Charlie Derrington Question

[Emmett Marshall]

Since acquiring my F5L, I've been reading a bit about Charlie. Funny thing though, is that some people say he started signing mandolins in 1999, and others in 2000, but I've got one that was made in November 1998, and that he signed in December 1998. I read that Charlie was located in Nashville, but the warranty paperwork and some other stuff I have all suggests that my mandolin was made in Bozeman.

So...Charlie must have started signing mandolins in 1998 right? And my mandolin was probably made in Bozeman, MT and shipped to Nashville for Charlie to sign? OR Charlie visited Bozeman? Heck, I dunno - does anybody?

[barry]

Mando production left Montana at the end of '96.
Instruments were produced in the Nashville facility from '97 using the Montana templates.
Charlie re-designed the F5L in '99 or so. That's when he brought the models closer to Loar specs. These are usually considered the start of the "Derrington Era".

[Emmett Marshall]

Mando production left Montana at the end of '96.
Instruments were produced in the Nashville facility from '97 using the Montana templates.
Charlie re-designed the F5L in '99 or so. That's when he brought the models closer to Loar specs. These are usually considered the start of the "Derrington Era".

Thank you Barry. Your info cleared that all right up for me.....much appreciated. Oh, wait, here's another question you might have an answer to: I am aware of the change from the bolted and glued necks back to dovetail, but were there other changes made by Charlie as well?

[carleshicks]

This interview with Charlie should answer all of you questions

http://www.mandotunes.com/resources/...errington.html

[DataNick]

Your mandolin is a "transition" mandolin that was started in Bozeman but completed in Nashville with Charlie's signature. The neck joint is like mine on my 94' F5L, a mortise-tenon with screw. As stated earlier the carving graduations, etc are from the Bozeman era which means the specs that Jim Triggs from Gibson Nashville "trained" the Bozeman (Flatiron staff) in after the acquisition. They were the Gibson specs of the time. As far as Charlie Derrington signed mandolins, he signed (and built) mandolins for Gibson as far back as 1987, see this thread. Derrington Gibson F5 mandolins

As far as other changes, the carving graduations on the top and back sound boards, the neck profiles and angles, bridge angle, tonewood selections, thickness of the headstock were among the myriad of changes made. See this thread Montana Gibson Mandolin Specifications

[Emmett Marshall]

Thanks fellas! I'm really enjoying learning all this Gibson history and reading each link you are posting here. I did search around for hours, but you guys have put up and shared information that I didn't come cross (or was able to piece together) during my searches. I'm loving this F5L by the way. She's the best sounding, and smoothest playing, in the herd so far. The intonation is almost spot on also.

[GTison]

I wondered where that interview with Charlie Derrington had gone to. Comando used to have it, right? So, now it is called, "mandotunes".
That article is about the best overall info on modern Gibson mandolin history up until that point. There is so much confusion and misinformation about such things. Great to have this forum.

[fernmando]

I own a 7/9/97 Flatiron A5 Artist, signed by Derrington. Seems early for his signature, but very much a part of this conversation.

[MikeEdgerton]

I own a 7/9/97 Flatiron A5 Artist, signed by Derrington. Seems early for his signature, but very much a part of this conversation.

Actually I just looked at the list:

Charles Derrington (1987-2005)

You're not really all that early.

https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...-head-luthiers

[fernmando]

Yeah, but did Charlie sign labels for all those years? If he did, that's something I wasn't aware of.

[MikeEdgerton]

Yeah, but did Charlie sign labels for all those years? If he did, that's something I wasn't aware of.

From the labels he was signing during those years but there were also overlaps where he and others were signing. We have people that swear that some people never signed a label then we have labels signed by that person. It's an interesting thread to plow through. If you think it's unusual post a picture of the label with the signature on that thread. It's a living list.