Looks just like the “Stagg” case I got for my Fullerton. Be advised that the fit isn’t perfect. I had to modify the inner compartment and install a bit of additional padding before I was happy that the mando was being supported as it needed to be. Also, the Fullerton headstock is a fraction longer (I believe) than the real F9/F5 it’s fairly snug lengthwise. Not force-it snug, but no space to spare.
I’m happy enough with the case.
Well, I got my Fullerton Gloucester the other day. It had a perfectly straight fretboard (unlike the Pennington I first received in error), and the bridge was fitted pretty well (could be a little better-you can see some light under it in bright light).
I’m not overly impressed with the tone though. It sounds nice, but it doesn’t have quite the “ring” that the laminated Pennington has, which is a big surprise to me. I actually prefer the laminated F model Pennington for tone! Maybe it sounds more like an oval hole mandolin-brighter and chimier-a more bell like ring to it, I don’t know-I haven’t picked up a mandolin for a couple of years anyway. And, take this with a grain of salt from a picky tone person-most all the reviews on the Gloucester have been overwhelmingly good. That’s why we’ve been ordering these things!
Maybe fitting the bridge a little better would make a big difference, but I kind of doubt it-it’s pretty close, and maybe it just needs to open up a bit-the finish curing, and playing in helps to bring out the tone too. Or it may just be my ear’s preferences in tone quality. The fit and finish of the Gloucester is very well done, even with the satin finish, which isn’t as labor intensive for the makers, and is usually thinner, and less durable.
I don’t know at this point what I’ll do, but I’m leaning towards ordering the Hammonton, which is very like the Pennington in finish, but in all solid woods (at the same price as the Gloucester). From what others have said on the Mandolin Cafe, it’s a good one too. Hey, for $89 shipped, this Pennington is no slouch! I consider it a bargain for a nice sounding and playing mandolin-and if you want a festival or session mandolin-this is it!
The other problem I have is that my hands (especially the left hand and wrist especially) aren’t too happy about playing this new instrument! I think the right setup of lowering the strings at the nut and adjusting the bridge will go a long way in hand comfort though. And I may have to abandon mandolin, in deference to the flute in the long run. Time will tell.
The action at the nut is sometimes a tad high, but at this price point I doubt they spend a huge amount of time on set-up.
I changed the nut on mine for a bone one and lowered the action quite a bit there. I would certainly fit the bridge tightly to the top - fortunately mine arrived with a pretty much vacuum fit.
As for tone, mine is opening up a bit, but I play it long and hard every day. It is nowhere near as full and bassy as my Eastman, but that’s more an oval vs f-hole thing. With a new set of J74s, a good 2mm pick and some hard playing my Gloucester is getting a decent tone and good volume. At the moment I have to dig in a bit to get the volume and ‘thunk’ on the chop chords, but the same was true of the Eastman. Its solid wood, with a lightish finish and a top that isn’t too thick. It’ll open up a lot more as I continue to thrash it!
I actually prefer playing the Fullerton now - even though the Eastman cost more than 3 times as much.
Oh, I could never abandon mandolin - no more than I could abandon whistle.
How could you even consider such a thing!? 
Pain can make one consider lots of things.
If you’re seeing light under your bridge, if needs to be fitted better. I bet that’s part of why you’re not happy with the tone you’re getting. Fortunately, fitting a mando bridge is pretty easy. Just use low-tack masking tape to attach some sandpaper to the top of the instrument and run the feet of the bridge over the sandpaper, so they pick up the curvature of the top. Just go slow and make sure you’re keeping the bridge perpendicular to the top.
Also, a really good way to quickly break in a new acoustic stringed instrument is to tie it to the front of a stereo speaker and play music into it for a few hours. Sounds kind of extreme, but it does work.
Motorhead should do the trick…
True. Pain, which I have experienced in playing mando, can very often be eased by a decent action (especially at the nut end for Celtic players who tend to stay down that end of the fretboard more than bluegrassers). Even for people with small hands.
