Who owns a newer F5L and what is your thoughts?

[John Adrihan]

Just wondering for those that have a Gibson fern that was made in the last year, how do you like it, what do not like? Just looking for some opinions. Thanks.

[John Adrihan]

Just wondering for those that have a Gibson fern that was made in the last year, how do you like it, what do not like? Just looking for some opinions. Thanks.

I mean stuff like even do you like the color or not of the new ones.

[DataNick]

John,

Scott Napier, of "Lost And Found" got a new Fern just in time for Christmas. He, Bobby Osborne, and others have been extremely complimentary of David Harvey's work....

[Glassweb]

good playing, but i don't care for the tone of the instrument. as far as aesthetics go how come everyone but Gibson knows how to carve a scroll these days?

[Luna Pick]

Well, I don't own an F5L or Fern so not sure I'm qualified to answer the OP questions, but have been around several, seen many, and to me I wish they would lose that over-sized-mudflapofa-pick guard and use abbreviated pick guards, which I think are much more tasteful looking, tradition be darned. I wouldn't own an F5L if it had one of those giants that I couldn't remove. Just sayin'.

[DataNick]

good playing, but i don't care for the tone of the instrument...

I think that's more of the video quality....I've heard a couple others made by Scott that sounded much better. And I geri-rigged that Facebook video to YouTube...YMMV

[Glassweb]

could be right... when i was still a Loar owner (a real one) i went to a party in WI and there was a guy there that had an F5L that sounded better than my Loar... so there ya go... the proof is in the pickin'...

[lenf12]

i went to a party in WI and there was a guy there that had an F5L that sounded better than my Loar... so there ya go... the proof is in the pickin'...

That proves it!! It's the player for the most part and the mandolin only to a certain degree. Albeit, there are certain builder names that rise to the top, the creme de la crème, but it still boils down to the skills of the player of a well built mandolin.

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[Ivan Kelsall]

From what i've read on here,the consensus of opinion is that the mandolins currently being produced under the guidance of Dave Harvey,are the finest for years !. However,you still need to play them to discover if one's 'right for you'. A friend's 'Harvey produced' Gibson 'Sam Bush' model is as good a mandolin as i've ever heard, & it plays like a dream. I got hit with more than a tad of envy when i played it,& the 'Goldrush' model is something i lust after ( not really,but you get my drift),
Ivan

[almeriastrings]

Mine is not that new anymore (September 2011 one of the very first to emerge after the flood), but I have played a more recent one about 12 months ago and it was equally good sounding. I don't think that video clip conveys the full picture at all in terms of how they really sound. You have to hear them. I like mine a lot. Very good mandolin. The plastic finger rest? Not so good.... you can take 'em off of course. I have mine back on right now as I needed it as an anchor point for a clip on mic.

Price has gone up a lot recently, though....

[Nick Gellie]

good playing, but i don't care for the tone of the instrument. as far as aesthetics go how come everyone but Gibson knows how to carve a scroll these days?

Did you notice that his right hand was really close to the bridge hence the tinny sound? I am pretty sure it would sound a lot better if the right hand was over the florida.

[Glassweb]

Did you notice that his right hand was really close to the bridge hence the tinny sound? I am pretty sure it would sound a lot better if the right hand was over the florida.

sometimes you can tell the sonic personality of an instrument from a recording or a video, but the only way to really judge is hands-on...

[jimmy powells]

Totally agree with Nick Gellie's point about where he was playing. Plectrum plays a huge part again and much overlooked. I reckon Wegen's are best for any mandolin or guitar. Used them for 12 years now. 2mm guage.

I'd love an F5-L but really expensive now and few in Uk.

Jimmy
UK

[Glassweb]

[QUOTE=jimmy powells;1489475]Totally agree with Nick Gellie's point about where he was playing. Plectrum plays a huge part again and much overlooked. I reckon Wegen's are best for any mandolin or guitar. Used them for 12 years now. 2mm guage.

I agree with Jimmy that a pick will greatly affect the tone... picks and strings both. However after years of trial I'm convinced that super thick picks, no matter who the maker is, are tone killers. They will give a certain type of tone, but the dynamic range will be very dark and limited. They are high-end killers to boot. I know everybody loved Grisman's Tone Poems, but I wasn't a big fan. With that thick pick David employs he kinda made all those mandolins sound the same... to my ears anyway. For me anything thicker than 1.5mm is overkill and these days I'm using a BC TAD50 (normal bevel). Of course as Sly Stone said...

