Considering Selling My Michael Kelly

[meskalito]

When I was buying my mandolin, I knew nothing. #I am guitar picker and a songster, and I picked up the mandolin purely for the love of Bill Monroe (and to learn Ode to a Butterfly). #I also love Norman Blake, and since I'm not in a bluegrass band, I thought I may as well pick one up that looks like Norman's.

Well, Norman plays F-2s and F-4s from the early part of the twentieth century. #I knew I didn't have the cash to go to mandolin brothers and grab one for 5K, so I did the best I could. #I did research online. #Unfortunately, I hadn't found this place yet or realized I could have asked y'all what my first mandolin should have been. # http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

So, I decided that for my budget, the Michael Kelly Legacy O would be a good choice. #And in some ways, I hate it. #I feel like I have a cheap imitation of the real thing, like I'm watching the CFL instead of the NFL. #The composite abalone drives me crazy, yet I feel like such a geek writing that.

I don't know what to do. #To be honest, the mandolin sounds pretty ****ing good. #And I know the solid wood instrument will only get better sounding with time. #Heck, if I make it in the music business (and pray for me there because I need all the help I can get), I could even get some fancy luthier to replace the composite abalone with real abalone someday.

But I feel like I should have gotten a Mid-Missouri. #Or a Weber Y2K. #Or a Breedlove Quartz. #At least those mandolins don't try to be something they're not. #Even the Eastman 604/605 seems already plainly a better choice. #Am I being too hard on my MK? #I do have some money left over, and I could still pick up a Mid-Missouri as well (see my post (http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=13;t=23941) in the Mandolin Info section -- I need advice about Mid-Missouris as well LOL). #Maybe I should just buy a 6-String Banjo. # http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

I could really use some help here. #I feel like I have MAS in the worst way: I've become a mandolin snob! #It feels kind of gross, and yet I'm glad I know the difference between a real hand-carved top and a pressed hand-carved top (which is my Michael Kelly, BTW?).

If y'all are bored now, please don't flame this thread. #Just stop reading my posts. # http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

Here are a couple pics of my little lady:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v55/meskalito/PICT0021.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v55/meskalito/PICT0070.jpg

It's weird. #I have no clue who any of you are. #Yet, my girlfriend has no clue when I try to get her help. #You are all faceless and voiceless but very insightful.

Bottom line: I'm lucky that my problems involve mandolins instead of guns or starvation.

Jeremy

PS #In case no one checks out my Mid-Mo post, how do you think the combination of Spruce top and Rosewood back and sides would sound on a mandolin?

[jasona]

If it sounds good, then rest assured it IS good. Don't let any of our "you SHOULD get..." posts diminish your love for your mandolin. This isn't a contest of toy possession, despite the many MAS threads, its about the music. If you like how that pretty mandolin sounds, then you've won whatever contest there is.

[J. Mark Lane]

Don't feel bad. Chances are, if you had come here first, you would still have bought the MK, because you would have been inundated by people telling you they are a great deal (most of whom will have never played much of anything other than their own MK). You can probably sell it without losing much money, as there seems to still be a demand for them -- particularly the oval holes.

I have never played an MK oval hole, but every MK I have played has been very weak in tone and volume. That's what happens when you try to build a F style mandolin in an offshore factory to be sold for under a grand.

Most likely, a Mid-Mo will give you more pleasure. They tend to have a nice, woody, old-time tone, and I would think would be very acceptable for someone who likes Norman Blake (and fwiw, I have been a huge fan of Norman Blake for going on 30 years). And as you said, the Mid-Mo will be exactly what it purports to be -- a simple, oval hole mandolin, with good tone, volume, intonation and overall construction. A Breedlove or Weber would also be a nice choice, and would be a well-constructed, American-made instrument, with a good company backing it up. Any of these would have good resale value.

It is not being a "snob" to want a decent musical instrument that comports with your musical ear and preferences. Arguably, it is more "phoney" to want an F style so bad you will buy for looks over and above tone. It is far less "snobby" to play a simple, well-made mandolin that sounds nice and pleases you. Anyway, who cares? I always heard Beethoven was a bit of a "snob." Sometimes "snobbery" is justified. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

BTW, I'm much like yourself--I've played (sort of) acoustic guitar for years, and mostly like folk and contemporary songwriters. I took up mandolin only in the last two years, and really enjoy it.

