Mandolin you wouldn't sell

[frankenstein]

browsing the classifieds i got to thinking what mandolin/s woudn't you sell and why ?? it seems the usual suspects and a few others appear from time to time. varied reasons for selling i know but there are a few that come to mind that rarely appear for sale. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/coffee.gif ??

[fatt-dad]

My Flatiron A5-1 is all the mandolin I need. I've grown acustom to having it around my neck and the tone. I bought it at my price point at the time and have briefly owned more expensive mandolins, which didn't overshadow my Flatiron. Sounding somewhat stupid, perhaps, but it's my friend. . .

f-d

[Jim Garber]

I suppose there is really nothing that I wouldn't sell eventually. OTOH among the last to go would be my Flatiron A5-2 (I am the original owner) and my Gibson A2 snakehead.

[tree]

My personalized (stripped neck, scooped extension, homemade armrest) F5G is my one-and-only, and probably all the mando I'll ever need (considering I'm vested in maintaining my current marital status). ##http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[mdlorenz]

My fiance got me an early wedding present. Not that I ever would sell it, but if I ever did, I'd have to find a new place to live #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
Shown in this thread (http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=12;t=47107;hl=beauty+art+lo ve)
And I'm not sure anyone else would care what's written on the block.
http://www.mdlorenz.com/img/campanella/images/IMG_5646.jpg

[Bill Van Liere]

Another Flatiron tale....I part with my 84 Flatty A5-JR on my dying day. I don't know why, there is just something about this instrument with it's ebony nut, mahogany neck and irregular wavy grain top that just blows away many prettier instuments. This instrument has also been my travel companion for the last twenty five years.

[Tim2723]

I have an Epiphone from the 70's that I'd never sell. It's not a great mando and isn't woht more than a couple hundred anyway, but I've had it for a long time, and it was my first 'real' mando.

[frankenstein]

I suppose there is really nothing that I wouldn't sell eventually. OTOH among the last to go would be my Flatiron A5-2 (I am the original owner) and my Gibson A2 snakehead.
that's a good point. i like new mandos because one day i can say just that. i am the original owner, and i didn't sell it 'cause i'm impatient and couldn't wait for it to mature. cool.

[emitfo]

Never say never...but I don't know if I could even sell any mandolin. Admittedly I only have 2: My Gypsy Renegade (who is at the day spa getting her fist set up and having the frets crowned--pray for her!) and an uber-cheap 1 tuning peg locked up and broken Seville who is the mandogirl I first kissed. I helped a friend move and when I picked up the mandolin and plinked around on it he said "You can have that if you want." I couldn't believe it! I might give it away if someone new truly wants one and didn't have the wherewithal to get one--I'm big on instruments being played. That's way more important to me than acquiring bunches of them. I've loaned out my guitars to others for good stretches of time when I'm focused on another instrument. It just seems like such a waste to have an instrument that an artisan created sitting in a case just because somebody has a bunch of money and a penchant for the acquisition of things. [Note: not intended as a dig at anyone AND I do appreciate the historical context and value of caring for instruments. Perhaps I am motivated by the intent of instrument creation and the old Sufi saying "Do not confuse the container with the contents."]

I currently own a custom "garage" made electric vertical bass, a 30 year old Yamaha that looks and sounds absolutely rich and beautiful, a 1969 Fender Strat and of course my mandolins. I did give away a Fender Musicmaster II which I still regret to this day. Yes I know this paragraph seems to contradict that sentence in the previous one but they've been acquired over that same 30 year period and, well they are different instruments.

[mburkes]

My Randy Wood F5. It still makes the hair on my arms stand up!!

[TomTyrrell]

The only one I wouldn't sell is the Old Man. He's the first one I ever built for myself. He sounds great but he is so ugly I doubt anyone would buy him anyway.

[johnwalser]

I have a "worthless, piece of pacrim junk, old Michael Kelly" I bought from Tracy before he went through dealerships. It ain't worth nuttin' cause it don't say "Gibson" on the headstock. It does have lovely tone, great sustain and incredible playability. I played nothing at NAMM I would have traded for my MK. When you see this one for sale, it will be by my widow.
John

[dan@kins]

I will never part with my 1925 A Jr. My girlfriend bought it for my birthday. She got an unreal price here on the cafe. Its all original besides the case. It has a tone I've not heard in any other mandolin.

[Fretbear]

Good old Blackie....

