Actively searching for a used Gibson, I've noticed a dynamic that makes me pause, ponder, and wonder what I might be getting into. Just off hand I can think of two ferns, an F5 custom, and a Goldrush that saw multiple owners in the past few years, three had the third owner selling them off shortly (guessing around a year or so, maybe less) after buying. These were all Roberts/Derrington or Harvey era mandolins, so of good reputation.
What's going on here? I imagine the reputation of these instruments makes a person more willing to buy online and unplayed. It likely does for me. I'm more inclined to take a risk on a Gibson built in the past 20 years than one built earlier. But why don't these particular mandolins stick? Why do the same ones get sold over and over?
I love the Gibson sound and know a guy that has an absolute beast in his Gibson mandolin. That's what I want. Haha. And I'm wondering if the sellers also want that rare beast of a Gibson, so while the mandolins being sold sound good enough to survive a trial period, they never achieve the ultimate Gibson beast sound.
Have you ever bought a mandolin that had seen three or more prior owners (recent owners, Loar era F5s are out of my range. Haha) and had that mandolin knock your socks of and question the sanity of the prior owners for selling it?
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