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View Full Version : any major recording artists who dont play gibson



rwig
Jul-28-2004, 10:57pm
Seems like all my CD's have gibson players. Well, I do have the Tone Poem Cd's. But wondering what major recording artists play the Webers and Collings, etc.

Eugene
Jul-29-2004, 5:09am
You should pick up a few classical CDs. Evan Marshall as well as the Uptown Mandolin Quartet do play Gibson...but these are exceptions, and here Gibson players simply are rare. Marilynn Mair plays a Woodley (earlier an old Lyon & Healy style A). Alison Stephens plays an old Embergher. Carlo Aonzo plays a Pandini. Ugo Orlandi plays a Calace. Gertrud Troester and Caterina Lichtenberg both play Knorr. Daniel Ahlert plays a Dietrich. Richard Walz plays a Daniel Larson (earlier an old Vega). Neil Gladd plays a Seiffert.

There are also non-classical players who don't use Gibson (e.g., young mister Thile), but I'll leave it to those who care more about such stuff to elaborate.

Jonathan James
Jul-29-2004, 5:31am
Tim O'Brien plays a Nugget. Mike Compton, Ronnie McCoury and David Long play Gilchrist. Thile plays Dudenbostal. A bunch play Gibsons but other significant labels are represented as well.

John Flynn
Jul-29-2004, 6:08am
Jimmy Gaudreau plays a Rigel G-110 and Chris Thile has performed with one also. Thomas Sneed of Reeltime Travlers has several mandos, but has been seen playing a new Weber oval a lot latey. Peter Ostrusko plays A-4 copies by a couple different private builders, including Gavin Baird. Norman Blake prefers a Lyon and Healy. Emory Lester likely spends some time playing his "avant garde" signature model by Dale Ludewig. Adam Steffy did a lot of his great stuff with AKUS on an Apitius and a Sullivan.

Scotti Adams
Jul-29-2004, 6:12am
Buck White uses an Ellis...Skaggs uses his Gil sometimes...Benson used a Tucker for a long time...till Gibson reeled him in...As with Bibey who went thru a slew of builders such as Randy Wood....

Tom C
Jul-29-2004, 7:24am
Jessie McReynolds used a Stiver

Atlanta Mando Mike
Jul-29-2004, 9:13am
Jesse Brock played a Fletcher Brock and an O'brien,
Matt Flinner plays a Gilchrist, Josh Williams used to play a Gilchrist and a Dearstone, Shawn lane plays a Dearstone, Roland White plays a Randy Wood. Doyle Lawson has played Tuchers, Paganoni's, as well as Gibson's. Reid Burgess (King Wilkie) plays a Pagononi, If I can think of more i will add them later

A few years ago only a few of the pro players who didn't have old Gibsons played newer ones but now Gibson is giving almost all of the players in prominent bands endorsement deals. I think some get free mandolins, some get a really good price-either way it is money in their pocket and the new Gibson's are pretty darn good.

straight-a
Jul-30-2004, 8:22am
Alan Perdue played a Randy Wood with Mountain Heart.
Lou Reid & Don Rigsby play Red Diamonds.

Flatpick
Jul-30-2004, 8:52am
Rhonda Vincent uses a Smith Creek.....

evanreilly
Jul-30-2004, 9:37am
Bill Monroe played an Epiphone mandolin.
Here is a pic of Bill playing a non-mandolin Gibson.

GBG
Jul-30-2004, 9:50am
How did he keep his eyes on the guitar? Don't tell me he was too old to look!

grsnovi
Jul-30-2004, 12:14pm
A recent shot of Chris Hillman showed him with a Collings.

mandoJeremy
Jul-30-2004, 12:50pm
Okay, I have a correction for Scotti and straighta. #When we last played the Ryman the Whites were also playing and Buck is now playing a killer Gilchrist with a wider neck. #Wayne did play his Tucker for years but Gibson didn't "reel" him in. #His first mandolin with LiveWire was an '81 Gibson Fern. #He recorded the LiveWire album with a Bob Shue mando but he always played his Fern. #He then bought his '26 Fern while he was with IIIrd Tyme Out and that was quite a few years before he endorsed Gibson. #I remember when he bought it and getting to play it. #He laid the Tucker down then and finally gave it back to Melvin. #If you ask Wayne he will tell you that he has always been a Gibson Fern guy. #The last time he called me he had found his old '81 Fern and was trying to buy it back. #Straighta, Alan has owned that Randy Wood for years but for most of his time with Mountain Heart he was playing a C.E. Ward that C.E. built for him. #It was a killer mando also. #Very deep and woody. #I haven't seen Alan in a while but I suppose he's probably still playing the Ward.

Bradley
Jul-30-2004, 3:09pm
We always say that "$^%&*@" plays a Gibson because of the endorsement deal....