[Brad Weiss]

The mandolin Andrew Mowry built for me is just for me.

http://mowrystrings.com/images2/A5_images/IMGP4350.jpg

[ilovemyF9]

It is all about circumstances. I own over 20 fretted instruments and I will not sell any of them. But if an issue arises with my son, wife or myself, (hold on, I could still play with one leg) I would sell them ALL in a flash.........

[mandopluker]

WOW ! ! ! I have struggled with this very question it seems a thousand times of more..... Geezzzz I still do not have an answer. The funny part is that I have not missed anything I have sold -kinda weird it seems.

[red7flag]

That is a great question. #I am surprised by my answer. #The Vintage A. #After Weber is done with that wood, I don't think it will be available again. #There is something special about that beast. #While I love my Stanley and MF5 they can replaced, reluctantly. #The Lebeda would be difficult to replace, but mandola is not my main instrument. #I just love that little Vintage A. #Not a great bluegrasser, but can get by. #But playing anything else, it is awesome.
Tony

[Miko]

I sold one of my mandolins once a long time ago - a The Dayton model B. I've regretted it ever since. Since then I just keep them and let them accumulate. There a really only about four I play on a regular basis (The F2, the H4, the H2 and the Vega cylinderback) and two that my wife plays (The A3 and the Larson), but the rest are nice to look at and we take them down and play them every once in a while.

[Joel Spaulding]

Okay, lets assume personal circumstances don't force a sale - but someone offers many times the "blue book" value.

I wouldn't sell iii #17 because, like Brad's Mowry (which makes me drool and stumble...more than usual)
This was made just for me. It is exactly what I wanted. Geoff Burghardt tuned in to my psychic wi-fi channel and truly built, for me the ultimate mandolin.

I suspect, should she be interested, this will be passed on to my baby girl, now all of 8 months.

[Joel Spaulding]

Let's try that again in color.

[JEStanek]

I can't imagine selling my Spira or my Labraid. I put a good bit of myself into each during the build/design process. They both hold specific meanings for a time in my life. Who knows when the unimaginable may happen. I would prefer to give these to either my kids or some other very special person in my life. I would gift, not sell them... from my perspective each has value to me beyond the monetary.

If I got a Loar, I would sell it.

[Greg H.]

Hmmm, I guess I can't say that about anything. I've had a number of mandolins that I swore I'd never sell and then. . . . . .

[Joel Spaulding]

Thanks Jamie for thinking me special when you gift the Labraid. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif #My iii was ordered just a few weeks prior to my daughter's birth, so I am with you regarding an instrument's close association with a special time in one's life.

I would likely sell a Loar also. But I might keep it for a bit "just 'cause" http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[bradeinhorn]

the voight. my first custom order, perfect neck specs and other details I had a lot of influence on. plus it's really the only thing i play now.

[squirrelabama]

my A2-Z.

[Ted Eschliman]

I've had instruments I've been very fond of, but EVERYTHING's for sale.
(...for the right price.)

[RichM]

I'm with Ted-- I've had some awesome mandolins, but there's nothing I wouldn't sell on the right day. I thought I'd never sell my KM-DAWG, but I just did. Right now I feel like I'd never sell my Capek, but no doubt you'll see it in the classifieds one day. I like variety and my tastes change day to day... there's always something new to try.

The only one I'll never sell? My Epiphone Mandobird, because it was a gift from my girlfriend. You don't sell those. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[generankin]

There's a saying amongst collectors/riders/guardians of old Italian motorcycles: #One does not sell Ducatis; one buys them.

Of the five guitars I own, I'd never sell the 1942 Gibson nor the 1973 Alvarez-Yairi. #I'd keep the 9R Les Paul over the CS 356. #And maybe the Eastman might go if I were pinched for cash, but never the Phoenix.

[allenhopkins]

I buy 'em. I don't sell 'em. That's how I got more than a dozen. Only mandolins I've ever traded were a Gibson A-1 and a Gibson F-2, and that was when Stutzman's here in Rochester was requiring the trade of a Gibson mandolin before they would sell one. The A-1 went for the F-2, and the F-2 went for my F-5.

Oh, I did trade one Weymann mandolute that I wasn't ever playing, on my Eastman mandola. Otherwise, the ranks of cases in my basement lair just continue to grow...

[Chip Booth]

Another Flatiron story here. #My '85 F5 will not be going anywhere if I can help it. #It is a wonderful and unique sounding instrument, with a sweet and delicate tone, but lots of low end punch and some serious volume when you jump on it. #But the main reason it will stay is sentimental. #I won't go into the details, but there's a lady involved (you probably guesssed that already http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif ).

