How to get your parents

[Kirby161]

Im 16 and dont have time for a job (school and whatnot. So, i need my parents to buy me a mando, and im after a weber. Im lookin for one between 1,500 and 2,00$ and i found a few really good ones but my parents refuse to buy it.
Any good arguments for them? they are hard to convince so make em good.

[John Bertotti]

I suggest negative reinforcement. Buy a 99$ Johnson tuned slightly sharp and practice away whenever they are around. Do this for several weeks then retune it so it is correct and keep practicing away. The improvement in tone might lead them to believe you had a huge gain in ability along with the practicing. Also they'll be going nuts with the out of tune practicing so in the end they see improvement and commitment. Make sure they know a cheap mandolin just sounds that way but a Weber would sound great. Drag them to a music store to hear better mandos in comparison. Just a thought. John

[Coy Wylie]

As the father of teenagers and a Weber owner, here's my suggestions:

First, if you have a cheaper mando, use it! Practice hard. Let them see your dedication to the instrument. As a parent I am hesitant to spend big money on something my kids are likely to abandon in a few months. Let them see your devotion and be patient.

Second, if possible get them to accompany you to a store where you can play higher end mandos like a Weber. Let them hear the difference.

Third, show them how Webers hold their value. Let them know that a good mando not only plays and sounds better but will be a good investment as well.

Fourth, and most importantly, WORK for your dream. All parents appreciate hard work. After all, you are asking them to spend hard-earned dollars on you. Show them you are willing to do your part. Ask them to help you set up a savings account and work hard. Summer is coming. Get a job. Mow lawns. Do odd jobs. Then don't blow what you earn on useless junk. Save it up in your mando account. If I had a kid who showed that type of commitment I would at least work out a "matching fund" program with him.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[John Bertotti]

Willard nailed it. Great advice. I still think some screeching could be fun. John

[Brookside]

Play a Josh Pinkham tune for them. Explain that his parents bought him fine instruments. Then play some Megadeath and tell them that you can afford the guitar that they play on your own.

[John Rosett]

ask your parents if they'd rather see you in a band or a gang. but be careful, it may backfire on you.
-john

[Bobbie Dier]

Willard,
Great advice!

Kirby161
Do what Willard said. He is right.

[sbarnes]

you don't say in your original post if you already have a mandolin or not.....makes a difference.....
if not - get one ..a cheap one is ok but get a good cheap one.....
now....here's how i did it years ago....
i got a cheap guitar and played and played - my parents agreed that if i learned to play like chet atkins they'd buy me the gretsch i wanted....i did and they did....still have the gretsch but it stays in a closet 99% of the time...but the method works....

[grsnovi]

I'm not sure the Josh Pinkham argument would hold after all, as a parent I would say: when you play as well as Josh, Gibson will GIVE you an instrument...

[Kirby161]

ive been playing a dean for a long time now, (well, 8 months)
im pretty dedicated (practice 2hrs a day minimum) and ive tried the "get a job thing"
it turns out that i will have a weber mando by my senior year at the rate im going, because my parents deduct 90% for college.

Yesterday when i was playing my dean in front of them the tailpeice ornament fell off. also, the frets are starting to show up. I figure in enough time it might just fall apart in the middle of a sam bush song and they will have to buy me a new one, but it might take longer than i think.

[GTison]

as a parent of teenagers . Willard's reply is straight on.

there are no tricks that will work that will maintain your intetgrity. School and college are your main jobs right now. and as dull as that may seem, that's just life. If you do well in school, then college then work, you'll be able to buy a loar.

[LeftCoastMark]

Couldn't hurt to carry out the garbage without being asked, sweep the garage, wash the cars, and clean the bathroom toilet, especially behind the toilet. Do it often and regularly and they might skip the Weber and buy you a Loar.

[goldtopper]

Want them to buy you a Weber?


Ask for a Gibson!

[Brian Aldridge]

do yourself a favor and find a job and earn the money for what you want all by yourself. It will take some saving and sacraficing, but what that will teach you will be invaluable to you in the future. C'mon, you can do it!

