Do you like your Gibson F-9

**rico mando** · Feb-25-2010, 9:18pm

hey every one just curious if its me or the model or just my particular instrument
I seem to see them come up for sale in the classifieds at fairly low prices and mint condition more than once
JUST want to know if i am alone or one of many

I was young and so badly wanted a scroll.

not crazy about mine and want to sell it

**hank** · Feb-25-2010, 10:13pm

You are to be commended for your up front evaluation of your mandolin that is for sale. I don't know for sure but I tend to believe that each mandolin Gibson builds is from a great blueprint but for whatever reason some rock and some fall short like yours. Unless you play a prospective mandolin first and have developed enough of an ear for picking up on things like it's bottom end/good chop etc. and other leading particulars like you mention in your post you are basically rolling the dice on how way cool your mandolin is going to be. This applies to any model and any price range. The more expensive models may have a better chance of rocking because of grade of materials and sealer/finish technique. Still there are great mandolins and not so great mandolins not only from Gibson but most everybody. The other side of the coin is most people who don't play and only listen(your audience)can't hear the difference between one that rocks and one that sucks so the most important thing is to get a mandolin that plays easily(aka your too narrow neck). Your audience definitely can hear the difference between great playing and not so great playing even if they can't hear the subtle nuances of your instrument. Find an instrument you love to play and sounds good to you then trade yours in on it.

**rico mando** · Feb-25-2010, 10:47pm

Do you like your F-9 ?

sorry hank i may have edited my post while you were posting
as you can see i have reduced my post to just this one question.
thank you for taking the time to post your reply it is appreciated
and quite correct. i do own many other mandolins and am very happy with them
and every mistake i make and will make is there for all to hear as well.
there is no substitute for skill .

**jim_n_virginia** · Feb-25-2010, 11:05pm

I have only played 2 or 3 of them but every one I have played surprised me at how good they sound. Sound just as good as Gibson mando much higher up on the food chain but just without as much bling.

What don't you like about your F-9?

Maybe it is the setup? If the bridge is not seated properly to the top it will severely affect tone and volume.

You shouldn't have too much trouble selling it if you don't like it.

**rico mando** · Feb-26-2010, 12:05am

its mostly that my preferences differ from its particular design ( fret size ,neck width ,lack of radius ). the sound projection is great though not as rich in the bottom end and probably needs more playing to open up. the rest is some minor flaws that are easily corrected . obviously i should not have bought it and i seldom play it. but i have seen many for sale and am not sure if that was a good sign or a bad sign. not trying to say mine is a bad one might actually be the best sounding who knows.

thank you for your 2 or 3 yes in favor

**John Kinn** · Feb-26-2010, 4:20am

As a rule they are highly evaluated in this forum (search earlier threads), but all instruments vary. It may be that yours isnt broken in, since you haven't played it that much. I'm with Hank, if you don't like it, trade it or sell it.The Gibsons hold their value quite well. I have a A9 which should be a comparable instrument, and it's a great mandolin, although the narrower nut was a challenge in the beginning. But now I'm fine with it. Good luck!

**Big Joe** · Feb-26-2010, 7:22am

I have not seen one that was not a good mandolin tonally. The key is setup. Like any instrument, if they are not properly set up they will lose an incredible amount of power and playability. Once set up properly you may be as amazed as many others have with their F9.

**Piper** · Feb-26-2010, 8:09am

Have to agree with big joe--set up is the key. Joe took a Loar 700 vs that I considered to be very very good and turned it into a fantastic mandolin. Of course, had a new bridge and tail piece installed, but clearly the set up was the most important factor in turning a good sounding mandolin into a great sounding mandolin.

**300win** · Feb-26-2010, 8:22am

I've yet to pick a F-9 that was not good. one thing that did suprize me over the years. I remember the first one I ever played, tone wise it was very, very, woody, dry sounding, others since then have had a more open ring sustain to them in varying amounts. Just goes to show again that there are many varibles sometimes in instruments of the same model.

**kirkw101** · Feb-26-2010, 9:03am

I have played 2 of them and I thought they were plain junk. Tone to craftsmanship, just looked like a woodshop mandolin and played/sounded like one.

I feel the same way about the A9s.

kirk

**Perry** · Feb-26-2010, 9:30am

never mind

**rico mando** · Feb-26-2010, 11:03am

Thank you all for your reply's if i could easily make the neck wider then i would change the frets and sand a radius . don't know why its my my least favorite mando might just be the others in my collection call me more.but the question is not whats up with my mando as i have it here in my hands and their is nothing wrong with it. but

Do you like your f_9

its a survey really
i look forward to hearing more yes no or maybe's

**allenhopkins** · Feb-26-2010, 4:00pm

We like what we like, and dislike what we don't. An obvious point. The F-9 may be a great mandolin, but not for you. Gibson F-9's have an overall good reputation (other than with kirkw101). You see them up for sale because Gibson's sold a lot of them over the past decade or so, and many people buy them "on the way up" to a more expensive instrument, Gibson or otherwise.

If the Gibson doesn't meet your preferences with regard to neck shape and fret size, rather than thinking about "jiggering" it into a different configuration, sell it or trade it in on a mandolin of equivalent quality that's more comfortable for you. You'll probably have little trouble making a deal for it. No discredit attached to experimenting with a good-quality instrument, and finding it doesn't meet your individual needs.

**Chuck Ficca** · Feb-26-2010, 4:24pm

I bought my F9 last year, played it for a month and there it sat until 6 months later I traded it for a mandocello. For some unknown reason it just didn't do it for me. I'd much rather play my 1920 Gibson A.