I would say that none of the major players that play Non Gibsons actually sacrificed the bucks to pay for their axes either...Its called marketing.

Tim O'Brien plays a Nugget. Mike Compton, Ronnie McCoury and David Long play Gilchrist. Thile plays Dudenbostal.Lets see Mr Thile spring out $25K for a Dude...Dont hold your breath!!

Ken Sager
Jul-30-2004, 3:25pm
Someone earlier mentioned Evan Marshall plays a Gibson. True in the past, but now he mostly plays his Gilchrist. Jeremy Chapman (lightning quick mando picker from The Chapmans) plays a Ramsey. Scott Tichenor plays a Nugget.

Just a couple...
Ken

Will Kimble
Jul-30-2004, 8:05pm
Hey Bradley, I am pretty sure Chris Thile paid the going rate for his Dudenbostel #14, and then payed a pretty penny on the open market to get #5 back. #But it really doesn't matter, because that is none of our business and he sounds so incredible on his Dudenbostels that I can't imagine him playing anything else. #

Yes, there is marketing involved for us small builders. #But most of us can't afford to give away mandolins the way that a large company like Gibson can.

Will Kimble

evanreilly
Jul-30-2004, 10:23pm
That Will Kimible guy is a bit too shy; I am pretty sure that David Long was playing a Kimble mandolin for quite some time.

Big Joe
Jul-30-2004, 10:58pm
Most endorsement deals do not mean a free instrument. In addition, if the artist does not like the instrument as much as he likes his old one he will not play it. To the artist it is a tool like a hammer to a carpenter and he must rely on it to do what he wants and needs when he wants it to. They will not settle for less just because they got a "deal".

While there are many who play other instruments than a Gibson, a good number of those mentioned above now play a Gibson. Not everyone will and that is good. We are not the "swiss army knife of mandolins" and we don't want to be. There are many good instruments out there today and that helps everyone. If we consider what we used to play you could say I used Alvarez, Kentucky, Gilchrist, Collings, Flatiron, Tacoma etc, etc, etc. If you've played long enough you will have tried a number of things. Currently I only play Gibson and I am very happy with what I have. Best I've had yet. On the other hand, Michael Cleveland has a Gilchrist I had built in 95 that I would love to get back and keep trying.

This post is interesting but is not accurate and up to date. That really does not matter though. The real important thing is that there are many good choices for each or us to look at.

Atlanta Mando Mike
Jul-31-2004, 9:40am
Thile is who raised the bar on the Dude's-I believe he wanted #5 back so badly the he offered over 20,000 for it and was the first person to pay that king of money for a dude.

Docmarc
Jul-31-2004, 10:36am
Shouldn't the question be "...who plays a Gibson and who plays a Gibson copy?"

Eugene
Jul-31-2004, 11:22am
Shouldn't the question be "...who plays a Gibson and who plays a Gibson copy?"
Certainly not in the case of classical players.

ira
Jul-31-2004, 12:16pm
drew emmit- nugget acoustic and an "oates" (i think thats what someone told me- hey emando guy chime in) solid body electric.

Bradley
Jul-31-2004, 9:43pm
#[QUOTE]Yes, there is marketing involved for us small builders. #But most of us can't afford to give away mandolins the way that a large company like Gibson can.

Well Yes,thats the advantage of being the "Big Dog", and have marketed a product for MANY years.Along with having so many other things happening within your company.

I personally,think that we are spoiled in all the options that we have.I personally feel that The Gibson Master,The Gilchrist and Dudenbostals are all equal in quality.If you feel the second two are worth 15K more,then knock yourself out...15 years ago did you ever think you would be debating which "5 figure" mandolin is the best?

I have more money sitting here in my closet(instruments) than my Parents spendt on the house I was raised in.How crazy is that....Yes I am spoiled,blessed, or crazy one!!


Happy Pickin

earthsave
Jul-31-2004, 9:54pm
Jeremy Chapman and Jesse Brock now play Gibsons. Not sure if you would call them major recording artists though. Darrell Webb, from Wildfire, now plays a Gibson... he played on Dolly's last CD.

Bradley
Jul-31-2004, 10:17pm
Dont Forget Sierra Hull...

She's packing the Steffey Model, as is Ronald Inscore.

John Flynn
Jul-31-2004, 10:57pm
Shouldn't the question be "...who plays a Gibson and who plays a Gibson copy?"
Another question could be: "Who plays a vintage Gibson, who plays a Montana Gibson, who plays a new Gibson, etc." The name may be the same and the instruments may look the same, but Gibsons have been made by different people, in different places, with different luthiers, production methods and values over the years.

GTison
Aug-02-2004, 7:11am
Larry Stephenson plays something other than a Gibson. Maybe a Bill Davis?