This is an interesting thread that will require deeper reading on my part. The OP’s quote interests me. First Gibson did contribute to make F-5s though the design seemed to go downhill over the years. And Gibson was not a one person shop so the process IMHO is still going on to the present day with makers including many here contributing. Same goes for violin making. Nothing is written in stone and it is a collaborative process over time.The F5 is like great musicians dying at 27. I think studying the trajectory of the F4 is instructive because it allows us to imagine if the F5 had been given the same resources as the 1920s went on.
of course it is fascinating to look at the historical record and instrument archaeology in the course of its development.
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