buy a Gibson from Guitar Center?-I did, here's what happened
always been intrigued by the F5G Dave Harvey models.
a short time back TMS had an Adam Steffey signature model and i've always wanted to have one of those. never had one in hand but the few i've heard always sound really good, and i like the way things were done on that mandolin. and the one they had was the last one, #50, just a cool verb.
Unfortunately i delayed too long and it disappeared(Zach who has taken over the reins at TMS was excellent to work with btw-"like father, like son".
So, late one night after i saw the Steffey was gone, i typed in F5G to see if one was out there-none to be found but i did get a popup from GC. Opened the link and wrote down the serial # and phone number for a call.
figured it was an old ad, but if not, the mandolin would have been sitting in a hot dry warehouse who knows how many years. Still i called just to see. Nice fellow talked with me and said it did in fact appear to be one in stock that matched the serial-asked me to hold as he was going to call the warehouse(oh NO!!!) to make sure it was in fact there. took about 10 min but he came back on and apologized but told me he had the warehouse to pull it and double check the serial and it did match, and one was available.
He quickly mentioned there was a 15% discount coupon he could apply, and i had a 45 day inspection with right to return, free shipping but i had to pay tax(there is a GC store somewhere in my state). I told him my fear of the mandolin possibly being there for years and could be all sorts of scary things happened to the poor thing. He ponied up and told me he was sending me an email as we were speaking and in it he agreed to return ship it free if i did not like anything about it. Asked if the box could be opened and tell me the name and date on the label but he said that just wasn't possible the way things are setup. IF he had the mandolin in hand he would have done so, but it was across the country in Utah. So, with nothing to lose, i spoke the magic numbers to make it all finished.
Figured it would take a week or so, but it showed up on day 2.
I had already prepared myself for disappointment(hey, i'm typically a "glass half full" but i felt this had all the makings of "glass half empty, cracked, and leaking".
The mandolin arrived extremely well packed in a large square box with 3" thick black open cell foam all around it-never seen that done before but it was like a big foam bubble. The mandolin had the factory Gibson box that i have never seen before and its a really cool box with a mandolin and Gibson all over it, cool box.
Opened the case after the prerequisite anti-covid wipe down, and WOW!
And the aroma, Gibson could bottle and sell that. Gibson, in my personal opinion has the best scent out there, followed by Martin.
Pulled it out with gloved hands, covid wipe down-although i easily saw the box had not been opened. Absolutely beautiful instrument and felt light as a feather, balanced excellent in the hands while seated. the setup was low and this mandolin played effortless. It was an immediate "this is staying here". The setup already low with a straight neck and no relief visually(how i like mine), i dropped the bridge to the bottom out limit. now it had extremely low action and if there was anything not in alignment it would tell me. it played as perfect as before and has stayed there.
after some time playing and getting lost in the magic, i stopped and looked it over, just amazed at the beauty of the wood, the colors, and the build quality was to my eye perfect. i couldn't find anything not perfectly square or mitered. think Collings perfect(as i have noticed with all Dave Harvey mandolins that i have had in hand).
next day i thought to look at the label....after i had played it again. Dave Harvey signed and a date of Nov 23,2022. I purchased this before Christmas so GC had not had it in stock that long.
Ironically, this makes the 3rd instrument(2 guitars) i have purchased thru GC with a call in the past 5 years that i could not locate anywhere else, and all three have been excellent.
I definitely need to be downsizing but its really hard when you like every one of them the same. For what its worth i did sell two banjos in the past month or two(but i did buy one more but it was a special find- used Yates RB 75, if you know what i'm talking about, you know).
some pics i grabbed yesterday. Oh, pearl nut, and this is 1 3/32" nut width, flat board. i may in time scoop the florida or cut it off at the first string change, not sure yet. it does get in my way right now, but who knows, by the time i change strings i may have become accustomed to it. small thing, no big deal.
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Originally Posted by chris.burcher
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