H2 Mandola #66429 Still Looks and Sounds Beautiful.

I visited my parents recently, and my father got out one of the Ivers family heirloom's: The Gibson H2 Mandola # 66429. It dates from probably 1921, and is most likely pictured in the 1921 Ivers Mandolin Orchestra Gibson promotional photo at the top of this Blog. There's more about this instrument below, in the side bar of the Blog.  My dad played it for while, sight reading from some American Songbook material, and it really sounded great. Lots of sustain, and quite a bit different than what I'm used to hearing from a mandolin. I also payed it on and off for the few days I was there visiting. It's a real workout, when compared to playing a smaller neck, narrower space between frets, and lighter gauge strings of a mandolin. It takes some getting used to, but what a great  tone, and nice change of pace from a mandolin.  Really nice deep woody tone.

Here's my dad playing it. 

Remarkable Collection of Gibson Mandolin Family Instruments

I spotted this great photo on the Mandolin Central website. What an incredible collection, including the original cases. A complete  "Everyone A Gibsonite" set of instruments ready to go. 

RIP My Great Aunt Doris Hueston- Ivers

My Great Aunt Doris Hueston- Ivers passed away last week. She was 101 years old. She is survived by her son Larry Hueston. She was, as far as I know, the last remaining living member pictured in the "Adams Plectral Society" Gibson Promotional photo at the top of this blog. In the picture of the "Ivers Mandolin Orchestra" above she is wearing a white dress seated front and center, with an angelic gaze, directly in front of my Great Grandfather Joseph Ivers who was a Gibson Mandolin Company sales agent, a Mandolin Orchestra leader, and music teacher. My great Aunt Doris was probably around 10 or 11 years old when this photo appeared in the 1921 Gibson Mandolin Company Catalog. She's holding what looks like probably a H2 Mandola. Many years ago my Great Aunt Doris gave my father Robert Ivers a 1915 F4 mandolin which he played up until two years ago, when he gave it to me to play and take care of.  More recently she also gave my father a 1921 H2 Mandola, which he still has and plays today. Both of these instruments are pictured in the 1921 Gibson Promotional photo above, and are well documented on this blog, and listed on the Mandolin Archive website. Rest in peace my Great Aunt Doris.

Here's some information my father sent me in an email a year or two ago, before my great Aunt Doris passed away in which he talks about a phone conversation he had with her regarding what she remembered about my Great Grandather Joseph Ivers, and the Mandolin Orchestra:

I just got off the phone with Doris. She is 97 and rambled about the family as follows:

My granddad, her father, lived in Adams, Mass. when the picture was taken of the mandolin band. The picture was taken sometime between 1922 and 1923 in the Adams, Mass. High School auditorium where the band performed. (The recollection of this date is inaccurate as the photo appeared in a 1921 Gibson Catalog)  The band was called the "Gibsonians". He purchased all of the mandolins directly from Kalamzoo where the Gibson company manufactured the mandolins. At the same time, my grandfather, ran the cotton mill owned by the "Renfrew Manufacturing Company", one of two mills in Adams. He and Nana, my grandmother, played bridge with the other plant manager every Saturday night. The cotton was shipped from the south and made into cloth at his mill.  He had the first automobile in Adams. Granddad was from a musical family. (one of 13 children). Doris said that the family was an association with a slate of officers, held meetings etc. (This may have been like a corporation) He was one of five brothers who sang "in public" he was a tenor. His father was Welch. The Welch have been known for their good voices.His mother was Irish and was born in County Cork, Ireland.

Doris said "grandad was a wonderful organizer" - witness his twi-light baseball league founding, his political organizing, and the Adams "Old Home Week" which he chaired for many years.

Nana's (my Great Grand Mother; also pictured holding the F-4 in the orchestra photo) family was from Montreal. Doris said that they were musical also. "opera singers and lawyers."

I hope this answers some of your questions. Doris is the only source I have about my father's side of the family.

