Question about "Bad" Gibson F5's

[ollaimh]

Well, if you let the cat out of the bag you're holding, then the pig may well become a turkey. I'd say, "let sleeping dogs lie," but we all know a bird in the hand (unless it's a turkey) is worth two in the bush.

Gee, I love old saws, even when they're buzzwords.

now there's the quote of the decade

[Jim Garber]

I've tried searching before posting but couldn't seem to find the answer i'm looking for. I have a chance to potentially get a 68 F5 in a trade. I would be coming out a head in the trade but I can not play it before hand. From research the late 60's and 70's are consider the dark years and where not made very well.A lot of people has said these are terrible instruments but what is that being compared to? Is "bad" being compared to older and even newer F5's that are superior, but are still good instruments just not up to par as other, or is just terrible by any standards and you can get something much better for 1/4 the cost?

You don't mention the details of the trade but regardless of whether you are dealing with and individual or a dealer, I would negotiate for a reasonable approval period. Have them ship it to you (and you ship your item to them and give the, the same deal) and if you don't like it, you can ship it back to them. If they don't like that then walk away from the trade.

Why get stuck with something like that. If it is great you will want to keep it. If it is not so great then you might have a hard time selling it. No matter how cheap if the latter case, you may be out the money, no matter how small. Life is too short, IMHO.

[FLATROCK HILL]

Wow Jim. I figured after 25000+ posts, you'd be immune to being drawn into the dormant-post black hole.

[Bernie Daniel]

Wow Jim. I figured after 25000+ posts, you'd be immune to being drawn into the dormant-post black hole.

There is no cure for PUS (posting urge syndrome) in can strike at any time............

[Jim Garber]

Wow Jim. I figured after 25000+ posts, you'd be immune to being drawn into the dormant-post black hole.

You are correct but this thread was first revived in September 2018 then yesterday. I also posted on my phone and this forum software has small type and does not switch to cell phone friendly formatting unfortunately. Still I should have been more vigilant. I beg all of your forgiveness.

[ntriesch]

Its kind of like anything, some are probably good while some are not so good. Look at classic air cooled Porsche cars for example, the mid years, 74 to 77 were considered terrible 10 years ago. But now they are at a high value and considered classics. I bet there are many very good Gibson mandolins from that era out there!

[Mandolin Cafe]

You are correct but this thread was first revived in September 2018 then yesterday. I also posted on my phone and this forum software has small type and does not switch to cell phone friendly formatting unfortunately. Still I should have been more vigilant. I beg all of your forgiveness.

Not true.

All you have to do is scroll to the bottom and select "Default Mobile Style" from the drop-down menu on the left.

[Br1ck]

With dormant posts you can give the same answer you gave years ago. No one will notice. Or perhaps you've changed your view and you can debunk your previous thinking.

[Jim Garber]

Not true.

All you have to do is scroll to the bottom and select "Default Mobile Style" from the drop-down menu on the left.

Thanks, Scott. I didn't know that was even there. Some sites sniff it out and switch to mobile layout automatically. That is good to know.

[Rickker]

Well, although this thread goes way back, I just now stumbled onto it. I check out the MC a couple of times a week but very seldom post something or respond to something. However, since I have owned one of these instruments for over 50 years, I felt compelled to add my two cents worth. Back in 1974 or '75 I purchased a used 1969 F5, serial number 814400. Bought it from the original owner for $1300 (Canadian funds, about $1200 US) It was built when Gibson were still operating in Kalamazoo, MI. I wrote them to verify that it was a genuine F5, not a copy. I also found out that exactly 40 F5 mandolins were built in 1969. A year or two later, I showed it to a skilled mandolinist who played it a bit and said it sounded and played very well, but questioned whether it was authentic because of the curved section of the headstock. (see attached photo). Well, it is how Gibson made them for a few years. Instead of a perfectly straight line from the tip to the left side, there is a gentle curve. Looks OK, but different than all other F5s.
Anyway, I have owned and played it for over 50 years. It has been completely re-fretted, and I had a custom nut and bridge fitted by a skilled luthier, to increase the string spacing as much as the neck width would allow. Now how does it sound? Most players who have tried it have liked it. I have played quite a few other mandolins, but not many expensive or "good" instruments. I have always preferred my 1969 F5. I consider it a good instrument, but not a great one. Finally, when it comes to sound quality, volume and playability, let us not forget how much an excellent set-up can do for an instrument. Even a very "cheap" mandolin can sound and play well when the bridge is in the right position and the action is correct. And of course the inverse is true, a great instrument will play and sound poorly if not set up properly. So, there are my $0.02 comments.
.....Rickker

[Rickker]

Further to my previous post, I have a video clip of me playing this instrument, but was unable to attach it to the message. It is a .wmv file, about 7.7MB. Message comes back as an invalid file. Any ideas of how to get past this. Others post video clips all the time on the forum.
....Rickker

[Astro]

The kicker is when you go to read a revived thread and thinking it all sounds interesting and maybe thinking you're going to post your thinking on the matter and then scrolling down to be surprised that you already did--years back.

The next stage will then be when you start arguing with your old self.

[mandroid]

F5 need nor be from Gibson by now ... lots of builders pattern theirs after them ,
because that style sells well ..

