Re: Need some help to assess the value of a restored 1972 F5 Gibs
As the former owner of a late 70s Gibson F-12 (I think 1977; and similar to F-5 though not quite the same) I can attest to it being not as great an instrument as I'd thought when acquiring it. It looked great and played well, but after 30 years of frequent playing it never truly "opened up" or developed a rally good sound. So I'm no longer as bothered by it being stolen as I was when it was 15 years ago. Indeed, by a roundabout route which I never would have taken otherwise, I learned several important things about mandolins in general and this one in particular after joining the Café and discussing it with more knowledgeable people. They could tell without hearing it about its inferior quality because of the period in which it was built - and they were right, sad to say. They were also right to guide me toward replacing it with something more like my first mandolin - a plain A oval hole Gibson from the 19-teens. I found one such from 1917, which was in every respect a much better instrument and more suitable to this non-bluegrass player's style. That's not to say I don't play bluegrass nor can't if I want to, but it's not usually what I do. And since this one cost ~720€, I daresay I got a very good deal.
I understand the allure of an F5 - they are beautiful instruments and can sound great - but if the sound isn't there, it's not worth it. Go ahead and play this one, but do it with your eyes closed, comme on dit. If the sound doesn't entrance you, walk away, and never look back. If you find a vintage Gibson at a decent price, go with that instead. And listen to the advice from these guys. They do know their stuff.
Last edited by journeybear; Jul-13-2021 at 2:42pm.
Reason: thought of something else
But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller
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