Summer Strummers Video Clips

Here are some video clips from The Summer Strummers: The Chautauqua Institute's Favorite Sing Along String Band. These clips are from an outdoor date they did at the Chautauqua Institute during the 2011 summer season. The 2011 Summer Strummers are:  Joe Prezio- banjo, (Not present at this gig) Ray Defendorf- guitar, Ed Paul- bass, Ed Harmon mandolin and saw, and Robert Ivers-mandolin. (Robert Ivers; is my father, and grandson of Joseph L. Ivers, Mandolin Orchestra leader and Gibson Mandolin Company Teacher/Agent mentioned above.) Special thanks to my sister Beth Munro for taking the time to record and send me the video footage.

Old Dawg Bleugrass Band

While my wife Kathy and I were visiting Chautauqua a few weeks back, we caught a great bluegrass band, "Old Dawg Bluegrass" at the Apple Cider Festival in Busti, NY, pictured here, and again later that week at the Hurlbut Community Church Wednesday Vespers on the Chautauqua Institute Grounds. Really great group, all great singers, and awesome players. It's clear they love to play, and are well versed in traditional bluegrass. I also really liked a very cool interpretation of a Lou Reed's, Time is No Friend of Mine, they did at the Vespers. Check them out at olddawgbg.ucoz.com    or     www.facebook.com/pages/Old-Dawg-Bluegrass

Summer Strummers 2011 Official Photo

Here they are, everyone in their signature Red Vest show attire. I just spent last weekend at the Chautauqua Institute, and while I didn't get a chance to see them perform, the word from my father Robert Ivers is that 2011 was another successful season for the Summer Strummers. The now legendary group is accepting bookings for the 2012 season, and is enjoying official "Amateur Group" status and production support from the Chautauqua Institution Music Department.   

Joe Prezio- Banjo, Ed Harmon-Mandolin and Saw, Ed Paul- Bass, Robert Ivers-Mandolin, Kelsie Shea- Violin, Ray Defendorf-Guitar

Summer Strummers 2011 Line Up

The Red Vests Are Back!

Here they are on the front porch of the Methodist House at the Chautauqua Institution. First gig of the 2011 Season! More gigs and pictures comming up.

The 2011 Summer Strummers: Left to Right:  Joe Prezio- banjo, Ray Defendorf- guitar, Ed Paul- bass, Ed Harmon mandolin and saw, (Tim Shea- Violin Not Pictured), and Robert Ivers-mandolin. (Robert Ivers; is my father, and grandson of Joseph L. Ivers, Mandolin Orchestra leader and Gibson Mandolin Company Teacher/Agent mentioned above.)

Everyone a Gibsonite Print Ad From The Teens

Everyone a Gibsonite program print ad from the mid teens designed to attract "Teacher Agents" with the prospect of making $1800-$5000 or more a year "teaching and selling the Gibson."

Book Review: Spann’s Guide to Gibson 1902- 1941

Book Review: Spann’s Guide to Gibson 1902- 1941, by Joe Spann, Centerstream Publishing

I preordered at Amazon, and I've had a chance to read through it, and have found it to be very interesting, and detailed in a lot of uncharted areas, particularly with respect to serial number and factory order number records during the years in the title. The most interesting revelation for me and maybe others, who read the book, is a new perspective on dating Gibson Instruments. I've always relied on serial numbers and more specifically, information based on serial numbers listed in the Mandolin Archive Website to date family owned and other Gibson Instruments. (See link to the Mandolin Archive on the right sidebar below) From new research presented in the Spann's Guide to Gibson 1902-1941, it turns out that serial numbers are really only reliable indicators of shipping date and not manufacture date. According to Spann, the Serial Number was only assigned to an instrument when the label was applied just prior to shipping. It turns out, according to the information in this book, the Factory Order Number, which evidently all instruments were stamped with at the inception of the manufacturing process, is a more accurate indicator of manufacture date. Since Serial Numbers were only applied just prior to shipping, it's possible that instruments could have been manufactured but not shipped in the same year. It seems well documented in the book that a number of instruments may have been stored sometimes for several years before they had a Serial Number/Label applied and shipped. Therefore, using Serial Number records to determine the year an instrument was “from” might have been incorrect, prior to this new Factory Order Number dating system.

I was however disappointed a bit by the lack of focus and information about Gibson mandolin family instrument sales and marketing from the teens and twenties. The research included in this book regarding teacher-agents and dealers, or the sales channel in general, is focused primarily on the period from the late twenties, through the late thirties. I would go, as far as to say that title of the book; Spann's Guide to Gibson 1902-1941 is a bit misleading. While there is detailed Serial Number and Factory Order Number and a lot of other historical information for the whole period covered in the title, other chapters and topics are very light on information or data from the early years, teens, and early twenties. Most, if not all, the sales and marketing data presented in the book dates from the late twenties to the Second World War.

