PDA

View Full Version : Flatiron gibsons



Soupy1957
Dec-29-2006, 7:15am
today I noted the existance of a "FlatIron" Gibson, (I'm a late bloomer, what can I say..), and I'm wondering about them.

Are they a reduced price Gibson? What's the history on em?
Why the "FlatIron" name on the Tuning Head, rather than the Gibson "brandname?"

As the robot in "Short Circuit" said: "Imput.....need imput!!"
-Soupy1957

Jim Broyles
Dec-29-2006, 7:30am
Soup, search is your friend. So is Google. Short answer - Flatiron was a small mandolin builder in Montana, was bought by Gibson, Bruce Weber went to work there, Flatiron moved to Nashville, Bruce moved back to Montana and started Sound to Earth which makes Weber mandos.

Jerry Byers
Dec-29-2006, 7:32am
A lot of good information is buried in the older threads.

History of Flatiron (http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=Search&CODE=02&SID=45950a2f04bdc243)

fatt-dad
Dec-29-2006, 9:27am
Flatiron mandolins were so good that Gibson bought their Montana shop in 1987. Prior to that, they just may have been the best "factory" mandolin made in America. Under the Gibson ownership, you could buy both a Montana-made Flatiron and a Montana-made Gibson. There was very little difference beyond appointments in the upper level instruments. There were some entry level Flatirons that did not have a Gibson counterpart, however. In the late 90s, Gibson closed the mandolin production in Montana and moved it to Nashville. For awhile you could buy both Nashville Flatirons, which were made side-by-side to Nashville Gibsons. Many of the entry level Flatirons were discontinued in Nashville. In Nashville, Charlie Derrington changed the production to include the conventional dovetail neck joint (in addition to other changes, I guess). Somewhere (I want to say 2001), the last Flatiron mandolin was made in Nashville. Last year Gibson introduced a Flatiron as a prototype, which has yet to make it to their production lineup.

fatt this-is-about-right dad

sunburst
Dec-29-2006, 9:47am
Yes, fatt is-about-right dad is about right.

Gibson bought their competition, as happens in business. In this case, they bought the competition that was kickin' their butt in terms of quality.
My memory might be off by a couple here, but Flatiron was making either 12 or 15 mandolins per month, and when Gibson bought them, they went to half Gibson, half Flatiron, doubling production "over night".

Considering the history of that time, I think of the Montana Gibsons as Flatirons dressed as Gibsons.

sun adding-a-little-more-info burst http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

JEStanek
Dec-29-2006, 11:19am
If you mean the new Flatirons that Gibson is making in TN then that is a line started 1-2 years ago. several prototypes were seen on the cafe and e-b$y for a bit. I believe there is still marketing and larger issues with their release from a corporate point of view.

Perhaps BigJoe Vest will provide an update. The new Flatirons were priced a similar to little below the Gibson F9 models if I recall correctly.

The older Flatirons have been well described above...

Jamie

Kevin Briggs
Dec-29-2006, 11:59am
I think it's worth mentioning that the Montana Flatirons have enjoyed a great reputation, and you don't see many of them in the classifieds or on Ebay (at least, I haven't).

I've played three in my lifetime: a '92 Artist, '94 Artist, and '95 Artist. All were very different. The '92 was buttery and hummed like crazy. It sounded very beautiful, and still maintained a nice chop. The '94 is one I still get to play every once in a while, and it's what I would call a traditional bluegrass mandolin. It has a nice chop, nice action, and nice tone. It also has what I think is that "Gibson" sound. The '95 is thought by many in my area to be a cadillac. It is loud and plays a stiffer than the other two. It also has a much different, strong V neck. The other two do not.

Historically, the Montana era of Gibsons and Flatirons seems to me to be a turning point in Gibson mandolin production, with a return to consistent quality and attention to detail. The post-Montana era enjoys a great reputation for quality too, with a return to traditional building methods and what not.

cooper4205
Dec-29-2006, 5:22pm
i have never met a pre-gibson flatty i didn't like (especially mine http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif )

Avi Ziv
Dec-29-2006, 5:53pm
In 1998 I bought a new Nashville-made Flatiron A5-Artist. I still play it everyday. I'm very happy with it.

Avi

R. Kane
Dec-29-2006, 6:51pm
I just bought an ebay Flatiron Perfomer Cadet. Almost unplayed, but there's a lot of finish crazing. It arrived last night, and I had to go buy some light strings for it that I'll put on tonight. Flat top and bottom, circle hole, black top.

Even with old strings it sounds like fun. Its going to play in the barn jam tomorrow and outside at First Night in Newport on Sunday. Soupster, I'll bring it to BMAD sometime.