FLATIRON PERFORMER vs. ARTIST

**Hal Loflin** · May-27-2005, 3:29pm

Can someone help me out with the difference between a Flatiron Performer and Artist?

**mandomadman** · May-27-2005, 3:58pm

The Artist has X-bracing,full binding,radious finger board,raised finger board with a traditional dovetail look to the neck joint and are(were)hand signed. The Performer does not. Jeff Austin of the Yonder Mountain String Band exclusivly plays a 96 Performer and I think it and he sound GREAT! I Play a 92 F-5 SB model.It's the same as the Artist but with tone bars, a flat board,thinner fret wire and different head stock inlay.The tone is very Gibson like or mabey you could say the Gibsons of the bozeman era sound very Flatiron like. Flatirons are very nice intruments indeed! And suspect will be very sought after in the future as if they're not allready.

**stevem** · May-27-2005, 4:30pm

I'm selling a performer A through the classifieds here (it's on hold--just waiting for the check). #It's the 2nd one I've owned (a '95 and a '96). #I've owned this one for 2 years and think it's a totally sweet mando. #Great sound and playability. #

Some other differences: #Performer has a Flatiron decal instead of a fancy inlay on the headstock. #The neck attaches to the top of the instrument all the way to the end of the fretboard on a Perfomer, whereas an Artist has the fretboard levitating over the top (or whatever the technical term is!). #Performer is bound on the top, but not on back, neck or headstock. The flatiron thread from a couple days ago also noted a difference in the way the neck was attached in performers vs. artists and then there was also a change in attachment methods when the factory moved from Montana to Nashville).

There are also flatiron Festivals and some flatirons that are just labeled A-5 or F-5. #I think the A-5/F-5's are identical in construction to Artist series, but not as many fancy appointments. I don't know where the festival fits into the picture.

Are all performers really X braced? (I don't even know if mine were--no fancy mirror to check). #Also, what's the difference between a performer and a festival?

Here are some pics of my pride and joy--at least for a couple more days.

#Unlike most, mine was signed by Weber:
http://matlak.org/gallery/album02

**mandomadman** · May-27-2005, 4:43pm

[QUOTE] Also, what's the difference between a performer and a festival?

Good question Steve,Aside from a different headstock decal and no highly figured wood( Bozeman era ) I'm not sure. I know the Nashville ones had a dovetail neck joint and the specs were essentually a stripped down Gibson.

**Chip Booth** · May-27-2005, 6:37pm

I'm not certain about this but I think the Performer and Festival were usually tone bar braced and the Artist was usually X braced. I have played a number of Artists and sure do like them. Wish I could find a good A5 Artist...

**mandogrrl** · May-30-2005, 12:27pm

I have a Flatiron F-5. It's sort of in-between the Performer and the Artist. It has a tone-bar, full binding, inlaid headstock, does not have gold tuners though. It's signed by Bruce Weber. Great instrument, I'm really happy with it.

**Avi Ziv** · May-30-2005, 6:30pm

QUOTE "The Artist has X-bracing,full binding,radious finger board"....

I have a Flatiron A5-Artist and it has a flat finger board, so maybe they made both types or some custom options? I like mine a lot.

Avi

**harmonist34** · May-30-2005, 10:19pm

I believe the only difference between the F style performer and the F style festival are binding. The performer has binding on the back and the headstock, the festival has it only on the front. Quality/figure of the woods might be different, but it's hard to say. I've owned two festivals in my short tenure as a mandolin player (2 months or so) and both were very nice.

Andy

**saznpins** · Jun-02-2005, 9:37am

I have a March '96 Performer F and it has beautiful inlay on the headstock. It's bound on the front, back and headstock, but not on the fingerboard (flat). I love my mandolin.

Cheers,
Sarah

**ihearok** · Jun-02-2005, 12:05pm

I've got a '93 Festival F that I absolutely love. Its bound on the front only and has nice pearl inlay on the headstock. Great tone and loud! IMHO a great value for the money. vintagemandolins.com has two for sale (no affiliation). I think they're from the mid-90s.

**stevem** · Jun-02-2005, 2:36pm

It's weird that Performer F's are bound on top, back and headstock while Performer A's (like mine) are just top bound. #Seems like they should have named a little more consistently; #the Festival F is the one with similar binding to the Performer A and that makes no sense. #Oh well.

**Moose** · Jun-02-2005, 3:48pm

Yup!! - I too have(just got!)a Performer "A" - ditto - binding/top - NO binding/back/headstock!!?? - it has Flatiron on headstock - a "Gibson Master Model"/ "Performer "A" label inside!?? - No "big-time" signature, either!? - Yup..., Oh well!! - nice mando, though. I think I'll keep it. hhmmm...

**Hal Loflin** · Jun-04-2005, 12:24pm

Anyone still tracking this post? What about a Flatiron Festival F model? Where does it stand with the Srtist and the Performer?

Thanks

**mandopoly** · Aug-10-2010, 7:59pm

I have an '88 Flatiron Performer A model made in Bozeman, MT. The fretboard (flat) is attached to the top - from what I can see with dental mirror, it has tone bars rather than x-bracing. It has no truss rod (or at least there is no truss rod cover). The neck is nice and thick - structurally sound (except for fret wear). It's top is black and bound; the body is beautiful highly flamed maple (without binding). Plain 'Flatiron' decal - no veneer for peghead. - No signature. Nice mando. I agree with models going from festival, performer, artist.