Opinions On The Gibson F5G

[drbluegrass]

Just curious if anyone else here owns or has played one of these. I've played and stood in front and listened to 3 of these and each one sounded surprisingly good. Very consistently great sounding mandolins. This from a person that recently owned a Red Diamond 1922 Vintage F crusher voiced mandolin. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the F5G sounds as good as the RD. But I will have to say the difference isn't as great as I thought it might be. They do sound different, no doubt about that. And the RD has a little more chime and power. The RD is the best sounding mandolin I've ever hand my hands on. But the tone of the F5G is very well balanced with great body, balance, top end clarity and chime when compared to similarly priced mandolins (even some much more expensive ones).

As I had mentioned in another post, I had not expected the F5G to sound this good. I've owned one of the "holy grail" mandolins and was very spoiled. I was in the familiar but difficult position of needing another instrument (for recording purposes) and not having the cash to buy it. I needed a top quality banjo and they're not cheap. I know this is potentially blasphemous in mandolin circles, but the only way I could afford to get a great banjo was to work a trade for my beloved RD mandolin. So, after spending a few hours at Morgan Music auditioning both banjos and some $5000 and up mandolins Alvin Deskins and I arrived at what I feel was a very fair trade. I still ended up with a very good pro level mandolin and a DP Hopkins Phoenix banjo (they don't come any better). It's been about a month now and I'm more than satisfied. It was the right decision for my situation and needs.

Anyway, just curious if anyone else is as impressed with the F5G? It's a bit of a "plain jane" mandolin compared to some others that I auditioned but has a lot of understated beauty. Other mandolins I tried included a Daley F5 Standard, Collings F5V, Weber Rattlesnake and Yellowstone, a couple Northfields, and one or two others. My ears preferred the Gibson F5G. It sounded bigger, for lack of a better description. Nice chime-y top end, great mids and more low end than any of the others. Just better full-bodied tone and over all balance ...to my ears. Some may not like that kind of tonal spectrum and prefer the emphasis of certain frequencies but my ears prefer a balanced tone. I was afraid that I might not be able to find a mandolin I would like after owning a RD. Simply not true. I thought there was no way a large company like Gibson could turn out a mandolin that could match the small shop custom mandolin builders in tone or quality. Also not true. Would I like to another RD someday? You'd better believe it. But in the meantime this F5G will suffice just fine. OK, your turn.


Tom

[F-2 Dave]

Gibson has been at it for a long time. They build great mandolins. Your F-5G should meet and surpass your needs for years to come. You may even come to appreciate the understated elegance of the more modestly appointed mandolin.

[Josh Levine]

I have a 2001 Flatiron Festival F, which is a F5G in disguise. I took it to Guitar Center yesterday to compare it with a 2013 F5G they have in stock. I thought the F5G was great, but quite similar to my mandolin. It may have had my mandolin beat slightly in the kids, but mine had it in the highs. But, overall, they weren't so different that I craved the new F5G. It was a great mandolin, though. And also I don't think it had J74s on it, which mine did, and who knows when those strings were changed most recently. They were both great mandolins. Recently I started a thread where I blind compared my Flat with my Red Diamond A and a Stiver A and most people chose the Flat as their favorite, although there were many variables that made the test unequal, most importantly new strings not the Flat.

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...arison-Why-not

[lenf12]

I once owned a 1996 Weber signed F-5G made in Bozeman, MT. It was one of the best sounding mandolins I've ever played and sorely regretted selling it to pay some bills. drbluegrass, you don't mention anything about the mandolin besides the model. What year is it and is it signed by anyone? They varied somewhat over the years but there's not a bad one I've ever heard. Wish I still had mine....heavy sigh.....