Chip

[Paul Kotapish]

I'm with Ted, too. I started a family pretty late in life and am discovering new challenges that require financing all the time, so even though I'm in the fortunate position of loving all the instruments I have, every one of them would go on the block if necessary. There are some instruments that really are magic, and I have regretted selling a few over the years--that flawless 1936 000-18 that I let go for $600 (in 1980) comes to mind. But if I did have to sell another favorite, I know that there are so many great instruments out there that I have no doubt that I could find a decent replacement that would meet my needs.

PK

[first string]

Well, while I don't think you can ever say that there is something you won't sell ever (who knows when you or someone you love might need the money, and also someone might make you an offer you can't refuse). But realistically I don't think I'll ever part with my 1940 Martin 0-18T tenor guitar willingly.

I haven't found that mandolin quite yet. I've thought I had a number of times, but I'm still searching. I really think the one I'm having built at the moment might be it though.

[midnightmando]

I've got a Silver Angel I bought off Frank Wakefield...which is housed in his old Loar case that used to be Grisman's. I won't sell the that mandolin or case. Oh, and it a killer mando on top of all that!

[Jack Roberts]

My A-1. It looks like junk, it smells bad, but it sounds beautiful. Because of the physical condition, it wouldn't get as much money as the sound is worth.

[Chris Biorkman]

I guess one should never say never, but at this point it's very hard for me to imagine ever selling my Ellis.

[8STRINGR]

My Davis F5 - First and only custom mandolin ever built for me. Will eventually hand it down to one of my kids.

My copy of a Gibson F5 - First F model mandolin I ever purchased in the 80's (dated 1977) and has been through Hell and Back with me... sentimental value. #Still playing it today. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/coffee.gif

[bluesmandolinman]

the only instrument I wouldn´t even sell when I quit making music is a noname bowlback which is a gift of my grandma....many good memories.

All other instruments may be sacrificed for buying the next one...the catch and release game many of us play.

[woodwizard]

I'm also with Ted on: "Everything is for sale" But my Goldrush is so purdy and sounds so good to me that I'm very happy with what I have at the moment and maybe forever.

squirrelabama, Man! that A2Z looks so nice.

[Ken Olmstead]

Like everone else, family come first and if necessary....

but my Weber Fern has really become part of me. It was actually for sale on the classifieds for 24 hours at one time at which point I pulled it. Seeing it there made me painfully aware of just how special it is to me. My Brentup Stealth will have to wait until such time as I can comfortably purchase it without sacrificing the Fern! An 8-string electric seems to be in my future however.... http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Eddie Sheehy]

I haven't bought it yet....

[DryBones]

As long as I am with the wife I will never sell the Mid-Mo she bought me for Christmas when I first started showing interest in the mando. (it was a custom built lefty too!)

[Bob A]

My '21 F4; first good mandolin, been with me for 30+ years. Not the best condition, not the loudest, but we get along just fine.

Probably keep my Pecoraro/Embergher bowlback as well, because they're impossible to replace.

[Russ Partain]

My Stan Miller #31 will not go anywhere. #My buddy had a killer mandolin he made himself. #He patterned it after the modifications that one of his roommates did on a mandolin design. #I lived in California and played with my friend who is a luthier, a bow maker and a professional musician by trade. #When I saw my mandolin, I knew it was strikingly similar to my buddy's. Sure enough, it was built on the same pattern. #It was made by his former roommate; Stan Miller. #The feel of the neck, the finish, the killer volume and mid-range are to die for. #I had to have it. #It was expensive, but I got the first one he made in over 30 Years. #I ended up getting this mandolin for several thousand dollars less than the market value was for it. #Since he had been out of the business, he was not really abreast of the current pricing structures. I think he was testing the waters with his resurgence. #It was my retirement gift for over 21 years in the military. #This thing is an absolute banjo killer. #All I have to do now is learn to play up to the instrument's potential. #I am trying really hard. #Well, I am off to the wood shed to get it done!

Rusty
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[Byrdmando]

I had Ray Dearstone build me a mandolin in 1997. I worked on a fishing boat in Alaska for a long time in order to purchase it. I thought I would never sell it. In the last month, I sold it and bought a Randy Wood. Now the Randy Wood is the latest mandolin that I will never sell. I will let you know how that works out. That being said, I am absolutely crazy about this box. It is everything I have ever wanted and I find myself playing when I really should be doing other things (like putting food on the table). I told my wife just this evening, "watch, you will see my playing improve exponentialy (sp) because of this Randy Wood. It really talks to me. I am by no means a "gear head" but I love this box and could not be more happy. But it is FOR SALE.

