Gibson Mandos and Their Sounds

[Mandomania]

About a year ago, Big Joe posted the following comment:

"All our mandolins use the same essential body. #The dimensions are the same. #The bracing is the same. #The tap tuning is the same. #The only differences between the MM and all the others is the MM uses red spruce and hide glue. #Otherwise, they are the same mandolin. #Thank you."

I just purchased a Sam Bush Model after comparing it with #other Gibson high end models, and the (my!) Sam Bush does sound different from the others. In fact they all had their own distinctive tonal attributes, or at least it seemed to me.

I am not complaining! I love my new SB, but I would find it difficult to say it was the same or nearly the same mandolin as the others I tried.

Am I just hearing past SB concerts in my head when I play my new mando, or does this mando indeed have a distinctive sound. And if so, are there any physical attributes #-- beside the vagaries of individual cuts of wood -- that might account for this?

[Tom C]

What Big Joe says sounds accurate and I am sure he's right. But the different models have different attributes that affect tone. Bush model has wider neck so you have more mass in the headstock. Some are varnish some are lacquer. And I'm sure there are more.

[Michael H Geimer]

I visited an ex-Gibson dealer recently (5th String in Berkeley, CA). Based on Joe's comment (which I too had read) there were a couple of models I really wanted to (A) vs. (B).

F-5G (wide neck)
Sam Bush Model

I figured, if what Joe says is true (and I don't really doubt him) I might except these two to sound basically the same. At least in the same 'ballpark'.

But they don't! As we all probably guessed, the Sam Bush stood head and shoulders above the F-5G Wide Neck. In fact, I've played three different Sam Bush models and they *all* sounded *that good*.

What's the scoop?

Paging Joe ... Paging Big Joe ...

[Big Joe]

The F5G wide neck has a flat board instead of radius. #This decreased mass does affect the tone. #As I was quoted above, they are all essentially the same mandolin but have subtle differences in areas that give each their distict tonal attributes. #The bodies on all the lacquer mandolins are exactly the same with the exception of binding and inlay. #The necks are different on the Bush and the wide neck G and each mandolin neck is hand carved so they will each have thier own feel. #The MM and DMM have red srpuce tops and hide glue as well as the varnish/ french polish finish. #The body is the same dimension as the others. #The Goldrush is very similar to the Fern except blonde and slighty smaller F holes. #So, while they are all the same, they are all different. #There would be no reason to build several different models if they were all the same. #Remember, different strokes for different folks.

[red7flag]

Having spent a morning at the showcase the other day, here is my 2 cents. While there are much different tonal qualities of the different Gibsons I played, appromimately 20, there was a Gibson quality that distinguished all of them from say my Collings. While different, you could tell they came from the same neighborhood. Within their dialect and phrasing had a somewhat with different emphasis and quality, you could tell they were from Gibsonland. That even included Big Joe's DMM that obviously went to boarding school and had a Harvard Ph.D.
Tony