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Wolfmanbob
Apr-28-2006, 8:23pm
I play a 1994 F5 artist. I've had it for about 10 years. I feel the sound and feel of this instrument stand up to just about any other mandolin I've played and many seem to agree. I'd like to hear from other flatiron owners.

mandoforme
Apr-28-2006, 8:29pm
I have a 94 Festival A that is a nice sounding mandolin. I cannot recall ever playing a bad sounding Flatiron. I have played the Carlson signed, the Weber signed, and Nashville made Flatirons. I still think the Carlson era and Weber era Flatirons are better sounding than the Flatirons that were made in Nashville.

Chip Booth
Apr-28-2006, 8:30pm
I've had two of them and played a whole lot more, and although I will say that certainly not every Flatiron is a winner the ones that are winners are outstanding mandolins.

Chip

stevem
Apr-28-2006, 8:36pm
I've owned 2 performer A's. Both were great mandos. One of the nicest sounding mandos my grubby hands have ever grasped was a Carlson artist F. That said, I'm happier with the tone of my f9 than I was with the performers.

Wolfmanbob
Apr-28-2006, 8:45pm
Mandoforme is correct. The pre-nashville Flatirons are the best. It almost seems like Gibson bought them out just to eliminate the competition. They were, after all, superior to the mandolins Gibson was making at that time.

fatt-dad
Apr-28-2006, 9:17pm
Shamless plug alert: Email pre-Gibson Flatiron information to flatironarchive@comcast.net I'm working (along with fellow cafe'r) to assemble a pre-Gibson Flatiron archive. Pancake, octave, A, F - no matter. . . .

fatt-dad

jim_n_virginia
Apr-30-2006, 9:35am
My third mandolin I ever owned was a Bozeman 1995 Flatiron A style and it was an awesome instrument. Very played in and very opened up but I got scroll envy and checked out many mandolins. I had many choices with my $2500.and after careful considerartion I chose another Flatiron. It was another 1995 Bozeman model but it was mint in almost unplayed condition and wasn't as lively as my A style as it hadn't opened up yet.

Now after playing this mandolin hard and frequently (everyday!) it is only now starting to open up and sounds great and I can keep up with any mando I have met at any jam.

I love this mandolin and even if I one day again upgrade I am keeping this one. It's a KEEPER! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

jim_n_virginia
Apr-30-2006, 9:43am
Shamless plug alert: #Email pre-Gibson Flatiron information to flatironarchive@comcast.net #I'm working (along with fellow cafe'r) to assemble a pre-Gibson Flatiron archive. #Pancake, octave, A, F - no matter. . . .

fatt-dad
Fatt Dad why only keep an archive of only PRE Gibson Flatirons? When I bought my Flatiron from Vern Brekke the sound engineer at Flatiron back then (and now Weber) he told me that the Bozeman Flatirons even though they were owned by Gibson were still being made by the same luthiers in the same shop with the same tools.

It was only after Gibson moved Flatiron to Nashville that Flatirons started being patterned after the Gibson F-5G

If you leave out all Bozeman and Nashville Flatirons when they were with Gibson you are going to leaving a LOT of nice sounding Flatirons out of your archives.

I would think this would cause a little confusion to a new mandolin player would is not knowlegable about the Gibson/Flatiron aquisition who is looking for info on their mandolin.

jus my .02 # http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

marion
Apr-30-2006, 8:17pm
I have a 1988 Flatiron A model and just love it. I'd asked a friend who watches what mandos are for sale on this site, to keep an eye out for me for one he thought might be good for a certain price. I now call him my angel , since he found this Flatiron. It's beautiful, black , with a brown back, and has a marvelous tone. I'm not (yet :-) a real good player, but even still, sometimes pickers near me will comment on its nice tone. Thanks Mandolincafe!

Marion

fatt-dad
Apr-30-2006, 8:32pm
Shamless plug alert: #Email pre-Gibson Flatiron information to flatironarchive@comcast.net #I'm working (along with fellow cafe'r) to assemble a pre-Gibson Flatiron archive. #Pancake, octave, A, F - no matter. . . .

fatt-dad
Fatt Dad why only keep an archive of only PRE Gibson Flatirons? When I bought my Flatiron from Vern Brekke the sound engineer at Flatiron back then (and now Weber) he told me that the Bozeman Flatirons even though they were owned by Gibson were still being made by the same luthiers in the same shop with the same tools.
Jim, and a fine Flatiron you have too! I have no real reason to limit this grass-roots project to pre-Gibson other than my initial urge. I got an interesting email from Greg Boyd along the same lines as yours. He told a story of visiting the Bozeman shop and one of the builders had an unfinished mandolin, opened up the window and just added another coat of lacquer. No booth, just get-it-done attitude. Not the image of a corporate building environment - even though it was under the Gibson banner. I expect both you and Greg are spot on, the Gibson Flatirons from Bozeman (as the Gibsons from Nashville are today) are just great instruments. That said, for now we are spending the efforts getting the few entrys properly added and in due time may just open the door for anything with a "The Flatiron" on it - only time will tell.

f-d

Bike Mike
Apr-30-2006, 8:44pm
I have now moved to mandolin *5 on the learning curve, all within a years time. I discovered happiness with the acquistion of a '89 Flatiron Performer F found here in the classifieds. It sounds wonderful, plays like it was custom designed to fit my hand... and is not signed by anyone.
I understand that Gibson had bought Flatiron by '89, but mine is a marvelous instrument and would love to see it included in any Flatiron archive.
Otherwise, my '84 Pancake (that got me started looking for an F style Flatiron, will be alone in this archive. (gotta get that sent in to FD).
Archive or no... I can't imagine (after buying, trying, and selling 2 other F styles) ever finding myself happier with a mandolin. Even if, I'm still keeping this one!

Bike(sore fingers)Mike

Jim Yates
May-01-2006, 10:10am
I've tried two A style Webber signed Flatirons that rank at the top of any mandolin I've played. These were both X braced. How do these compare with the tone bar Flatirons.
Unfortunately, one of these has since been stolen.

fatt-dad
May-01-2006, 10:28am
My carved top A5-1 is X-braced. The A-jrs seem to be tone bar braced; however. Now to get a side-by-side report. . . . .

f-d