[Philphool]

I spent 2 years "encouraging" Wayne Henderson to build me an instrument. Once we got started on the curly maple board that we together pulled out of a shed on his mom's old homeplace, I spend many hours with him, often after my working all day, till we got tired at 1 or 2 a.m.

Numerous visits over many months resulted in a great mandolin that I love the sound of and love to play.

More importantly, I got to know Wayne as a friend and as one of the most genuine, honest, and generous people that I know. Many great memories are attached to my mando and I can't imagine ever selling it unless I & my family were going hungry.

[Mandolusional]

I have an MK Dragonfly I wouldn't sell. Amongst other reasons, it's a lefty and adorned with the autographs of many great artists whose workshops I've attended. I've had a lot of fun watching the blank expressions when I try to explain to non-mandoholics just who everyone is; that alone is priceless!

[goose 2]

My "03 Gibson DMM. It is one of the very few signed by Charlie which is nice but the reason it will never leave until I leave the planet is because it is absolutely perfect in my eyes. Everything I want in an instrument. It would be hard to count the good and great mandolins that I went through before I got this one but it really is the keeper.

[sumibuilt]

OK FATT_DAD no laughing, my current 84 a5-1!! I sold my first one and went through embarrassing maneuvers to get it's batch twin. It's an incomparable beast and though it doesn't have the warm "thock" of a Gil,Dude or any other scrollies in that price range, it has some of the loudest shoes on the floor! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[Bertram Henze]

I wouldn't sell my wife, why should I sell an instrument I share fond memories with? Even those I don't play anymore at least smile down on me from the wall.

Even that cursed violin I learned to play (and to hate) in my youth is hanging there, crippled (bridge gone), and I enjoy the sight every day http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Bertram

[man dough nollij]

Living in Montana and Arizona for the last twenty years or so, I have an argument agains the "never sell" crowd-- maybe someone else in a dry clime can chime in. I have three mandos and an OM, a guitar and a b@njo now, which will probably grow to four mandos and two OMs when I get back to reality. I usually have a "favorite" that gets most of my playing time, with the others just idling. Unfortunately, in a dry climate, that means wetting the humidifiers in the idle mando's cases once or twice a week. I also have been prone to spending long periods of time out of the country, so it's hard to be sure that the flock will stay properly humidified. I recently went through a master's program where I wouldn't pick up an instrument for months, and I was pretty bad about the humidification schedule. As a rank noob, I already have 6 instruments, and as a single guy, I can (unfortunately) make impulsive buying decisions. If I keep aquiring instruments at this rate, I'll have to quit my job to spend all my time wetting those little green noodles. I'm not sure what I'll be doing when I get back stateside, but a humidor/closet is probably in my future. Then I can be totally out of control... http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[frankenstein]

havn't had to yet to sell a mandolin, i have a sumi sf-5 deluxe a sumi sf-4L & a custom 3 point f-5 Mike Blohm built for me. if i was forced to sell 2 i would keep the Blohm as it was an idea i had and Mike just got it.he lives in montana and i live in australia, communicating with emails. it just happened as it should. none of them sound worse or better than each other they are all wonderful.. i guess the main reason to sell a great mando is to finance the next. some of these responses are not what i expected which is great, keep 'em coming. maybe we could start a give you an offer you can't refuse thread to test our resolve..

[Stephanie Reiser]

I wish I never sold my 1970 Dodge Charger RT with the 440 C.I. motor.
So I learned my lesson, and now I would not sell the very first mandolin I ever built - an F-5. It is awful to look at, but plays well. Well, maybe not "awful", but I have learned alot since then, mostly self-taught and from reading the mandolin cafe. It never leaves the house and is not for sale. I use it to gauge how far I've come as a builder (or not).

[Steve Stewart]

I had a beautiful custom Weber Fern ('Mistress') that I thought I would never sell. I fell in love with a Daley and traded the Fern for it! Six months after the trade, I started missing the Fern (which is a different animal than the Daley), started making payments, and I'm going to Alaska to get it back next week. It should be a lovely reunion!! YeeHaw!!!

Tenorbanjoguy's been keeping it company while I've been away!

http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[Ken Olmstead]

I'm telling you, they must put something special in the lacquer when making those Weber Ferns!! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[JEStanek]

Tenorbanjoguy,
Is stewutah's referenced Fern the one you said you didn't want to part with on page 2?

