Results 1 to 12 of 12

Thread: New Gibson F9s produced by David Harvey: Wow!

  1. #1
    Loarcutus of MandoBorg DataNick's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Fallbrook, CA
    Posts
    3,837

    Default New Gibson F9s produced by David Harvey: Wow!

    I just played one of the new F9s last night that a cafe member recently purchased from TMS.

    If you like the Gibson "bluegrass" tonal qualities, the Gibson "neck feel", etc, and you don't want to spend the $$ on an F5G or F5L Fern, then these F9s are just right. Fit & finish was great, but for a new mandolin I was blown away by how great the tone is already!

    Plenty of volume, bark, pop when chopping chords, sweet tone, and TMS set-up was spot-on; this thing played like 'butta'. Needless to say I was impressed!

    We did a taste test between the new F9, my 94' F5L, a 99' F5G, and an 01' Flatiron Festival F, and boy they are all so close; slight differences but really close!

    If I didn't have my F5L, I'd definitely be looking at the "econo" F9, which as far as sound, playability, and fit & finish is by no means "econo"

    Wow! Great job David Harvey/Gibson!
    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

  2. The following members say thank you to DataNick for this post:


  3. #2

    Default Re: New Gibson F9s produced by David Harvey: Wow!

    Nick - all of the new Gibsons we have been getting have been just incredible sounding mandolins. I just got two more new F9's in this week and both are killer. Gibson's not making as many mandolins as I'd like to see but the quality is better than ever as is the consistency. You should plan a trip over to our shop sometime to try out mandolins.
    Dennis Vance
    The Mandolin Store
    www.themandolinstore.com

  4. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to The Mandolin Store For This Useful Post:


  5. #3
    Registered User Timothy S's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    San Francisco, CA
    Posts
    102

    Default Re: New Gibson F9s produced by David Harvey: Wow!

    If I didn't have a Kimble on order, I'd be over there visiting those Gibsons too! I had the chance to play a Goldrush that went to another Cafe member just before it shipped, along with a Fern. Both incredibly enjoyable instruments. I only wish my collection could be bigger.

    To the Cafe,

    Pay the guys at TMS a visit in person, online, or by phone. Excellent folks who are more concerned in happy players than just making a quick sale (my personal experience, NFI).
    Kimble #220
    R. Taylor Style 2 Sinker Redwood/Madagascar Rosewood

  6. #4
    MandoNewbie Misty Stanley-Jones's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Brisbane, Australia
    Posts
    191

    Default Re: New Gibson F9s produced by David Harvey: Wow!

    Did you olay that goldrush recently, Timothy? It might have been mine?
    --
    Playing since August 2013
    2014 Gibson Goldrush (David Harvey's photos)
    Greg Dunn A5 #1 (RayDoris)

  7. #5
    Registered User Timothy S's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    San Francisco, CA
    Posts
    102

    Default Re: New Gibson F9s produced by David Harvey: Wow!

    Nah this was back in February of 2013. I actually just found the thread about that particular mandolin.
    http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...light=Goldrush
    Still, congrats on yours! Mighty fine instruments.
    Kimble #220
    R. Taylor Style 2 Sinker Redwood/Madagascar Rosewood

  8. The following members say thank you to Timothy S for this post:


  9. #6
    My Florida is scooped pheffernan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Fort Lauderdale, FL
    Posts
    3,859

    Default Re: New Gibson F9s produced by David Harvey: Wow!

    Quote Originally Posted by DataNick View Post
    If you like the Gibson "bluegrass" tonal qualities, the Gibson "neck feel", etc, and you don't want to spend the $$ on an F5G or F5L Fern, then these F9s are just right. Fit & finish was great, but for a new mandolin I was blown away by how great the tone is already!
    Makes you wonder who grabbed that minty looking used one at Elderly for $2250 this past month: http://www.elderly.com/vintage/items/90U-6596.htm.
    1924 Gibson A Snakehead
    2005 National RM-1
    2007 Hester A5
    2009 Passernig A5
    2015 Black A2-z
    2010 Black GBOM
    2017 Poe Scout
    2014 Smart F-Style Mandola
    2018 Vessel TM5
    2019 Hogan F5

  10. #7
    Registered User barry k's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Savannah Ga.
    Posts
    883

    Default Re: New Gibson F9s produced by David Harvey: Wow!

    Let get this right.....Econo translates to cheap and shoddy workmanship ? In your opinion?.....just trying to clarify your statement...."ain't no econo model !"....BK

  11. #8
    Loarcutus of MandoBorg DataNick's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Fallbrook, CA
    Posts
    3,837

    Default Re: New Gibson F9s produced by David Harvey: Wow!

    Quote Originally Posted by barry k View Post
    Let get this right.....Econo translates to cheap and shoddy workmanship ? In your opinion?.....just trying to clarify your statement...."ain't no econo model !"....BK
    Nah, come on Brotha!

    No negativity in my post; it's about all bein positive.

    By "econo" I meant less expensive, that's all. F9s have been called "a poor man's F5G"."Econo" usually translates to without or less bells and whistles, etc.