[Bernie Daniel]

Well, although this thread goes way back, I just now stumbled onto it. I check out the MC a couple of times a week but very seldom post something or respond to something. However, since I have owned one of these instruments for over 50 years, I felt compelled to add my two cents worth. Back in 1974 or '75 I purchased a used 1969 F5, serial number 814400. Bought it from the original owner for $1300 (Canadian funds, about $1200 US) It was built when Gibson were still operating in Kalamazoo, MI. I wrote them to verify that it was a genuine F5, not a copy. I also found out that exactly 40 F5 mandolins were built in 1969. A year or two later, I showed it to a skilled mandolinist who played it a bit and said it sounded and played very well, but questioned whether it was authentic because of the curved section of the headstock. (see attached photo). Well, it is how Gibson made them for a few years. Instead of a perfectly straight line from the tip to the left side, there is a gentle curve. Looks OK, but different than all other F5s.
Anyway, I have owned and played it for over 50 years. It has been completely re-fretted, and I had a custom nut and bridge fitted by a skilled luthier, to increase the string spacing as much as the neck width would allow. Now how does it sound? Most players who have tried it have liked it. I have played quite a few other mandolins, but not many expensive or "good" instruments. I have always preferred my 1969 F5. I consider it a good instrument, but not a great one. Finally, when it comes to sound quality, volume and playability, let us not forget how much an excellent set-up can do for an instrument. Even a very "cheap" mandolin can sound and play well when the bridge is in the right position and the action is correct. And of course the inverse is true, a great instrument will play and sound poorly if not set up properly. So, there are my $0.02 comments.
.....Rickker

You have an authentic '53 - to circa '69 era Gibson mandolin with the notorious "fat" head stock. This head stock went away some time in the late '60's and then in 1970 the Gibson F-style was redesigned (probably its worst example - under Norlin). The 1970 design lived until the introduction of the much improved F-5L in 1978. Some of the '60's "fat heads" were good mandolins some were not. Sounds like you lucked out and got one of the good ones!

On your video -- upload it to your YouTube site then post the link using the Mandolin Cafe icons at the top your message box. Use the icon that looks like a piece of 1950s movie film.

[Rickker]

You have an authentic '53 - to circa '69 era Gibson mandolin with the notorious "fat" head stock. This head stock went away some time in the late '60's and then in 1970 the Gibson F-style was redesigned (probably its worst example - under Norlin). The 1970 design lived until the introduction of the much improved F-5L in 1978. Some of the '60's "fat heads" were good mandolins some were not. Sounds like you lucked out and got one of the good ones!

On your video -- upload it to your YouTube site then post the link using the Mandolin Cafe icons at the top your message box. Use the icon that looks like a piece of 1950s movie film.

Well, I don't have a You Tube site and am hesitant to get one. Is there another way?
....Rickker

[Bernie Daniel]

Well, I don't have a You Tube site and am hesitant to get one. Is there another way?
....Rickker

Maybe there is some freeware on line that will allow you to compress your video so it can be up loaded directly to the Mandolin Cafe? Or make a smaller video?

[Jim Garber]

Well, I don't have a You Tube site and am hesitant to get one. Is there another way?
....Rickker

Supported videos include:
Hulu YouTube (Long) YouTube (Short) Vimeo Dailymotion Metacafe Google facebook

I am sure you have your reasons but even it you could post it here the video will still be online. YouTube is the easiest and most universal.

[David Lewis]

With dormant posts you can give the same answer you gave years ago. No one will notice. Or perhaps you've changed your view and you can debunk your previous thinking.

Pfft, I've never done that...

[Rickker]

I am sure you have your reasons but even it you could post it here the video will still be online. YouTube is the easiest and most universal.

Thanks Bernie and Jim. Turns out I more or less already had a YouTube account, given that the latter is owned by Google. Will now try to get the video on to this thread. A lot of this stuff is new to me.



Hope this works. Not a big deal, and not the best quality, but you can get an idea what one of these "bad" mandolins sound like.

....Rickker

[Rickker]

Thanks Bernie and Jim. Turns out I more or less already had a YouTube account, given that the latter is owned by Google. Will now try to get the video on to this thread. A lot of this stuff is new to me.



Hope this works. Not a big deal, and not the best quality, but you can get an idea what one of these "bad" mandolins sound like.

....Rickker

Well, that didn't work. Turns out I set up the YouTube account as private, so nothing happened. Now trying to figure out if I can share it with the Mandolin Cafe but not the rest of the world?

[Rickker]

Changed the YouTube setting to "unlisted" and trying again....



Don't think that worked either. I can see and hear the video on YouTube, but nothing seems to happen when I paste the link into the thread here??

[Bernie Daniel]

Pfft, I've never done that...

Well I've found that if I never make a mistake their is not need to retract it?

[Jim Garber]

Well I've found that if I never make a mistake their is not need to retract it?

Just one small mistake above: "... there is not need to retract it?" Sorry!

[Jim Garber]

Here you go. Nice cross-picking:

[Rickker]

Thanks Bernie and Jim for helping me get that video up. It didn't seem to be there after I posted it, but it is now.
Anyway, that's what a 1969 Gibson F5 sounds like.
.....Rickker