Wanted: Gibson A9..... Maybe?

[frf323]

Hello all, I am new here and I am looking for my first mandolin. I have been doing a ton of research and reading and reading all the post in the forums as well as watching videos of various mandolins. After all of this I have been trying to find a Gibson A9 because everything I have read about them people love them. If they sell them they regret it. I wanted to ask on here if anyone here on the cafe had one or knew of one for sale? Maybe if I told you what kind of sound I was looking for some of you may be able to help and it may not be the mando I would like. I don't really care for the rings type tone I have heard in some. Not sure really what to call it. The gibsons I have heard I like the way they sound but again that is on online videos which I know can be misleading. I come from a guitar background and have been playing for 17 years. I am interested in not just one type of genre of music but I know I would like to learn to pick fast eventually as well as play some chords with a good time. I like solid sounding notes not chimey or rings. Maybe someone here can help me decide. The manis I have though about was the Loar 600m with eventually getting a Cumberland acoustics bridge added. Also have looked at Breedloves but I think they are to chimey/rings. And of course the Kentuckys, Eastmans, and other usual beginners mandolins. It's even hard to find a sound clip of a Gibson A9.

Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[frf323]

Maybe I should tell you all my budget. Between $700-$1200.

Thanks

[chasray]

This is only my opinion.
Buy something like a Kentucky KM900, play the heck out of it for a couple of years, then upgrade if you want. Whatever you buy, you'll probably want to make changes in a year or two anyway. With your budget, you'd have some cash left over. Save it for MAS.

[Svea]

My first thought is that the A9 would be a good investment. And if you wanted to trade it out in the future you would have no trouble. I have a Collings MT, also a good investment that you could find used more easily. I'm a long time guitarist, and the MT was my first mandolin. Just get the best mandolin you can afford as soon as possible and start in to learning it. It's very different than guitar, other than the fact that they both have frets.

Svea

[DataNick]

Check this one out on the classifieds 93' Gibson A-5G

You'll get more bang for your buck there...also look for Flatiron Festival & Performer A models. It's definitely the right time of year so keep your eyes open!

[frf323]

Thanks for the help everyone. I saw that Gibson in the classified but unfortunately my budget is maxed out at $1200. I have seen a couple of the Flatirons but didn't know much about them. I will keep my eyes open for them.

[Eric F.]

A used A-9 is a great choice in your price range. They don't come up that often, but they tend to be $1,000 to $1,200 or so when they do. Keep your eyes on the classifieds. I have no experience with The Loar mandolins or with recent Breedloves. If you want to get going now and not wait for a Gibson to show up in the classifieds, a Kentucky 900 would probably do nicely.

Edit: There's a Flatiron Performer A for ~$900 in the classifieds. I had one of those and it was a very good mandolin.

Edit again: Stop the presses, I just noticed Howard Morris has listed one of his mandolins for $750. His mandolins are widely considered great values in a handmade instrument and normally he charges more than that. I think it would be hard to go wrong with that or the Flatiron.

[DataNick]

Thanks for the help everyone. I saw that Gibson in the classified but unfortunately my budget is maxed out at $1200. I have seen a couple of the Flatirons but didn't know much about them. I will keep my eyes open for them.

Flatiron mandolins from 1988-2001 are the Gibson "budget line" with the majority of them being the same mandolin as their Gibson counterpart. The F9/A9 replaced the Flatirons; one of the best deals going for a USA made "Gibson".

This one is a good deal, and right in your wheelhouse
1991 Flatiron Festival A

[Miked]

If you really want a Gibson A-9, then I would get a Gibson A-9. ;-)

[Frank Russell]

Yeah, get what you've set your heart on. I had a matched pair of the 9s, an F and an A not long after they first came out, and to be honest, I couldn't tell much difference in sound quality between the two of them. A good friend, who is a much better player than I am, and builds mandolins also, had the hots for the A, and didn't care as much about the F. It was a bluegrass beast, with great signature Gibson tone, and big woofy chop. Only complaint I ever had about the 9 line, which was brought up several times by a no-longer-welcome-ex-member, was the extra-sharp binding, which would cut into my arm like crazy. Had it beveled down a bit on both mandos, and they were excellent, especially the A. I much preferred it to the A5L that I owned briefly, and to my Montana and Nashville made Flatirons. One of the ones I foolishly let go of back in the day. I thought I only liked radiused fretboards then, have learned to be open-minded on the flat boards now. Good hunting, try posting in the Want to Buy section of the Classifieds. Frank.

