i know very little about Gibsons, the timelines, the good years, the other years.
in another thread this used Gibson was mentioned to me and i have been considering that i would very much like to have one to experience, but i don't have the $ to drop into the $8000 range and upward.
i know Bob Smakula's shop work well. i would feel no hesitation in getting anything from there and wonder if it was structurally good. he will tell you what he knows about anything he sells. the shop does excellent work.
the use wear of this mandolin doesn't bother me in the least, in fact, it helps to have an instrument like this so you have a whole lot less to think about taking places or handing it over for somebody to play. and, at the end of the day, if it doesn't do it for you after a good while you should be able to get your $ worth back vs buying a new or near new used one.
appears to be a large "S" some letters, then "Carl" on the label. i'm assuming that would be Steve Carlson, but you Gibson people will know for sure. in the write up Bob mentioned the well worn fretboard(which i suppose would have been flat). he replaced it and put on evo frets, put a radius and scooped the FB end(thats all good imo as a player and definitely i am not a collector). the case is cool.
were these 1991 year builds typically good to own? anything to be aware of?
Bob is holding it for me until we talk tomorrow. He will give me the radius and nut width tomorrow as well. I told him if this was being sold by Fender it would have an additional charge of around $2500 because of the stage 3 relic-i have no idea if Gibson will do relic builds if you order a custom.
this would be an interesting "study" for a mandolin luthier to have to actually see the natural use patterns in the event they wanted to do different levels of relic work. i know, thats an expensive "workbook", but its the real deal. I'm sure Bob knows the previous owner of this, and more than likely played some banjo with the man while he put some of these use marks on this mandolin.
if the neck specs do not work for me, i'll put another post here tomorrow so you have the radius and nut width, and if you want it, there you go.
Here's the link to the write up-first paragraph after "JUST IN":
https://www.smakula.com/Mandolins.html
if you don't want to go to the website-here's the write up:
<1991 Gibson F-5L. From 1991 until about 2016, when the original owner passed away, this mandolin was played hard and player a lot. Though relatively well cared for (no cracks in the wood) there are many signs that this F-5L has had a lot of fun. When I received it, I looked carefully at the original fretboard and decided that the 4 or 5 previous refrets did not do the original ebony board any favors, so I replaced it. With input from several respectable Bluegrass mandolin players, I installed a radiused ebony fretboard with a scooped fretboard extension (to prevent pick clatter). And if the EVO frets I installed had been around in 1991, this mandolin would have never needed a refret let alone 5. The other parts are original and conform to what you would expect. Maple back, sides, and neck, spruce top, grained ivoroid binding, and a fern inlaid peghead with Schaller tuners with mother of pearl knobs. At the price of $4,800 you also get the original rectangular hard case and the original pickguard in the case pocket. Photos>
and the picture link (you can zoom to a degree if you go to this next link to see some of the use/wear marks)
https://www.smakula.com/images/Mando...n_F5L_1322029/
and the pictures if you don't want to click the above link:
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