[Ivan Kelsall]

I have to agree with Glassweb about pick thickness. I've tried 'thick' picks,namely Dawg / Golden Gate & 2 Blue Chip picks that were 2mm thick & although the BC picks weren't bad,the other 2 were a sonic & tonal disaster !. The thick,rounded edges slide over the strings without imparting any 'push' to them = quiet & dull. As for Wegen picks,although i haven't tried the ones Jimmy Powells uses,i used to use 1.5 mm thick Wegen Bluegrass picks which, compared to the tone & volume i now get from the 1.5 mm Dunlop Primetone picks,now sound very soft & with far less volume. However - pick shapes/materials & ''brands'' are purely our personal taste - as it should be.
It could be that different mandolins / string combos. respond differently to different pick shapes etc. - in fact,there's really no ''could be'' about it,they will,as i found out when i'd begun using DR MD11 strings along with the Primetone picks. The increase in sheer 'punch' that the combo. gave was incredible. However,having tried the Primetone picks with an old set of D'Addario J74's (now EJ74's) that i found on one of my mandolins,the PT pick produced such an increase in volume & 'punch' that i don't really need the added power of the DR's any more,although being honest,i still think that by far,the DR's are the best strings i've ever used.
Ivan

[John Adrihan]

So is the consensus that the new "Harvey" ferns are pretty consistent in playability, looks and sound? I understand that loudness and tone can be subjective so for argument sake are the new Gibson's "Gibsonesque" and have that "bluegrass" tone?

[Rex Hart]

I own a 2008 F5L (one of the last pre flood's) that is a monster. I have played some of the new one's at my local music store (Morgan Music), and although the workmanship is top notch, they come up short in tone when compared to mine. This may be due to not being "played in". The tone seems to be much thinner. The Gibson's still compared favorably to the Collings, Weber's and Northfields that they also had and still had the Gibson characteristics. That is my 2 cents worth

[almeriastrings]

So is the consensus that the new "Harvey" ferns are pretty consistent in playability, looks and sound? I understand that loudness and tone can be subjective so for argument sake are the new Gibson's "Gibsonesque" and have that "bluegrass" tone?

I would say they do, absolutely. I had mine here right alongside an earlier MM and much preferred the Fern. Just more of everything. Individual instruments do vary though, so definitely worth trying one in person if you can. Incidentally, mine came perfectly set up, right out of the box, with all the measurements noted in Dave Harvey's handwriting.

[John Adrihan]

Thanks everybody for the input. I have been thinking about pulling the trigger on one for a couple of years. I have been going back and forth over it between another LaPlant or a Gibson. I really want the Gibson sound I guess.

[Atlanta Mando Mike]

Really, gonna dis Grisman's tone on that record... His tone is insane. if we are looking for anything that could be a consensus, that's as close as you'll get when talking to top players. And the tone poems record helped prove that fact as he sounded killer on loars and cheap old department store mandolins. Scott sounds like that because of how close to the bridge he pics. It's a choice in tone for him. Anyway, carry on. Just hit a nerve!! Ymmv

[Ivan Kelsall]

From John Adrihan - "I really want the Gibson sound I guess.". The ''Gibson sound'' isn't limited to Gibson mandolins,why should it be ?. All mandolins are made from similar woods,& most non-Gibson mandolins are made to Gibson 'specifications' ie,top & back graduations. Maybe some older Gibsons have a'particular' tone,but i suspect that newer ones have a lot in common with many other builder's mandolins. I have monitor quality loudspeakers attached to my PC because it's a well used source of music,so the sound quality is very good. A couple of weeks ago,i was playing along to Bill Monroe's recording of ''Dusty Miller'',& the tone of my Lebeda had more than a bit in common with the tone of Bill Monroe's Loar,especially on the G strings. My Lebeda's always had a 'woody' tone to it,but i never realised just how close it is the the sound of BM's Loar 'at that time'.
I have a friend who owns a beautiful Harvey era Gibson 'Sam Bush' mandolin, & 'it's' tone & the tone of my Lebeda are very similar indeed. However,the tones of my Weber & Ellis are quite different.
So - the bottom line,look a little further than Gibson mandolins themselves - just in case,however the current crop of Gibsons are as good as they've been for a long time,
Ivan

[John Adrihan]

So here is the scoop, I am just a few hours away today of one stopping by my house to try out. Waiting paitiently😀

[Hendrik Ahrend]

I own a nice varnished Fern from December 2009 (before the May 2010 flood). Sound is loud and brighter than most other Ferns I've played. John, PM me, if you want pics and more info; I'm thinking about parting with it.

[Astro]

Are Ferns and F5L the same thing? For whatever reason I had thought they had discontinued the term F5L. Is the Fern or F5L the same as a F5G except for the extra binding on the fern and that now the F5G's have rosewood instead of ebony fretboards(my F5G is ebony) ? Is the finish the same? Is the tone the same? Is the difference between MM and F5L/Ferns just the varnish finish of the later? Seems there was also a point where red spruce tops come in? Are the tuners always the same? I need an up to date model number review!

[J Mangio]

The name The Fern and F5L is the same mandolin.