The search continues...

[William Smith]

26 Gibson F5 at carters would do

I'm in lust with that fern.. Sweeeeeeeeeet. There is a video of it. Nice
And Dem, good for you with whatever you get, thats your choice and business! If you don't like her send it back and try another. I'd think anyone would sell to ya, thats business for a potential sale, eventually. When I spend $$ on anything regardless of price I'd like to be happy wouldn't anyone else!

[Upis Land]

No instrument is an investment, as the resale market has not hit bottom yet. In another year, you will see at least a 20% drop in used prices and values over what they are today. There are more people selling now, than buying. There are a lot of collectors weeping right now over resale prices as they cash out towards retirement. Last year a 40's Martin 000-28 was $19k, the same instrument is now $14k and still not selling. Don't buy anything as an investment. Buy it because you like it and are going to play it.

Agree with your last point fully. The best reason to buy an instrument is to like and play it. I think what you mean to say is that market timing is poor for an instrument as a short term investment; and that is probably sage advice! But don't take away folks rationalization of instruments as an investment. No investment is risk free, and surely there are both better and worse investments than fine musical instruments.

One of the principles of permaculture is stacking functions- for instance planting one tree for food, shade, erosion control and as a privacy barrier. In this way a great mandolin is both a joy to play and a long term place to park disposable income, i.e. an investment.

Just doing my part to keep the fun going.

[Mandobar]

Upis, I like the tree analogy, especially the point about erosion control.

[The Musician's Wife]

OK, here goes... a teaser video before revealing the final purchase...

http://themusicianswife.weebly.com/home/stay-tuned

[JeffD]

It is only an investment if you plan to sell it. Except for securities and my house, I don't buy anything I plan to sell. More often than not I have had to pay to have my cars taken away.

[UlsterMando]

While we await the big reveal
. . . A mandolin favourite.

[DataNick]

OK, here goes... a teaser video before revealing the final purchase...

http://themusicianswife.weebly.com/home/stay-tuned

Final! Who are you guys kiddin?


Box looked like Collings on the front

[UlsterMando]

Final! Who are you guys kiddin?


Box looked like Collings on the front

Chap says it isn't a Collings.

[Upis Land]

It is only an investment if you plan to sell it.

Nonesense! If you don't sell your mandolin your grandchildren will.

More often than not I have had to pay to have my cars taken.

Everyone knows, or should know, autos are consumables, so they don't count.

Back to the subject on hand... is it a gil? ...oh boy!

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

Maybe Dem got a MF5V as a beater while his search continues.. ? Can't wait for the big reveal!

[The Musician's Wife]

Here we go...It's been real, guys... but I really think this search has officially ended...

http://themusicianswife.weebly.com/h...arch-has-ended

[UlsterMando]

Glad to see you found the one.
It was a fun ride. Well done !
Enjoy the potatoes out of it ! (Thanks JeffD)

[barry]

Well done!

[Mark Seale]

While we await the big reveal
. . . A mandolin favourite.

Zeidler?

[Sheryl McDonald]

Great mandolin in every respect, and the new owner is a lucky person to own it.
For me personally it was just a matter of fact that it aggravated my old hand injury.
Period...

So what does the Gil neck look like?

[Demetrius]

Id say it is fairly large with a definite v

[catmandu2]

Id say it is fairly large with a definite v

Uh oh...I hear a slight rumbling of trepidation...!

Ha, just kidding. Cool with me if you change axes every week. But hey, wasn't it the "v"-neck you all didn't like (due to injury exacerbation? - or perhaps it was someone else who'd mentioned that about the "v"s). I realize this is apples to oranges, but I had a big problem when I played on (basses) with small necks (Kays) - which I LOVED at the time, and hated the big fat necks. Turns out, the fat ones are much better in maintaining hand comfort, and is the case for roughly 90% of players I know..

Anyway, may or may not have any correlation .. your account just made me think of it. Cheers and congrats -

[sgarrity]

Congrats on the Gil!

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

Nice! Is this the same one from gryphon? And was there a video of you playing it from before? If not don't forget to record one.

[Malin]

Nooooo send her back! I don't want this thread to end!!!!
Just kidding.... �� Enjoy!

[Franc Homier Lieu]

I sent it back because I felt it had a couple of cosmetuc issues.
Issues that I thought I could see in the Website pics, so I inquireed about them
Before ordering. Unfortunately the sales person or no one else could see what I meant so I was assured it was fine.
When it arrived I inspected the instrument and those issues were not my imagination.
Nothing big,just binding separation issues. Needless to say it still made me uncomfortable. So I immediately contacted Gryphon and they were very cooperative and offered to fix it. There is also some set up issues that I just didn't feel like dealing with.I just felt like it was a lot of money to spend to have to worry about some of what it had going on. I communicated with Steve Gilchrest about this mandolin and he is just an unbelievably cool person. I can't even get over it to be honest. He makes an incredible mandolin, and as a human being he is equally kind hearted and passionate about what he does. That said, someone got their hands on this mandolin, somewhere alone the line someone got hold of this mandolin and the set up was absolutely terrible. The bridge top didn't match the radius, so you can imagine what that did to the outer strings physically and tonally. The mandolin has naturally aged in a way that a mandolin ages without even being played. Finish checking Looks gorgeous, but I have a feeling this mandolin hasn't been played a lot it is was more so collected than anything. I don't think it ever opened up or it went back to sleep either way I didn't want to take a chance on that aspect either. I have to be completely happy where it is and if it gets better great but if it stayed the same I'd have to know that I'd be able to live with the sound exactly the way it is. It was a mid range monster he could probably cut through any max I even had a chance to record with it on and electronic project my friend is doing.I just played a little rough in the beginning and little froze throughout nothing too crazy but it was still enough to see that it is an incredible recording instrument. It lacked in the base but I do feel like a set of had a lot to do with this.

- - - Updated - - -

PS excuse me for the typos, I typed this on my iPhone.

How is the set up? And the cosmetic issues, have they been taken care of? Does that case squeak?

[UlsterMando]

Zeidler?

Yes Mark . . . Zeidler.

The most beautifully evolved F5 design I've ever seen.
I hope that sight of this doesn't prompt Demetrius to do anything rash !


Images are reproduced with the kind permission of Gruhn Guitars.

[mtucker]

Merry Christmas!

[barry]

Can we get a video demo?

[Franc Homier Lieu]

TEvans, I could couldn't agree with you any more... Ive been playing this Wiens about 8 hrs a day since I got it and Im already starting to hear this happening. in fact in the last couple of days its taken on some dramatic changes. The thing Im starting to realize about this mandolin is the core sound is spectacular. Its not complex, which may or may not come in time. I just dont know, but what I do know is that what is there now is the following.
1. Pure wood tone, very little string sound aside for the slide noise that comes from the exp strings.
2. Solid note, with a rather quick decay. The tapering of sound is pleasant though, not muted and it evenly falls to silence without losing that warm wood tone.
3. Very responsive, and explosive... Recording may be a bit of a challenge. Every single note on this fretboard has that explosive pop but with that thup sound that Ive loved in every Loar Ive ever played.
4. Fit and finish is by far best Ive seen to date. I can't imagine a human doing any better hand work than this.
5. Dave Harvey did the set up on this Wiens and I think from this point on, every instrument I ever get set up on will be done by him definitely.

Thanks,
Dem

If you start playing the Gil 8 hours a day, 1) please record some video and 2) stop playing 8 hours a day if you have a hand injury that is acting up.