Custom Gibson M-6 A-Style Guitar Mando (c.2002)

This Gibson M-6 guitar mando has 6 strings and is tuned an octave higher than a guitar.

Built circa 2002 in Nashville, Tennessee. Serial number 20222010.

Sitka spruce top, maple back and sides. Flat ebony fingerboard.

1-3/8" nut.

The tone is similar to a standard mandolin, although the lower strings bring a very unique low end to the instrument.

Comes equipped with a Fishman bridge pickup.

Plays great with nice low action. Certain chords can be a bit tricky due to the string spacing, but picking single note melodies feels similar to a standard mandolin.

Currently strung with Gold Tone BTS nickel-wound strings, .010 to .052. Includes two extra sets of strings.

Very good condition overall. One shallow ding the diameter of the pea under the low E string and a handful of other light dings on the top, but nothing severe.

The nut and bridge each have an extra slot due to the previous owner's experimenting with an alternate string setup, but these don't interfere with the instrument's current 6-string setup.

Includes original hardshell case.

Here's the official Gibson press release from 2002:

Gibson M-6 merges guitar, mandolin into new acoustic voice

Gibson’s Original Acoustic Instruments division has created a new instrument that combines the playing style of a guitar with the tone of a mandolin. The new Gibson M-6 features an A-style mandolin body with a short-scale guitar neck that makes every guitarist an instant multi-instrumentalist.

“The M-6 is more than an octave guitar and more than a six-string mandolin,” said Henry Juszkiewicz, chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar Corp. “It’s a unique new voice for acoustic music – a sound that opens a new avenue of creativity for acoustic musicians.”

The M-6 is tuned an octave higher than a standard guitar, so that the high E-string matches the highest open string on a mandolin. Guitarists can get the tone of a mandolin without having to adapt to a different tuning. The M-6 has six single strings, however, instead of the double-strung configuration of the mandolin, which gives the M-6 its own unique sound.

The M-6 is offered in these nitrocellulose lacquer finishes: Heritage Cherry Sunburst, Trans Red, Trans Green and Trans Blue.

The Gibson M-6 is made at The Gibson Bluegrass Showcase in the Opry Mills retail complex, a stone’s throw from the Grand Ole Opry House. In addition to a live performance venue, the 30,000-square-foot facility houses a retail store with instruments and Gibson wear, a restaurant and the headquarters of Gibson’s Original Acoustic Instrument division, where visitors can watch skilled craftsmen at work handmaking Gibson mandolins and banjos, Flatiron mandolins and Dobro® resonator guitars.

Product Specs

Condition:Very Good Make:Gibson Model:M-6 Guitar Mando Categories:Mandolins Year:2002 Made In:United States