Gold Tone F-10 10-String F-Style Mandolin with Pickup and Case

I’ve spent over four decades working with mandolin players, and one of the most common things I hear from serious players is that they wish they had just a little more range — something lower to complement the mandolin’s brilliant high-end shimmer. The Gold Tone F-10 answers that call in the most elegant way possible. By adding a fifth course tuned to low C, this 10-string instrument gives you the full CGDAE range, effectively combining the mandolin and mandola into a single, cohesive instrument. The larger F-style mandola body is essential here — it gives those low C strings the acoustic volume and warmth they need to bloom fully, while still letting the high E strings ring out with the clarity and snap mandolin players expect. This is not a novelty instrument. It’s a genuinely versatile tool for the working musician, the composer, or the adventurous player who wants to explore new harmonic territory.

Construction-wise, Gold Tone did this right. The solid spruce top is the heart of the F-10’s tone — it’s bright, articulate, and responsive across all five courses. The maple back, sides, and neck add definition and sustain, and the cream ABS binding gives it a classy, vintage look that suits the Vintage Sunburst satin finish beautifully. The radiused rosewood fingerboard is comfortable under the fingers across all 21 frets, and the two-way adjustable truss rod means the neck can be properly dialed in for your playing style and your local climate. Gold Tone’s patented Zero Glide nut is one of my favorite features on any of their instruments — it functions like an open-string fret, improving intonation dramatically in first position. The bridge-mounted transducer pickup means you can plug straight into a PA or an acoustic amp without fuss, making the F-10 as practical for gigging as it is for home practice. And the rigid foam Cordura-covered hard case? That’s not a gig bag stuffed in — that’s real protection for a real instrument.

Every F-10 receives a professional factory setup at Gold Tone in Titusville, Florida before it ships. That means action adjustment at the nut and bridge, intonation check, truss rod inspection, and a full once-over to make sure everything is playing as well as it possibly can right out of the box. You won’t need to take it to a repair shop before you start playing — it arrives ready.

Why Buy From Banjo Warehouse

Banjo Warehouse is an authorized Gold Tone dealer, which means every instrument we sell comes with full manufacturer warranty support and you can buy with complete confidence. I’m Geoff Hohwald — I’ve been in this industry since the late 1970s, co-owning Watch & Learn in Atlanta since the 1980s, authoring Banjo Primer (the top-rated beginner banjo method), and co-designing the OB-Standard with Gold Tone. I know these instruments from the inside out, and I only carry products I genuinely believe in. When you buy from us, you’re getting the instrument plus honest guidance from someone who has spent a lifetime around fretted instruments. Financing is available through PayPal Pay in 4, Afterpay, and 3, 6, 12, or 24-month payment plans — with no late fees — so you can get playing now without waiting.

Gold Tone F-10 Specifications

Nut Width	1-1/2″ Zero Glide Nut
Neck Material	Maple
Fingerboard	Radiused Rosewood
Frets	21
Inlay	Dot
Truss Rod	Two-Way Adjustable
Top	Solid Spruce
Back & Sides	Maple
Binding	Cream ABS
Finish	Vintage Sunburst / Satin
Hardware	Gold Plated
Tailpiece	Trapeze
Pickup	Bridge Mounted Transducer
Scale Length	15-1/4″
Weight	3.5 lbs.
String Gauge	.008, .008, .014, .014, .026w, .026w, .035w, .035w, .052w, .052w
Tuning	CGDAE
Strings	10 (5 courses, doubled)
Case	Included Hard Foam (Cordura-covered)
Body Style	F-Style Mandola Body

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to know how to play mandola to play the Gold Tone F-10?

Not at all. The F-10 is tuned CGDAE, which means the top four courses — GDAE — are exactly the same as a standard mandolin. If you already play mandolin, you can pick up the F-10 and start playing your existing repertoire immediately. The low C course simply extends your range downward, and you can incorporate it gradually as you get comfortable with the wider neck and the additional strings. It’s a natural expansion, not a completely new instrument to learn from scratch.

Can I use the built-in pickup with any acoustic amplifier or PA system?

Yes. The bridge-mounted transducer is a passive pickup, so it works with any standard 1/4″ instrument input — acoustic amps, PA systems, DI boxes, you name it. It captures the natural acoustic tone of the instrument well, which is especially important on an instrument with this much tonal range. If you find you need a bit more control over your sound, running it through a preamp or an acoustic DI with EQ gives you even more flexibility. For live performance, the F-10 is genuinely gig-ready straight out of the case.

Is the hard case included in the price?

Yes, absolutely. The rigid foam Cordura-covered hard case is included with every Gold Tone F-10 at no additional cost. It’s a proper hard case — not a gig bag — so your instrument is well protected whether you’re traveling to a gig, a session, or just storing it at home. This is one of the things Gold Tone does that I really appreciate: they don’t make you buy protection separately for an instrument at this price point.

---

Want to know when new banjos arrive? Join our email list: Sign up here.

---

Videos