I aquired a Old F4..

[slimt]

I have not been here in a long while.. My appologies.. to many things on my plate and not enough time to enjoy the good times.. I just picked up a Old f4.. its pretty cool..

Im sure theres a few of these kicking around on here.. some

info about this Model would be great..

[maj34]

Love it!

[lenf12]

A serial number and/or factory order number (FON) would be helpful with dating this mandolin. By observation, it's a blonde top, 3 point F-4 with the much coveted "torch and wire" peghead inlay from around 1905 or 06 (?). I suspect the pick guard is a replacement added much later, possibly to hide pick scratches underneath or to prevent them from happening at all. Beautiful piece indeed!!

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[slimt]

the serial number is 10392

- - - Updated - - -

[lenf12]

I'll wait for the others to weigh in on the year but I just noticed the Handel tuners, also much coveted. Very beautiful mandolin you have there. Enjoy!!

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[slimt]

I was able to read the FON.. 1295


I just noticed in the Spann .. this has the same Fon as a black F4 on there..

[Mark Wilson]

Looks awesome to me. Very cool. Thx for showing

[Jim Garber]

I was able to read the FON.. 1295


I just noticed in the Spann .. this has the same Fon as a black F4 on there..

Spann says 1910. That is one nice beautiful blonde.

BTW is around 1909 the last time we see the old style tailpiece. The 1910 F4 in the archives also has a modern TP as does the OP's.

[rcc56]

That is one of the last 3 point F-4's. They were indeed shipped from the factory with the large elevated pickguard. There were not many made like this, and yours is in much nicer condition than most.

It appears to be factory original except for possibly the bridge, which looks like it is from the mid teens. The original bridge would have looked somewhat similar, but would have had a slightly thicker base and removable saddles. Note that the pickguard has a "Pat Applied For" stamp.

A very nice F-4, indeed.

[Br1ck]

That is one beautiful piece of mandolin history, and as useful and relevant as the day it was made.

[Mark Gunter]

Wow, 108 years and in great shape. Pickguard looks great, is that celluloid? How did you come across this?

[slimt]

Wow, 108 years and in great shape. Pickguard looks great, is that celluloid? How did you come across this?

Hi.. from what I was told from the family, the grandfather bought this new.. I guess I would be the second owner of this from the Original family.. as for the guard.. Not sure.. I never thought to check, of what it was made of..

[T.D.Nydn]

Man,that's awesome....

[F-2 Dave]

Good going Slim. That's beautiful.

[slimt]

Thank you.. I appreciate all the Kind words...

[V70416]

Check out "The David Grisman" Rounder album. It shows an old F4 3-point,blonde very much like yours.

Very cool old mandolin any mandomaniac would be proud to own.

Cherish this old Gibson.

[Todd Bowman]

That is a beautiful F4 -- all around! Congratulations! Enjoy!

[mrmando]

It has the original chinrest-style pickguard clamps. Yes, the pickguard is certainly celluloid (Gibson didn't make them out of anything else AFAIK, at least not during this period).

[rcc56]

Wow, 108 years and in great shape. Pickguard looks great, is that celluloid? How did you come across this?

Celluloid was the standard material for pickguards on older Gibson instruments.

[mrmando]

That is one beautiful piece of mandolin history, and as useful and relevant as the day it was made.

Or possibly even more relevant! It's a beaut -- I hope it sounds as good as it looks!

[HonketyHank]

Beautiful.

[Eric Platt]

Beautiful. Definitely in awe of it. And in general, I'm not a big F style fan.

[multidon]

If the pickguard is celluloid, like it should be, can anyone explain why it’s in such good shape? Most of them with any kind of age on them start to self destruct because of the inherent chemical instability. Rotting, crumbling, offgassing. This one looks factory fresh.

[William Smith]

With the guards I've found that the teens and 20's last, they must've changed the composition in the 30's because those are the ones that really gas off and deteriorate. I've had them from all years and the 30's are more prone to the dreaded rot, some 30's guards I've had are just fine. It may be if an old Gibson was exposed to some sort of heat even while resting in its case that's why the guards crumble? I really think the 30's material is not as good as early stuff? Maybe someone good with chemical compositions will chime in?

[JeffD]

From a "spritual" point of view, that thing is in such great condition after 100+ years because it hasn't been played enough. It is yearning to belt out a few tunes.

Enjoy it, the instrument, the history, the mojo. Make it sing.