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"No one has responded to my classified ad in 48 hours. I'd better remove the ad, reduce the price, and repost it!"

"Bumping" is the practice of submitting, then deleting and resubmitting a Classified Ad on this site before the ad has run it's minimum length of 21 days. A few select users engage in this because they're under the mistaken impression that people only respond to ads when they're at the top of the list, and that their chances of selling are improved ...

I am sick. A sickness that lingers to the point of insanity. A sickness so insipid yet tolerable, even workable. Not so debilitating that you miss work or important social obligations. No. You subjugate yourself to those responsibilities, while concurrently screaming inside "Let Me Sleep!"

I have been sick exactly one week this morning. In celebration of this anniversary, this intolerable illness has decided to inflict a sizable headache upon my person, as well as ...

Probably a lot of mandolin players never had the chance to see Butch in his old bluegrass days. Now you can. Happy Birthday, Butch. You rock!

It's easy to forget what can happen in the short span of a year. Here are some of more memorable events of 2008 for the mandolin community (my opinion, make your own! ):

January - Marilynn Mair releases the first major U.S. mandolin Method Book in decades, The Complete Mandolinist.

February - the emergence of Sierra Hull as a major force in the bluegrass world. The release of Punch, by the Thile-led Punch brothers was the source of much conversation, pro and con. ...

Long past due, and in the spirit of my 2008 summary, let me recall in no particular order of importance some the silliest things I've ever read on this message board--or at least, those I can remember.

OK, maybe a few I'll rank up high as being the most memorable. Sorry if anyone made these comments and you recognize yourself. Get your own blog and complain about me!

1. The Mandolin Cafe is responsible for an increase in the prices of all mandolins.

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The Road Home - A Tribute to Butch Baldassari is a new recording that should be out in a few weeks. Right now we don't have an exact date on when that release will be. Some history on this: the project was spearheaded by Dr. Brian Hull of Wichita Falls, Texas and was conceived in August or September of last year. Brian is a mandolin player, long-time friend of Butch's and a supporter of the arts. All proceeds from the sale of the recording will go ...

OK, enough with the attention grabbing headline. This will not be a Bosley Hair Club replacement commercial.

We recently met an outstanding locally owned company that does a first-class job producing custom ball caps and thought it was high time to produce a Mandolin Cafe version.

So, off I send my talented graphic artist wife assigned the task of trying to squeeze the Cafe's horrid logo (she didn't do it) onto a ball cap. And yes, don't worry, we'll tweak the tuners ...

Received our first sample of a ball cap we're having made for the Cafe. We like it. Will order a few to give away to some friends and possibly some to sell as well. Web address will be on the back.

In terms of technique, playing an 8 string solid body electric is pretty much the same as playing a 4 string solid body electric. Except you don't bend notes.

Having 8 strings makes the tone more mandolinistic and less guitaristic [to invent a couple of words]. So I've been playing material I usually reserve for my Vessel F5, just to hear it come through an amp. And I've added songs to my mandolin repertoire, because I am crazy enough to stomp on some effects boxes too.
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I insure my mandolins with a policy from Heritage Insurance, a company that actually *knows* what a mandolin is, and is engaged in the business of insuring instruments like Loars and high-priced violins, guitars and other acoustic instruments along with lesser valued instruments (such as my own).

I once had the unfortunate experience of having to go toe-to-toe with FedEx on a $10K instrument that arrived at it's destination with a crushed in face that required about $700 of work and ...