Mark

[fatt-dad]

I think you have a real nice looking mandolin and if it sounds pretty @#$ing good, that's all the better. All of the PacRim instruments are trying to be something that they arn't - custom-made American mandolins. You should play that MK hard, learn how to coax all sorts of music out of it and save for some more mandolins - ha. Who cares about composite abalone (o.k. you do, but I guarantee that if you can whoop up on that thing, nobody else will)?

If it sounds good, and is setup well, keep it and work on your scales, arpeggios, fiddle tunes and hot licks. Pay no attention to the folks here who have lots of expensive mandolins, just look at the nice photos and figure out what you may want in the future (or what's a real good deal at the garage sale).

fatt yeah-I-want-a-Gibson-F-4-too dad

[J. Mark Lane]

Pay no attention to the folks here who have lots of expensive mandolins,
Why not? #Is there something wrong with having expensive mandolins? #Do people who have expensive mandolins not have valid opinions? #Did someone with expensive mandolins tell him (or anyone else) to pay no attention to you? #Did someone tell him (or anyone else) that the only mandolins worth having are "expensive" ones? #

I grow weary of all the "reverse snobbery" around here. #I mean, it's not like someone came out here unsolicited and started just trashing MK's. #The guy asked a fair and legitimate question. #What exactly is it that he should "pay no attention to"?

[GVD]

Sounded like pretty good advice to me fatt-dad but according to the classifieds he can't wait to get rid of the MK. #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

GVD

[250sc]

If you don't like it get rid of it. There are bigger problems in most of our lives than having to play an instrument that "sounds pretty ****ing good".

It's not the instrument, its the musician. Good players make anything sound good.

[newblue]

meskalito,
Your MK Legacy O is no piece of ####, regardless of what some of the others say. There are many of us out here that would love to have it. A good sounding great looking all solid fstyle oval hole, whats not to love? Love it, Play it, dont worry about what others think. Only about.0001% of the population know the difference between an MK and Gibson anyway.

MAS runs deep and no matter what Mando you have, there is always one better.

[Mando Medic]

Meskalito,
I started out with a Harmony Monterey. A very inexpensive mandolin by today's standard. I didn't think I was worthy of anything else for a long time. I used that instrument for what it was intended, to learn how to play. My next instrument was a Kentucky KM1500, a big step up for me. But I learned on the Harmony, as you should on the MK. I have a MK that's my camper mandolin. Yes I have a few mandos. I suggest that you are getting MAS (Mandolin Acquisition Syndrome). If you were happy with it and now your not then you are lusting for something new. There is nothing wrong with either keeping the MK or offing it, but your just grazing and looking over the fence. Life is good! Kenc

[mad dawg]

I feel like I have MAS in the worst way...
Since you suspect you have MAS, you may have already found the answer to your problem: keep the MK since you seem to like it, and simply buy more mandolins! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[meskalito]

Thanks for all the helpful perspectives. I put up the ad before I wrote this post, and I'm still undecided on how to proceed. Well, I'm undecided other than deciding that a Mid-Mo is in my future.

[fatt-dad]

Did someone with expensive mandolins tell him (or anyone else) to pay no attention to you? #Did someone tell him (or anyone else) that the only mandolins worth having are "expensive" ones? #

I grow weary of all the "reverse snobbery" around here. #I mean, it's not like someone came out here unsolicited and started just trashing MK's. #The guy asked a fair and legitimate question. #What exactly is it that he should "pay no attention to"?
Being content with your lot in life is an early lesson that I learned. It may even be scriptural. If my daughter were to feel bad cause other girls seemed more pretty, I would tell her to be happy with what God gave her. I meant nothing more than that.

Your emotions may need to be in check though. . .

f-d

p.s., If I did not give a fair and legimate reply to his question, I apologize.

[J. Mark Lane]

Your emotions may need to be in check though. . .
I'll give that some thought, Carl. Wouldn't be the first time.

I thought your response was totally reasonable. ...Except the part about not listening to people who have expensive mandolins. <g> Someone with a broad range of experience across a broad range of price points is, imo, more likely to be qualified to give advice about the relative merits of instruments at any given price. I can't really think of a reasonable argument to the contrary.

