Dream on!

[Vernon Hughes]

No interest on my part.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gibson-1977-F5-Master-Model-Mandolin-EXTREMELY-RARE-/111238363873?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19e652bae1

[pfox14]

Awwwww, the Norlin era. Case is pretty nice.

[Gplayer]

It should be known as the "NO WIN" era. Also, loved the plywood "Pancake" LP's. :disbelief:

[EdHanrahan]

HEADS UP!!

The format of the number tag (photo in the yellow/gold-lined case) looked very familiar. Here's the same item & same photos as currently listed at Mandolin Brothers, for less than half the eBay price:
http://www.mandoweb.com/Instruments/Gibson-F5+Master+Model+Mandolin-1977/3855

Since the seller is listed as being in Staten Island, maybe he's planning to run down to MB with half of his $8K and fill the order. Or not.

[f5loar]

I always heard prices were higher in New York. This pretty much seals that claim. $8K for an extremely rare Gibson F5. Please tell me this is not Mandolin Bros selling this on ebay. Stan knows they won't fetch that much. However this one appears to be a real minty example of the peak of the dark ages at Gibson's mandolin building. But then again, most of these are minty because they seldom got played due to them sounding like a wet log on a crisp fall morning. Sorry guys but even at half price you still ain't got nothin' .

[brunello97]

Since the seller is listed as being in Staten Island, maybe he's planning to run down to MB with half of his $8K and fill the order. Or not.

Now that would be a very clever idea.....

Mick

[sumibuilt]

Or, they are listing it on :mad:Eekbay:mad: knowing that no one in their right mind would ever pay that therefore giving them free advertisement and the opportunity for someone to contact them and do business outside of ~:>Fleabay:cow:

[EdHanrahan]

... no one in their right mind would ever pay that therefore giving them free advertisement and the opportunity for someone to contact them and do business outside of ~:>Fleabay:cow:

In their defense (NFI), there's not much in the eBay listing that would lead someone to Mandolin Brothers. It was just the format of their catalog & website photos that caused me to check their website.

I suspect that anyone who associated the hard-to-spot "Staten Island" location with MB would already know to research further, like looking on the Cafe!

[f5loar]

Or, they are listing it on :mad:Eekbay:mad: knowing that no one in their right mind would ever pay that therefore giving them free advertisement and the opportunity for someone to contact them and do business outside of ~:>Fleabay:cow: Ebay still charges a listing fee plus extra fees for extra photos and add-ons so it's not a free advertisement for the MandoBros. Don't see the reason for listing it at double their website price. Seems like a waste to me although it did get us to talk about it but I don't think any buyers will come from here.

[hank]

Seems like I recall that some of those or possibly the F12 that were very rare with a price that way exceeded any tonal consideration as a player. I've forgotten the criteria(serial/ date)that made them valuable but some of them were converted to nice sounding mandolins (AKA Randy Wood Conversions)only to have their value greatly diminished. I think The Dog keeps an eye out for them to add to his collection of rare and valuable mandolins.

[Scott Tichenor]

Or, they are listing it on :mad:Eekbay:mad: knowing that no one in their right mind would ever pay that therefore giving them free advertisement and the opportunity for someone to contact them and do business outside of ~:>Fleabay:cow:

I think posting a statement like this is its own dirty business. Accusing a prominent national vintage dealer with their reputation of something like this without proof is uncalled for.

[houseworker]

I've reported the listing to eBay as fraudulent.

[Scott Tichenor]

A note from Stan Jay of Mandolin Brothers.

-------

We do not know this seller.

We have notified eBay about this deliberate and egregious misrepresentation.

Our entire website is copyrighted, and we also state “All rights reserved.” So in addition to misrepresentation – offering an instrument he doesn’t actually have for sale -- he is also in violation of Federal copyright laws.

He’s not just ripping off our images, he’s purporting to have a mandolin that he doesn’t have and cannot actually sell.

I wish there was a more demonstrative way I could protect the public from this person, but the system eBay has set up for reporting illegal and/or unethical activity seems like a pretty weak one. Perhaps they will contact me and take action against this fiend.

I think it’s especially interesting that he says that the item “ships from Staten Island, NY” and if you click on his other pieces for sale, which all appear to be guitar effects, they all seem to say “ships from Staten Island, NY.” Could this person actually exist on Staten Island? I think not. I think it’s all part of his Modess Opera Randy.

Stanley M. Jay, Pres., Mandolin Brothers, Ltd.