F5S Limited

The Northfield F5S Limited is a standout addition to the S Series, offering mandolin enthusiasts a rare opportunity to own a truly exceptional instrument at an incredible value.

Re-Introducing the F5S Limited—that's right, we've done this before. One batch of seven very special instruments were made many years ago, donning the "limited" designation. They sold out in a flash, and ever since we've been thinking about doing it again. This time it’s about commemorating the centennial celebrations of the F5 mandolin. Released at the end of 2024, this model release coincides with the last of three 100 year birthdays for the most iconic mandolins ever made. As most of you know, the batches of instruments made in 1924 are some of the most coveted of the archetype examples—made famous by many notable artists who play and record them regularly. Here at Northfield, we are BIG fans of some of these mandolins...Feb 18th....March 31st... dates are often referred to here at the shop. In the spirit of Roaring Ahead and all that this phrase means to us, we’ve gathered some of the very best materials and the most frequently requested specifications to upgrade this world-renowned model of ours—making a few small batches available to you.

What makes it "Limited"? 

The term "limited" is used so often among various industries it's hard to know what it really means. What makes them special? .. What is "limited?"...
These are fair questions.

 This is what limits our production of this model:

Time

We’re all short on time, but we’re lucky enough to have had the incredible fortune that nearly every idea we’ve brought to life in a model offering has worked and gained popularity. We’re deeply grateful for the opportunity to continue experimenting and producing the variety of mandolin family instruments Northfield is known for.

That said, this success has spread us across a lot of different projects. We actually love how this keeps us evolving, pushing us to refine our work while inspiring new ideas. But, of course, for everything we do, there’s always something we can’t. Managing specific batch sizes and quantities while balancing all the different areas of our business is part of it. And it’s true—these F5S Limited models take longer to make than the standard. We’re now offering the popular F5S to dealers in nine different countries. Simply put, dressing them up is a special occasion—and one that naturally limits what we can do.

Material Resources

Special material is, to some extent, in the eye of the beholder. But after nearly 20 years of making Northfield Mandolins—and looking at choice materials for much longer than that—we’ve developed a strong sense of what a true “stash” is, how valuable much of this wood is, and just how hard it is to come by. Because of this, we’d often rather hold onto wood in its board form than hurry to use it. After years of doing this, we’ve built up a nice collection and an informed approach to acquiring special wood. We’re careful about how much we dip into this inventory, especially when it comes to using it on our “incredibly reasonable” F5S models. Which leads us to…

Value

Money is always the elephant in the room when discussing the intersection of art and commerce, or Artisan vs. Availability. We operate from a unique—and understandably “awkward”—position in the mandolin community. We make heirloom-quality, professional-level instruments. In fact, we make many of them (more than most producers operating at the level we believe these instruments are at), yet we offer them at prices that are more approachable than many. We do this to encourage the growth of the community, and it’s a very worthwhile… and costly… investment.

 We spend a lot of time creating “custom” and one-off instruments at the top-tier price point of our lineup for discerning buyers and players worldwide. We also know these are often beyond what many in the musician community can pay. This F5S Limited is still an investment, and we understand that. We hope you’ll take our word for it: this mandolin packs an extraordinary amount of value into this price point, and it would be tough to make them this way all the time.

Upgrades from Standard F5S

- Premium Spruce and Maple Materials  (choice of Adirondack Red Spruce or Engelmann Spruce)

- Full-gloss Nitrocellulose finish 

- Deluxe Gotoh Tuners

- Gilchrist/Northfield Tailpiece

- Torch inlay made of abalone and mother of pearl.

 

SPECS

  • Top: Premium Adirondack Red or Engelmann Spruce

  • Back / Neck / Sides: Premium Figured Maple

  • Bridge / Fingerboard: Ebony

  • Tuners: Deluxe Gotoh

  • Tailpiece: Nickel-Plated Engraved Gilchrist/Northfield

  • Binding: Single-ply Ivoroid Top Bound

  • Inlay: Torch Inlay

All materials from North America, seasoned and matched in our Marshall, MI shop. Assembled and varnished in our Qingdao shop. Set up and final inspected in our Marshall, MI shop.

Price: $4495