Black Topped F-style mandolins

[Mshusn]

I was wondering if anyone owning a black top f-style might be willing to post pics of both the front and back and sides of their beauties!?!? I have always been interested and allowed myself to be talked out of it, I want to see some other than traditional colors if anyone is willing to show off! Thanks!

Skylar

Apparently I can't edit the title, posted on an I device this morning with a typo, pardon my mistake.

[lauri Girouard]

I love black tops. I am in the process of finishing one now . I will post it when it's done but you'll have to wait a week or two for that one. I did do one over the summer, I'll locate the pics and post

[budashoots]

post removed.

[Wolfmanbob]

post removed.

[Scott Tichenor]

I'm going to edit the title. Some of you are taking things far out of context. Not appropriate for this forum and I'll not put up with this further. You've been warned.

[sachmo63]

Good for you Scott!

[mandroid]

I like my Peter Mix Carbonfiber Mandolin.. . it is black because that is the color
of the material..

Not in the middle of the action..
I'm thinking black toner on spruce more common on A mandolins than F5's

and my Mix is an A, but you can have a look at Peter's website to see the Florentines..
[edit] ( as per below update)

and cruising Eye Candy link, i saw a couple other examples .. very Schwartz


http://www.mandolincafe.com/archives/builders/f.html

[Scott Tichenor]

I like my Peter Mix Carbonfiber Mandolin.. . it is black because that is the color of the material..

Not in the middle of the action.. I'm thinking black toner on spruce more common on A mandolins than F5's

and my Mix is an A, but you can have a look at Peter's website to see the Florentines.. www.new-mad.com
and cruising Eye candy i was a couple examples .. very Schwartz

Peter's web site has been down a long time. Long enough in fact that I removed all of the links. Doubt you'll see it again.

[mandroid]

Hi, Scott. well there was the passage thru there of those Her -icanes Irene And Sandy..

Peter dropped sales too?
maybe ClearCarbon carries some examples, The bodies are made in RI.

looking myself...
the examples shown, are the ones with the red dyed Kevlar thread /Carbon mix fabric. http://clearcarbon.com/portfolio_music_folk.php

[Mshusn]

I don't mind seeing a models at all and I apologize for messing the thread up. I am really interested in seeing some color schemes regardless of the shape or style. F is my preference, but I can get inspiration for a future f-style from anything. Again, please accept my apologies for botching a post so bad that it caused such trouble, never my intention.

Skylar

[Scott Tichenor]

Hi, Scott. well there was the passage thru there of those Her -icanes Irene And Sandy..

Peter dropped sales too?
maybe ClearCarbon carries some examples, The bodies are made in RI.

looking myself...
the examples shown, are the ones with the red dyed Kevlar thread /Carbon mix fabric. http://clearcarbon.com/portfolio_music_folk.php

Don't know. Don't keep tabs on him. Its been down a lot longer than any storm can keep one down. Mandolin Brothers lost 3 days due to Sandy. Wayback Machine hasn't looked at new-mad.com since last May, suggesting it was either removed by the owner or cancelled for some other reason. Reason I know these things is that I run link checking software on the rest of the site daily--about 20K+ links if you're wondering (not the forum though). I remember the site being down for an extended time several months back so I removed the links.

[mandroid]

Like I said at bottom of #7, Skyler, you can go looking at the builder's submitted pictures in the section linked,
off the home page..

while you are hereabouts..

[Jonathan James]

Here is nice looking example at TMS for a Kentucky 1000 black finish: http://www.themandolinstore.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=9426

[Mshusn]

Yeah I have looked at that kentucky, looked at a beautiful Newell Black top, also at Sorensen Pacifica on his website. I'm thinkin I want to break away from traditional sunburst with my next case of MAS, so wanted to see some "real life" shots of some out of the ordinary colored mandos. I love the Kentucky having the burst on the back with a black top, kinda reminds me of Batman's dealings with Two Face! Lol. Thanks y'all!

