Gibson F-Festival Mandolin - Deal or no Deal

[MandoFernando]

Hi, I've been checking out the Cafe for a while now and am finally getting around to my first post.

I'm ready to upgrade from my cheap starter mandolin and have seen a Gibson F-Festival mandolin for sale in the UK for £550 (including hard case and Fishman bridge pickup).

Now with my limited knowledge this seems like it could be a good deal but is there a catch?

It's online so I can't inspect it first hand but the pictures look encouraging and include a shot of the inside label which says: The Flatiron - Gibson Original Acoustic Instruments - F-Festival - Number - 0905120018

I have read that the first numbers indicate the year of production and also that latter instruments are made in the Far East with a possible drop in quality as a result.

Any advice or further info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[mrmando]

Post a link, please.

I'm thinking no deal, but let's see it.

[MandoFernando]

Post a link, please.

I'm thinking no deal, but let's see it.

Here you go...

http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/f-...ry-item-full-2

[Paul Kotapish]

Older, US-made Flatiron F's tend to go for a whole lot more than that--$1,300 for a deal and quite a bit more at the top end.

Another recent Flatiron Festival-F of recent vintage and very similar in appearance to the one you are looking at went for about US $750 on eBay recently, so at the current exchange rate, the offering price of £550 (US $894) doesn't seem like a particularly great deal.

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

There are recent Asian import models that have little to no resemblance of the old Flatiron in the 80s and early 90s. They tend to go for US$600-$700 on ebay.

[mrmando]

The one in question is, as they say, fabrique en Chine. No deal.

[MandoFernando]

Thanks for the quick replies!

Looks like it's a fair price then for an Asian import model but it won't necessarily sound much different to the many other (new) mass produced mandolins in that price bracket.

[OldGus]

This guy has owned quite a few and seems pretty satisfied with his. I don't think they are really loud but probably a good value.

[J.Albert]

That's a Chinese-made Flatiron, at a "nothing-special" price.

I'd say, "pass"...

[almeriastrings]

You can buy a new one in the UK for £429...

http://www.gak.co.uk/en/flatiron-fes...na-burst/49820

They are not a bad mandolin in that price range. Chinese-made, but at £429 good value. Not so good used at £550...