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May I humbly remark that, when using other languages for comparison, one should be careful not to confuse grammatical and natural gender; they are not necessarily identical. A number of grammatically...

Jeff, remember that there is a good chance that the dust is comparatively new. ;) Dirt, dust and goop are certainly not part of the original Gibson/Loar concept. Do they belong more in the "aging" or...

I agree 100%. Other obvious examples are: Short left-over F4/F2 neck blanks were used on f-hole mandolins in the 1930s on models F7, F10 and F12 (which moved the bridge further towards the tail piece...

Certainty costs $$ – and the customer pays for it.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with the action..."
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Another real Master Model with Fern inlay:https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/threads/108651-Gibson-2002-F-Derrington-Fern-or-master-model

Apparently, only very few "real" Master Model were Ferns. At least one – prototype III – from 2001, probably the one you have in mind, received its Fern inlay later along with a new neck due to...

I stand corrected, thanks!

211051 1923 211052 1928

Quite likely, as the (Griffith) A5 body has the larger size of an (oval hole) A model – as opposed to modern Gibson A5s, which are essentially stripped F-model bodies.

I'm all for a scroll on my mandolin; man does not live by bread alone.:cool:

Sorry, no 'bone in 1948. :)

Wow, congrats on your purchase! And no eagle beak...

Not quite. Many details were missed, such as upper finger board width, body scroll binding mitre, body shape on the treble side (some examples), head stock binding (some examples), top arching,...

Jan, I beg to differ. This new Master Model may still not nail every tiny detail in a close Loar sense. (Spotting "non-loarish" details in F5 copies is one of my favorite pastimes.) Admittedly, the...

This is from Gibson's catalog Q 1928:
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Those extra hooks were meant to prevent plain strings from slipping, since, back in the day, the loops on plain strings weren't really well executed,...

Unlikely, as 73674 is an F5.

Very sad; super singer, super picker, super fellow! Here's KY Waltz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoxuhG4Eauo
God bless.

As much as we acknowledge that vintage F5s were made by a team in a factory environment, prices are higher as soon as Loar's signature is on a label, or "Loar just left the building", as we read in...

Experts are many, that's for sure. My personal favorite advice for master slave luthiers would be based on something like this:
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Yes, that material is still available. Moreover, I happen to own some of the right (L & H) thickness. (No financial interest.)

All recent Gibson F5s are Master Models, including the "Fern" and the Sam Bush model. And it's written on the label. Funny but true, there are also those special, "real" (= closer to Loar specs) F5s,...

👆Check the FON. The serial number refers to the time of shipping.

The FON is 150, which makes the production year 1931 (according to Spann).

I certainly agree for the most part. As far as I understand Spann's results, wouldn't he date the instruments mainly by the FON (and construction features)? Most dealers seem to cling to the serial...