mandolin mojo

[F-2 Dave]

Which appeals to you? The new pristine beauty of a new or extremely well kept vintage mandolin? Or the road worn, battle scarred beauty of the seasoned veteran mandolin?

Personally, I've always liked the latter. That is until the last year or so. I've always bought used instruments and enjoyed imagining what they've been through and where they've been.

In the last year i've bought an awsome new handmade fiddle and a Collings MT. I really like the thought that any wear, nicks, scratches, etc. will be mine. Trouble is, I'm just not hard on instruments. And, I couldn't bear to intentionally abuse one for the sake of adding phony baloney mojo.

This has probably been discussed at length before. If it has, I apologize. And, as the world goes, this isn't really a problem, but I'd still like to know if anybody has the same problem. Guess I'll just keep playing for the next 30-40 years and let the mojo jury decide when I'm gone.

Dave

[jim_n_virginia]

I like BOTH the new and battle scarred. LOL!

I have old ones and I have new ones. (and some in between!) One can never have enough mandolins! LOL!:mandosmiley:

[Charley wild]

I'm not cosmic at all! So words like mojo, aura, kharma, etc. have absolutely no meaning to me. A beat up mandolin is a beat up mandolin. I'll buy one with some honest wear, a few scratches, etc. but I don't want to put any more on it. And because "Bill" did it is no excuse for anyone else doing it. He of all people should have known better!

[JEStanek]

Depends on who's playing them for me. I'm not hard on my instruments and I wouldn't want someone to be hard on them either. Some of my favorite players play some pretty beat up looking instruments and they sound great. I'm a fan of enjoying your instrument. I like mine to look good but like they get used to play music on them. Other folks like old beat up ones (probably what I could afford Vintage Gibson oval wise), others like new distressed ones. I say pick on and enjoy.

I guess my feelings on this aren't too strong!

Jamie

[allenhopkins]

1. You can find vintage instruments with playing wear for prices significantly lower than those in "near mint" condition. If there's no structural issue, hey! you can buy more mandolins!

2. I'm really uncomfortable with "mojo," whatever that means in terms of instrument condition. It's adding fake "mojo" to new instruments, that's brought on the current fad for "distressing." I just saw a year-old Fender Stratocaster that looked like Stevie Ray Vaughn had wailed on it for about four decades; it came from the factory that way, finish scraped from the neck, metal parts pre-corroded, worn spots on the maple fingerboard. Some buyer paid extra to have that "mojo" applied, and I'd hazard a guess the guitar didn't sound one bit better than a "regular" Strat with the same pickups.

3. I put a lot of miles on my instruments, and I don't want to be anxiously examining each one for the first ding. To me, they're tools for making music, and I'd be a bit suspicious of a carpenter with a mint-condition hammer, unless he'd just purchased it that day. Not talking about abuse, just scuffs and pick scratches and lacquer checks and fret wear.

4. If there's anything to the concept of "playing in" a mandolin or other stringed instrument, some wear may in fact be associated with a better sound.

[barney 59]

Is that what mojo means--worn? I didn't know--I have lots of stuff with plenty mojo then. My car has mojo and my wife has mojo. My dog has lots and lots of mojo. All those old instruments but I believe most of all I have mojo! My new mandolin on the other hand has no mojo so far but I kind of like it that way.

[Ron Landis]

This is a thing some guys with Telecasters are doing. You can "relic" it yourself, or order it from a custom shop with pits in the fingerboard, finish worn off in spots etc. It just doesn't seem right to me. I mean, if you've actually put that kind of mileage on an instrument because you honestly play the heck out of it and drag it to a different gig every night that's one thing... but to take the time to intentionally scratch it up seems like something a poser would do to make it look like he's paid his dues. I'd bet dollars to donuts Willie didn't put that hole in his guitar with a power tool.

[Jake Wildwood]

As stated, both are excellent. ;)

That said, my Dad delights in telling me the story about a bluesman who bought a new D-45 fresh from McCabe's Guitar Shop, brought it outside, took his keys out, and dug in a huge scratch on the back. He turned around and said, "Now I don't have to worry about it."

I prefer old instruments simply because the sound and feel is almost always incredible in some way or another, but I love new instruments that surprise me. Wear is something I don't worry too much about because I know as soon as I'm in a band or multiple-persons setting, I pick up the energy, and on any instrument that I use a pick on, the top is liable to show some fresh wood every show/event. I sold several beautiful old bowlbacks in the past simply because I didn't want to see them chopped up after I spent so much time nursing them back to health. :whistling:

[JCook]

Dave,

Don't worry too much about it. Take care of your new instruments, and play the heck out of them. In time, they will have wear, dings, scratches, and plenty of "mojo." And it'll all be yours. The thing is, you won't notice this happening (unless you have an incident where you bang or drop the instrument). And then one day you'll notice that the instrument doesn't look so pristine anymore. And that's fine. Don't worry, it'll get there! I still play my 1964 Gibson Everly Bros. model blonde guitar that I got new in 1965, and let me tell you, when I look at it on a daily basis I don't notice anything, but over the years it's gotten plenty of dings, scratches and little spidery cracks in the finish, and it looks old and very experienced (which it is). She's a beauty, no more or less now than when she was new. PLENTY of "mojo" now in that guitar. Instruments are like people, they need to experience life and become mature. Enjoy them in their new condition, and later you'll enjoy them in their aged state, probably even more.

