Some cool old Gibson magazine advertisements

[pfox14]

Just got some more issues of "The Cadenza" magazine and thought I would share some of the cool Gibson ads from the WWI era. The first is an ad for the "DY" Army-Navy mandolin from June, 1918. Gibson did offer this mandolin to the general public, but the ad states "write for special low price for soldiers and sailors".



The next one from Dec. 1918 is for the "GY" Army-Navy guitar. It was introduced a few months after the "DY" mandolin, after the end of WWI. The ad states that "as is the case with the DY mandolin, the GY guitar is NOT a Gibson". However, it also states that "the GY is the best guitar the Gibson Company can make for the price". A little confusing, I think.



This one is a very quaint ad for the F-4 from Sept. 1919 with the caption "the old canoe; a redolent moon-flecked evening, and us two". Gibson seemed to love associating playing the mandolin with happiness and romance. Who could argue.

[F-2 Dave]

The copy in the F-4 ad reads like it could have been written by Stan Jay.

[pfox14]

Here's another funny little ad from the May, 1920 issue of The Cadenza.

[Timbofood]

Dave, where do you think Stan learned that style? He's been collecting "stuff" forever, flowery language included.

[sgrexa]

Fierce. I like that. Thanks for sharing!

Sean

[Verne Andru]

Thanks!

[Petrus]

Buncha good stuff here:

http://www.harpguitars.net/history/g...n_appendix.htm

[MarkELynch]

Thanks for posting the Cadenza pages, very interesting! It is fun to read the original source material. I noted that Gibson was careful to say that the DY mandolin and GY guitar are not Gibson instruments, maybe because of the lack of carved top and back.

I just received my DY back from luthier Marc Glickman in Frederick, MD yesterday,He did some nice restoration and set up work. I looked a long time for a DY example for the Collection that was not beat up, I think that because of the price most were lost to the ages. It plays remarkably well, it is no wonder that Flatiron enjoyed such success with their DY replicas and full line of pancake instruments in the 1980's.

The Cadenza ad says continued on page 17, do you have this page also?

-Mark

[pfox14]

Well, here it is folks. THE first ever ad for the F-5 from the March, 1923 issue of "The Cadenza"!! The only 2-page full color ad that Gibson ever put in any issue. The coupon included in the ad allowed you to try an F-5 for 10 days, before buying it. Pretty good deal.

[Timbofood]

Cool!

[JAK]

"Master Model shipped to responsible parties on ten day approval." Now there's a deal!

[Verne Andru]

Clearly they did something right as that's still the most coveted mandolin build over 100 years later.

All Lloyd Loar gets is a mention as one of Gibson's "acoustic engineers."

[hank]

The seventh new feature given for the F-5 seems to hold their singular acoustic engineer in high esteem as he supervises each F-5 individually. This would encompass fine tuning the features like tone bars tuned two ea. separately, the f-hole(aperture) final sizing and possibly the small changes that occurred in neck design angle and contour. Number seven puts the results of each F-5 in his hands.

[danb]

Don't forget to hear from "America's Napoleon of mandolin-virtuosoship"!

[Capt. E]

Clearly they did something right as that's still the most coveted mandolin build over 100 years later.

All Lloyd Loar gets is a mention as one of Gibson's "acoustic engineers."

Can anyone post the "Circular" mentioned in the ad?

[Verne Andru]

The seventh new feature given for the F-5 seems to hold their singular acoustic engineer in high esteem as he supervises each F-5 individually. This would encompass fine tuning the features like tone bars tuned two ea. separately, the f-hole(aperture) final sizing and possibly the small changes that occurred in neck design angle and contour. Number seven puts the results of each F-5 in his hands.

Hah - so that means Lloyd Loar is official "number 7". From here forward whenever someone does an F5-type build they should say something like its "a number 7."

[hank]

I like " mandolin and guitar-dom of three continents is set agog".

[Verne Andru]

Don't forget to hear from "America's Napoleon of mandolin-virtuosoship"!

Now there's some fodder for controversy. I've followed a few threads on here about 2 seemingly controversial aspects to mandolin manufacture. Some that present respected luthier credentials have convincingly argued the "recurve" does nothing for tone and originated as a method of making the soundboard thicker [to prevent caving] rather than making the recurve thinner to enhance sound-board vibration and tone. According to Gibson the recurve is all about this:

Carved top and back: Stradivarius arching; scientific graduation from thick in center to a delicate thinness at rim which simultaneously secures strength and sensitiveness and compels free vibration of entire sounding-board by extending the vibrational lines of least resistance clear to the rim.

The other topic that tends to get blood boiling is the purpose of the back; is the back reflective [no movement to reflect sound out the front of the instrument] or responsive [moves sympathetically to the top for enhanced tone]? Looking at the Gibson marketing bumpf we read:

A tilted neck permits a high bridge on both Mandolin and Guitar which with the extension string-holder secures vertical and increased string pressure sufficient to pulsate a larger and thicker sounding-board; thus producing a bigness of tone never before realized. Relative treatment of top and back secures sympathetic vibration from backboard which additionally supports the tone.

I have no opinion but would think the people who invented the instruments words are worthy of consideration.

[danb]

My personal favorite..



"... the fiddler might.."

[Hendrik Ahrend]

Well, here it is folks. THE first ever ad for the F-5 from the March, 1923 issue of "The Cadenza"!! The only 2-page full color ad that Gibson ever put in any issue. The coupon included in the ad allowed you to try an F-5 for 10 days, before buying it. Pretty good deal.

Very interesting! That picture - with manually edited tuners and head stock inlay - was earlier than the Cat. N Fern with the odd pick guard bracket.

[pfox14]

Flumadiddles?? I wish I could make up words like that. My guess is L.A. Williams came up with that one.

[pfox14]

From the July, 1923 issue of The Cadenza, Gibson claims that they couldn't keep up with the orders for the "Strad" of mandolins. In fact, they claim it has 30% more tone than any other mandolin. I wonder how Lloyd Loar measured that.

[Timbofood]

Yeah, how does one measure "tone" anyway, maybe Mr. Siminoff can shed some light?
Just pokin' at you Roger!

[sgrexa]

Very interesting! That picture - with manually edited tuners and head stock inlay - was earlier than the Cat. N Fern with the odd pick guard bracket.

I think I have seen a variation of that flowerpot on a Hamlett F5. Is Gibson still going after the flowerpot people?

Sean

[dustyamps]

Dec. 1921 Popular Science Monthly