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Guess it's all relative. Would you pay $90 for the original pamphlet of a $10,000 instrument you own? Or $9 for a $1000 instrument you own?

I've certainly done the latter in my time.

Never...

This mandolin was literally sold the day before by a reputable US company. The text and photos from their ad were copied verbatim into the Japanese listing.

Made a wee video showing off the D'Addario XS strings after 21 months on my F4.

They really do still sound great to my ear. They are dulling a little around the picking region, but far better...

Here's the original listing that the photos are taken of. I would say this is 100% a scam:...

Can be done, but you won't find a 40 if you're making up a medium set, or a 34 if you're trying to replicate their light gauge set. They do a 35, so that would work fine for a light gauge set. For...

If you don't like people's opinions on this, just scroll past them ;)

Okay, I had an F4 shipped internationally last year. Took three months to get the CITES paperwork.

All about the pearl - nothing wrong with pearl. The CITES stuff was to PROVE IT WASN'T WHITE...

Reviving this thread because it's turned up for sale: https://www.morganmusic.com/p-5993-monteleone-used-1976-f5-mandolin-number-4.aspx

This thread would be so much better with pictures ;)

Another one has arrived at Retrofret. This is much nicer IMO, and only a few hundred more:

https://www.retrofret.com/product.asp?ProductID=10791&name=Gibson-F4-Arch-Top-Mandolin-1922

Beautiful!

Okay, hopefully this settles the Mapes debate...

I emailed to ask if their mandolin strings were coated or treated:

201341

I've emailed Mapes for some clarification. I'll report back! :)

Gruhn has just listed a lovely 1917 F4 with overspray and repaired headstock scroll. $8000. That's considerably more than they were asking for these two years ago, so it looks like the market is in...

And of course when they say Loar era, they only mean the Loar era between 1922 and 1924, not the Loar era from 1919 to 1924.

What they really mean is - "an F4 that was made during the two years...

You might be pleasantly surprised. I use Elixir strings on my guitars, and the wound strings get quite furry in the picking area (no effect on sound though I must say). The XS mandolin strings have...

Yes, a J-15 12 string. Here's one that sold for $999. Perhaps the only OTHER one in existence??

https://reverb.com/item/3263480-martin-j12-15-mahogany-12-string-acoustic-guitar

Fair enough. Apologies for posting...

This one turns up in the classifieds about once a month:

https://www.sylvanmusic.com/store/p120/1921_Gibson_F-4_Mandolin.html

I checked out the video demo on the page, turns out it was recorded...

Can I also add that Folkway and 12th Fret in Canada REGULARLY have great vintage Gibson mandolins come in.

Why not contact them, establish a relationship, and get a heads-up on what comes in...

Since I was 17 in 1989, I've bought a total of 12 instruments from the USA, delivered to me here in New Zealand.

I still have 8 of those, which I consider a pretty high strike rate. Some I loved...

I would be interested to know where those extra braces were put, and what impact this would have on the sound? Surely the difference between one and three braces would be discernible?

Anyway, what...

That whole ideal of taking something back to the factory every xxx years to make it all shiny and new! Someone loved that mandolin a lot, but probably didn't do it any favours in the long run where...

Well, it's now on hold, so it's getting a 3rd chance at finding a forever home :)

Here's an interesting one.

Sold by 12th Fret in 2020 for $3850CAD:

https://www.12fret.com/instruments/gibson-f2-mandolin-black-1911/

Then sold last year by Folkway in Canada - listed for...

In this case, the mandolin was being shipped from a repairman: " In October I decided to get the frets replaced so I shipped it to Danny Roberts in Tennessee to get the work done, as I had used Danny...