And meskalito, I agree with the suggestion that you should get yourself down to Mandolin Brothers and try out some instruments. Just hop across the Verazzano. (Well, I would drive or take a cab, but I guess you could hop.) Last time I was there, there was a whole wall of Mid-Mo's. I played several of them, and they all sounded quite nice. Very reasonably priced. They also had a Quartz or two, and lots of other instruments to try out. It's a very educational experience.

Mark

[Lee]

Meskalito has MAS. We all give you our sympathy. It follows no logic, flares up inexpicably, and there's no cure. You can treat the symptoms, but that's like squeezing one end of a balloon.
Go and try many mandolins, and don't settle on a Mid-Mo just yet. The allure of the arch top is not addressed with a flat top.
That Neely A5 in the Classifieds sure looks worth a try.

[man doh]

Why not? #Is there something wrong with having expensive mandolins? #Do people who have expensive mandolins not have valid opinions? #Did someone with expensive mandolins tell him (or anyone else) to pay no attention to you? #Did someone tell him (or anyone else) that the only mandolins worth having are "expensive" ones? #

I grow weary of all the "reverse snobbery" around here. #I mean, it's not like someone came out here unsolicited and started just trashing MK's. #The guy asked a fair and legitimate question. #What exactly is it that he should "pay no attention to"?
Every chance I get I show my girlfriend the loars and the Gils and the nuggets that are for sale. #My couple grand habit doesn't look to bad in that light. #

I have a different thought than most when it comes to this. #I would rather spend a thousand or two and have a mandolin with some sort of resale value than a box from Ch@#$ that you can't get anything out of. #I'm old enough that I know how to take care of my toys.

I started out on a kentucky and hated every minute of it. Different strokes for different folks.

[mpeknox]

Just be sure to take your MK with you when you try out other mandolins so that you can compare. It's really easy to fool yourself if you don't have it with you and you'll probably be surprised at how good it sounds side by side with another mandolin. Don't take all the advice you get here to heart either...the best thing you can do is play different mandos and let YOUR ear decide. There are some who say all Eastmans (which I play) are weak, thin sounding, blah, blah, blah, but they're wrong. If you don't believe it, just ask me. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[meskalito]

I'm feeling some relief. My MK is looking better and better to me. I just listened to an MP3 I made with her, and I think she's a got a real sweet sound. Yes, the MK doesn't have the bark of Bill's 1923 Loar, but, should it? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif





Plus, I may be moving on a Mid-Mo...

[250sc]

Meskalito,

I sympathize with your case of MAS. You should have the best instrument you can get your hands on.

But remember, if Bill could play your mando I would venture to guess that 9 out of 10 blindfolded "informed listeners" (mando players or other musicians)wouldn't know he wasn't playing his Loar. Again, a good player will make anything sound good and an average player can only make whatever they play sound average.

Listen to the Mando Tasting CDs or Grisman's Tone Poems CD where each song is played on a different instrument. There is very little noticeable difference in the mando tone from cut to cut.

PS. I've played worse than your MK and you probably won't loose too much, if any money, if you decide to sell it.

Good luck.

[J. Mark Lane]

But remember, if Bill could play your mando I would venture to guess that 9 out of 10 blindfolded "informed listeners" (mando players or other musicians)wouldn't know he wasn't playing his Loar.

Listen to the Mando Tasting CDs or Grisman's Tone Poems CD where each song is played on a different instrument. There is very little noticeable difference in the mando tone from cut to cut.
I strongly disagree with both of the above statements.

[meskalito]

I just want to say that J. Mark Lane may bring the heat on the forums, but he's a nice guy underneath it all. #We're planning a trip to Mandolin Brothers for sometime soon, so any other NYC pickers, sign up now.

I listened to some sound samples on FOTW. #Their prices aren't great, but their sound samples are amazing. #Even over the computer I could hear how complex the Master Models were. #The instruments that impressed me the most, however, were the Breedloves. #Wow, what a treble! #I'm thinking about a KF Quartz or a Premier Cascade someday... http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/blues.gif

w^ Mark

Check it out. (http://www.folkofthewood.com/page319.htm)

[J. Mark Lane]

Thanks, Jeremy. And yeah, I'm a very nice guy. I'm just always right, that's all. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif


And yeah, anyone who wants to do the real thing and actually play some of these instruments side by side, give me or Jeremy a shout.

