Gibson F4 mandolin, S/N 69266, Circa 1921
Recently, I took up the mandolin, and while my regular playing mandolin, a blonde Eastman 914, is a wonderful instrument, I acquired a very nice Gibson F4 mandolin to see how the original compares to the modern copy. This example is all original including the tuners, pickguard, and bridge, and shows the early influence of Lloyd Loar when he joined Gibson. The adjustable bridge is credited to Loar, though no one can be sure, and the lovely cremona sunburst finish was to later appear on the prized F5 Gibson mandolins that Loar played an important role in developing. This mandolin just predates Gibson's introduction of a truss rod for the neck, but is still a great playing and sounding mandolin.
