Flatiron "Festival" Mandolin

[peterf...@yahoo.com]

The latest Musicians Friend catalog has a Flatiron "Festival" Mandolin
listed in there.

Has anyone played one? How does it compare to an Epiphone F-style
Mandolin?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Peter

[Wade Hampton Miller]

The Flatiron Festival series, if I remember correctly, was a series of
satin finish all-solid wood mandolins, made in Montana.

It should be significantly higher quality than any Epiphone mandolin
I've ever encountered, all of which are Korean or Chinese make, and
mostly plywood with the occasional solid top.

whm

[Tom from Texas]

"Wade Hampton Miller" <WadeIn...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:93b87ff0-63fa-4b75...@y18g2000pre.googlegroups.com...

whm

Be wary, I've come across a Flatiron "Fesitval" mandolin that was also
marked Epiphone and made in China. The one I played I was not impressed.
I'd wanna get it on condition of free shipping back to Musicians Friend.
MHO.

--
Tom from Texas
(The Tom Risner Fund for Deserving North Texas Guitarplayers is not liable
for any slander, hurt feelings, pointless moaning, or achy-breaky heartache
any
post under this name should cause. Yall want some easy cash or sympathy...
ya can kiss my grits!! )

[George's ProSound Company]

"Tom from Texas" <tris...@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:uKvRj.12439$GE1....@nlpi061.nbdc.sbc.com...

>
> "Wade Hampton Miller" <WadeIn...@aol.com> wrote in message
> news:93b87ff0-63fa-4b75...@y18g2000pre.googlegroups.com...
> On Apr 28, 7:14 am, peterfrey2...@yahoo.com wrote:
>> The latest Musicians Friend catalog has a Flatiron "Festival" Mandolin
>> listed in there.
>>
>> Has anyone played one? How does it compare to an Epiphone F-style
>> Mandolin?
>>
>> Inquiring minds want to know.
>>
>> Peter
>
> The Flatiron Festival series, if I remember correctly, was a series of
> satin finish all-solid wood mandolins, made in Montana.
>
> It should be significantly higher quality than any Epiphone mandolin
> I've ever encountered, all of which are Korean or Chinese make, and
> mostly plywood with the occasional solid top.
>
>
> whm
>
> Be wary, I've come across a Flatiron "Fesitval" mandolin that was also
> marked Epiphone and made in China. The one I played I was not impressed.
> I'd wanna get it on condition of free shipping back to Musicians Friend.
> MHO.
>
>

I played a A style Flatiron , was truely unimpressive
I recommend the person with me buy the Kentucky 630
the kentucky was 300$ less, but that was not the reason I recommened it
the flatirons tone was one dimensional, flat empty compared to the Kentucky
the feel of the neck/frets was just not natural
allin all I think itis way overpriced when you compare the flatiron toother
mandos in its general price range
George

[Wade Hampton Miller]

Okay, it appears as though Gibson has revived the Flatiron brand name
and applied it to a line of instruments made in Asia.

I have no firsthand experience with these; in fact, this thread is the
first I'd heard they've done that.

The Made-In-USA Flatirons are excellent mandolins. Many feature an X
brace rather than the Loar-style tone bars that F-5 mandolins
traditionally have, and I for one really like the tonal results.

Flatiron was an independent company making mandolins in the Bozeman,
Montana area, when they were bought by Gibson. For a while Gibson had
them making all Gibson mandolins as well as Flatiron instruments, but
then got the bright idea to move mandolin production from Montana to
Tennessee.

So far as I'm aware, the production of American-made Flatiron
mandolins ceased when Gibson moved the operation.

A number of Flatiron/Gibson mandolinmakers who didn't want to uproot
their families and move to Tennessee got behind fellow employee Bruce
Weber and started Weber mandolins, and continue to make mandolins in
the same area in Montana.

In the meantime the other Flatiron veterans who stayed with Gibson but
also stayed in Montana switched over exclusively to acoustic guitar
production at the Gibson Montana plant.

That's how I understand it, anyway. Fred Shrimer can probably tell us
more on the guitar side of the story.

ANYway, the very first Flatiron mandolins, starting in the 1970's,
were flat topped instruments based on the design of the Gibson Army-
Navy model. While some of these have aged well, a great many of them
have started to cave in on themselves.

The American-made Flatirons that are worth seeking out are the carved
top and back models, particularly those with X bracing. Those came
along later in Flatiron's company history, probably beginning around
the mid-1980's or so. These will have weathered the ten or fifteen
years since they were last made with no problem at all.

Just be careful around the flattop models, and look at the top where
it meets the neck joint in particular.

Hope this helps.

Wade Hampton Miller
Chugiak, Alaska

[Larry S]

I am fairly sure the new Flatirons are cheaper imported mandolins and
Gibson is just playing on the name. For the record I had an older
Boseman Flatiron Festival that I replaced a year ago with an Eastman
515 f mandolin. The Eastman cost less than I sold the Flatiron for
and I believe it is a better instrument. Much more sound and guts.
The Eastman is also imported from China. I would definitely take this
Eastman over the Flatiron. Ironically the Flatiron replaced an older
Gibson A-50, and the Flatiron was the superior instrument to the
A-50. Just a small sample, but my opinion.

Larry.