2004 Gibson F-9

The F-9 is Gibson’s no frills version of an F-5. But don’t be fooled by the basic appointments, this is a great sounding instrument (she was originally brown but I had her top stained natural yellow). I get the inkling that all Gibson F style mandolins start their life in the same place and then get split up before going to the paint shop.

I have read how Bill Monroe and others had stripped the paint from their mandolins to make them sound better, I figure this is the same concept. This F-9 has that loud but compressed sound you would expect from a high end model.

I have played her quite a bit since I bought her, and her thin finish is showing the wear, I think that by the time I’ve had her five years, she will look about fifty! I have the Fishman V-200 ‘violin’ pickup fitted under the bridge, which I feel is the most natural amplified tone I have come across (note: mandolin pickups are always a compromise, they really sound best using a condenser microphone).