**Mandolin Mick** · Feb-26-2010, 4:42pm

I love my F-9! Big on volume, incredible tone and the chop chords bark like a dog ...

**MikeEdgerton** · Feb-26-2010, 5:06pm

Originally Posted by Chuck Ficca

I bought my F9 last year, played it for a month and there it sat until 6 months later I traded it for a mandocello. For some unknown reason it just didn't do it for me. I'd much rather play my 1920 Gibson A.

Considering the difference in the two instruments I seriously doubt it was a deficiency in the F9, it sounds to me more like you have a preference for the early Gibson A sound and feel. They both have 8 strings and the same name on the headstock, other than that those two mandolins are pretty much polar opposites. Not unlike comparing a D-28 to a Telecaster.

Beyond that I like A9's and F9's.

**Chuck Ficca** · Feb-26-2010, 5:45pm

That's got to be the worst analogy I've ever heard. It's nothing like comparing a D-28 to a Telecaster. How about comparing a Model T to a Mustang?

**woodwizard** · Feb-26-2010, 5:57pm

Did I like my F9?! I loved it. It was a hoss. I miss it! ...I like my mandolins I have now but I sure wish I had never gotten rid of that F9. It was sweet!

**rico mando** · Feb-26-2010, 6:47pm

my f-9 has to compete with my 91 master model A-5G steve carlson signed and i am very biased as i have 17yr of sweat and tears(and a little drool) in it.i have slept with it ,i have owned nothing more than it and my dog at one time.it has kept me fed more than once.
john riechman/radim zenkel/pat lawson and many more said that it had a sound better than many similar A-5 gibson they had heard and they tought it was a gem( may be they were telling me what i wanted to hear).nice guys all of them
so to my ear my A-5 is the yard stick other mandolins are measured by.

i also so have a sawchyn A-5 which is quite nice very well made
i will not mention my other 10 mandolins but i have decided to let the F-9 go
there is not so much as anything wrong with it we just never fell in love
it sees the stars i see the moon

so i do not need another mando but i should thin the herd a bit
i guess after i put mine up for sale locally i started to notice them here on the classifieds
they were all selling cheaper than mine and claimed they had little play time on them
thus prompting me to ask
do you like your F-9

and yes i did get to play john's loar ......so sweet!
thanks for all the reply's

**MikeEdgerton** · Feb-26-2010, 7:48pm

Originally Posted by Chuck Ficca

That's got to be the worst analogy I've ever heard. It's nothing like comparing a D-28 to a Telecaster. How about comparing a Model T to a Mustang?

The point was, they are both guitars but they have totally separate sounds and thus totally separate uses. A mustang and a Model T do the same thing really, one is just slower. It's really an apt analogy. Can you play the same songs on either mandolin? Sure. Will they sound the same? Nope. That's why they make more than one model of mandolin. People that love the tubby sound and wider neck of an oval A probably aren't going to be attracted to the slim neck and the bark of a modern F style, no matter who makes it.

**Chuck Ficca** · Feb-26-2010, 9:54pm

C'mon, Mike, Either an F model or an A model can play really good bluegrass(Andy Statman). Comparing a D28 and a tele is a much farther stretch. Let me hear you play bluegrass on any electric. BTW, your F5G is a great sounding mando.

**woodwizard** · Feb-26-2010, 10:50pm

I think the point Mike was trying to make is simply that there is a big difference between a vintage A oval hole sound and a F9 f-hole sound/tone etc etc. Different animals. And may be a person just prefers that oval hole sound more. Me ...I luv em both the same. That's why I got one of each. Could be the way he said it that some didn't like the comparison that way. I think I got what he meant tho. The F9 to me has a full sort of bluegrassy sound while most oval holes have a sort of old-time sound.

**Miked** · Feb-27-2010, 8:48am

I'm late on this one, but I love my F9. When I was looking to upgrade I played an older F9 (old relative to my 2007) that had a flat fretboard and it was okay, but it didn't speak to me. My F9 has a radius, larger frets and was buffed up so the finish has a subtle gloss to it. After getting a professional setup, it has excellent playability and has that nice dry, woody tone that I was after. Sure, you can pick out imperfections in the build, but I'm the only one that notices that. I've had lots of folks pour out their compliments and for now (until the MAS fund is built up), I'll play away and be happy with my F9.

**Chuck Ficca** · Feb-27-2010, 9:34am

Let me, first apologize to Mike for baiting him on his analogy. Secondly, in all fairness, I found the construction of my F9 to be flawless. When I bought it, I tried everything Mandolin Brothers had in my price range, and even had Stan play several for me to hear, from the listeners point of view. The one I liked the best was a '40s F7, I think, that had a really dry sound, but the workmanship looked very sloppy. I guess my point is that since these are all hand made of wood, a very variable product, any one may sound different than another. I guess you just have to just keep buying and selling until the right person, oops I mean mandolin comes along.

**tburcham** · Feb-27-2010, 10:08am

I think the F9 is the best used mando value you see here on the Cafe. At $2k for a nice example, you're going to get to play it as long as you choose and when you tire of it, you're going to get about $2k back for it! That's what I call great economics. If I didn't prefer a wider neck profile, I'd jump all over the one that's currently listed for ~$2k. While I don't currently have an F9, my Dad has one that is a Monster! It has the strongest chop of any mando I've ever played...I mean this thing shakes your toenails! I owned an F5G and it wasn't anywhere near as good as my Dad's F9 (don't tell him I said that...he thinks his F9 hung the moon (-; ). Many of the folks in my Bluegrass circle play F9's and they're all delighted with them.
Burcham Used Mando Scale (BUMS) - Gibson F9 - 10/10!