Jamie

[JeffD]

I would never sell any of my mandolins. I bought them to play them and keep them.

That being said, I would certainly do what was necessary in dire circumstances, but MAS is not a dire circumstance.

I did sell a Bouzouki once, a nice old Sobell that I really wasn't playing much at all, and I thought it deserved an enthusiastic owner. So I suppose in the extremely unlikely event that I wasn't playing mandolin anymore, I would sell them. But short of that, they are keepers, all of 'em.

[Rick Crenshaw]

I really, really want a 50's or earlier D-28. I've been going over in my mind what I'm willing to sell. Neither of my Daley mandolins is on that list. They stay with me. They just keep getting better.

My third mandolin, my Stew-Mac kit "POS'M", will remain with me till death or till one of my offspring settles into a more sedentary lifestyle. No roving gypsies are getting my good instruments. The outdoor adventure life is good for them, but they'll see no instruments till they own a house for at least 5 years.

[Ken Olmstead]

Tenorbanjoguy,
Is stewutah's referenced Fern the one you said you didn't want to part with on page 2?

Jamie
No. It is yet another Fern. Mine is pretty much box stock. Steve's is a beautiful custom color and red spruce top and a truss rod cover given to him by his wife that says "Mistress!" It is truely a keeper and I am very happy to see him getting it back! It is really HIS mandolin. I am also excited to be seeing him in about a week so both Ferns can speak to each other again! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[Steve Stewart]

Tenorbanjoguy,

You do know that our Fern's have a habit of picking for hours together! Alert the wives!!

and see you in nine days! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[Cullowheekid]

Gibson 04 Derrington MM.It's as close to a Loar as I'll ever get.The only real weakness of this mandolin is me.

[F5G WIZ]

You never know what situation may arise that may force you to part with a treasured instrument. My Poe #5 is everything I could ever ask for in a MAndo and I plan on never parting with it, but I also just found out last week that I will most likely be getting laid off from my job of 15 years within the next couple months.(Aircraft Inspector for ABXair formerly Airborne Express) Which would most likely force me to quit my band of 8 years to find other work, which means my playing time will be significantly less. I hope I don't have to sell it but I can always get another.

[JEStanek]

Good luck, Darrin. I hope things work out for you and your colleagues.

Jamie

[labraid]

I wish I never sold my 1970 Dodge Charger RT with the 440 C.I. motor.

Golly, you must have guys chasing you around the block, Steph. A girl that knows cars like that... Wowsa!
I wish I still had my '65 Impala, SB400... First car dreams! (I have another '65 to keep me company tho....... Hey, it's my year.)

I never thought I'd let go of my 1893 Angelo Mannello mandolin which I got when I was 18... Then Mannello's great grandson wrote me a letter and told me of his harrowing adventures... a recording studio in NYC, which he by chance rented from a guy, which turned out to be the very same studio in which Angello, his very own blood relative, built my-now-his mandolin.... That's some serious-o deja-vu-doo, and so I said "you take it!"

[brunello97]

Great thread, which reveals more about each of us than a superficial reading of the original question might suggest. # For me, I believe it is a simple Martin A which found its way to me this past year. #When I first fell in love with the mandolin (and probably too, uh, stoned to realize) I traded a short scale Gibson EBO bass for a 70s era Aria F copy. #I was too enthralled to know any better. # Sooooo many years later I traded the Aria in to get the Martin. #It is as delightful in its own modest way as the EBO was. # All's well that ends well. #I have other mandos which are biggernicerbetterolder but I now have a delightful omega to the alpha. I think I'm finally smart enough to realize that.

Mick

BTW Darrin, best wishes on a safe and soft landing. #That is a VERY beautiful Poe. #I hope everything finds its way out for the best for you.

[F5G WIZ]

Thanks for the well wishes, just got to trust in God, he's never let me down yet!http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Dave Cowles]

The one I won't sell is the one with the most history and family elements. About 30 years ago, my brother had a small lutherie business in Eastsound, on Orcas Island. I asked him to build me an F5 mandolin, and he reluctantly agreed. He cut down some bigleaf maple and sitka, seasoned the billets, and over a period of a couple years, made blanks for the top, back and sides, then commenced to make the neck. He finished the neck, fretboard, headstock, etc., but pretty much gave up when it came to carving and graduating the woods for the body. The pieces and parts went with him as he moved around the country, and finally #sat gathering dust in his basement shop in Michigan.