[Coy Wylie]

ive been playing a dean for a long time now, (well, 8 months)
im pretty dedicated (practice 2hrs a day minimum) and ive tried the "get a job thing"
it turns out that i will have a weber mando by my senior year at the rate im going, because my parents deduct 90% for college.

Yesterday when i was playing my dean in front of them the tailpeice ornament fell off. also, the frets are starting to show up. I figure in enough time it might just fall apart in the middle of a sam bush song and they will have to buy me a new one, but it might take longer than i think.
Kirby,

You've got to remember that most of us are quite a bit older than you and have been where you are. We've finished high school, college and spent some years in the work force. We've made sacrifices in life and have reached a point where we can afford nicer instruments than when we were younger.

You'll get there too if you work hard. If playing mandolin is that important to you, you will find a way to make it happen. Hang in there. Be thankful you have the Dean to learn on. By the time you get your first really nice mando, you will be able to play it well and you will really, really appreciate it.

[JGWoods]

My "kids" are well into their 20s and buy what they want. They live many states away.

You can get the same nice Weber you want, used, for a lot less, probably $1000 or so for a very nice instrument.

Make sure the one you have now is set up well, so it doesn't limit your advancement, and play it until you are 20 or so. Play the frets off it. Play scratches and dings into it, change the tuners if they are lousy and keep on playing.

Keep saving as best you can and you will get a nicer instrument later, and you will be a really good player who can say I needed another mando because I completely wore my first one out!

Then keep the old one for your kids.

enjoy the journey.
best,
gw

[Patrick Gunning]

I am 17 and understand the boat you're in. I got lucky and found a really great-sounding Gibson A in a local store (missing original tailpiece, pickguard, original case, all the stuff that makes it worth money), and luckily had enough money from some earlier summer jobs and stuff saved up to get it (I had 7 dollars to my name after spending the 800 bucks for it). I was really happy with it. Make sure you get your parents to listen to your mandolin up against the Weber or whatever you want to get.
If you're not necessarily requiring f-holes, I'd keep an eye out for a plain Gibson A around you, there are examples (like mine) that have a really great sound for about 1k less than what you're talking about spending on a Weber, and you can always turn around and sell those old instruments for at least what you paid.
Good luck on getting ahold of a good mando man.

[furashgf]

My first mandolin was a horifficly cheap Johnson. My instructor made it sound wonderful.

[Brian Aldridge]

Great job Gunning. It is a good practice to help those who are willing to help themselves, so email me and I will send you a couple sets of strings for your mandolin. roaring20sf5@hotmail.com

[JeffS]

I suggest negative reinforcement. Buy a 99$ Johnson tuned slightly sharp and practice away whenever they are around.
That hasn't worked for me yet. I have the money, just can't convince the wife. She just goes in the other room and turns up the TV. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Jaws]

Willard is indeed bang on the nail.
I know what you're going through. A year ago, I started getting serious MAS for the first (and I hope only) time in my life. I was just out of high school, just got my first full time job (which payed well for being a striaght out of high school) and I was deciding to get a bit more serious with my mandolin-playing. I'd already decided that I was going to go to college in Ireland, allowing me to 'learn by session' and instead of bringing along my Dad's backup mando, I wanted one of my own.
Problem: Denmark has a very small bluegrass community, and an even smaller availability of mandolins
The few mandolins to be found in music stores were epiphones, overpriced compared to the states.
The only luthier I know of in Denmark made excellent mandolins, but they were out of my price range (except, just barely, for his A model, my Dad plays one of those, and as a teenager there are limits as to how much you want to be just like your parents).
So... what to do?
Well, I spent too much time at work looking at mandolins online. I dug around and found out what mandolins where getting good comments from a broad spectrum of players. I listened to sound files. I looked at mandolins that I thought were beautiful to look at as well as play, and realized that none of them really fit into my price-range.
Because, let's face it, good workmanship requires good money.
Then one day, leafing through the classifieds on this very cafe, my Dad found a Phoenix Deluxe at a very (and I do mean very) reduced price
To cut a long story short (all the negotiating and tearing out of ones hair), I ended up going 50-50 with my prents for the mandolin. Even so, my share of the bill came out to be just over ONE MONTHS PAY (If it wasn't cause my pay went straight into my bank account I could have taken my next paycheck home and handed it straight over to my parents)

Kirby, I appreciate what you're going thorugh, but you've got to weigh things out.