My primary interest in this stuff is biased of course towards my family history, and the Mandolin Orchestra Era, which peaked for Gibson during the teens and early twenties. It is during the teens and early twenties that my Great Grandfather Joseph L. Ivers was a teacher, mandolin orchestra leader and a Gibson Agent. It's my understanding, that during this period (teens and early twenties) dealership networks, and retail store sales were still small, and the "Everyone a Gibson-ite" marketing strategy used as it's primary sales channel, teacher-agents, and their promotion of Mandolin Orchestras and Mandolin Clubs. The only profile of a "teacher -agent" in this book focuses on someone from the thirties, well past the late twenties when Mandolin Orchestra's were fading from popularity, and Gibson was phasing out the "Everyone a Gibson-ite" teacher-agent sales channel. 

I had very high expectations for this book when I learned of its publication on the Mandolin Café Website. And for the most part I was very happy with the purchase, as it’s full of information that is new and of great interest to me.  I would say that it’s a must have for anyone with an interest in Gibson Company history, vintage instruments or specifically Gibson Mandolin family instruments. I only wish there had been more data or information regarding catalog publication, advertising, and sales and marketing strategies particularly from the earliest years, teens and early twenties. After all, the focus of this Web Log is the Golden Era of the Mandolin Orchestra, and most of the antidotal information in this book is based on data from the late twenties and beyond, well after the heyday of the Gibson Mandolin Orchestra or Mandolin Club. 

All in all, the book offers a lot of new and fascinating, historical information about the manufacturing process, materials used, factory staff, suppliers, product lines, and Gibson Company management. I look forward to re-reading and continuing to use the book as a research tool, particularly with respect to dating instruments. 

Gibson Mandolin Guitar Company Logo From 1906 Stationary

Here is an early Gibson Company Logo from a 1906  letter I recently came across.  Also check out a new slide show of Gibson Mandolin Orchestra pictures and other photos scanned from the 1920 Catalog L.  Look in the right side bar.

Sounding Board Salesman Magazine

I found this publication very interesting. It's from 1920, and a was published by The Gibson Mandolin Company as a sales tool for Gibson agents like Joseph Ivers, my Great Grandfather. Evidently The Sounding Board Salesman came out a few times a year to keep Gibson Agents motivated and in the loop. Reading this provides some pretty interesting insight into how the Gibson Mandolin Company sold and distributed instruments through "agents" and the Mandolin Orchestras they formed throughout the world. Here's two of several goofy cartoon's that appear in this issue of the Magazine, Illustrating the company's difficulty in 1919 in keeping up with demand from the sales agents for product. Note the F-Style Male head and A-Style Female head:

Special Thanks to the Mandolin Archive for posting very readable scans of this interesting publication in their Documents section. http://www.mandolinarchive.com/documents/1920_sounding_board_salesman/cover.html

My Turn To Take Care Of a Family Heirloom

Well, it’s official. I'm now the 4th generation  “Ivers” to own the 1914 Gibson F4 Master Model Serial # 24532 pictured and documented all over this web-log.  All I can say is that it's truly an honor and a privilege to take my turn as the caretaker of this beautiful instrument.

My wife and I spent last weekend celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary in Chautauqua, NY (I'd marry you all over again my love!) On our second day there, we drove to Big Flats, NY for the day to have lunch with my parents.

After a delicious home cooked meal, my wife spent some time helping my Mother with a computer issue, and my Dad, said to me "Come on let’s go look at that F4, I want you to take it back to Florida with you."   Wow!  I guess I knew I would end up with it eventually, but it's really a thrill to be able to enjoy it sooner than I thought. When my dad handed it to me, I didn’t really know what to say or do, so I tuned it, and gave it back to him to take one last ride on it. He sight read a few tunes from an American Song Book collection, and then it was my turn.