[Eric F.]

So Mark, will you take photos of Jeremy hopping?

[J. Mark Lane]

For $10, I'll do anything. (Except enter into an endorsement deal for .... oh, never mind.)

[meskalito]

I'm drooling (http://www.folkofthewood.com/page711.htm).

Go all the way down to the bottom right, click on image #7, and then go all the way down to the bottom of the image. Now that's a backside that will have Jennifer Lopez jealous.

[ira]

i think that you should just get rid of the mk oval hole- don't sell it- just pass it on to someone like....i don't know.... me! then, go get a new mando!

seriously though- if it sounds good and looks good don't sweat it. its not trying to be anything but a good sounding instrument at a reasonable cost. enjoy it, and if you have money get something else if it floats your boat. but if you like the look of an f4- you've got it, and a midmo wont do it for you.
just my 2
ira

[Avi Ziv]

Mark - while I absolutely disagree with the statement the way it was written, I think there is a valid point hiding in there. The point it that a musician often extracts a type of tone out of an instrument in a unique way and this is transferable between instruments. I'm not saying that they will sound the same. However, the player's "signature" would be there and this is what remains in the listeners' ears. Jazz players in the early part of the century would go into studios and record using #### instruments bought in pawn shops (because they were broke) and still produce enviable sounds by any standard. There is nothing wrong with expensive instruments - they are beautiful and can sound amazing. However, improving your own playing technique and developing a "sound" can do more for the overall success of your musical expression than getting the absolute finest hand-crafted instrument. I like to ride bikes and often wish my bike weighed a pound less. Shaving grams off of a bike can cost a lot of money. Sooner or later I realize that losing 5lbs off my body is a better solution over all. Of course we still love beautiful machines though...it's a difficult dilemma but once in a while I look in the "mirror" and give myself a 'talk' http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif The path to musical happiness is very personal though and so (everyone) let's not declare that one way is better than others.

Avi

[J. Mark Lane]

The good thing about discourse is that eventually a Reasonable Person will emerge. Alas, there he is.

Of course, I agree with you, Avi. But that wasn't what was being said (as I read it). I guarantee you I could tell whether Bill Monroe (or anyone else) was playing a Loar F5 or a Michael Kelly oval hole. Even if the quality wasn't discernable (and I am quite confident that it would be), the two aren't even the same kind of musical instrument.

And I listen to Tone Poems all the time, and can definitely hear tonal differences among the instruments. That's half the pleasure of that collection (the other half being the amazing musicians).

Yes, of course, Grisman has a "sound" and he gets that "sound" out of anything...but I can tell a difference among the anythings, nonetheless.

And to reiterate, no one (certainly not me) has been here saying that one should only buy fine, expensive musical instruments. It baffles me that people read that into something that is completely different. I have said it over and over -- the issue is not whether one should pay $10k (or even $3k) for a high quality instrument, as opposed to a cheap import; the issue is whether, with a given amount of money (being not very much), one can do better that X brand. And I really think that was the nature of the original inquiry here.

Anyway, thanks for being more reasonable and diplomatic than me. I don't mean to be unpleasant. It's just my nature (as the scorpion said <g>).

[meskalito]

The first side Bill recorded with his Loar is "Rocky Road Blues". I played that side and the last one he recorded with his previous mandolin for my girlfriend, and she immediately could pick out the Loar.

[jasona]

I agree Mark. I just hate seeing folks feeling they are somehow inadequate if they 1) previously thought the cheapie sounded good and 2) were previsouly happy, but coming here feel impelled to spend beyond their means. When I had my Kentucky, it was all I could afford (probably more at the time). I got the setup just so, and I played it. Honestly, when I first got it I thought it, a Randy Wood, and an Absaroka all had similar tones. The Wood was louder, and the Absaroka more complex a tone, but to my newb's ear it sounded better than many other more expensive mandolins around me. Once I got to the point I found it sounded tinny and thin, I was *ready* to move up--and I think that's the key.

now, if the question is "best for $500" I say heck yea, get the MidMo! If its "I feel bad because I used to think this mando looked and sounded good, but I come here and don't know anymore" I tend to feel that someone is making a bad decision, because its not really from the heart.

Does that make any sense?

[J. Mark Lane]

You know, Jason, that really does make sense, and maybe I kind of missed that point. Thanks. I agree with you 100%.