SkylAr

[jake-mando]

I don't own this model, but there is also the J. Bovier F5Z. Black Top with Zebra wood back and sides. I don't believe Jeff is offering it for 2013, but there are likely still some old new stock around. I love the look of the Zebra wood with the black!96973

[Jim Garber]

My favorite Gibson is my 23 black topped A2 but it is not an F (obviously). I used to have a black H4 too.

[doc holiday]

Hey Skylar, There are lots of photos if you google 'black top mandolin.' The Tim O'Brien model Nugget-Collings was a particularly nice one....lots of photos on google images. A couple of years ago Fiddlers Green in Austin had a particularly spectacular Ellis A model black top with silver plated hardware that was the IBMA 'belle of the ball'. I wonder who owns that one now? I came pretty close to ordering a black top on my Ellis A, but went with the more conventional burst when the time came. They sure stand out. Love those old black top F2s and F4s.

[Ipecac]

Hey... Been Stalking the forum about 2 years now. I've Learnt So Much... So Thank You..!! I Was playin' a Friends mandolin for past 2 years... with my First Post, I'm happy to say.. I bought one today... And funny enough it's 'Black'.. Or what they call... 'Black Ice Sunburst'.... So had to post..!! I'll post pics in abit. Havent had the chance to even take a pic.. Haha..

[keebler]

Weber makes a model called 'black ice'..

http://www.soundtoearth.com/instruments.php?inst=166

[Austin Bob]

I've always loved black acoustic guitars, but the glossy finished ones do tend to highlight even a small scratch. The old Gibson blacktop models are very cool, Mandolin Bros has a nice A4 that I would love to have in my stable.

Here's a blue Gibson F5. http://www.themusiczoo.com/product/10399/Gibson-F5G-Custom-One-Off-Mandolin-Pelham-Blue/

It looks cool, but I don't think I like it enough to buy.

[lauri Girouard]

969819698296983969849698596986


Here are some pictures of two mandos I finished last summer. They are As, not Fs. I really enjoyed doing the finish on them. Love the shine. I even took some pics of reflections made while walking around the garden.

[Mshusn]

Love it love love it lauri. The more I am thinking about it I am starting to swing toward an a style. I have an f style Gibson, perhaps my first custom build can be an a style with a funky finish. There is a green f style lurking around somewhere that really turns my crank. I like the wood showing through the back all green or blue (not like the f5 linked) maybe with a glossy black top. What type of crazy looks and prices would I get from builders for being so specific? I love seeing this stuff, thank you all for showing off your finds!

Skylar

[Dennis Satterlee]

Pete Langdell built this one in 2003

Dennis Satterlee

9699196992

[lauri Girouard]

Love it love love it lauri.
Skylar



Thanks Skylar!

I have seen some awesome green and blues floating around the cafe. I did a blue once and plan on another. I have played around with some shocking greens in plans for the future. But, in my opinion, Dale Lugwig has one of each that are pretty awesome.

[SternART]

Lawrence Smart built me a black topped 2 point oval hole I designed. Pickguard matched the quilted back. At first I had a Gil hinged tailpiece temporarily on it, but swapped that out for a suspended floating wooden tailpiece ala Monteleone as seen in the 2nd photo..

[SternART]

I also had a Gilchrist black topped model 3A Artist jazz model with bound f holes.
Tweed blocks like on Steve's jazz guitars. Beautiful mandolin!!!

