the Gibson Showcase
Hello, everyone!
My wife and I are in Nashville for New Years celebrating our 10th anniversary. We're staying at the Gaylord and are seeing Old Crow Medicine Show New Year's Eve at the Ryman.
Tonya has been enjoying the spa, which has been a perfect excuse for me to enjoy the Gibson Showcase over at the Opry Mills Mall. It's a pretty good trade, as John Dunbar would say.
The Showcase was sweet. It was basically like a cooler version of Guitar Center, except you could also watch the luthiers making mandolins and guitars. The people working there were really nice, and they let me play everything and anything I wanted.
I played a few Gibson (not Epiphone) acoustic guitars, and they were nice. I liked the low end, but the highs seemed muted, so I wasn't too keen on any of them. Still, they were definitely nice guitars, and they were worth their price.
I obviously spent more time playing mandolins, and it was a great experience. I had three favorites, one of which being the "one" I would have purchased if I was able. In all, I played Jamster A and F models, an A9, 1960s Fern, F5L, Goldrush, Wayne Benson, Sam Bush, used MM, new MM, and a Skaggs DMM.
They were obviously all at least pretty nice, and I can't say enough about the kind staff working. I'd say the only true dud was the 1960s Fern. Overall, they had the dry woody tone that defines Gibsons. They were all loud, except for the 1960s Fern, some more than others. The necks were very comfortable, and the fit finish was great, even on the varnish models.
Of all of the mandolins, I liked the new MM, Sam Bush, and Goldrush the best. I attribute this to a few things, the most important being quality of setup. Still, there was something special about those three. I'll describe each, for your MAS enjoyment/torture.
I know you're all wondering about the new (2008) MM, so I'll ham it up and give you what you want. The highlights of the MM were the slim neck, sophistocated tone, balanced, loud chop, and plain old fine craftsmanship. The varnish finish had that vintage glow, which added to the positive experience. In terms of actually playing it, the fiddle tunes rolled out nicely. My hands are not as in shape as they used to be due to neglect, but I could still sense the quality. The notes were not as poppy or round as my Weber Fern, and they were necessarily strong, but they were fine and they were sleek. The chop did not fill the room, but it was substantial. Ultimately, I put it down in search of more volume.
I eventually made my way to the Sam Bush model, monel strings and all. It had some full, balanced tone, and also had some of the sophistication of the MM. What made it more impressive to me is that is was louder. The chop was not crazy, but definitely did a better job of filing the room. I could pick notes quickly on it, but could also hit a percussive chop that rang from highs to lows. Nice mandolin, and the wider neck was not as burdensome as I remember. It was, to me, an upgrade in tone over the MM. I attribue this to fine construction, and to my personal tastes.
Finally, the Goldrush was the king of the bunch. I'm sorry, but the chop filled the entire Showcase. I actually thought I shouldn't play so loud because of people trying out guitars. The low G was stark, dry, and full. The high E was piercing and loud. The chop was stiff all the way up the neck. It played incredibly well. In all, it was the only one I would actually purchase, considering the price. It's not to say the others weren't, but for me they were not as worth it as the Goldrush. I suspect somone else may have felt differently, accounting for personal taste.
The elephant in the room in this post is that the Skaggs DMM was not one of the gems. It may have been the strings or the setup, but the three I liked outperformed it. It was even one Skaggs played on tour, and it sounded sort of flat. The fellow working said Dave Harvey recently set it up as well, which perplexed me, based on his reputation. I'm not trashing the DMM, but I feel compelled to report that it was not even the third best mandolin in the place. I'd rank it fifth, after the used MM.
Finally, I also want to add that my perception is also influenced by the mandolin I own, which has a nitro finish and two years of solid playing. I don't think it is a coincidence that I liked two mandolins with lacquer finish the best. They had a resemhlance to mine in the basic attack and response, so I think I could appreciate the tones a little more with that in mind. They kind of played the same as mine does, so I might have been able to pull the tone out a little better. Of course, this could all be a result of the individual differences in mandolins.
Anyway... Hope you enjoyed the post. If you are in Nashville you owe it to yourself to go to the Showcase. It was a sweet place.
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. It is a great place, and the staff there does a great job considering how terribly understaffed they are! Lot's of wonderful people at the Showcase and OAI!
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