What is that Gibson Penta 3 from "eye candy"?

[mad dawg]

Anyone familiar with the history of this Gibson in the eye candy section here at MC? Is this a not-so-well-known model from Gibson's past, or a more recent custom shop offering? I wonder if there is a Gibson-tagged Flying V out in the world somewhere as well? (The pic's file name made me think of Maestro Gregory's Fender-based penta series.)

[delsbrother]

As it should.. They made a whole efamily for him. Check out the penta-type stepped headstock on the big boy below.

http://www.emando.com/images/players/Alex_Gregory.gif
http://www.emando.com/images/builders/Pentasystem/GregoryTrio.jpg

As always, pics from emando.com! (http://www.emando.com)

[krishna]

First off, I don't know of a single mandolin (but it's NOT a mandolin Kerry...) player that plays ANYTHING past the 15th fret, so what were the designers trying to prove putting so many on an instrument like this? The wood on the other side of the bridge should make up...say 70 percent of the weight, but no function at all, other than 'trying' to look cool. I do like--- the 4pole humbucker--- the 4string bridge--- the split headstock (up to a point. At some point it is too spread out to do nothing but make the strings bind in the nut)...Anyway it looks like they are useing the same body for both mandolin and mandocello,and that is even MORE than bogus in my books. It's just like the instrument makers from Italy in the 60s. They did the same thing with all the same bodies for 10 different instruments, they just switched the neck...1 body,a guitar,a 12 string guitar, a bass, a mandocello...on and on....Just cause they COULD do it, and people would still buy it does not make it right. Just my opinion...Kerry ..Just in case I am not clear on this, electric mandolin players deserve RESPECT and proper 'made for solidbody mandolin' parts,not just...'Well,the 4 pole Fender Pre' pickup fits, so we decided back in '88, that was what we would use." Or the same with made for guitar Blade pickups, or those Bartolini 6 pole guitar pickups that one big maker uses. We need things built just for our community,and we also need to raise our standards! So, 4 and 5 pole bridges, (both strat style and Gibson 'tune-o-matic' style), 4 and 5 pole pickups, humbucking, single coil AND single coil stacked, made for us at a reasonable price, "Look, we can MAKE the guitar and bass parts fit. The players will just have to get used to it ,and we won't have to retool. Wow. Guess we can save some money!"

[mrmando]

Huh? The cello body is definitely bigger than the mandolin or mandola body. As for the headstocks, that's an early realization of Alex's compensated headstock design, which does work to eliminate floppy C-string disease. As for extra wood & trying to look cool -- some people would say the same about the scroll and points on a Loar. And finally, if you don't know anyone who plays past the 15th fret, you need to get out more. Heck, I did that yesterday -- on a mandocello! Alex uses these extended fretboards to full advantage. Thile and Apollon are other players who knew what a fretboard extension is for.

[krishna]

I obviously need more info on all of this. Who is Alex and what does he have to do with this factory (is it a factory instrument?) instrument? What about the other stuff I wrote about dedicated parts? That was the thing I was hoping someone would post about . From the pics, I could'nt see that the body is bigger on the cello from these pics.(actually I'm just looking at the pics now and it does seem bigger-------Kerry thought about going to his original post and modifying it, so no one would know the level of his foolishness. "It would be cowardly". he thought..and decided to be brave and leave it------- If I knew who made them (and I thought it was Gibson, so I spent a good 20 mins searching #the net for them), I would have gone to their site and seen for myself. Soooo, are your fingernails made of stainless steel to be playing up past 15th fret? Also,if I had thought that this instrument was made by someone on this site, I never would have commented on it,#as I have my own oddities that I really like...Have I stepped on a person's or a factorie's toes here? ...Kerry...And #after reading your post, I think maybe I DO need to get out more. Thanks for any comments people....

[Christian McKee]

Krishna,

For someone with that handle, you certainly seem to be worked up about this... #First off, relax a bit :) #Second, most of the information you're looking for can be found on mrmando's outstanding website: Emando (http://emando.com). #The Alex in question is Alex Gregori, and you can find out a lot more about him and related from that same site. #

As to your comments about parts, I would love to have available to me the same oceanic variety of instruments and parts that are available to guitarists. #But that's never going to happen. #Period. #I think in the next ten years, someone might be kind enough to come out with an amp or maybe some effects pedals voiced for mandolin frequencies, but I'm not going to put money on that. #The fact is, all of the things you want are available at reasonable prices, just not the un-reasonably low prices that off-shore mass manufacture makes possible for guitars and basses. #This is just the reality of the markets. #Any number of builders here (again, see also emando.com) would be glad to have your business. #Just be nice :)

Christian

[krishna]

. I went to emando, and found eveything on Alex. NOW I understand. He got Gibson to make a bunch of 'one offs'. I did'nt know that was even possible.I would have to play a 5 string to know what you are talking about with the floppy c string. I did'nt mean to come on so strong though,(it did'nt seem to me I was at the time...) sometimes I get wrapped up in my own opinions . I also made a mistake about the body size and did a rant on that mistakenly. Alex,if you are reading this, sorry for writting that about a product that I did'nt know enough about..... It's too bad that there is'nt more demand for this stuff. A lot of us here could use it. #Sorry if I offended anyone!...Kerry...PS ask anyone on the site....I usually AM nice.

[Joel Glassman]

Having all those frets in the upper position means they are taking up space where a pickup could be placed. The pickup will have to be placed near the bridge (which IMO is not ideal for the best amplified sound)