1926 Fern on ebay

[William Smith]

I kinda figured the guy would pull this one!!, A Fern for under 20!!,oh well I'll have to wait for the next deal below 20G,,but not through ebay I'm sick of certain peoples way of buisness! Have a Great day in mandoland,,Billy

[Eddie Sheehy]

Looking at the bidding history it appears that the seller changed the Description on Sept. 05 and the two high-bidders at $28K+ retracted their bids. The Seller then cancelled the auction when it fell to $15K... I have no idea what the description change was...

I might drop by there tomorrow and chat about it... I've been constrained by a bad back all week...

[pawnster]

I own the 1926 Gibson Fern that this thread has been discussing. First, I want to thank all of you for your input and general discussion. I am a pawnbroker in Huntington Beach, Ca, and I do know a little about a lot of items but I have no where near the expertise that most of you have regarding mandolins. It was recommended by a couple of you to have the mandolin appraised by Gruhn. I did so and the appraisal is below. We are still looking to sell the mandolin and hoping to get the appraised value for it. If you or anyone you know is interested please feel free to contact me, Randy, at Huntington Super Pawn (714)848-8402.

Thanks again.

Randy Wooten


Gruhn Appraisal

Sept. 15, 2011



I have examined the attached photos of the instrument described below, but have not seen the instrument itself. Below is my estimate, based on these photos, of the instrument’s value; however, it is not possible to judge from photos alone the exact state of originality and need of repair, so my appraisal is only accurate insofar as the photos are representative of the actual condition of the instrument.



The mandolin described below is, in our opinion, a Gibson F-5 model with a serial number consistent with a manufacture date in the year 1926.



Description: Serial number 83235. We have been provided the following description: “Serial #83235 found on the inside of lower f hole. Order #8231 found on upper f hole. Fretboard replaced in 30's with block.” Since the fingerboard has block inlays starting at the first fret it is reasonable to assume that this board was not replaced before the late 1930s, since earlier block-inlaid examples had the inlay starting at the third fret. In other respects this mandolin conforms to the typical specifications of the model for the period in which it was made, with scroll body shape, carved spruce top with F-holes, well-figured curly maple neck, back, and sides, height-adjustable ebony bridge, The Gibson engraved tailpiece cover, open-back tuners with pointed end plates, tuner gear wheels above the shafts, pearl tuner buttons, gold-plated metal hardware, triple binding on the edges of the neck, body and nitrocellulose tortoiseshell-grain pickguard, and sunburst finish. This is a highly desirable instrument which would appeal to collectors as well as musicians.



Current market value: $65,000 (sixty-five thousand dollars).

[Ben Milne]

Welcome to the cafe.... You sure have a nice looking mandolin there.
Have you thought about keeping your mandolin and learning to play? It sure is a lot of fun, and with such a quality instrument You get to avoid all the what mandolin to upgrade pangs we all endure. Remember the cafe is very useful for tips and help along the the way. Some people even host online mandolin lessons to help those who are u able to find a mandolin teacher locally.

If you do indeed want to sell your mandolin, the cafe has a reputable classifieds section, accessible from the top menubar.

[mrmando]

Hi Randy, welcome aboard. It's certainly a fascinating instrument you have there. We'd be interested in the story behind it, if there's anything to tell (provenance, how it came to be yours, etc.).

Gruhn appraisals tend to run on the high side. I.e., if George Gruhn appraises an instrument for a given amount, the person most likely to be able to sell it for that amount is George Gruhn. When you're (arguably) the most famous vintage instrument dealer in the country, you amass a list of clients who would never dream of looking in a pawnshop in Huntington Beach. On the other hand, the Internet does help to level the playing field at least somewhat, so you never know.

Ben has a point: you're most likely never going to own a better mandolin than this one!

[f5loar]

George might want to get some new glasses or a bigger computer screen if that's all he saw and had to say about those photos! He makes no mention of the overspray over the label or possible refinish or finish color not being typical '25-'28 era. He calls the bridge 20's "ebony". I'm thinking Doc Watson would call it a 50's rosewood bridge from those photos. He mentions this as being desirable to collectors. The serious collectors I know want vintage instruments to be all original. Hard to call this one all original with that overspray and changed out parts. The wrong type fingerboard alone would kill it for a collector. It's a picker's mandolin. That being said his estimate price cannot be right. I hope no money was exchanged for that poor appraisal. You are close enough to David "Dawg" Grisman in CA to get a hand's on opinion from an expert.

[pawnster]

Thanks, for your comment. I talked to Dave several times and would be willing go send it to him for an appraisal and he offered to do it as well. Since we are not as experienced as most of you at all we have been soliciting advice from as many people as we can. Where are you located and are you available for appraisals as well? We have a buyer and have agreed to a deal but we all want to make sure everyone is satisfied. Waiting for your reply........

Randy

[f5loar]

there is not much I can add to what hasn't already been said by the resident experts here. Seeing it in person would determine the finish problem and possible other issues. It's really hard to tell in photos. I'm leaning more towards it being a light overspray which was typical of repairs by Gibson in the 50's. I know one man who sent his '23 F5 back to Gibson for minor repairs that didn't like his being oversprayed in the early 50's and he scraped the overspray off with a pocket knife and then removed the "Gibson" logo from the headstock. I know of others that received lacquer overspray and it was removed by experienced luthiers. So since this one doesn't look that bad you are really down to the fingerboard which could be replaced back to an original style dot fingerboard. The bridge is not a problem either. Replica replacements easy to find. The screws on it are not right either but easy to replace. I just don't think it would bring collector condition price which appears to be in the $70K to $85K range for that vintage F5. Gruhn seems to have discounted for the fingerboard but not other issues since he did not mention other issues. And do I see a seam crack starting near the tailpiece on the back? That could be another issue. How it sounds and plays once it is set up could boost the price up a bit.

[Eddie Sheehy]

Currently on sale in the pawnshop for $55,000 - with an appraisal certificate of $65,000...

[JLeather]

Seems reasonable enough, even in this economy. Hopefully someone is in the area and can let us all know how it plays/sounds.

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

Did you swing by in person Eddie? If so, give us a review of the instrument will ya...

[Eddie Sheehy]

My friend - and fellow Contra band-member, Steve Jones did. He even tuned it for them... I'll ask him for his thoughts...

[Eddie Sheehy]

Here's what Steve says:

"It seemed like the ones I try at the NAMM show in Anaheim only old and worn."
"One comment from the salesman was that it was probably made about 9 months after Loar left the factory."

There you have it...

[f5loar]

Since Gruhn believes this to be all okay and right then at $55K Gruhn should buy the mandolin and sell it for the $65K they think it's worth. Easy $10k profit for Gruhn if he's right.

[f5loar]

Apprantly mandolins is not the only thing Gruhn is getting wrong in his apprisals these days. I ran across this rather odd Martin guitar ebay listing which the seller insisit Gruhn told him it was Braz. back and sides and ebony fretboard on a 1957 (it's a '58 by the serial no.) along with no mention of the pickguard and bridge being wrong on a D18. Read the add-ons at the end. I side with the others on this one.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI...:X:RTQ:US:1123

[sgarrity]

You think Gruhns is going to sell something for 15% profit??? Have you seen their prices?

I have great respect for them as a music store, especially after my last visit upstairs, but you certainly aren't going to find any bargains there.

[f5loar]

He takes cosignments on 15% on high end items. Most dealers would be happy with a 10% profit these days.