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Thread: I am in love - Gibson F5-G

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    Default I am in love - Gibson F5-G

    Just looked at a Gibson F-5G and I am in love. So beautiful. It was hard to leave it in the music store BUT I need to save more. It'll just have to be my treat when my playing advances. (I started teaching myself in November.)

    Anyone have one? Thoughts?

  2. #2

    Default Re: I am in love - Gibson F5-G

    You better have put it on layaway. Those sell fast and they're not all that easy to find

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    Loarcutus of MandoBorg DataNick's Avatar
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    Default Re: I am in love - Gibson F5-G

    Go ahead and get it! Enjoy life and the pleasure a really good instrument brings. If it's one of the newer David Harvey era models it should be an extremely good mando! I myself have undergone financial purgatory the last 2.5 weeks, but I'm comin out finally, and my 94' Gibson F5L was worth it. I say go for it, now!
    1994 Gibson F5L - Weber signed


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    "Perfection is not attainable; but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence" Vince Lombardi
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    Registered User spufman's Avatar
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    Default Re: I am in love - Gibson F5-G

    Your playing will advance more briskly if you're holding an instrument that suits you. Nothing like holding a beautiful looking, feeling, sounding, uh, ... anything really, but instrument in this case. Get it while it's there!
    Blow on, man.

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    Default Re: I am in love - Gibson F5-G

    Consider finances but do not consider playing ability.

    For that matter, do not consider finances. Just get it. Now.

    I'm a Gibson F5-G owner and it is the best sounding instrument I have played.
    Bobby Bill

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  9. #6

    Default Re: I am in love - Gibson F5-G

    Well, it's just not the best time for me right now. As silly as it sounds I just wanted to look at it since I haven't seen a Gibson mando in person since the early 90s (back when you could get one for $1,200!) to make sure that is what I really, really wanted. This one has been in the store "forever" according to the manager so I'm not worried about it going anywhere.

  10. #7
    Loarcutus of MandoBorg DataNick's Avatar
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    Default Re: I am in love - Gibson F5-G

    Quote Originally Posted by CSIMelissa View Post
    Well, it's just not the best time for me right now. As silly as it sounds I just wanted to look at it since I haven't seen a Gibson mando in person since the early 90s (back when you could get one for $1,200!) to make sure that is what I really, really wanted. This one has been in the store "forever" according to the manager so I'm not worried about it going anywhere.
    If they'll work with you, since it's been there "forever", I'd lock it up on some kind of extended lay-away...
    Last edited by DataNick; Jun-05-2014 at 12:06pm. Reason: spelling
    1994 Gibson F5L - Weber signed


    "Mandolin brands are a guide, not gospel! I don't drink koolaid and that Emperor is naked!"
    "If you wanna get soul Baby, you gots to get the scroll..."
    "I would rather play music anyday for the beggar, the thief, and the fool!"
    "Perfection is not attainable; but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence" Vince Lombardi
    Playing Style: RockMonRoll Desperado Bluegrass Desperado YT Channel

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    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: I am in love - Gibson F5-G

    I bought mine at Mandolin Brothers several years ago. I played every mandolin on the wall, all different price ranges and kept coming back to the F5G I finally bought.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

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    Default Re: I am in love - Gibson F5-G

    It is always OK to put a great mandolin on a credit card. It is an unwritten code in the mandolin world.
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    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: I am in love - Gibson F5-G

    I should also note that other mandolins have come and gone but my F5G has remained. I can't imagine replacing it. We're that close.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
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    Professional Dreamer journeybear's Avatar
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    Default Re: I am in love - Gibson F5-G

    You are in love, yet you walked away. What if someone scoops it up before you save up enough? Putting it on layaway and paying for it in installments sounds like the way to go. I'm sure the store will be happy to accommodate you, knowing they will ultimately realize a sizable sale. And you can put your mind at ease, knowing it will be there when you finally do reach the purchase point. A win-win, I say!
    But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller

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    Default Re: I am in love - Gibson F5-G

    Quote Originally Posted by journeybear View Post
    You are in love, yet you walked away. What if someone scoops it up before you save up enough? Putting it on layaway and paying for it in installments sounds like the way to go. I'm sure the store will be happy to accommodate you, knowing they will ultimately realize a sizable sale. And you can put your mind at ease, knowing it will be there when you finally do reach the purchase point. A win-win, I say!
    I prefer layaway over financing and I actually would have done layaway but their terms were only 30 days no matter what I bought. My thought on that is if I could have afforded to pay it off in 30 days why in the world would I have needed layaway to begin with? LOL

    I'll be more in a position where I feel comfortable buying later this year. If this one isn't in the stars for me, I know that the mandolin I'm "meant" to have it still out there waiting for me.