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[Frank Russell]

Played a few that we're excellent, and a few duds too. I owned an F5G custom wide neck with Bush style inlays that sounded as good as any Bush model I've heard or played. Had two different Flatirons that were Nashville made, as above, and were just exactly like F5G's, both excellent. I'd say if you found a good one, they can be every bit as fine as the upper level Gibsons with more appointments. Frank

[Mark Christensen]

I've played two recently both at local GC's in Oregon, one was a 2013 and the other a 2011. They were both terrific, well balanced, chimey and LOUD and really comfortable to play even before a good set up. I was very surprised, I was thinking about buying the 2011 and on close inspection found a hairline F-hole crack. You never know in a Guitar Center, the 2013 also had a big ding in it from an obvious mishap of someone trying to pry the tailpiece cover off. The sales guy immediately said he'd take off $1,000 when he saw I was interested. That one is still available in the N.Portland store, might be able to talk them down further at this point if the ding doesn't bother you.

[Mark Christensen]

I guess I should ad that I owned a Montana built F5G that was ok, I think the Dave Harvey built mandolins are superior in the way they feel and sound. I've played a few others from the 2000 era that were good but still not as good in my opinion as the new ones.

[Austin Bob]

I am certainly no expert on comparing various brands and the nuances of sounds one my expect to find, but I've heard others say the current crop of Gibsons are some of the best they've ever produced outside of the Loar years.

I have a 2012 Dave Harvey signed F-5G Custom Wide Neck, and it has received great praise from everyone who has played it.

In my mind, it is a great value for the money, and hopefully Gibson will continue to carry the mandolin brand forward for the next generation of players.

[Josh Levine]

Mark,

That is the mandolin I played yesterday. It is currently marked down to $3400. I asked if they would go lower and they said no because it was already marked way down.

[Mark Christensen]

Hey that's $400.00 less than he quoted me! It was a few months ago though, wait a few more months for it to come down and it might be worth buying. One good thing about GC is they do have a 30 day guarantee. I didn't think the ding was too bad but it was enough to put me off even though I thought that it sounded and played great. I liked the other one I played a little better but it's now off the website and I don't know if it's because I told them about the crack or if they sold it to someone without telling them. It didn't seem to bother the sales guy.

[Josh Levine]

Ya I've played it twice and seen the ding. It looks like a fingernail print sized ding on the top. It wouldn't bother me, but with my Flatiron I didn't feel like the gibson overwhelmed me to the point where it was worth an additional 1200.

[DataNick]

Congrats drbluegrass!

What year is your Gibson F-5G? A good mandolin is a good mandolin but there are some differences in eras that most believe result in subtle tonality and feel characteristics.

The Gibson F5-G was developed at Gibson, Montana by Steve Carlson in 1988(and named by Bruce Weber).
The F5G and Steve Carlson.
Montana Gibsons are Flatiron in spec(carving patterns, graduations, neck profile and angle, neck joint, etc.) They can be very, very good to outstanding mandolins but are different from Gibsons 1999-forward. Derrington era, 1999-2005 roughly, are Loar spec mandolins with completely different specs as listed above. David Harvey era Gibsons, 2007-present roughly, continue to be Loar spec and have apparently even gone to a different level that many swear is the best that Gibson has done since the Loar era. An F5-G of any era can potentially be an outstanding mandolin, and a new (Harvey era) Gibson F5-G is more than likely to have a high degree of probability of being outstanding per the anecdotal testimony of many who have played them.

[Mark Christensen]

Yea the ding wouldn't bother me if the mandolin was used but I'd still probably pass on it for the $3400.00 new price. A lot of good mandolins out there for that money. To get back to the OP I will be looking out for one of these to purchase in the future as I think they're great when you find the one.

[William Smith]

I had a 2001-2 F5-G and wish I had her back, great tone and a beastly chop! Oh yes I want it back.

[Mark Christensen]

I'd like to own a Gold Top F5G like Sam Bush plays in his Telluride Gondola video. I love the sound and look of that mandolin, I even like the rosewood fretboard.

[dwc]

I play a varnished F5G on stage all the time. It works great as a pure bluegrass mandolin; it has strong low end, clear note separation and chop like a shotgun, loud and crisp. To me, the thing the thing it lacks relative to more costly mandolins is versatility. My F5G is a great bluegrass mandolin, but it doesn't have the bell-like tone in the upper range I would want for a classical mandolin or the richness in chords played up the neck that would make it a great jazz mandolin. It is what is, a very solid workingman's bluegrass mandolin.