[Bill Baldridge]

Sim Daley makes some fine sounding black topped mandolins.

http://www.simdaley.com/Mandolins.html

[Ipecac]

...Well Damn..!! Apparently You can't Upload Pics from Iphone...?But.. I bought a Cort 300E...
I looked at Every Mando/Price Point, I Possibly Could Over the Past 8 Months... Fender, Epiphone, Ibanez, Washburn, Smokey Mountain, G&L, Ovations, etc... this was by far the nicest... and I didn't even get to play, the actual one I bought, just the prod model.. but, thought.. Hey if it comes out better than this, than awesome.. and it did by miles & kills every Mando I've ever tried...
I've never seen another one and its hard to even get info on the net about them... But, its damn Beautiful..!! "They" aren't even sure what to do w this model.. When I asked about it, they said... We kinda have a better model, that we don't sell or even have any of... Whatcha Lookin' For..?... They are thinking of making this a Cort Artist Bluegrass Series or Moving it to the 'Parkwood' Name... I'd love to get the exact same thing but a Weber.. Lol.. Its is the same color as the Weber 'Black Ice Sunburst'... To give you an idea... They had the production model Cort M100 made of Spruce & Mahogany in the store.. I played it & was great... But, I wanted better.. And Solid Spruce w Maple Back/Sides/Neck.. After Inquiring and Back/Forth for awhile.. They made one for me... Changed the Plastic Nut to a GraphTech Tusq one when it arrived, Took off Pickguard, Set it up (Thanks Ron Meldrum) etc..
The whole story w the color is.. I wanted a Natural Sunburst.. They said OK.. Then got back to me.. We'll put on a Fishman 300 bridge/pickup for $50 more.. But, Can't be Sunburst.. Has to be Flat Black.. I Argued abit, Why..? Just bc of a pickup does it have to be Flat Black..? No real answer just Because..!! ..I Was alittle Pissed but hard to pass up a Fishman 300 for $50 more.. I Didn't want an Electric Mando or a Black "Metal" looking Mandolin... But, said Ok, Fine Go Ahead..bc of Price..!!
Then it arrived... It Shocked Me, Store Owners and Customers, who were in, when I unpacked it that day...
They did a remarkable job on making this Mandolin & wish I could post Pics... And also, Crazy how it all went down w the Store, distributers and Cort, Themselves in Korea..
Best Mandolin, I ever Played (Not Sayin' Much) but, Sure Glad it's Mine...
Cheers..!!!

[foldedpath]

I play a redwood-top Lebeda F5 that has an unusual, overall chocolate-brown stain on the top. From a distance, it looks like a solid dark brown color like the thumbnail image below. Close up, in good lighting, you can see the grain underneath because the stain is semi-transparent. Click the thumbnail below to see what I mean.

Dark tops do show fingerprinting, dust, and any small nicks more than a sunburst or blonde top, but I like having something different from the usual look of an F5 mandolin. I don't have a full body shot, but here's a closeup of the upper half that shows the grain peeking through the stain. It's from the photo shoot I did for my avatar (at left), with the Weber OM in the background.

97006

[mandobassman]

I don't own this model, but there is also the J. Bovier F5Z. Black Top with Zebra wood back and sides. I don't believe Jeff is offering it for 2013, but there are likely still some old new stock around. I love the look of the Zebra wood with the black!96973

Jeff is still offering the F5Z (http://jbovier.net/2013-2/f5z/) for 2013. He also has the F5 Special (http://jbovier.net/2013-2/f5-special/) and the A5 (http://jbovier.net/2013-2/%E2%80%9Ca5%E2%80%9D/), both of which are offered in Black Face. What I really like about them is it is not really black. It is more of a dark cherry color that you can see in person in the right lighting. It really is nice.

[JeffD]

97008

Here ya go.

[Ivan Kelsall]

A look at the J.Bovier website will show that Jeff's making a 2013 model Black Face F5 model,no doubt to complement the BF "A" model he's making for this year. With one of our members currently well pleased with his recent "A" style Bovier purchase & a few other happy owners,i'm getting the distinct feeling that the Bovier brand is coming to the top in it's price range.From the pics.,the build quality seems excellent,
Ivan
97016

[RichardF]

Didn't Breedlove used to do the Black Quartz model?

