Why are there so few "new" Gibson mandolins available?

[Clef]

My mandolin is a 1936 Gibson A. It’s a fine instrument, but this year I want to buy a new Gibson F style. Either a brand new Gibson or a used one that’s only a few years old. Where I live in New Mexico there are no Gibson mandolins in town for sale.

I’ve been searching online for new a new Gibson and I find tons of 1920’s and 1930’s, but I haven’t found any stores that have a decent stock of "new" or almost new Gibson F style to choose from.

I don’t like buying instruments online without playing them first. I have no problems taking a weekend getaway and flying across the country to buy one. I once flew to Ohio to buy an old Fender Stratocaster. I can’t seem find any music stores anywhere in the country that have several new Gibson F mandolins to choose from. I don’t want to fly somewhere to look at a single new mandolin on the rack. It would be nice to play several of them first, and then buy the one I like.

Are there any stores anywhere in the country that has a decent stock of new Gibson F mandolins?

Is there a reason why there are so few new Gibson F mandolins for sale? If I wanted another Stratocaster, most music stores have piles of them available.

Looking at the different specs, what I hope to find is something like a Gibson F5G with a scooped fingerboard extension, or no fingerboard extension. The F5 Goldrush is the ideal mandolin for me, but I hope I don’t have to spend that much on an instrument.

I’m not looking to buy today. I have some antiques to sell first so I don’t touch my savings. Depending on how much profit I make selling some some of my stuff, I might consider the F5 Goldrush.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

[almeriastrings]

They simply do not make many, that's why. Mandolin production is done by a very small team...the Goldrush is a fairly rare beast to start with, but they are a gorgeous mandolin, for sure. The current quality of Gibson mandolins (if you can find one) is superb.... I suspect unless you go to a very specialist dealer, you will be hard pressed to find anywhere with several in stock, and even the speciality dealers do not have exactly huge numbers available... the Mandolin Store has a Goldrush listed:

http://www.themandolinstore.com/scri...idproduct=7865

A definite MAS-inducer, that one! Beautiful...

[allenhopkins]

Mandolin Store in Surprise AZ lists a few in stock.

Elderly Instruments in Lansing MI lists quite a few, including two Lloyd Loar F-5's which are probably a bit beyond your price preferences… What they have are apparently all used, but there are some recent (less than 20 years old) instruments.

Gruhn Guitars in Nashville lists two recent F-5's, a Fern and a Sam Bush.

Definitely not a large number of newer F-5's around. There are a couple listed in the Cafe classifieds, of recent vintage, and you may be able to get the sellers to give you an approval period to try them out.

Finding a store with several recent Gibson F-5's, is going to be a major challenge. Especially when you have a specific model in mind. Since the Nashville flood, Gibson's building mandolins in its Custom Shop, and while all who have tried them have been very positive regarding their quality, it does seem that the supply's extremely limited...

[journeybear]

Another factor is the fee dealers have to pay to some of the top manufacturers to carry their product lines is pretty steep. This includes Gibson, Martin, Fender, and others. So there are fewer stores that carry these brands, and many stores tend to carry lesser-priced instruments instead. Some of them may indeed be very good, but if you are determined to have a new Gibson, you may have a long drive ahead of you. I am pretty sure the Gibson website has a list of their dealers.

[Clef]

Mandolin Store in Surprise AZ lists a few in stock.

Elderly Instruments in Lansing MI lists quite a few, including two Lloyd Loar F-5's which are probably a bit beyond your price preferences… What they have are apparently all used, but there are some recent (less than 20 years old) instruments.

Gruhn Guitars in Nashville lists two recent F-5's, a Fern and a Sam Bush.

Definitely not a large number of newer F-5's around. There are a couple listed in the Cafe classifieds, of recent vintage, and you may be able to get the sellers to give you an approval period to try them out.

Finding a store with several recent Gibson F-5's, is going to be a major challenge. Especially when you have a specific model in mind. Since the Nashville flood, Gibson's building mandolins in its Custom Shop, and while all who have tried them have been very positive regarding their quality, it does seem that the supply's extremely limited...