[drbluegrass]

Mine's an October 7th, 2014, Dave Harvey signed. It's a good'n.


Tom

[Astro]

I love mine. Its a custom 5FG Dave Harvey signed 2012. When I went searching on a 3 state road trip I played many mandolins and never expected to buy a Gibson because they were the big corporation. I assumed that within the same price range, I would do better with a small shop luthier. Whenever you can, stick it to The corporate Man, right ?

Well guess what. In the price range and beyond, the Gibson I ended up with was second to none. And I tried some really nice mandos by respected builders including several Randy Wood's, an Ellis, two Pavas, several Collings, a Bull Dog, several vintage teens to twentys Gibson ovals, a Carlson L5, and several other highly respected small shop luthiers mentioned frequently here whom I choose not to mention.

Now, this is the only Gibson Harvey 5FG that I have played so it doesnt necessarily mean anything except that it is at least possible that a recent model Gibson could be as good as anything out there near the price, and dont make the assumptions that I at first did. Just because it has THE NAME, doesnt mean it cant be THE ONE for you. And, I think the tone is quite versatile.

And it is a good price point. I do wish it was bound on the back just to prevent future nicks. But you pay a lot for that feature and the tone is the same. It seems to me that from this level up, to get 1% better, you're going to pay 100% more.

[Austin Bob]

And it is a good price point. I do wish it was bound on the back just to prevent future nicks. But you pay a lot for that feature and the tone is the same. It seems to me that from this level up, to get 1% better, you're going to pay 100% more.

The Custom F-5G wide neck I bought from The Mandolin Store is bound on the back, and the headstock.

http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Acou...5G-Custom.aspx

[almeriastrings]

Mine's an October 7th, 2014, Dave Harvey signed. It's a good'n.

The Dave Harvey-signed ones seem to be consistently good. I've played a few, now, including a Goldrush and a couple of Ferns as well as an F-5G and they were all excellent. Gibson have certainly had some ups and downs, but for the past few years they are certainly rolling on an 'up' phase.

[Astro]

PS: I didn't mean to imply in my last post (#18) that the other mandolins I tried during my quest were inferior. There were some fantastic mandolins in there. Just that the one I ended up with suited me as well as any of the others and of course it all depends on ones subjective opinion and what they're looking for. But in the price range, they are definitely worth trying.

[drbluegrass]

Hope they re-introduce banjos with this level of quality. I heard through the grapevine from a "reputable source" that this might indeed happen...in the not too distant future.


Tom

[drbluegrass]

dwc, that's an interesting observation. And your being a bluegrasser lends credence to your post. But I think bluegrass players are just as discriminating and obsessive about tone as jazz or classical players. I do agree with you, there are high end mandolins that emphasize different segments of the frequency spectrum that could be more pleasing to the ears of some players. I've only been a bluegrass player for about 6 years and have played mandolin for about 3 of those years. But I came from swing jazz and jump blues guitar (I've played guitar for 5+ decades). Based on my (admittedly limited) bluegrass experience and my 20 years or so of playing jazz and blues I would think the F5G would make an excellent jazz mandolin...perhaps as good as about anything out there. But, I'm not a jazz mandolinist so I can't say that with authority. It seems to me that jazz and classical mandolinists want the same thing us bluegrassers do...a pleasing tone to our ears. For some jazz and classical players that may be a Gilchrist and for some, a Gibson. My 2 cents. Definitely take it with a grain of salt.


Tom

[Astro]

Two extremely timely coincidences that I must share.

1. I just realized today is my 5-FG's birthday (3yrs old) !!

2. I got to play another Harvey 5-FG today when I met up with a fellow forum member for a jam. We sat in the quiet and exchanged mandos, picks, and licks. His mando sounds and plays just like mine. The two were very consistent in tone, looks, and playability and the tone is rich and very versatile. Yes they would sound great in many genre's.

My neck was a bit thicker and my action was a trace higher than his, and I have DR11s and he had J74s so there were subtle differences. But you could tell they were sisters.

[drbluegrass]

In my original post above I erroneously referred to one of the Weber models as the "Rattlesnake". I meant the "Diamondback". Sorry for any confusion.


Tom