[Josh Levine]

http://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/81060

NFI- I owned an F9 and I currently Own a Flatiron Festival F- Which is basically a Gibson F5G... I prefer the Flatiron- I am guessing this is somewhat similar and seems to be in your price range. The above suggestions are good, including that $750 Morris.

[John Kinn]

I had a 2003 A9, and, like a fool, I let it go.No, truth be told, I like better the nut widht of my -49 A40. As for the A9: Great mandolin! Only thing is, you, coming from guitar, might prefer the wider nut of the Jam Master..

[dreadhead]

I would just say to play before buying. I sold my the Loar 600VS a couple of weeks ago since it wasn't getting played. The guy that bought my mandolin is a professional musician, guitar, & had recently bought & resold his Gibson A9 because it didn't have that "woody" sound he was looking for. In his words not mine, "your Loar is twice the mandolin that A9 was". I'm actually paraphrasing because we spoke in French, but you get the drift. I had seen that mandolin on LeBonCoin and it is actually still there even though it has sold. It looks like a great mandolin, but apparently it is a dog according to it's last owner. Spending more won't automatically get you a better mandolin. here's the ad: http://www.leboncoin.fr/instruments_...40.htm?ca=12_s

[Kevin Briggs]

I'll throw in a vote for the Morris. I have an A5 and am loving it. Just think what you would otherwise get for $750....

Howard could easily be charging $1500 for his A mandolins, $1700 for his two-points, and $1900 for his F mandolins. In so doing, he would undercut a piece of the market dominated by Weber and Collings, and would be putting out a better product, in my opinion. Howard's mandolins are just as good as Weber Gallatins and Collings MTs, and they come with more aesthetic appointments.

For $750, it's a win.

[mandroid]

Yes there are a lot of nice Builders using the A5 style ..

Play a bunch and take home the one you cannot put back on the wall.

[frf323]

Hey everyone, thanks for all the advice. Thought I would update everyone on the decision I made. A cafe member messaged me and offered to sell me a Gibson A5 Jam Master that he needed to get rid of. After a lot of research I decided to take a chance on buying it without playing it. I know it was risky but after reading the reviews on other member that had them I decided to chance it. Well I'm glad I did. It is a great mandolin and it has the exact sound I was looking for not to flashy at all but the sound makes up for it. I am just beginning my mandolin journey but I know this is the mandolin that will please me for years to come and hopefully will just sound better with age. Thanks again for all the help and thanks to the member that sold me this awesome instrument.

[Nathan Sanders]

Wish I had come across this thread earlier, but I am glad you found a mandolin you like. I do have a couple of videos with the Gibson A-9. I had an A-9 for a time and loved it. Like many others, I do regret selling it. One of my videos is with that mandolin, and another video is done with a friend's A-9. One thing I might recommend, for down the road, if you are wanting a deeper, woody sound, check out the oval hole mandolins, such as the F-4. This year I bought an F-4 (with an F-5 neck) built by a luthier friend. It has a very nice, round woody sound on the low end along with some clear highs. Anyway have fun and video links are below.

The Garryowen
http://youtu.be/UgMzKdnxoDo

Woody's Rag
http://youtu.be/yD9BrZKtyfc

[multidon]

The Mandolin Store is getting in a used near mint A9 soon for 1499. NFI.

[terzinator]

Those jam masters are gonna be collectors' items, if they're not already.

And I don't mean like Precious Moments figurines or beanie babies...

I mean, like super desirable mandolins.

Congrats!

[darylcrisp]

http://www.themandolinstore.com/scri...idproduct=9499

nice looking Gibson A
i called TMS on this, was going to buy but i like wide nut widths, this is 1 1/16".
the folks told me this is a very nice sounding A.

NFI-just passing it along
d

[outsidenote]

Looks the A9 found a home already!