This is an opportunity to channel your inner Jethro. A wonderful, 1964 Jethro style Gibson Mandolin , in original hard shell case. An extremely flamed maple back, excellent condition finish, transitional case having the earlier pink lining and Gibson badge, all combine to make this one cool mandolin. Add original hang tag and case key, and it’s a cut above. These are unusual mandolins, in that, they are oval hole, but do not really sound like an earlier Gibson oval hole mandolin . They have more cut, and more presence. I’m thinking that is perhaps why Jethro chose one of these, they have that unique, jazzy sound. I have installed brand new Kluson Supreme tuners, as the originals had the shrunken buttons so common to this period. The new tuners are exactly the same, and are superior in functionality, being 18:1 ratio. There are a couple of things that keep this one from being totally perfect. Someone has cut out a piece out of the pickguard, I assume for a pickup, and the peghead scroll has been broken and repaired. Check the detail photos One latch knob on the case has been broken off, but, the latch and spring still function fine. All in all, this is a super clean example of a Gibson A5 Florentine mandolin.
