nice F-4 project on Ebay

[jim simpson]

Nice project mandolin, shouldn't take too much to restore, lol!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/161660935974...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[allenhopkins]

While I'd almost never call an old Gibson restoration project "hopeless," this one comes as close as any I've ever seen.

[barney 59]

So you get it "in the white"! I saw it last night at $26. It's now past the $100 mark!

[Jim Garber]

Hah!! In the white:

[QUOTE]Where do I begin? Vintage Gibson F4 mandolin from the 20's I assume.
Pictures say just about all!! Consignment piece.
In need of a serious restoration.
Cracked neck at headstock. Headstock re--cut and will need rebuilt. Drilled holes.
Non original fingerboard.
Cracks on face and back.
Holes plugged on both sides.
Piece of Formica glued to face with what looks to be Liquid Nails.
Instrument will need to be completely disassembled, cleaned, repaired, reassembled, refinished etc.../QUOTE]

[Northwest Steve]

WOW!!!!!!! Who would possibly bid on that?

[sprucetop1]

That will buff out nicely!!

[barney 59]

Pretty interesting challenge if you got it for free---some hobbiest will want this one, something to do for the next year! Hey it's this or MAD MEN!

[Bill Snyder]

Where is the ridge on the scroll?

[barney 59]

Where is the ridge on the scroll?

I guess if you keep the white face you could put it back with Bondo!

[epicentre]

While I'd almost never call an old Gibson restoration project "hopeless," this one comes as close as any I've ever seen.

..........And they may not ship to Canada. Whatever shall we do ?

[ollaimh]

yeah no shipping to Canada--I suppose that's a blessing?

[Timbofood]

I trust that your tongue has become firmly lodged in your cheek there, Jim!
That is just so sad!

[Gail Hester]

Looks like a good candidate for the next Mandolin Café restoration project. The last one was very successful but this would be a little more challenging. I’d like to remove all that paint and junk so me first please.

[Timbofood]

Stars in your crown there, Gail!

[Tom C]

It does not even look like a Gibson. from neck, sound hole, scroll, woods

[Tobin]

It does not even look like a Gibson. from neck, sound hole, scroll, woods

That's kind of what I was thinking too. It's in such poor shape, it's hard to tell. The sound hole looks way too large and oblong, though it may be due to the binding being missing from around the rim of the sound hole. Can't really tell if there's even any binding around the edge of the top, due to the paint, but it makes the whole thing look questionable.

The scroll just looks wrong, with no ridge. There's no fingerboard extension, or even any evidence that one had ever been present. The fingerboard just ends squared off, well short of the sound hole. When I look at my own F4, or photos of others, I can't see how the fingerboard could be whacked off and made to look like this one. But I could be wrong. The binding on the side of the fingerboard is missing down there, so maybe it was whacked off.

But one big red flag to me is where the body meets the neck on the scroll side. It looks like it angles up from around the scroll and joins at around the 10th fret (i.e. if you could see the edge binding, it would angle up from the curve under the scroll and meet the neck at the 10th fret area). Gibson F4s meet at the 11th fret in this area. So something just ain't right here. But I don't think I'm convinced that this is really a Gibson at all.

[Bill Snyder]

The more I look at the more I see potential in it. Just a few simple steps, new neck, new top, new rims, new fretboard, reuse the back (you want it to remain a Gibson after all) and you might have yourself a fine vintage instrument.

[Bernie Daniel]

Hard to believe but there are seven bids and it is up to $122.50.

For reference to the eventual buyer there officially four patron saints of impossible causes: St. Rita of Cascia, St. Jude Thaddeus, St. Philomena and St. Gregory of Neocaesarea. Worth keeping in mind.

[barney 59]

It does not even look like a Gibson. from neck, sound hole, scroll, woods

It's a Gibson --the neck and headstock might have been hacked or they are from something else like an old Kay even, Where did the ridge on the volute go? Probably 3M. The little scratch off of paint at the sound hole,probably for our benefit from the seller, tells us it is ,or was, an F4 or we could never tell what model it was and we would only suspect that it is a Gibson. A major challenge for sure but we've had now at least one skillful builder that sees the potential. My guess though is that there probably wouldn't be very much of the original left if a real attempt at restoration was attempted. There is absolutely no way that economically this would warrant restoration,except maybe with a Cafe Challenge like the A4 from a while back. A group of luthiers doing stages and the proceeds going to some benefit. That would make it kind of a collectors item in it's own right and something more than an old very non - original F4! Other than that someone might do it just because they want to and spend more than it will be worth doing it. But then, people do that,I tend to do things like that a lot--or at least my wife thinks so!

[Eddie Sheehy]

Hard to believe but there are seven bids and it is up to $122.50.

For reference to the eventual buyer there officially four patron saints of impossible causes: St. Rita of Cascia, St. Jude Thaddeus, St. Philomena and St. Gregory of Neocaesarea. Worth keeping in mind.

I'd go with St. Joseph, he was a carpenter... Or maybe his apprentice...

[Petrus]

Or just leave it as is, maybe slap a humbucker on it and put the pots on that bare spot where the tile fell off (!)

I can't imagine why someone would do this to an F4, but I've seen worse!

[barney 59]

Or just leave it as is, maybe slap a humbucker on it and put the pots on that bare spot where the tile fell off (!)

I can't imagine why someone would do this to an F4, but I've seen worse!

You've seen worse?

[Bill Snyder]

If you look at the seller's other auctions you can find the tailpiece, case and tuners (not original).

[Petrus]

Maybe the mirrored one is not as bad as the white one ... at least the owner kept the head stock intact!

[Timbofood]

You can remove the mirrors, the poor F-4 has been terribly abused. It would a real labor of love to restore that one. As my grand daughter says from time to time, "That makes me cry!"