    By the things that matter to me at least, there's nothing "econo" about the F9.
    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

  12. The following members say thank you to DataNick for this post:

    Astro 

  13. #9
    Registered User pickinNgrinnin's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Kansas
    Posts
    1,479

    Default Re: New Gibson F9s produced by David Harvey: Wow!

    I played a new F-9 at Long & McQuade's in Winnipeg a few days ago and it was an impressive instrument. It had huge tone and volume, a very lively Mandolin. Notes were popping out of this one. Chop chords were wicked percussive. It's the first new F-9 I've had a chance to play in a number of years. Had a hard time putting it down. If this particular F-9 is representative of what Gibson is producing these days, then they definitely have it going.

  14. #10
    Okay, I'm with you fellas tburcham's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Jonesboro, AR
    Posts
    726
    Blog Entries
    1

    Default Re: New Gibson F9s produced by David Harvey: Wow!

    Quote Originally Posted by The Mandolin Store View Post
    Nick - all of the new Gibsons we have been getting have been just incredible sounding mandolins. I just got two more new F9's in this week and both are killer. Gibson's not making as many mandolins as I'd like to see but the quality is better than ever as is the consistency. You should plan a trip over to our shop sometime to try out mandolins.
    +1 David Harvey and a small group of craftsman at Gibson are turning out great mandolins for the Mother Ship. My F-9 Custom, from The Mandolin Store, is my goto mandolin...and I'll go ahead and say it...it will be with me till I'm gone!
    Tim Burcham
    Northfield Big Mon (Red Spruce/Red Maple)
    Gibson F-9 Custom
    1942 Strad-O-Lin
    1948-54 Gibson LG-3
    2011 Gibson J-45 True Vintage
    2017 Martin HD-28 VTS Custom Shop
    Bailey Mandolin Straps (NFI)
    Bell Arm-rests (NFI)

  15. The following members say thank you to tburcham for this post:


  16. #11
    Registered User almeriastrings's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Almeria, Spain
    Posts
    5,442
    Blog Entries
    3

    Default Re: New Gibson F9s produced by David Harvey: Wow!

    Of those recent (post-flood) ones I've been able to check out (2 Ferns, a Goldrush and and F-9) they were all absolutely superb. They've really got those classic Gibson tones down to a 'T'. Very consistent too, with tidy work, fine materials and very nice finish. Even the 'factory' setup was exceptional. Playable literally out of the box in every case.

    Cannot go wrong at the moment with these. Best Gibson mandolins in a very (very) long time.
    Gibson F5 'Harvey' Fern, Gibson F5 'Derrington' Fern
    Distressed Silverangel F 'Esmerelda' aka 'Maxx'
    Northfield Big Mon #127
    Ellis F5 Special #288
    '39 & '45 D-18's, 1950 D-28.

  17. The following members say thank you to almeriastrings for this post:


  18. #12
    Registered User mbruno's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Seattle WA
    Posts
    821

    Default Re: New Gibson F9s produced by David Harvey: Wow!

    I actually just got the F9 from the Mandolin Store (the one Nick's taking about). It's great and the guys at TMS were awesome (not a surprise at all - but worth noting, they have gone above and beyond in a few key aspects which is great).

    Currently, I favor my F9 over Nick's F5 and all the others in our taste test. I haven't played a lot of F5's, but the F9 is doing what it needs to do and well. Points I like include the tone - bright but not nasal, ease of playability on the higher frets, smooth playing in general, and the thing holds tune very well. It's only about 2 months old at this point (produced May 2014) and is shaping up to be a great long term mandolin. I like Nick's F5, it fits the hand well and the jumbo fret wire really makes sliding easy - but my F9 has very crisp sounding notes that are (IMO) cleaner sounding. I think the "Econ" label is not accurate at all and does a disservice to the instrument. It is a great mandolin and, while there are better out there I'm sure, this one does it's job very well. The price of a mandolin (or any instrument) doesn't equate directly to quality. It's the player, the setup (thanks TMS), the feeling, the etc.

    Quick note / props to the Mandolin Store. When I was looking for a new mandolin, I convinced / bribed my girlfriend to make a trip to TMS with me. We stayed in a hotel near by and Saturday morning from 9am to about 1 I hung out and played everything there. TMS' Brian was awesome. Very nice and informative - he jammed with me a little so I could test out different mandolins (we played Old Home Place about 10 times - him on guitar, me on various mandolins). I cannot say enough about the level of customer service and etc. I can't see buying an instrument anywhere else - unless they open a shop in San Diego to replace Buffalo Bros When I did finally purchase the mandolin about 6 months later, I noticed a couple of small defects - nothing huge but defects nonetheless. I snapped a few pictures and emailed them to TMS asking what they thought of it - within an hour I had a call from them apologizing and offering to fix the defect at their shop or reimburse me at a local shop. I want to stress the defects are very minor overall and if it wasn't a new instrument, I would not have said anything. I bring this last point up because, if I wasn't already sold on how great TMS is - that last part did it. Family owned, local, small shops are what we need in niche communities like the mandolin world - THANK YOU to the Mandolin Store for being on point!!

  19. The following members say thank you to mbruno for this post:


Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •