Gibson F-4 (1916)

Description

We've always had a lot of love for oval-hole mandolins here at the Folklore Center - while perhaps not the first tool that a bluegrass picker would reach for at the jam, vintage examples like this 1916 Gibson F-4 have a warm, woody sound perfectly suited for old-time music and your less acrobatic fiddle tunes. The mid-teens were a fantastic period for Gibson, and while the Loar era may be significantly more hallowed, the mandolins coming out of Kalamazoo at the time still readily stand amongst the best ever made. This F-4 features a spruce top with a maple neck, back and sides (many were still being built with birch at this point, and the premium tonewoods make a huge difference in the volume and strength of the instrument's fundamental), and features a big, fat, pointed V-neck with a wide nut quite unlike later Gibsons. What's more, this F-4 sports all the original appointments, including the celluloid bridge-through pickguard and the delicately inlaid Handel tuners, which Gibson would stop sourcing under a year later. Naturally, our favorite aesthetic touch is the instrument's deep cherry burst - nobody did it quite like Gibson.

This instrument arrived in our store in very good condition when accounting for its age. Wear is generally fairly uniform, with the most salient being on the scroll and at the bass side of the soundhole from repeated contact with a pick or the player's right hand. Hairline scuffing, likely from a metal snap or button on a musician's jacket is moderate on the instrument's back. (This is why we always ask for you to take your coat off before we hand you an instrument!) Finish checking is largely uniform, although the back has rubbed down to a bit more of a matte than the top, neck, or sides. All the inlays are in great condition, including the all-important vase inlay on the headstock. Playability is excellent, with very comfortable action and a terrific set up with no buzzing or dead frets anywhere on the neck. The only non-original part is the bridge, which is routed for the pickguard to mount through, just like an original, but is adjustable with aluminum flywheels, unlike the one that would've originally come with the instrument. Included in the price is the original hard-shell case with an accompanying case cover (which likely dates from the 1980s or early 1990s).

*Please note, per our return policy, all sales on used and consignment instruments are final.*