2008 Epiphone Flatiron Festival F-2 Mandolin w/OHSC in Glen Park, New York
The F2 mandolin was first introduced in 1902 and was a major step in the instrument's modern evolution from an old world bowl back instrument to a sleek modern American-made original. Epi Stathopoulo was fascinated by the new style of mandolins when they were first introduced and realized right away that if his father's instrument company was going prosper, he and his brothers and loyal luthiers would have to learn everything about how these instruments could get such great tone and high volume and still retain the sweet timbre of an old world instrument.
The Flatiron Festival F-2 Mandolin brings a century of instrument making experience to working musicians with a mandolin that not only looks distinguished but sounds great and gives amateurs and professionals quality tone at a price anyone can afford. Vintage mandolins now suffer from the wear and tear of a century of playing, not to mention unstable glue and faulty hardware. The Flatiron Festival F-2 Mandolin gives you the sound and feel of a classic F-style mandolin without the vintage headache or the price tag.
The Flatiron Festival F-2 is made from the classic specs of vintage models with a Solid Spruce top and a solid maple back with figured maple rims. The F-2's fully adjustable ebony bridge and nickel tailpiece are a perfect compliment to the F-2's tonewoods, which help give the F-2 its terrific projection and balanced tone. The figured maple neck has a 13 7/8" scale with an ebony fingerboard, a 1 2/16" nut and classic dot inlays. The headstock mirrors classic "F" style headstocks that came out of the Kalamazoo factory in the early 1920s and features a pearloid Flatiron logo and vintage leaf design. The beautifully scrolled body is finished in classic Cremona Burst.
Hardware on vintage instruments is usually the first to suffer the ravages of time and hard playing. The F-2's all-metal Epiphone hardware can give you a lifetime of security. The F-2's nickel open gear machine heads feature pearloid buttons for a beautiful vintage look and the nickel tailpiece also has the Flatiron scroll.