I'm researching the info about the Nashville flood, WOW awful news that so much was destroyed. I'm sure this has an effect on the production quantities. I'm sure the Custom Shop is producing wonderful instruments. Me being a guitar player as a primary instrument, I wasn't aware of the limited production of mandolins, with or without the flood.

They simply do not make many, that's why. Mandolin production is done by a very small team...the Goldrush is a fairly rare beast to start with, but they are a gorgeous mandolin, for sure. The current quality of Gibson mandolins (if you can find one) is superb.... I suspect unless you go to a very specialist dealer, you will be hard pressed to find anywhere with several in stock, and even the speciality dealers do not have exactly huge numbers available... the Mandolin Store has a Goldrush listed:

http://www.themandolinstore.com/scri...idproduct=7865

A definite MAS-inducer, that one! Beautiful...

Thanks for the link. Yes, this is the ideal mandolin for me. I just wish it was cheaper to purchase. Who knows, if it's still available later this year, and I have the cash, this would be worth a plane ticket to check out. Over the years I've bought and sold some antiques and I've returned a decent profit. I've been gathering up a bunch of antiques around the house to unload, so depending on how I do in the end will determine what I can afford.

On a non Gibson note, I did play a Eastman 315 locally in town. I found it to be a very fine playing and wonderful sounding instrument. I was quite impressed with it, especially for the cheap $800 or whatever it was priced at. I didn't buy it because I'm looking for a nice Gibson to play and keep as a long term investment.

[Mike Snyder]

Janet Davis music in Bella Vista, Ar. and Morgan Music in Lebanon Mo. come to my mind, being a midwesterner. Last time I visited Davis there were 3 new F5s. Haven't been to Morgan in a while. Both are Gibson dealers. Contact them by phone or e-mail and see what they can do for you. It's not occurred to me that the Gibson Opy Mills showplace is kaput and there's nowhere to test drive the whole line anymore. That was on my bucket list. If a Gibson rep or the folks at Morgan or Davis felt that you were a buyer rather than a tire kicker they might road a few extras in for some comparison shopping. Morgan, especially, is a quick trip from Nashville and they have a good working relationship with Gibson, one that I personally have found very useful in the past. Ask for Alvin Deskins.

[Frank Farley]

If you wanted to go used,Charles Johnson at vintage mandolin.com has 2 F5G mandolins in stock.Both are recent,a 2009 in mint condition and a 2012 F5G customlike new.Good prices on both.Charles is a great guy to do buisness with as I have dealt with him several times in the past few years,He will answer any questions you have over the phone as well as by E-Mail. He has many other goodies listed for sale as well.I would love to have the 2009 G model but can't afford it now.Check it out ,it's one nice looking mando.

[Larry S Sherman]

I didn't buy it because I'm looking for a nice Gibson to play and keep as a long term investment.

Gibson's hold their value pretty well, but I would expect that if you bought a new Gibson and kept it for 5, 10, even 15 years it will not increase in value. I think of this type of investment as "parking" money, not really an investment that will be profitable.

With that in mind, you could expand your search beyond Gibsons and find many great mandolins that will hold their value, especially used. But if you have you heart set on Gibson then please proceed and good luck!

Larry

[Austin Bob]

Clef, I went through this very same scenario last year when I bought my F5G Custom from TMS. I could not find a store that had multiple ones to play.

Any reputable dealer will have some sort of return policy. I know, it's not the same as playing 5 mandolins and picking the best one, but at least you get to spend a bit more time with it. Mine is a very fine instrument, and I'm happy with it. Good luck.

Bob

[Scott Tichenor]

I'm not an expert on this but from a lot observation and talking to dealers, a truly new Gibson mandolin is only going to be available from one of their "Five Star Dealer" locations. If you believe their dealer map--I've found it to be out of date over the years--they're seemingly everywhere, although most of those won't have a brand new Gibson mandolin in stock that's direct from the factory. Janet Davis Music was one dealer that I was aware of that was allowed to display Gibson mandolins on the web (Gibson is no longer making banjos) and they just lost their authorization to do that in the past month. Don't know why--didn't ask but did verify with them that this occurred. Believe the Mandolin Store can but they only post them on their site, not on the Classifieds. Should be noted that Gruhn and Elderly (and Mandolin Brothers) quoted above do not do business with Gibson in an official relationship for acoustic instruments so while they may have an instrument that's newish or late model, they didn't obtain it directly from Gibson.