[mad dawg]

This is definitely off-topic, but Meskalito, your handle makes me wonder if you have read Carlos Casteñeda's Don Juan books?

[JEStanek]

meskalito,
I really considered the MK very hard. #The abaolone was too much for me so I got an Eastman. #If you read other parts of the boards the Eastman headstock logo is bad... the soundhole is busy... #Heck I like it. #I'm such a newbie I'm too busy looking at the neck and my right hand to notice the headstock inlay! #I say play that MK out. #It sure is pretty even with the abalone. #Try and find that mid-mo used and played in and put your appetite to bed. #What I do to feel like I "own a Loar" or someother hunk-a wood I'll never afford or seserve to play is pinch the photos and use them on my screen saver or with my Windows Media player. #Just seeing a beautiful mando as I listen to some music will inspre me to play. #And that, Brother, is what its all about. #Playing.

Jamie

[Michael H Geimer]

meskalito,
I first owned a very nice Epiphone MM-50, but I just couldn't get into it. Call it MAS, whatever you want. I decided to trade it for a Mid-mo M-11, which gets played every day. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

- Benignus

[om21ed]

life's short. get whatever will make you happy

[GVD]

J. Mark Lane Posted

...I guarantee you I could tell whether Bill Monroe (or anyone else) was playing a Loar F5 or a Michael Kelly oval hole. Even if the quality wasn't discernable (and I am quite confident that it would be), the two aren't even the same kind of musical instrument.

And I listen to Tone Poems all the time, and can definitely hear tonal differences among the instruments. That's half the pleasure of that collection (the other half being the amazing musicians).

Yes, of course, Grisman has a "sound" and he gets that "sound" out of anything...but I can tell a difference among the anythings, nonetheless.

I certainly look forward to your guesses as to which mandolin is which when Ken Cartwright posts the sound files to this years Mandotasting. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

GVD

[J. Mark Lane]

That's not totally a fair analogy, George. #I admit, when I listen to those "tasting" CD's, my ears start to gloss over after a while. #It's hard to tell one from the other, and certainly hard to actually identify any given mandolin. #But... most of them are very good quality instruments, and there is basically no effort (or time) to attempt to play any given instrument in a way that will emphasize its special qualities. #The same basic run, played over and over and over, in the same way, without regard to whether the instrument "wants" that kind of playing. #

To suggest that, if you can't identify the different mandolins on one of the tasting CD's, then you must concede that all mandolins sound alike is, of course, absurd. #Likewise, it would be absurd to suggest that if you can't tell one "tasting" mando from the other, you must not be able to tell one "Tone Poems" mando from the other...or you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a Loar and an MK if both were played by Mr. Bill, is absurd. #

But again, I've said this twice and this will be three times -- let's actually get together where there's a lot of mandolins of varying makes and price points, and do live "blind tests" to see what people think. #I am ready to go to Mandolin Brothers any time.

[Jonathan Reinhardt]

Ain't it great, they all sound (and, to the discerning eye, look) different!
Just keep playing, meskalito, it'll all work out.
Be grateful for the gift of music.
rasa

[meskalito]

[OT] Of course I've read Castaneda.

[mando_pete]

Oh, boy. I'm going to step in it here, but here goes....

I started playing 3 years ago on a PacRim. It opened up very well and is very playable. I like it very much and am keeping it. However, I recently got an American custom made and LOVE it. The difference is unimaginable. The tone and playability are WAY beyond what the PacRim can do. My wife has even stated that the PacRim sounds like ( insert your favorite curse word here ) compared to the custom.

I'm the same player on both and the one sounds way better than the other.
I agree that great players can pull great tone from #### instruments, but for us mortals, a great instrument allows us to produce great tone.

My PacRim allowed me to fall in love with the instrument to the point where I had the opportunity and means to upgrade to something better. However, until my new buddy arrived, to me, the PacRim was flawless.

Don't rush to upgrade. Learn to pull as much as you can from what you have. When that happens, then you will know it is time to retire your currrent mando and move on to something else.

BTW -- Every mando on the Grisman Tone Poems CD sounds different to me, but they ALL sound good. Each has a different application for the song being played.