First Impressions Of The F4

It plays easily, really sounds big and deep, and the sustain is amazing. The frets closer to the head stock are a little worn, but the action is really nice and low (adjustable bridge added in 1921). The colors in the “Flowerpot” head stock inlay are beautiful and change with every angle.  For some reason it felt really light weight to me, like I thought it was bigger and heavier when I had last held it as child.  And this might sound weird, but one of the first things I noticed, and am still amazed by, is how great it smells!   I had one of those crystal clear flashbacks to when I was a child and smelled the old wood of that mandolin.  It was old then and even older now, and still has a very distinct woody aroma. Very cool smell! 

Four Generations Of Beautiful Tone

I've played it every day since we returned home to South Florida, and man, it is truly amazing to gaze at the 1921 photo with my Great Grandmother Ivers playing the same mandolin I now hold in my hands.  My Great Grandfather, Joseph Ivers, the mandolin orchestra leader and Gibson Mandolin Company “agent” purchased it new in 1916, and he and my Great Grandmother Mary Bassett Ivers played it.  For sure my Grandfather George Ivers played it, then my Father, Robert Ivers played it, and now I'm playing it. Since I don't have children, I guess it’s never too early to try to get one or more of my sister’s  three daughters interested in the mandolin, so one day I can pass it along to a fifth generation.

It's My Obligation To Carry On The Tradition

I feel a little unworthy, as I am not as proficient or as good as I should be for my age, actually playing the mandolin.  I'm not sure why it took me so long to start playing mandolin, given my family history but I'm 49, and only started playing 6 years ago. I had been thinking for years I should learn, and finally in 2004, while vacationing in the Asheville, NC area, I bought a Weber Sweet Pea, at a cool store in Brevard, NC.   Since that day I've been preparing to own and play the F4. 

The Sweet Pea is great, I’ve taken it with me all over the world, but my wife thought I should have something better.  So, for a Christmas present a few years ago, she got me a Morgan Monroe MMS 5; an F Style, that really sounds and plays great. That's when I really started to enjoy playing mandolin.  Since then, it’s been a slow but very rewarding process teaching myself to play by ear.

Today I'm really grateful, even as a novice, to have enough playing time under my belt to be able to enjoy the sound and feel of this awesome 1916 Gibson F4 Master Model.  It's beyond my wildest dreams, and I'm humbled and excited about learning and playing it in the future. 

Put Down That Gibson F4 Mandolin And Hold Your Great Grandson, or Yes Little Baby, Some Day You Will Play the Mandolin

Thanks to my Great Grandparents, my Grandparents, my Great Aunt Doris Ivers- Houston, for taking such good care of the mandolin for all these years.  And of course, thanks to my father for his care of the instrument, and providing the inspiration for me to want learn to play the mandolin.  And last but not least, special thanks to my wife for her encouragement, and putting up with what may not always sound like music.  

Early Gibson Mandolin Company Trade Advertisement

Gibson Mandolin Company trade publication advertisement targeting the Mandolin Orchestra Leader or Teacher. The Mandolin Orchestra "Everyone a Gibsonite" campaign was the primary retail channel for selling Gibson mandolins and mandolin family instruments during the teens and early twenties.  More evidence here that women were a big part of the marketing campaign. Check out the outfits.

Proper Musical Balance

This is an interesting point of view on the instrumentation for Fretted Instrument Groups. I found this document folded into the middle of an old piece of Mandolin Orchestra sheet music from the teens. Not sure who published this, or who's recommendations for "Proper Musical Balance" these are. Could be from Gibson, but I'm not sure of the source. I do know that it probably dates from the teen's, based on the age of the sheet music it was stored with.

The Summer Strummers 2010 Line Line Up

I recently had the opportunity to pass through The Chautauqua Institute (Chautauqua, NY) working as a Guitar Tech for Dion, and got the chance to spend a few hours with my parents, and my sister and her family who live there each summer. I had a great visit, and had time during my Dion work day to change strings on my father's acoustic/electric Fender mandolin. I missed a Summer Strummers performance by one day, but I did get a photo of this summer's line up. My father, pictured lower left, has been playing a Fender mandolin  instead of the 1916 Gibson F-4  (pictured to the right) because Summer Strummers  gig requires a mandolin he can plug into an amp. Good looking group, would love to hear the Saw.

Another Early Gibson Mandolin Company Print Ad

Easy financing for a Gibson Mandolin.