"WeberPhiles"....Help

I am trying to decide whether to sell my '14, black topped F2 which is a great playing and looking survivor complete with nice working Handel tuners. I also have a Custom, "one off" Old Wave Oval A #459 that Bill and I created in his "laboratory" at the end of Old Wave Holler. My current interest is in the Weber Custom Vintage F and A models. As I understand it, Weber used a stash of old tone wood in building these 2 models and others as well between '07 and '09. I am much more disposed toward the ovals for the music I play. I was also interested to hear fellow New Mexican Brian Kimsey's thoughts about a Black Face F he worked on that was for sale some years back.

Does anyone know whether there were many of these mandolins produced in Black?

Has anyone..previous or current owner....had a chance to A/B these with similar Vintage Gibsons?.........or have any other thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

I had a 2008 Weber Vintage A for a few months about 9 years ago, so it was one of the ones with the "secret stash" tone wood (had to sell it when I lost my job suddenly). It was a different animal altogether to vintage Gibson A's since the Weber was a "hybrid" with longer neck than the old Gibson's - I found that the Weber had a much more modern sound, but that's just my take on it.

An interesting thing about black top mandolins. My friend has Pava #1, a blacktop A style. When he visited the Ellis shop, he asked Pava why, and she said most blacktop mandolins were that way because something in the finish got screwed up. Much easier to paint black than sand down and start over. She said one drop of water or solvent splashed on a top can ruin it.

My Weber is a custom F with the stash woods. It’s a Port Orford Cedar top. It rings like a bell, and has great sustain. It is not woffy, and has a crisp chop. It’s significantly louder that the Gibsons I’ve played, and has more headroom to dig into...
Mine was from the custom elite line, and my understand was only a dozen or so were made per year.
Mine is Merlot red, and quite beautiful.

I had a Weber Custom Vintage A with the 'old wood'. Loved it, sold it, wish I hadn't, to be honest. I really should have kept it.

There is one Weber vintage F-4 style in the classifieds at the moment...

https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/148222#148222

I don't recall Weber making very many black topped mandolins.

Collings and Northfield do make black topped F-O mandolins though.

NFI

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Charles E.

There is one Weber vintage F-4 style in the classifieds at the moment...

https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/148222#148222

I don't recall Weber making very many black topped mandolins.

Collings and Northfield do make black topped F-O mandolins though.

NFI

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Come on Charlie, did you have to point that one out?! (Sotto voce in my head. . .I don't have MAS. . .I don't have MAS. . .I don't have MAS. . .I don't have MAS. . . . .).