    I am happy to get some opinions from here about the instrument itself from people who actually have one. Unbiased reviews are the best.

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  18. #13

    Default Re: I am in love - Gibson F5-G

    Quote Originally Posted by CSIMelissa View Post
    Just looked at a Gibson F-5G and I am in love. So beautiful. It was hard to leave it in the music store BUT I need to save more. It'll just have to be my treat when my playing advances. (I started teaching myself in November.)

    Anyone have one? Thoughts?
    Yes I have a thought, what store is it at ?
    MAS Fund.......Up and running again

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    Constantly In Search Of.. Michael Bridges's Avatar
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    Default Re: I am in love - Gibson F5-G

    No such thing as "unbiased" around here! Unjudgemental, maybe. LOL
    Music speaks to us all. And to each of us, she speaks with a different voice.

    J Bovier A5 Tradition

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    Professional Dreamer journeybear's Avatar
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    Default Re: I am in love - Gibson F5-G

    I get it. Well, I hope the feeling is mutual, and that it will wait for you.

    Quote Originally Posted by Iron View Post
    Yes I have a thought, what store is it at ?
    Ouch!
    But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller

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    Finders Keepers, my duo with the astoundingly talented and versatile Patti Rothberg. Our EP is finally done, and available! PM me, while they last!

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    Troglodyte Michael Weaver's Avatar
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    Default

    I'm going against the grain on this one. Save up your money and you won't feel that lump in your stomach when you shell out money you shouldn't be spending. There are a lot of mandos out there if that one is gone when you are ready.
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    Registered User Lou Giordano's Avatar
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    Default Re: I am in love - Gibson F5-G

    I think someone should loan her the money
    Giving this another try.

  25. #18

    Default Re: I am in love - Gibson F5-G

    I am a proud owner of an F5-G from 2004. Found it in a music shop last summer in St. Paul, MN. Like many people have said before, I really love this instrument. At the time I bought it, it sounded very sleepy but has opened up considerably and I love the ring and presence of its tone; however, Michael does bring up a good point. If you can spare the money in the future and it's still in the shop, then it is meant to be. I also agree with an earlier post…if it's been in the shop for a while, see if you can get a discount. (As my mother always says, it doesn't hurt to ask... and she's always right )

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    Registered User Ron Cox's Avatar
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    Default Re: I am in love - Gibson F5-G

    When I put mine on Layaway, the owner "worked" with me. Your place may let you put it on hold or layaway a bit longer if you ask for it. A purchase like that could be a great motivator to really scrambling to get some serious money together fast. I put every bit of "junk" that I had laying around on Ebay, really shook the trees in my Photography business and scrambled for every bit of extra cash I could lay my hands on (without taking any money from my family's budget). It took my just under 90 days.

    Pack lunch, bring a water bottle, or travel mug, maybe skip some of the little extra's. It will really add up pretty fast. I don't know what a 5G is running or what your finances are like, but if the prize is great enough, the work won't feel like work.

    I am also self taught, but never got serious about my playing (had a pretty cheap mandolin but always wanted an oval holed F style). Started getting serious last October, saw my 814 and even though money was tight (really tight) I took the plunge. I don't regret it for a second.

    I personally hope you can pull it off. F5G is a really special instrument. The mandolin that I wish I hadn't passed on was a Kentucky Oval-Hole F Style. Never saw another again (except for pictures). Since I got my 814, I've seen exactly two others, one just like mine and a sunburst. Not that that makes a difference, just how few of them there are. Kind of like the 5G

    Just my opinion. Take it for what it is worth.