Blabbering off,

-- pete

[Professor PT]

Well, back to the original query...I used to play an MK Firefly( well, I actually still have it. I sold it, but the neck broke in transit. UPS finally paid me, and now I have to see if it can be fixed ). It was my first F style, so I was more than happy. And when I would compare it along side Webers, it sounded just as good if not better than most. Then I played a Gibson F-9. Suddenly, I was dissatisfied with the MK. This isn't a testimonial for Gibson but rather a statement of fact that when your ears and your gut tell you something, you tend to listen. Don't feel like the MK isn't a good mando just because it's a cheap F style. If you find a better sound then consider selling it. The inlay has nothing to do with the sound. I must admit that the Firefly inlay on my MK became a bit much for me only because it distracted me while playing. The F-9, of course, has no inlay; I've gone from one extreme to another. Either way, play what you think sounds best and that you can afford.

[steve in tampa]

To me they're like golf clubs. Each one has a different use. I have an MK, some Gibsons, some Ovations, and a few others. Right tool for the job.

Currently am playing a happy hour gig 6 nights a week, so its nice to have a backup when strings need changed, etc.

Some of you guys are starting to sound like old women on topics like this.......

[bdisp]

.............what Steve said........... http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[Tim]

Some of you guys are starting to sound like old women on topics like this.......
What do you have against old women?

[jim simpson]

"I played that side and the last one he recorded with his previous mandolin for my girlfriend, and she immediately could pick out the Loar"
-Mescalito,
Does she have a sister?!?

"What do you have against old women?"
Tim,
That's priceless!

[fatt-dad]

There two types of old women - male and female.

If anybody is interested in an understated mandolin, in the classifieds under the Labeda listing, the guy is also selling a Davis Flat-top and a Gibson. The Davis seems to be at a good price. As I said above, I've never played one, but they seem to get good press for what they do.

fatt nothing-in-it-for-me dad

[mando bandage]

Keep your aspirations high, aim for better. Keep the MK for a beater. I'm in the same boat with an entry level Washburn F. It definitely isn't my last mandolin, but it's okay, for now, and it will sound nice around the campfire when I get my BRW, no wait... Gilchrist, no wait... Brentrup, no wait.... Dudenbostel. The list goes on forever.

R

[onlyagibsonisgoodenuff]

I'm feeling some relief. #My MK is looking better and better to me. #I just listened to an MP3 I made with her, and I think she's a got a real sweet sound. #Yes, the MK doesn't have the bark of Bill's 1923 Loar, but, should it? #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif





Plus, I may be moving on a Mid-Mo...
Your MK is an oval hole, while Bill's Loar is an F-hole mandolin. That alone will make them sound very different. The oval hole mandolins are supposed to be sweet sounding with more sustain.

I guess it depends on what kind of music you want to play, as to what kind of sound you want from your mando.

Good luck at Mandolin Bros. Wish I could go with you, but it's a long drive from Idaho.

[man doh]

Wow, I lost this thread for a day and look what transpired?

[freddyu]

May I offer the notion that a better quality instrument will make you a better player, but only when you are ready for that better instrument. My case- have owned an MK for the last 2.5 years. I have become proficient to the point that there were times when playing I was reaching into the instrument and grabbing for more. Tone, depth, soul, you name it. Point was, it wasn't there. I realized that my playing had surpassed what the instrument could give me. I recently traded up to a Flatiron festival. I got it 2 days ago and realized very quickly that I was holding a professional instrument. It has knocked me back a peg in my technical ability. The tone is beautiful and if technically I miss a note it is much more noticeable. It is gorgeous when played well, but unforgiving if you are sloppy. I know also that I have not begun to scratch the surface of what the instrument is capable of in tone and depth. Mandolins aren't priced differently because they are all the same, that's absurd. There is no escaping it..you get what you pay for. But don't pay for it until you have progressed and are ready for it and can begin to do it justice. Anybody with money can buy an expensive instrument. What you want to be able to do is play it to its potential, then move up.

[meskalito]

"'I played that side and the last one he recorded with his previous mandolin for my girlfriend, and she immediately could pick out the Loar'
-Mescalito,
Does she have a sister?!?"

No, and she's very hot, so back off! #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[bdisp]

........what freddyu said............