I've always marveled at why a company would manage itself into a box over the years that excluded three of the largest, oldest and most prestigious acoustic dealers in the world from the brand but hey, I'm just a guy running a web site out of a house in eastern Kansas.

If you're looking for a new Gibson, The Mandolin Store seems to be the place that consistently has them in stock.

P.S. bonus points for anyone that can identify the guy in my new avatar. No, isn't me.

[hank]

Guitar Center still has a Rush. The price listed is the same as I purchased mine from JD back in 2006. Through the years I've seen used ones for around $4500. Goldrushes and Lawson models have a similar small aperture sound and feel I really like. The response is fast and punchy. So far as investments go Old Gibsons hit the ground running and at least keep up with inflation and insurance.
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Gibson-F...89-i1149372.gc

[John Adrihan]

He resembles George Carlin.

[Ed Goist]

...snip...P.S. bonus points for anyone that can identify the guy in my new avatar. No, isn't me.

Isn't that the Hair Club for Men dude?

[almeriastrings]

I've always marveled at why a company would manage itself into a box over the years that excluded three of the largest, oldest and most prestigious acoustic dealers in the world from the brand but hey, I'm just a guy running a web site out of a house in eastern Kansas.

Right after they began with this policy, the line was that Henry wanted folks to have the "full Gibson Experience", instead (presumably) of some vicarious Gibson non-experience by buying over the Internet. That meant visiting a main-line dealer who was supposed to be able to provide this "Experience" by means of a wall full of high end mandolins, banjos and guitars.... it has, predictably, not worked out that way.

Henry purchased the audio-based Stanton group in early 2012. When asked if those products completed with the iPod he stated ""I don't think it competes with the iPod. It supplants it."

Meanwhile, no more banjos and not too many mandolins (and the best of luck if you are hundreds or even thousands of miles from a dealer who has a decent stock).

[Mike Romkey]

I have an idea: Gibson should sell new mandolins via mandolin teachers! New and out there, I know, but it could work. I'm willing to carry 3 top-end models in stock in my home office/studio. Gibson, contact me.

[almeriastrings]

I do believe that has worked once or twice before....

Not only for Gibson, but also for C F Martin.

[noah finn]

P.S. bonus points for anyone that can identify the guy in my new avatar. No, isn't me.[/QUOTE]

Gustav Klimt.

[hank]

Is that John Martyn singer/writer of "May You Never" ?

[allenhopkins]

From a Nov. 2011 response on the gibson.com forum:

The May 2010 flood indeed affected production for some time - mandolin production has resumed at our Custom Shop facility in Nashville, banjo production should resume soon but no firm ETA on when that will happen. Please check with your authorized dealer about custom orders for mandolins.

So: "custom orders for mandolins"? Apparently the customer's supposed to visit a Gibson dealer and place a "custom order" for an instrument that presumably doesn't yet exist, or at best is in the Custom Shop in Nashville awaiting shipment. The OP's desire to sit in a showroom with four or five new, or recent-vintage, F-5's, and pick the one he likes the best, seems pretty unattainable.

[Bill Snyder]

Scott you should have changed the name of your avatar file name (klimt.jpg) to make it a bit harder to find.

[The Mandolin Store]

Guys we do have a few new Gibsons in stock: F5G, Goldrush, Fern, Sam Bush (custom with ivoroid bindng), and CMS F5 custom (wide neck / radius). All of these are fresh instruments.............most arrived in December. For 2013 we are starting a video of the week and each Monday we will post a new video on our You Tube channel. The Gibson Goldrush will be featured on the 1/12 video. Gibson mandolin delivery has been lighter than we'd prefer but we are working close with them to keep a good selection of mandolins in stock.

[allenhopkins]

Guys we do have a few new Gibsons in stock: F5G, Goldrush, Fern, Sam Bush (custom with ivoroid bindng), and CMS F5 custom (wide neck / radius). All of these are fresh instruments.............most arrived in December...Gibson mandolin delivery has been lighter than we'd prefer but we are working close with them to keep a good selection of mandolins in stock.