The other thing is hand position. The wrist should not be sharply bent in any direction. That’s where I started out wrong. Took me an age to break the habit of bending my wrist back too far when fretting full G shape chop chords.
A straightish wrist and not holding the neck too closely/tightly in the V or U between thumb and first finger are key. Just let the neck rest on the hand.
Takes practice, but the difference is indescribable.
Give up mandolin 
Never…
Yes, exactly, Rob! My hands/wrists have some problems, and tend to be a little cranky about over use. Good suggestions, buddhu on playing properly. That will help, no doubt, thank you.
And thanks for the suggestion of fitting the bridge better, Ro3b. There is the slightest bit of light there when viewed in bright light-generally it is fitted pretty well though. I’ve fitted violin bridges in the past like you described, and will do that if I keep it.
I think it’s just the general tone of it that I don’t favor. When an all laminated mandolin sounds better to me, with a thicker finish, and no set up either, and nothing major is wrong with the less preferred mandolin, then I think it’s just a tonal preference. The Gloucester rings, but it’s not bell like, if you know what I mean.
You may be right about fitting the bridge perfectly-and only one way to really tell to be sure. If I do, I’ll report back about it.
Hey everyone,
My Gloucester came in today. I’ve only been playing it for about an hour. I guess I got one of the “good ones.” Fit and finish while certainly not perfect, aren’t bad at all. I thought it sounded a bit thin to begin with but decided that may be because I play an oval hole, actually Weber’s D hole, Bridger that I’ve played about five or six years.
After playing the Gloucester for a while and then putting on a tone-gard and King Brown arm rest, I’m finding that the tone is much richer.
it’s a keeper.
back to playing with the new “toy.”
take care
jim
Hey, great, Jim! I don’t think I got a bad one, just different sounding from the other Pennington I received instead. I think my Gloucester is beginning to open up a little too-I think it’s a good one, but still may prefer the tone of the other yet. It just has that bell like ring that I like. The Gloucester definitely came set up better, and is easier to play.
One thing I’ve found-when I concentrate on not bending my wrist, as buddhu suggested, I am not in as much pain afterwards. So, there is hope for me-and I don’t plan to abandon the mandolin any time soon, now that I’ve found it again! I really like the drone aspect of the mandolin when you’re playing a melody. I like to cross-pick it, and they both sound pretty darned good now!
I ordered the Hammonton also yesterday, just to be sure, since it’s also all solid wood construction. I’ll be interested to see how it compares to the other two.
Have fun with your new mandolins!
Looks like the Gloucester mandolins are sold out on Music123 now. All that is left are the Pennington and Hammonton F mandolins. No slouches either for those great prices!
http://www.music123.com/Search/Default.aspx?N=64&Ntt=fullerton+mandolin
Hey Barry,
I also saw where they were not showing anymore of the Gloucesters. First, all they had left were the B stock and then there was no listing at all. I’m glad I got in on it last Friday night.
Have you ever tried a wrist rest? I’ve found it allows my wrist to feel restful 
Actually it changes the angle and allows the wrist and hand to be more in line. I like it a lot. And I guess they aren’t called wrist rests anyway…they are arm rests
As per crosspicking…I’m trying to learn some of that. My first instrument was actually five string banjo - nope, I have no shame. I’ve messed around some with using two finger picks and a thumb pick and do some rolls similar to what I might do on the banjo and get some interesting sounds.
enjoy your new mandolin. I know I’m enjoying mine.
take care
jim
Yeah, I’ve learned that good deals don’t stick around forever, so it’s good to take advantage if you can when you see one. They were around for a while it seems (on the mandolin cafe), but we got in on the tail end, and at a very nice price. I guess we got lucky. Thanks again buddhu for telling us about them!
That sounds like a good idea, Jim, about the wrist rest, believe I will try one!
