Re: Tried out a fiine Distressed Master Model F-5 at Music Empori
I can address several questions I saw in this thread. First, Charlie signed the MM series until the end of 2014 when he was replaced as GM of the bluegrass division. Danny and Charlie and the team continued to check and approve of each of the MM and DMM mandolins, but Danny signed them through 2005. After that he's was a manager for me in he repair and restoration division. He stayed there until a short time ago when he left GIBSON. Danny signed most of the mandolins except the MM and DMM before Charlie left. In that era, every mandolin was inspected by Danny and others to ensure they each met the expectations of the division. Charlie was wonderful to work with, but his expectations were high.
As to the process and difference from the MM to the DMM, it has been explained several times over the years. There was a great deal of time and labor put into the DMM to achieve a andolin that would replicate as close as possible a Loar era instrument in a modern build. We would select the very best of the MM's (according to our taste), then it would be finished completely to the new specs, including buffing and hardware. Then it would be chosen to be distressed. That process was slow, and required many hours of all hand work until it achieved what was being sought. Each one was distressed a bit different from any others so they would not be a factory job. When it reached the point we were all satisfied, then it was considered complete. All the Gibson mandolins were hand built, but the MM were different and handled by a select few in the build and finish process. The DMM was selected from the MM and then put in the hands of a very few of us to approve a particular instrument chosen for the DMM project and its completion. It was far more than a marketing ploy and was a passionate project for many of us. There were so few MM and DMM mandolins produced in that era so that it was not really a profitable instrument, but allowed us to build what we believe was the most Loar instrument made since Loar was at Gibson. Most of the process of the build was very much the same as was done then. We also had the advantage of having seen and played a majority of ghetto real Loar mandolins. That helped our perspective.
Everyone who plays mandolin has their own idea of what makes a great mandolin. Many of us had worked with Charlie for many years and understood his vision and worked to bring that to fruition. By the time he passed,( in 2006) most of us were no longer in the bluegrass division and much of Charlie's vision was less than completely understood and another era of Gibson mandolins began. Dave Harvey finally became the signer of the mandolins. Dave worked with us during Charlie's era and understood it. He also has his ideas of what he wants to build, and David is a gifted luthier. While his instruments may differ slightly from the Charlie era, they are great mandolins. Charlie was very particular in what we produced. He was open to innovation as long as it did not distract from the goal he had. We experimented with a lot of things in those years, most of which never went into production. Some became one off builds and were great instruments, but not in the focus of Charlie to replicate the Loar era. It wa a joy to work with Charlie every day, which I did for many years. I have missed him every day since his passing eleven years ago in just a couple days. Our team was pure joy to be with and we could not wait to get to work in the morning, and we often put in lots of extra hours. It was more than a job, it was a passion. Now that I've been retired a few years, I look back on those days as some of my best. I would love to redo those days. Not only those I worked with, but the thousands of people I met over the years at shows and festivals all over the USA.
Have a Great Day!
Joe Vest
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Originally Posted by Philphool
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