[generankin]

May I offer the notion that a better quality instrument will make you a better player, but only when you are ready for that better instrument. My case- have owned an MK for the last 2.5 years. I have become proficient to the point that there were times when playing I was reaching into the instrument and grabbing for more. Tone, depth, soul, you name it. Point was, it wasn't there.
[snip]
Mandolins aren't priced differently because they are all the same, that's absurd. There is no escaping it..you get what you pay for. But don't pay for it until you have progressed and are ready for it and can begin to do it justice. Anybody with money can buy an expensive instrument. What you want to be able to do is play it to its potential, then move up.
Boy does he have that right! #I was loaned a two-pointer that had seen better days, and it defeated me at every turn. #The I bought an Eastman and began to actually learn. #I got to play a Dudenbostel A, and I sounded a wee bit better than I did on my Eastman (though the guy who owns it sounds a whole lot better when he plays it), but not so much better as to justify laying down the cash for it. #One day, maybe I'll be able to play well enough to justify it, but that day's a long way off. #OTOH, if a guy can afford a gorgeous axe, he can take immense pleasure out of merely looking at it while he plays it in his less-than-wonderful style.

Gene/Madison, WI

[Ken Sager]

life's short. get whatever will make you happy
No, no, no. Get EVERYTHING that will make you happy.

[saznpins]

When you fellas decide when the Mando Bros. outing is going to be, drop me a line http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif Perhaps I can go too... haven't been there in a while (at least 6 months!) http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif
Cheers,
Sarah

[FlawLaw]

For me, the best cure for MAS is to find the instrument that you feel most comfortable with and then play the day lights out of it. Bleed on it, sweat on it, and grow to love it so you can't get rid of it. For me, this means being willing to invest in the instrument, which sometimes means saving one's pennies for a while. I play bass as well and I am down to two electrics and an upright, which in some circles is just not a lot of basses, but I know these basses and don't really feel comfortable playing ten different basses. Besides, these two basses were built for me and I got to pick out the wood and make decisions about how they would be built. They cost a few hundred dollars more than mass produced models, but I got to support small builders and it took a lot longer to build them and during the wait I had saved up to pay off any associated debt. I have one mandolin, not custom built, but a very nice A style from a smaller builder and frequently think maybe I should get another, but I know this one and have bled on it, dinged it, scratched it, loved it, and can't think why another should replace it. Yes, I have had others, but have sold them and am satisfied with just this one. I also found that the less I obsess about the instrument the more I play. Yes, sometime I will have another mandolin, especially if I start to gig with the mandolin like I do with the bass, but I am in no rush. I heard the great jazz bassist Marcus Miller once say something like: just get a good instrument and play it and the rest will take care of itself.

[levin4now]

For me it came down to money and I wanted an F style mandolin. I love my mandolin, but definitely have MAS. The problem is I still don't have money.

[mad dawg]

I would like to suggest that MAS has no cure; it is only limited by income and competing budgetary priorities*, and is related to an obscure but easily observable law of economics: the Marked Propensity to Consume (MPT).

Simply put, MPT means that the more money you make or accumulate, the more money you spend. This can often be observed when one receives a pay raise or other financial windfall, and subsequently purchases:
A) higher quality versions of products currently owned (e.g., an instrument upgrade)
B) products that would previously been deemed too expensive (a collectible or a "dream" instrument)
C) a greater quantity of products already owned(an instrument collection).

*I can think of one exception to this theory: if the afflicted is married or partnered, then the spouse or partner can sometimes object to the afflicted's acts of MAS for philosophical reasons alone (e.g., "I just don't understand why you need more than one mandolin..." http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif )

[Jim Yates]

Speaking of the tone of Bill's mandolin, what do you think of the tone he gets from the Loar on the Homespun Tapes DVD(The one where John Hartford interviews him)

[Pedal Steel Mike]

Jeremy I suggest you keep the MK and save up for something better. Assuming your get yourself a really fine mandolin, there will be times and places where you will want to play, but you won't want to bring an expensive and delicate instrument. That's when it's worth having sometime less expensive. A "beach" mandolin if you will.

Besides, that MK is so pretty, even if you never play it, it would make a great wall decoration.

[meskalito]

I sold the MK, got a Mid-Mo for playing out, and a Phoenix for playing in. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/blues.gif

[Lee]

Way to go, Jeremy!
A Phoenix, bravo!! Which one?
Pictures, always pictures.

[meskalito]

This one (http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=12;t=25186).