Since OP Clef's in Albuquerque, you're the place he should go.

[Shanachie]

Take a road trip to Phoenix and go to the Mandolin Store. I bought my mandolin there. I spend three hours playing a variety of mandolins. I ended up getting one of their American made Lafferty F mandolins. I love it. It sounds so nice. If you are going to drop the kind of money a Gibson F-5 is going to cost you might as well take a drive and play a bunch. Good luck with your hunt.

[FatBear]

I do not own a Gibson, but have played two of them and they are really nice. But I'm curious why one would consider only a Gibson. It's a nice brand name, like a Cadillac. But when I see a "brand" I see a production level products. There are other high end car brands and some better than Cadillac, and I'm sure there are other mandolin "brands" and some better than Gibson. Take a look at this older thread, for example:

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/ar...p/t-66189.html

The thing with cars is that a custom car of the quality of a Cadillac or BMW or whatever would be just astronomically expensive. But a custom mandolin from a small shop or independent luthier can be as good or better than a "branded" one and not cost any more, or maybe even less.

I admit that I am fairly new to mandolins, so maybe I'm missing something. But I am not new to manufacturing, woodworking, and independent artisan products. I'm sure the Gibson guys are extremely talented and skilled, but face it: they go home at 5 and don't work weekends. Nothing wrong with that, but compare it to that independent guy who puts his heart into every instrument he builds.

So why Gibson and Gibson only? I mean no insult to the OP or Gibson or anyone else. But as a guy who is sort of vaguely looking around for his next instrument, I'm very interested in understanding this.

[allenhopkins]

...I'm curious why one would consider only a Gibson…as a guy who is sort of vaguely looking around for his next instrument, I'm very interested in understanding this.

Well, for quite a while Gibson mandolins have been the "gold standard" for US-made, commercially available instruments, especially among bluegrass musicians. For decades Gibson was the only firm producing and widely distributing quality carved-top, f-hole mandolins, of the type that bluegrass (and other) mandolinists wanted.

This is not as true as it used to be. There are other companies such as Collings and Weber producing this type of mandolin in the US; there are companies in Europe and Asia also exporting them to the US. And, as you accurately point out, there are many individual luthiers building instruments that are as good as, maybe better than, Gibson mandolins.

Plus, Gibson quality has varied, although the consensus (and I'm going by what I read, since I have only played one recent Gibson mandolin, my friend's F-5G) is that the new Gibsons rank with some of the best the company's made. They are, as this thread discusses, fairly hard to come by.

The thing is, when you go mandolin shopping, you know you're dealing with a fairly "known quantity" in Gibson. You know that it's a recognized brand that will be re-sell-able if you decide to do that. You know that Gibson is an established firm, presumably one that will be around next week or next year, if you have customer relations issues. You know that Gibson uses high quality materials, employs experienced builders, and uses construction techniques that have been developed and refined for a century. Not that every Gibson is a "gem," or that you can't do better somewhere else -- perhaps for less money -- but that you're operating in fairly "familiar territory."

The other issue, is that it's hard to find a dealership where you can sit down and try out a dozen new F-model, f-hole mandolins from Gibson and other builders, and pick the one that suits you best. We list the few that we know, scattered pretty widely across the country, not accessible by every prospective purchaser. One cannot criticize the buyer for thinking, "Well, at least I know that Gibsons are good mandolins, and a lot of people play them, producing sounds that I like."

Shouldn't be "Gibson and Gibson only" if a buyer has a real shot at trying mandolins by a variety of builders. But, well, let me make a (perhaps strained) analogy: as a Harvard alumnus, I every year interview high school seniors applying to the university -- been doing it for over 25 years. I always ask them, "Why are you applying to a college that turns down 93% of its applicants?" The most common response, boiled down, is reputation; they've been hearing its name, know it's a "good school," where they can get a first-rate education. But I know (and most of them recognize) that there are hundreds of other colleges that will also provide a great education, and aren't so difficult to gain entry to.

Gibson = Harvard? Probably not, but having "the name" never hurts, and having hundreds of musicians you respect playing Gibson mandolins doesn't hurt either. Not an excuse for "tunnel vision," but understandable, IMHO.