Jack

[Jason Kindall]

I own an absolutely wonderful Custom Shop Stratocaster Relic, one of the very early ones. I never really wanted a distressed instrument, but fell in love with this guitar at a shop when it was new. It sold, and then 2 years later it was back and I pulled the trigger. Distressed/relic'd, or whatever, this guitar feels and sounds awesome. That's what mattered to me.

As for mandolins, well if I had the opportunity and the money to buy a top-end mando by one of the fine one-off luthiers out there finish wear would not even be an issue. So long as it was structurally sound and sounded and played well. Real, honest wear is great, distressing is cool if done well, and sound and playability can't be faked.

~o)

[Ron Landis]

As stated, both are excellent. ;)

That said, my Dad delights in telling me the story about a bluesman who bought a new D-45 fresh from McCabe's Guitar Shop, brought it outside, took his keys out, and dug in a huge scratch on the back. He turned around and said, "Now I don't have to worry about it."



I've SEEN this done. The late David Ferretta, a well know purveyor of vintage instruments in Denver, purchased a new Martin and did and said EXACTLY that. I couldn't believe my eyes. He said something like "I'm never selling this guitar, and I don't want to worry about scratching it, so I wanted to put one in so I don't have to worry about it anymore."

[onassis]

I've posted before about my fondness for vintage instruments with plenty of play wear. I love it when an axe looks like it has stories to tell. But what honestly puzzles me is how some of these mandos can get THAT worn! I mean, I play fairly hard and never think twice about the safety of the finish, but I don't believe I've ever come anywhere close to gouging the top with a pick! I can see how it could happen to a guitar (I've certainly worn a little finish off mine!), but mando doesn't usually seem to inspire a Richie-Havens-wailing-away kind of vibe. The pinkie wear I get, but for the rest, I guess others must play a lot differently than I do!:grin:

[Ted Eschliman]

I have no place for "mojo." I wipe them down thoroughly after I'm done playing my instruments, and use mittens on both hands while I do play. At least I've been accused of sounding that way.

[mandolirius]

I've SEEN this done. The late David Ferretta, a well know purveyor of vintage instruments in Denver, purchased a new Martin and did and said EXACTLY that. I couldn't believe my eyes. He said something like "I'm never selling this guitar, and I don't want to worry about scratching it, so I wanted to put one in so I don't have to worry about it anymore."

I've never quite understood the logic to these stories. I mean, if you're not worried about it, why not just wait for the first one to occur naturally. How can that be any worse than deliberately doing it yourself?

[Adam McKillip]

1. You can find vintage instruments with playing wear for prices significantly lower than those in "near mint" condition. If there's no structural issue, hey! you can buy more mandolins!

Yummy.. my mouth just started to salivate with the thought of more mandolins. What euphoric bliss.:grin:

[woodwizard]

I try to play in a way that feels natural and comfortable for me. I wipe mine down too after playing and try to to be careful but if you're going to play it you're going to put some wear on it. Some call the wear mojo. I would never intentionally damage an instrument of any kind. But if an accident happened I would feel the pain of it for a little while but not that long. In other words I would get over it reasonably quick. They are tools and natural wear is going to happen as well as accidents. I've had plenty of pretty worn instruments as well as a few brand spanking new ones and I like em both. I try not to worry about it and just enjoy picking.

[allenhopkins]

I've SEEN this done. The late David Ferretta, a well know purveyor of vintage instruments in Denver, purchased a new Martin and did and said EXACTLY that. I couldn't believe my eyes. He said something like "I'm never selling this guitar, and I don't want to worry about scratching it, so I wanted to put one in so I don't have to worry about it anymore."


Sounds like David F. I miss him. I knew him when I was just a SP5 getting out of Ft. Carson, and he was doing his CO service for the Friends Service Committee. Later visited him in Denver, went to a barbeque at his house, 1973 I think. Great guy.

[pjlama]

Worn please, I love the way a well played instrument feels in my hands. You can accelerate the aging process by being careless and rough ;)

[mandozilla]

Mandolins with honest wear make me happy. Mine is 28 years old and is in pretty good condition for it's age but it is obviously not in pristine condition. I try to be careful with it but I don't obsess about wear, dings and what not. :whistling:

The tone and volume of my mandolin is excellent and it is a purty little thing, dings and all. No offense to anyone but I think 'intentional distressing" is silly and adds no mojo to the instrument. :))

Since I bought mine when it was 27 years old, I don't know the provenance of it. Who knows in whose hands it has been? The mojo is in its tone and volume. I try to add to that mojo by having every pro who is willing, play a couple of tunes on it...it's great to hear that bad boy sing in the hands of a pro and to hear the great compliments about it from them. :grin:

Oh, and BTW, I have a killer rattlesnake rattle in it...for mojo? I dunno. :disbelief:


~o)