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Thread: 1982 F-5 Fern Mandolin Handcrafted by Doug McKee

  1. #1

    Default 1982 F-5 Fern Mandolin Handcrafted by Doug McKee

    I'm in need of some help. I am attempting to sell my stepfather's lot of mandolin's, guitar's, and violin's. I came across this McKee F-5 Fern mandolin and I'm having difficulty locating this manufacturer. Any information you can provide is greatly appreciated.
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  2. #2
    Registered User Russ Jordan's Avatar
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    Default Re: 1982 F-5 Fern Mandolin Handcrafted by Doug McKee

    If you search for Doug McKee in this forum, there are a couple of mentions by Jim Hilburn. Sounds like Doug was in Colorado and probably did not build many.
    Russ Jordan

  3. #3

    Default Re: 1982 F-5 Fern Mandolin Handcrafted by Doug McKee

    I looked up and down the interweb and like Russ, the only info I could find re Doug Mckee are the words posted here on this forum by Jim Hilburn. Sounds like Doug started in the early '70s building by a mandolin for himself. And if yours is #3, it would seem that he didn't build many.

    If your goal is to put a fair price on it, good luck. Not much (if anything) to go on as far as sales history. In my humble opinion, judging only by the pictures, it's probably fair to ask 1K or so. Worth more of course to someone who's looking for the rare McKee mandolin. The big question is 'how does it sound?'.

    I'm sure Jim H. will chime in here if he sees this thread (looks like his most recent contribution was a couple of months ago). Can't hurt to shoot him a PM though.
    "I play BG so that's what I can talk intelligently about." A line I loved and pirated from Mandoplumb

  4. #4

    Default Re: 1982 F-5 Fern Mandolin Handcrafted by Doug McKee

    I missed this post when it came out.
    In 1971 I moved in next door to a bunch of guys who played jug band, bluegrass and flat picked guitar. While I was making noise on a Melody Maker I began hanging out with them and bought a Yamaha acoustic. One of the guys told me about Doug McKee who gave guitar lessons at Guitar City on west Colfax in Denver which was mostly a pedal steel store. I learned Billy in the Lowground, Black Moutain Rag and such from him. We became friends.
    In '72 he built an F5. I knew nothing about mandolins but I remember to this day how he said "if you want a good mandolin you have to make your own unless you have thousands of dollars for an old Gibson." I didn't realize he had made anything as late as '82 because by then he had moved to Phoenix to be a teacher. We've met and talked a few times over the years but mostly lost contact.
    He is a magnificent guitar and mandolin player and has been gigging with Dan McCorison (look him up) around Phoenix. He's was also a big time vintage collector and once when I visited him he had a gun safe stuffed with 50's Tele's.

  5. #5

    Default Re: 1982 F-5 Fern Mandolin Handcrafted by Doug McKee

    I'd like to add a little more about Doug here. One reason he's a man of mystery is that he never owned a computer or smart phone. If anyone ever perused the classifieds in Vintage Guitar magazine there was always an ad in Misc. for "lots of old cases". That was Doug.
    This is a quote from a Charles Sawtelle interview in his book "The Bluegrass style of Chales Sawtelle".
    "I remember this guy named Doug McKee would go to see the Kentucky Colonels and tape the shows. He may have even taken some guitar lessons from Clarence. He is one of the guys who would bring tapes around. He knew some Clarence licks from seeing him and he would show them to me."
    I had copies of those tapes too from Doug. Anyway even though he's mostly unknown he was a huge influence on me and without him I probably would have never been a Cafe member.

  6. #6
    Registered User Sue Rieter's Avatar
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    Default Re: 1982 F-5 Fern Mandolin Handcrafted by Doug McKee

    Sounds like a really interesting guy. I wonder what ever happened to the OP's instrument?
    "To be obsessed with the destination is to remove the focus from where you are." Philip Toshio Sudo, Zen Guitar

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