F4 vs. F5

[jaco]

I know F5 is generally bluegrass oriented and F4 towards Celtic, Classical whatever, but what is the actual sound difference between these two. ( I'm also aware how difficult it is to describe sound)Is one louder, more midrange sustain etc.? Mike

[mingusb1]

My buddy plays a Gibson F4 and also a snakehead A2Z. #Both have oval holes, and both, for lack of a better descriptor, are "round" sounding to me. #I sometimes imagine a "cone" of sound coming from the oval hole. #Not sure what "shape" the sound from F-holes might be.

Z

[Lee]

Jaco, you really should sit down and play a tone bar F-hole mando and an x-braced oval-hole side by side at one sitting. Then face stark reality; you'll end up owning both eventually. Your only real delemma is which one to buy first.

[jaco]

Lee, I love your logic. When can you sit down and explain this to my wife. Mike

[Bob DeVellis]

Oval holes typically have a less pronounced attack and more sustain. There's less difference between the initial volume and lingering volume than with f-holes. This gives the latter a lot of clarity and crispness. Oval holes have a mellower, warmer tone. This really doesn't do justice to the differences but is just a generalization. The difference isn't that subtle -- it really stands out. But it's hard to describe. For example, although the oval hole sound is complex, warm, and full, that same description would apply to a lot of good f-hole instruments, although in a different way. The f-hole instruments have more emphasis on the higher overtones, giving a somewhat more metallic "ring." Round holes tend to muffle those high partials a bit and give more prominence to the lower-pitched overtones and a more "woody" sound. If you think of steel string vs nylon string guitars, I'd say mandolins are somewhere in the middle, with f-holes slightly closer to the steel string guitar and round holes somewhat closer to the nylon strings, but none of these descriptions really do the differences justice. Suffice it to say that both can be glorious, depending on the sound you're after. Also, both can be considerably less than glorious on poorly conceived or executed instruments, although some fairly modestly priced but well conceived and executed instruments (and they're out there -- Mid Missouri is an example) can sound pretty darn nice.

[bdisp]

bobd.........the best description I've heard on the difference of ovals and Fs.

Lee, I need you to talk to my wife as well.

bobd, so you're the one that beat me to the punch on the username..........

[Bob A]

FWIW, the sound a player hears is rather different from what an audience may hear. F-hole instruments project their soun in a much different and more focused fashion; for a fair evaluation it's as well to have two people testing an instrument, so the potential buyer can experience what the audience would hear.

This difference may be part of the real attraction of oval-hole instruments, which deliver more sound to the player, it seems to me. There are few better instruments for playing in intimate settings.

[uncle ken]

I recorded something awhile back with F4 on the left and F5 on the right. Click here (http://www.mandolinproject.150m.com/misc/lits.mp3) to listen to the MP3. It might give you some idea of the difference between the two.

[BlueMt.]

Very nice version of "Lucy" Ken. That would be a nice addition to the tab archives..hint..hint.

[uncle ken]

Thanks, I can read tab but I've never tried to write it. I might give it a try if there were some free software out there to use.

[mandomiss]

I have a little F4 that I absolutely adore. It has really sweet highs, but not a lot of the bark that the F5 is known for. I like it for some of the slower, less rowdy stuff that I do, but for bluegrass or anything of that nature I would love to have an F5. I also think that the F5 might have a bit more sustain, but I'm not sure.

[Pete Braccio]

Hi all,

Larry Tanner already tabbed out Uncle Ken's version of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. He posted it on Mandozine.com a week or two ago.

Pete

[uncle ken]

That's really cool that someone would take the time to do that. He even did a bass line. Try playing the background part and singing the melody for a fun challenge.

[ohohman]

That is really sweet, Uncle Ken. What a clean, delicate touch. Terrific arrangement. I'll have to go give that a shot.