin! #Every Gibson F5-G I have ever played sounded great so I know you are pleased.

Other equipment: #
Arm rest -- for me essential. I use the Doug Edwards McClung style its outstanding and he will build to your specs. These are esp great in warm weather -- keeps a sweaty wrist off the mandolin.

McClung arm rest

Tone protection -- good idea I use the Taylor Tone enhancer instead of the tone guard and I think it does the same job, is easier to fit on and is cheaper.

Taylor tone enhancer

Pickguard or finger rest -- optional but I think they look nice and I have on all my mandolins.

Enjoy your new Gibson.

[jim_n_virginia]

another vote for the Toneguard and I just like the J74 Diaddario Phosphor bronze on my Fern

[Mike Snyder]

Taylor tone enhancer vs Tone gard. I've got a good buddy who uses the Taylor with exellent results. His Yellowstone sure rings out good with it on. my problem is that it's just ugly. These mando carvers are artists. I consider my F5G functional art. The tonegard suits my sensibilities much better, even at twice the price.

[TomTyrrell]

I have a Taylor and a Tone Gard. Both do the job but the Taylor has a much higher arch which gives the mandolin a bit of a bowl back feel and it holds the mando just a little bit further from the body. The Taylor also doesn't fit in the case while installed.

For me the Tone Gard is worth the extra money.

[Bernie Daniel]

msnyder: The tonegard suits my sensibilities much better, even at twice the price.

Different strokes for different folks! #

Personal choice -- couple of my reasons:

I can fit my F-5 Fern in the case with the Taylor Tone enhance in place just fine. #

I like it because the mando is fixed firmly in place and there is no movement at all inside the case. #Probably depends on your case style/brand.

Also, you can buy the Tone Enhancer in different colors to match your mandolin -- I have a candy-apple butterscotch color that matches the center of the sunburst and sides of the Fern -- hardly notice it.

One final note the tone enhance is made of glazed aluminum and will not leave a black smudge on your white shirt -- like my (former) Tone Guard always did.

[mandolirius]

<I don't plant, so no finger-rest.>

This is a common piece of misinformation. There are other reasons to use a finger rest. I don't plant any fingers but still consider the finger rest esential equipment. You will also find there are players who plant, even without a finger rest.

[Michael Gowell]

Here Is One of Us who Despises Toneguards...the arched back mandolin playing styles developed with the implicit assumption that holding the mandolin was part of a player's "voice", his style(s) and skills. #The ability to modulate the resonance of the instrument is both powerful and subtle. #Why give up that control?

I'm just sayin...

[TomTyrrell]

I despise baseless assumptions.

[Dave Greenspoon]

I use an original "Tone-Gard" on my Rigel, and love it. #The sound enhancement is incredible. #I also added a standard Rigel p/g, and am glad I did. #I'm thinking about the armrest, but haven't found one that seems to be made for the Rigel's unique side construction. #Enjoy your new mandolin!

[Denny Gies]

My arm rest trick, to mostly protect the finish, was to cut an old sock and pull it on my right arm about midway from wrist to elbow. This protects the finish and also provides a little cushion on the forearm. Congratulations on your new Gibson.

[Ace]

I too have a F5G from Gibson and I love it! I use Elixer Medium strings and everyone else says it's a HOSS! I also use a n armrest that was home made by a friend that really helps with the pain I use to get on my arm. Along with that I made a matching wood nymph that clips on the strings below the bridge. It helps with placement of my wrist when picking.
Good luck enjoying your time with yours! I always do!

Ace