1. The money I spent on my mandolin is money I don't have to spend on my college education. And I know that college in the states tends to be more expensive than college in Ireland (I was considering college in the US for a while)
Are you sure you want to make it just that much harder for yourself to get through college?

2. Does it have to be a Weber? there are a lot of good mandolins, new & used, out there. I got a Phoenix because the right deal came along at the right time, but I could just as well have ended up with a Rigel or something else entirely

3. You have to consider your parents financial situation as well. I am fortunate that my parents could pay half. Not all families have that much money available to spend on short notice

4. Where are you planning on going with you playing? What type of music? Do you want to start a band? I was already playing in a band, and into Irish music, and that helped show my parents that I wasn't just going to but I toy I would grow tired of within a few months (please, don't go out and start a band because you think you'll get a mandolin for it http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif )

5. Is the joy of playing the Weber going to outweigh the Dean by enough to make all of this worth it?

I'm not trying to rain on your parade, I'm just trying to show you that things take time, planning (and a bit of luck). I was two years older than you when I got a class act mandolin, and compared to how many people upgrade their mandolins, I was ahead of most.
I once read that things come in three ways: cheaply, quickly, and in good condition... but you can only pick two.

Best of luck

[justwrite]

When I was about a sophomore in high school, I set my sites on a beautiful Takamine jumbo guitar at a local music shop. I started saving money, and by the time I graduated, I had more than half of what I needed. Then, I talked my dad into pitching in the rest for a graduation present. He was pretty impressed that I'd saved all that money, especially since he didn't know I'd been saving it.

[mandough]

Try playing "Air Mandolin" all day long in your parent's presence. I mean, all through dinnertime, in the car, at church, etc. Then, address your parent's as "Mr. and Mrs. Wannawebermandolin" whenever they talk to you.
For example: If your Mom asks you to clean your room...you say "Sure thing, Mrs. Wannawebermandolin!" All peppy-like.

Seriously though. When I was younger, I really wanted a Rickenbacker 360 guitar.
I decided to take a job at a Deli and save up the money for it. When I had about $800 saved, my boss asked me to slice some bread on the meat slicer.
Suffice it to say, I cut the tips off two of my fingers. With my hands in bandages, a week later, I bought that Rickenbacker and still have it.
A little sacrifice always makes you appreciate things a bit more.

or... you can tell your parent's this story and threaten to get a job at a Deli. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[mandoman15]

In my opimion mandolin is only as good as its player. I started out with a cheapo johnson ma-100 bottom of the bottom, but after a year of playing it, it diddn't sound like it did when i bought it. Try starting out with a cheaper mandolin and work your way up the scale.

[tiltman]

Hey,
Don't you love all these old guys telling about when they were young?
Here's one more! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
I had played guitar for about 4 years when I was a sophomore in high school. I found out that another kid needed money for the prom and was selling his Fender Stratocaster (back when they were real American made guitars). He needed the money and I got a great deal on the guitar - still have it 22 years later!
Prom season is upon us - keep your eyes open. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[LilCreekster]

Play a Josh Pinkham tune for them. #Explain that his parents bought him fine instruments.

You can bet Josh didn't start on an expensive mando, he had a starter mando just like the rest of us. It's what you do with what you have that counts ;)

Believe me, I've heard Josh make a piece o'crud mando sound pretty dang good!

Remember good things are worth waiting for, lots of good advice in this thread too. A good mandolin isn't cheap, that's a tough reality when your scrimping your pennies, but persistance will certainly pay off! And hopefully you'll get that college education which will help you get a good job and be able to afford the mandos that you want in the future http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif