F5g/f5l ???

[G. Fisher]

It looks to me like an F5G that had binding added to the back and peghead. What do the rest of you think?

http://bernunzio.com/products/1117442

[MikeEdgerton]

I think that is one of those F5G's made for Music Machine and closed out by Buffalo Bros. a few years ago. I beleive they were bound F5G's and the color looks right. Some were varnished.

[Danny Clark]

the backs were not bound on the Music Machine Flameburst,i would say mislabeled
i had a Flatiron F-5 Artist ,the label said A-5 Artist ,but it indeed had a scroll
Danny

[G. Fisher]

To me the binding color looks way off and the close up of the heel and the binding looks very sloppy and uneven.

[sunburst]

I agree, I think the back binding was added after the mandolin was finished. Though binding work and miters can be a little rough on Gibson mandolins, the pic of the neck heel looks a little rougher than I might expect. Some more detailed and larger pictures would probably settle it, but from what I see, I'm thinking added back binding.
There seems to always be someone who want's to get "the cheap one" and then try to make it look like "the expensive one", whether it's cars, guitars, mandolins, whatever.

[MikeEdgerton]

I don't think it was mislabled, I'm more inclined to go with a Music machine mandolin that had the back bound.

[f5loar]

Whatever or whomever did this to the F5G the darn thing sure sounds good. Those F5G were just lighter in weight then the F5L and tended to sound better as a result. Years ago Dewey Farmer had an F5G done up like Monroe's Loar with broken headstock and removed logo. Someone here on the cafe got that.

[Big Joe]

Just mislabeled I would say

[MikeEdgerton]

I'm surprised they would put that back on an F5L. Here is a Music Machine F5G. Only the fretboard was bound.

[allenhopkins]

I vote for a retrofitted F-5G; back binding's much whiter than top binding, new MOP truss-rod cover, Handel tuners added -- think owner was "upgrading" his 5G, and doing a nice job of it, too...

I might just have to slide by John B's and try it out. Living in Rochester has its upside, every now and then.

[G. Fisher]

I vote for a retrofitted F-5G; back binding's much whiter than top binding, new MOP truss-rod cover, Handel tuners added -- think owner was "upgrading" his 5G, and doing a nice job of it, too...

I might just have to slide by John B's and try it out. Living in Rochester has its upside, every now and then.

Hey Allen,

I think you should go check it out too and give us full report on your findings. :)

[Danny Clark]

i would say its a customzed F5G or Flameburst,because its a Flowerpot ,i have not seen to many flowerpot F-5Ls but i do know of a couple.

[G. Fisher]

i would say its a customzed F5G or Flameburst,because its a Flowerpot ,i have not seen to many flowerpot F-5Ls but i do know of a couple.

I believe most of the flowerpot F5's from that period that I've seen were labeled F5 custom.

[Greg H.]

It's not a Flameburst. Those were made in the 2003 era (mine is from Dec. 2003) and so would not be signed by Bruce Weber. ..Actually those didn't have signatures either (or at least mine doesn't). This seems more to be an F5L and mislabeled or a modified F5G.

[Danny Clark]

yeh i did not realize it was a Weber era ,definitly not a Flameburst those were 03-04
a customized F-5G,or maybe a one off custom,Gibson has done stranger things

[allenhopkins]

Hey Allen, I think you should go check it out too and give us full report on your findings.

Played the "F-5G/L" today; no conclusions. The label says "F-5G," no doubt; the back wood is very plain. Up close, the front and back bindings are almost identical in color, as is the fretboard binding. The back binding's a little thicker than the front, but no large discrepancy. The only clearly "non-factory" changes are the Handel tuners and the mother-of-pearl truss rod cover.

I still lean toward a retrofitted F-5G, but can't be sure. Very nice instrument, clear sound though not a lot of bass, t'would be a pleasure to own and play. But no definitive explanation.

[MikeEdgerton]

Those closeups of the back binding don't look like Gibson work to me.

[Bernie Daniel]

Those closeups of the back binding don't look like Gibson work to me.

I think you are most likely correct. Notice on the last pic that the color of the front and back binding do not match. Odds are someone tried, with modest success, to add binding to an F-5G.

The asking price might be a little on the optimistic side?

[Bill Snyder]

Bernie,
Allen said "Up close, the front and back bindings are almost identical in color, as is the fretboard binding." The difference in color could just be the photos.

[MikeEdgerton]

The binding job on the back of that mandolin isn't anywhere near what I'm seeing on my Gibson. I think that's the giveaway. I think it's a modified F5G. For posterity here is the back closeup:

[MikeEdgerton]

That side shot doesn't look like an optical illusion, it does appear that the back binding and the points are a different color than the top binding.