Several years ago, I badgered him into sending me all of the loose parts, and he included numerous clamps, templates and tools he had made to complete the build. I contracted with a luthier friend to complete the build.
Today, this mandolin is an unbelievable sounding instrument. It has gotten high praise in the sound and playability aspects from some serious pickers. Fit and finish is perhaps a bit lacking, but it has great character. It will be passed along to my children or grandchildren in whatever meager legacy I leave behind, but it will never be sold, as long as I'm vertical and sucking air. #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif This is me trying to keep up on it in a hotel room jam last week in Atlanta. http://i4.photobucket.com/albums....801.jpg (http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y115/Kowulz/Blade%20Show%202008/IMG_9801.jpg)

Dave

[Steve Cantrell]

Ditto on the Poe. Mine is a "cold dead fingers" type of sell.

[JiminRussia]

The mandolin that I would never sell is listed in the classifieds. It's an F style Newson that is truly a wonderful mandolin. It breaks my heart to have to part with it.

[Steven Stone]

I've owned a lot of instruments over the years, and frankly if offered the right price, anything that I've bought I would sell.

I've been given a few instruments by folks who are no longer with us.

Those would be MUCH harder to part with

[BlueMountain]

I wish I still had my '63 Rambler American. I wish I still had my A2-Z I sold to Squirrelabama. But after several trades, I ended up with a '25 Gibson snakehead with an A2Z body and an A1 neck that sounds nearly as good and has a perfect fretboard with stainless steel frets (did it myself!). Whenever I play another mandolin I like a lot, I follow it with the snakehead and revise my opinion. If I ever do sell it, I know I'll kick myself. Must NOT sell it! I also have a wonderful little 20s Washburn that sounds so sweet and cost so little that I'd be crazy to ever sell it. I have others that are better and a lot more expensive, but for that reason, they are more saleable. I wish the snakehead didn't have a black face, but it's great for lots of kinds of music.

[Soupy1957]

I'd sell em all, (not that they are worth much) in a heart beat, if I had a bill to pay that I couldn't get paid.

It's my guitar I wouldn't sell.......

-Soupy1957

[Dan Adams]

I've never sold one of my mandolins, so I wouldn't know how to answer the question. #Each mandolin I own has it's own history, it's own unique tone, an intresting story, and it's own place in my life. #A few of the instruments I own could never be replaced, and a few, might be replaced, but the personal history just wouldn't be the same. #To answer the question of the post, all of them, but I've only owned a few of them for 30 plus years, so I'm still new at this! #Dan

[Goodin]

I would never ever sell my '25 A-1 snakehead. There is just something about that fat old tone that I love. I thought I would never sell my Summit but I am selling it now (in classifieds). I doubt I will ever sell my Ellis either, unless I had to. If I had to get rid of all but one I would have to keep ole "blacksnake".

[TimPiazza]

I've really surprised myself with what I would sell. Some of the instruments in the herd have been companions for a long time and I have said at one time or another that I wouldn't sell 'em. But I'm a lot less materialistic than I used to be. I don't need to have the high dollar axe when the modest one works fine.

With that said, I'd never sell my '28 F4. It's not really mine. It was my grandfather's, passed on to my dad, and now to me. It'll go to my own child someday. It belongs to the family and I promised my dad I would keep it that way.

Everything else, probably has its price.

Tim

[dcoventry]

I thought this might be a good one to resurrect.

Well, the first mando I ever had love at first sight with was my G5. It's the one I think might be the hardest to let go. That mando really can do it all, and do it well. Why it chose me I might never know.

[dcoventry]

HEY! where did mine go?

Ah, there's my post!

[Ivan Kelsall]

Time warp !,
Ivan

[billkilpatrick]

my mid-missouri M-4 - elegant, simple, beautifully proportioned and designed - naturally perfumed as well; sweet and exotic - another league altogether, in terms of craftsmanship, design and choice of material. the embodiment of less equaling more:

74337

[Mike Snyder]

Too beat up to sell.

[B. T. Walker]

My Mix A4, #38, for a whole lot of reasons, musical and sentimental. This is it on NASA's "Vomit Comet" at Zero G. That's not really me since they made me shave.

[JEStanek]

Brian, you were even plugged in! I would love a ride on the VC!

Jamie

[B. T. Walker]

I was plugged into a tuner trying to show if changes in gravity changed the tuning. You can see a Peterson StroboFlip in the background which the company provided for the experiment. I noticed no change until we pulled out of a dive, and then it went sharp. I never have gotten to repeat the experiment, but I'd do it again in a nanosecond. NASA is cool.