I just came across some great free mandolin lessons and tips from Folk of the Wood here:
http://www.folkofthewood.com/page5296.htm
and here’s the complete listing that has crosspicking, fingerpicking, and other instruments:
http://www.folkofthewood.com/page3.htm
Have a blast!
If it’s mando lessons you want, there are some free video lessons by Anthony Hannigan at www.musicmoose.org.
Also check out the Planxty videos on Youtube. Some pretty informative shots of Andy Irvine playing.
The Sam Bush 2 DVD set is excellent. It’s bluegrass, but the principles apply to all styles, and he does teach a pretty thorough version of Blackberry Blossom, which is a tune I have heard played at sessions in Ireland.
My wife must have got the order for my Gloucester in just under the wire 
Right now it’s sitting in Syracuse, scheduled for Tues. delivery.
This just in: my Gloucester arrived yesterday!
As I mentioned, this is a birthday present and I don’t get to “keep” it until 6/27. However, in light of the 45 day return policy, my wife said it was OK to check it out in case it needed to be returned (6/27 would be too late).
I tuned it up to pitch, and found that I had to fret the 13th fret to get an octave. I dropped the string tensionnd moved the bridge until I got good 12th fret octaves. I also noticed that the bridge was set 'way high, so I lowered that quite a bit. Back up to pitch, and the thing played like a champ. This is one hell of a mandolin for $179!
My wife has always hated the look of F-mandos, saying that they are much too gaudy. When she looked at the Gloucester, she was surprised to find that she liked it a lot! I sort of agree: all the fancy finish work, inlay work etc almost detract from the beautiful lines of the instrument itself. With the matte natural finish, the design shines through. The black binding just sets it off perfectly.
By and large, the craftsmanship is remarkably excellent. There is one spot on the scroll that looks like it was gouged and repaired. As a woodworker,I’m looking at it pretty critical: someone else might not even notice it. There’s a tiny bit of drum sander burn on one inside curve but not enough to worry about.
Now, my task is to forget that this instrument is in the house 
. With the end of nursing school, a vacation, and starting a new job in the O.R., that shouldn’t be TOO hard.
Hey Paul,
Good for you! I know you’ve been talking about getting an F-style mandolin for a while; and now you’re getting a pretty nice one, not expensive but nice. June 27 will be here before you know it. The anticipation ought to be exquisite, especially since you’ve already got a taste of and for your new mandolin.
I’m enjoying mine. The arm rest and tone-gard are real pluses in my very humble opinion. The Gloucester is currently sitting in front of the stereo speaker listening to folk and some occasional celtic music. Don’t know if it helps but figure it can’t hurt.
BTW, I really appreciate the respect and love I hear in your posts regarding your wife. It’s the only way to go.
I’m still enjoying the delrin whistle, too!!!
take care
jim
Don’t get me started
Glad you’re liking the whistle.
Glad to hear you got your Gloucester, Paul… (did you know it’s pronounced Glowster?-just read it on mandolincafe-but being up in that area, you probably did!). Thought it was interesting though.
…and you like it! That’s great! The jury still isn’t in over at my house-I like it, but it may not be “my” mandolin. Still, for the money, you can’t go wrong-it is nice sounding, easy playing and well made, (barring small blemishes) and the looks are unique among all the imports out there.
Personally, I like the old sunburst finishes-some more than others, but the Pennington is well done and looks good. It has simple dots on the fretboard (I like that) and an extension on the fretboard (like that too for looks). Doesn’t mean a thing about playing-except some people say they get in the way. I don’t feel that way yet.
Don’'t know what I will think of the Hammonton that should be here by mid-week. A little fancier fretboard (looks like all the rest), and sunburst finish, but I’m most interested in hearing the tone of it in comparison to the Pennington (laminated), and the Goucester.
Happy June picking to you! Should be a good capper to it, and your birthday! Good luck on your new job too.
My hands have been aching a little, but I’ve laid off this weekend, and think they will be OK if I don’t over do it.