[Scott Tichenor]

...Well Damn..!! Apparently You can't Upload Pics from Iphone...?

True with just about everything on the web with an iPhone. Not just here. There's a solution. $1.99 app called Forum Runner will allow you to visit and log in via the app and allows uploading from your phone library. Details here (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?86363).

[Jonathan James]

Nice vintage black top model: http://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/62833

[amowry]

One thing you need to be aware of it that black finishes show scratches very well. As long as you don't mind that, I'd say go for it!

[doc holiday]

97023

Here's a beautiful Heiden blacktop. I know Michael made one for Emory Lester

[Richard Eskite]

There's a black topped F oval in Northfield's new S series. It's an F-2 style with black top, white binding, dark brown maple back & sides. I just got mine yesterday, but I'm at work and can't take a picture of it. You can see some pictures of it on their website.

[P.D. Kirby]

Nice vintage black top model: http://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/62833

I love the title of that one. Gibson (Used, 1913), Ya think? :))

[jake-mando]

Opps on the JB F5Z. I don't know why I thought it wasn't in production for 2013?? I am a J. Bovier mandolin owner. Mine is a '09 JB F5 Dorodo. (Korean built) I have no complaints about it at all. It's been very good to me. I would buy a new F5Z in a heart beat if I had the extra cash for a second acoustic mandolin.

[lenf12]

My 1916 F-4 and 1956 F-12. Both keepers!!

Enjoy!!
Len B.
Clearwater, FL

97092

[Bluejay]

SternART,
Gorgeous. Being a Smart,
I bet it rocks too.

[Django Fret]

Here is one of my favorite sounding and playing mandolins I've ever come across

97184

[ADAL]

Here are my two black topped mandolins97209972109721197212

[Markkunkel]

969819698296983969849698596986


Here are some pictures of two mandos I finished last summer. They are As, not Fs. I really enjoyed doing the finish on them. Love the shine. I even took some pics of reflections made while walking around the garden.

Hi, Lauri (and Max, Girouard). Jeanette and I enjoy the look and sound of this beautiful mando every day, and thinking about it reflecting beautiful flowers and sweet dogs is going to be yet an addition to its magic...thank you for your gorgeous work!

MK

[rnjl]

Here are some pictures of my Will Parsons oval-hole A model. Great sounding instrument, got it in the early 90's. 9724297243

[GRW3]

Guitar Tex (San Antonio) has a nice new Weber Madison with a black top. The have pictures on their website.

I've played it and it's real nice. It's a "Logan Weber". A Madison is an F Style with block inlays on the neck. Kind of a cool Sam Bush look.

[sunburst]

I've already posted pics of this one, but here's one more. Not an F, but the top is black.
97244

[ninevah]

Gilchrist A2-Z (long neck, like on an F-5) Sweeeeet sound !

97249

[Steve Hinde]

2 Black F Models

[Cheryl Watson]

There's a Red Diamond over at Carmel Music that looks like black and white film. Pretty cool.

[Marty Jacobson]

Oh yeah -- this one:
97429

[Chip Booth]

Not an F but I helped put together this color scheme and I thought it turned out really well!

97491 97492

97493 97494

97495 97496

[Daniel Nestlerode]

This is what my Gary Vessel F5 looked like n the day it was completed. I have since put a bit of wear on it.
I love black top mandos too, so Gary and I came up with a sort of F-2/F-5 hybrid. Body type is F-5, the esthetics are F-2.

The back is red with tortis binding rather than no binding as is the case on the early F-2s. Points are tortis as well.

It's difficult to see in the pic of the scroll, ut the single-ply white binding goes into the scroll but does not come out. I love that about some of the F-2s. It gives the scroll a lot of motion. So we did it on this mando. I liked it so much we did it in the headstock too!

Daniel

9750197502975039750497505

PS: I haven't looked at these shots in a while. Makes me miss how clean and shiny it was! Maybe I'll have Gary refurb it for me!