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Thread: Gibson F-2 Restoration Recommendations

  1. #1

    Default Gibson F-2 Restoration Recommendations

    A colleague in Texas asked me to find a luthier to restore his family’s Gibson F-2. It looks like a 1914-16, oval hole with a nice red sunburst finish. The top has a significant crack and the bridge is laying inside the body, and the pick guard is gone. But the back and sides appear to be fine, and the neck is in good shape. I’m looking online and am finding a lot of guitar luthiers, with mandolins as a “side job” or not something they do at all. Am I allowed to ask on this forum for recommendations from those who have had positive experiences with old Gibson restoration projects for a luthier who would do a good job?

  2. #2

    Default Re: Gibson F-2 Restoration Recommendations

    Here’s a pic.Click image for larger version. 

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  3. #3
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    Default Re: Gibson F-2 Restoration Recommendations

    Gail Hester.

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    Default Re: Gibson F-2 Restoration Recommendations

    Jonathan McClanahan has a nice video on You Tube and some pictures and info on his web site of an F2 that he restored.
    He is a nice guy and would be worth talking to.

    Hope to hear about the out come when it's done.

    Adam

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  7. #5
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gibson F-2 Restoration Recommendations

    Quote Originally Posted by addamr View Post
    Jonathan McClanahan has a nice video on You Tube and some pictures and info on his web site of an F2 that he restored.
    He is a nice guy and would be worth talking to.
    All respect to Jonathan McClanahan. He is a talented maker but his concept of restoration seems to be to make a new instrument out of it. That is fine if that is what you are looking for. I realize that the one in this video had a caved-in top and he wants that bluegrass sound out of it but to me a restoration to me would be to leave an old instrument intact as much as reasonably possible.

    He seems to think that the majority of transverse-braced Gibsons have sunken tops and that the tone you get from them is inferior to x-braced mandolins. I really don't think that that is true and some of us prefer the tone of those old oval hole, transverse-braced Gibson mandolins. On this F-2 it looks like he refinished the the entire mandolin and then inlaid a modern pearl-inlay Gibson logo on the peghead. None of that is the biggest crime in the world and I assume that the customer wanted all that, however a caveat to the OP's friend. If he is all right with that, then go for it.

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    two t's and one hyphen fatt-dad's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gibson F-2 Restoration Recommendations

    John Hamlett comes to mind.

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    Registered User Timbofood's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gibson F-2 Restoration Recommendations

    Reconstruction more than restoration in the video in my opinion. Nice work to be clear but, a restoration is not what I’d call it.
    I have always thought that a restoration was putting it all back “The way it was, originally”.
    I don’t quite get the change in peghead inlay at all, no matter how nice the rest looks. Customers sometimes just plain want what they want.
    One mans opinion.
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  13. #8

    Default Re: Gibson F-2 Restoration Recommendations

    Hey Jim I never touched the inlay on the peghead of this mandolin. I left it original.

  14. #9

    Default Re: Gibson F-2 Restoration Recommendations

    Quote Originally Posted by fatt-dad View Post
    John Hamlett comes to mind.

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    I can second that.
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    I may be old but I'm ugly billhay4's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gibson F-2 Restoration Recommendations

    Ditto for Gail Hester.
    Bill
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    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gibson F-2 Restoration Recommendations

    I think I might know that mandolin. It was returned to Gibson for repair and a new neck in the early 60's. If it isn't I sold one just like it.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
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    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
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    Default Re: Gibson F-2 Restoration Recommendations

    Randy Wood has an excellent rep, as does Frank Ford (on opposite poles of the country). The other luthiers mentioned above could do the job well. Where in Texas is your colleague? If he’s within striking distance, Fiddler’s Green in Austin may be able to point him in the right direction...

    Dave Sheppard, who works with Lowe Vintage in Burlington, has also done some amazing restoration work.
    Chuck

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    Default Re: Gibson F-2 Restoration Recommendations

    Y'all might think I'm nuts, but if you want the best job done on those crack repairs, I would look for a really top notch violin repairman.

    Us mere mortals can give you a good structural repair on the cracks, but getting a really good match touching up the finish in the repaired area is a tall order. Chances are that the large crack will require at least some splinting, it looks like there is wood missing. The new wood will have to be colored and varnished and not appear too noticeable. That's hard to do. Some of the violin people are better at it than most of the rest of us.

    If you can't find anybody, you can add me to your list, though my touchup skills are only moderate and I have a backlog of work that will keep me busy for at least several weeks.
    Last edited by rcc56; May-14-2018 at 10:41pm.

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    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gibson F-2 Restoration Recommendations

    My violin repairman can make cracks go away. On the other hand, he's in such great demand for violin repairs that he hardly ever has time to work on mandolins!
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    Registered User William Smith's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gibson F-2 Restoration Recommendations

    Gary Vessel! He's very capable for a resto!! Randy Wood is great but I know he's behind as I just got back my 34 F-7 that was getting a long 5 scale neck-took over year and a half! He still has another of mine sent the same time and I don't believe he's started it?

  21. #16
    Kelley Mandolins Skip Kelley's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gibson F-2 Restoration Recommendations

    I hope you have great success getting that old F2 repaired. She looks like a nice one!

  22. #17
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gibson F-2 Restoration Recommendations

    Quote Originally Posted by Mandolin Architect View Post
    Hey Jim I never touched the inlay on the peghead of this mandolin. I left it original.
    Quote Originally Posted by MikeEdgerton View Post
    I think I might know that mandolin. It was returned to Gibson for repair and a new neck in the early 60's. If it isn't I sold one just like it.
    That would explain a lot.
    Jim

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  23. #18
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    Default Re: Gibson F-2 Restoration Recommendations

    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Garber View Post
    That would explain a lot.
    I sold it to Mitch Simpson. Where it went from there I have no idea. When I sold it it was in a Loar case. Unfortunately I didn't really know what I had at the time. I'm sure the mandolin and case were separated. I was selling it for a friend.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
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  24. #19
    Adrian Minarovic
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    Default Re: Gibson F-2 Restoration Recommendations

    Violin folks are great at repairing cracks, BUT they typically remove top and finish touchup is a bit different on violin (tinted varnish) from mandolin (in this case stained wood and clear varnish) so he needs to be acquainted with mandolins and be creative to close the crack without top removal. In this case I would go for John Hamlett or Gary Vessel or other top mandolin guy.
    In this case I would not hope for cosmetically perfect repair of those ugly cracks...
    Adrian

  25. #20
    Mandol'Aisne Daniel Nestlerode's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gibson F-2 Restoration Recommendations

    Gary Vessel builds and repairs violins, violas, and cellos as well as mandolins and mandolas. So I'm sure he could work wonders on this beastie.
    His handle here on the cafe is Testore.

    Daniel

  26. #21

    Default Re: Gibson F-2 Restoration Recommendations

    Also, worth noting, is that a pickguard will hide 60-70 percent of the damage, so really the main area that will show is from the bridge to the butt end -- or maybe not show depending on the repair.

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