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    Default Re: I am in love - Gibson F5-G

    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Weaver View Post
    I'm going against the grain on this one. Save up your money and you won't feel that lump in your stomach when you shell out money you shouldn't be spending. There are a lot of mandos out there if that one is gone when you are ready.
    Agreed! At least now I know this is what I want for sure.

  30. #21
    plectrist Ryk Loske's Avatar
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    Default Re: I am in love - Gibson F5-G

    Reading your posts .. this is the first time in a long time you've had a Gibson mandolin in your hands. So now the question is ... do you like Gibson F5-Gs in general ... or did this mandolin call you from the wall? I was in a guitar store to pick up strings and stuff when a '52 Reissue Tele called me from the wall. I had no interest .. wasn't looking .. wasn't even thinking about an electric guitar ... but that butterscotch beauty had me at "Ryk . up here."

    If your down the road destination is a F5-G .. you know where you're headed ... just don't know when you'll get there. If it's this one that's called you and it slips away your destination is heartbreak.

    Good luck!

    Ryk
    mandolin ~ guitar ~ banjo

    "I'm convinced that playing well is not so much a technique as it is a decision. It's a commitment to do the work, strive for concentration, get strategic about advancing by steps, and push patiently forward toward the goal." Dan Crary

  31. #22
    acoustically inert F-2 Dave's Avatar
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    Default Re: I am in love - Gibson F5-G

    "I know you want it, but you're a good girl" - Robin Thicke



    I'm sorry.
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  33. #23

    Default Re: I am in love - Gibson F5-G

    Quote Originally Posted by Ryk View Post
    Reading your posts .. this is the first time in a long time you've had a Gibson mandolin in your hands. So now the question is ... do you like Gibson F5-Gs in general ... or did this mandolin call you from the wall? I was in a guitar store to pick up strings and stuff when a '52 Reissue Tele called me from the wall. I had no interest .. wasn't looking .. wasn't even thinking about an electric guitar ... but that butterscotch beauty had me at "Ryk . up here."

    If your down the road destination is a F5-G .. you know where you're headed ... just don't know when you'll get there. If it's this one that's called you and it slips away your destination is heartbreak.

    Good luck!

    Ryk
    Hi Ryk! Long story short, I've been wanting to learn the mandolin for 20+ years and after my mother was diagnosed with cancer last fall I decided to quit putting it off and learn. Anyway, to start I just got a nice quality Kentucky A-style but for 20+ years I've had my heart set on an F-Style Gibson. The F5-G is in the price range of what I want. If the one I looked at today still isn't there at the end of the year when I'm ready to buy then it wasn't meant for me. Things happen for reasons! LOL

  34. #24
    plectrist Ryk Loske's Avatar
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    Default Re: I am in love - Gibson F5-G

    Quote Originally Posted by CSIMelissa View Post
    Hi Ryk! Long story short, I've been wanting to learn the mandolin for 20+ years and after my mother was diagnosed with cancer last fall I decided to quit putting it off and learn. Anyway, to start I just got a nice quality Kentucky A-style but for 20+ years I've had my heart set on an F-Style Gibson. The F5-G is in the price range of what I want. If the one I looked at today still isn't there at the end of the year when I'm ready to buy then it wasn't meant for me. Things happen for reasons! LOL
    There's another thread: http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...model-opinions where folks with experience and knowledge discuss various Gibson Fs. My reading of that discussion speaks to the wisdom of the instrument you've focused on.

    You go girl! Have fun!



    Ryk
    mandolin ~ guitar ~ banjo

    "I'm convinced that playing well is not so much a technique as it is a decision. It's a commitment to do the work, strive for concentration, get strategic about advancing by steps, and push patiently forward toward the goal." Dan Crary

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    Default Re: I am in love - Gibson F5-G

    Melissa
    I have used this old trick for many years. First you said it has been there for a long time. The owner of the shop(providing it isn't a chain) would also like to see it go. He may inclined to bargain a bit. Most retail building pay rent on the first of the month. The end of the month is the best time to by an instument. Rent can be substantial and every business man would like to show a good month. I have done this for 40 years they get a little more flexible with big bills on the door step.
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