Teens A4 with an F5 peg head.

[John Rosett]

Back in the late 80's - early 90's, Al's Guitarville in Seattle had an old, red sunburst A4 that had been "customized" with an F5 peg head. It looked like the original peg head had been cut down drastically, and the new peg head mounted over it. As I recall, the new peg head had a serial number stamped into it that looked like it was done in the 60's or 70's. I was not very interested in oval hole mandolins then, so I never really played it. This came to mind while I was helping a friend figure out the pedigree of a Gibson guitar that's had a new face plate on the peg head put on it.
I was just wondering whatever happened to that thing. Anybody?

[Timbofood]

, Whatchootalkinbout?

[MikeEdgerton]

We love Frankenmandos. I hope somebody here has it.

[f5loar]

I do remember this one. I don't recall the "why" it was done but recall it was a factory original. Gibson has done several one-offs, both pre war and post war. They've always had a "custom" dept. There's the F4 with the long neck. The F4 with only one point, and F4 with an H5 Fern peghead and of course that one of a kind Loar A-5.

[Bernie Daniel]

I do remember this one. I don't recall the "why" it was done but recall it was a factory original. Gibson has done several one-offs, both pre war and post war. They've always had a "custom" dept. There's the F4 with the long neck. The F4 with only one point, and F4 with an H5 Fern peghead and of course that one of a kind Loar A-5.

Hmmmmmmmmm. Gibson mandolins is into small custom runs of unique and commenorative mandolins these days. How about a run of Master Model A-5s?
Calling David Harvey!!

[Glassweb]

Back in the late 80's - early 90's, Al's Guitarville in Seattle had an old, red sunburst A4 that had been "customized" with an F5 peg head. It looked like the original peg head had been cut down drastically, and the new peg head mounted over it. As I recall, the new peg head had a serial number stamped into it that looked like it was done in the 60's or 70's. I was not very interested in oval hole mandolins then, so I never really played it. This came to mind while I was helping a friend figure out the pedigree of a Gibson guitar that's had a new face plate on the peg head put on it.
I was just wondering whatever happened to that thing. Anybody?

I actually played this very mandolin and remember it quite well. I lived in Seattle from 1977-2004 and would visit Al's often and occasionally pick up a mandolin. At the time I wasn't quite sure if it was original because it was in such superb condition... I believe it had a fern inlay in the headstock. I forget who wound up getting this one... possibly The Dawg would know...

[V70416]

The Dawg knows all;sees all;plays all. He's The Dawg.

[j. condino]

I do remember this one. I don't recall the "why" it was done but recall it was a factory original. Gibson has done several one-offs, both pre war and post war. They've always had a "custom" dept. There's the F4 with the long neck. The F4 with only one point, and F4 with an H5 Fern peghead and of course that one of a kind Loar A-5.

Don't forget Loar's personal ten string mandola and the snakehead mandola at ETSU!

[Jim Garber]

I knew I saw a photo of this somewhere. Maybe this is not the same one, tho. Not a teens but Gruhn/Carter on page 78 of their acoustic book say 1929. But it sounds like the one that Glassweb saw and played.

Here's a scan of the photo in the book along with the caption.



The other super-interesting oddball Gibson from that same year is Lowell Levinger's Lil Pup:

[Mark Wilson]

thx Jim!

[Glassweb]

[QUOTE=Jim Garber;1682466]I knew I saw a photo of this somewhere. Maybe this is not the same one, tho. Not a teens but Gruhn/Carter on page 78 of their acoustic book say 1929. But it sounds like the one that Glassweb saw and played.

Here's a scan of the photo in the book along with the caption.



That's the one Jim... this is the mandolin I played/saw at Al's Guitarville in Seattle many years ago... thanks for posting!

[John Rosett]

I actually played this very mandolin and remember it quite well. I lived in Seattle from 1977-2004 and would visit Al's often and occasionally pick up a mandolin. At the time I wasn't quite sure if it was original because it was in such superb condition... I believe it had a fern inlay in the headstock. I forget who wound up getting this one... possibly The Dawg would know...

My memory of the mandolin is that it looked like it had been converted at a later date. When you looked at the back of the peghead, you could see that the original peghead had been cut down to a small peg, and the new one fitted over it. It had a serial number stamped onto the back of it, like Gibson instruments from the 60's and 70's. I don't think that it was the same one that Jim mentioned above. It really looked like something that was re-worked at the factory.

[jimmy powells]

I do remember this one. I don't recall the "why" it was done but recall it was a factory original. Gibson has done several one-offs, both pre war and post war. They've always had a "custom" dept. There's the F4 with the long neck. The F4 with only one point, and F4 with an H5 Fern peghead and of course that one of a kind Loar A-5.

Personally speaking I've always felt that an F style with no bottom point would be welcomed by many. When you play sitting down, as a very good pwercentage do, the point sticks in your leg. I saw a pic of a sunburst F5 with no bottom point and I reckon it looked fine.

Douht anyone will do it mind.

[mrmando]

Guitarville has come to a rather inglorious end, but at least I finally got my money back. Whew!

There have been some recent Washburn A-style import mandolins with F-style headstocks, if you want this look on the cheap.

[mrmando]

Personally speaking I've always felt that an F style with no bottom point would be welcomed by many.

IIRC, when Julius Bellson (brother of jazz drummer Louie) worked for Gibson, he had a custom F4 made with no lower point.

[Mandolin Cafe]

Someone feels like you're talking about their distant cousin. This one is at Bernunzio right now.

[John Rosett]

Guitarville has come to a rather inglorious end, but at least I finally got my money back. Whew!

That's too bad. Back in the 80's and 90's it was a pretty cool store. Val liked me, and used to take me into his office to show me cool stuff that wasn't out on the floor.

There have been some recent Washburn A-style import mandolins with F-style headstocks, if you want this look on the cheap.

I was just wondering about it. I don't really like the look of the F5 peg head on an A, other than the 2 point Gibson A5.

[fernmando]

AAAAAAAAAmen to Gibson doing some Master Model A5s.

[Steve Ostrander]

IIRC, when Julius Bellson (brother of jazz drummer Louie) worked for Gibson, he had a custom F4 made with no lower point.

I had the great fortune to meet Julius Bellson at his home in Kalamazoo in 1990. He was very hard of hearing by that time, but we managed to have a nice chat. Unfortunately I didn't know much about mandolins at the time, and I can't recall if he showed that F4. I do remember that he did show and play his Florentine banjo, and he gave me an inscribed copy of his book "The Gibson Story."

Just curious, does anyone know what happened to Mr. Bellson's collection?