What's The One Mandolin?

[JAK]

What's the one GREAT MANDOLIN that you've owned, but no longer do (for whatever reason)?

[dhergert]

Does that really happen? I've never divested myself of an instrument, at least in my "mature" adult life.

(Define "mature"???)

[Jack Roberts]

What's the one GREAT MANDOLIN that you've owned, but no longer do (for whatever reason)?

I had a great Collings MF. I actually bought one, sent it back, and had the sales guy pick the best of the lot and send it to me. The sound was terrific and a great value at the time. I sold it to a professional as his studio instrument since it sounded much better in recordings than his on-stage instrument.

But the ONE GREAT MANDOLIN that I have owned, I still own.

[Spruce]

Monteleone Grand Artist...sold it to finance a recording studio...

[jan281969]

A mid 80s Buddy Davis F-5 that I sold to my uncle as I didn't play for 10 years.I am happy with a early F-5L now so all is well.Buddy was a great independent maker having made mandolins for greats such as Larry Stephenson among others!

[John Soper]

A white A3 that I bought for $300 and later sold it for that price so that I could finance a move. Wish I'd been able to borrow the money for the rental truck...

[taptuned]

An 1991 Weber F5 Artist Made and signed by Bruce Weber in Bozeman Montana.

[Roger Moss]

I still cant talk about it.

[Tom Sanderson]

Nugget 2 Point #147

[Denny Gies]

I'm fortunate enough to have a Randy Wood F 5 and, God willing and the creek don't rise, I'll never part with it.

[Spruce]

I'm fortunate enough to have a Randy Wood F 5 and, God willing and the creek don't rise, I'll never part with it.

Yes, you will...

[Ron McMillan]

I haven't bought it yet.

[sprucetop1]

It definitely wasn't a great mandolin, being a very road-worn low end no-name clunker, but I'd played it for years and it was sort-of "part of me". Gave it away 10 years back and saw it recently, now languishing in the back of a shed....filthy, no strings and very forlorn. Tried to buy it back but no dice. Feel bad about that......

[Shelagh Moore]

I had a very nice Daley A. The sound was great but I could never get use to the extremely narrow nut/fingerboard.

[Astro]

I was going to buy me a legendary mandolin. Then I decided to spare myself the remorse of having to sell it by not buying one...Now I have the remorse of not buying it for fear of the remorse on selling it. So I decided to spare myself that remorse by pretending I bought one and had to sell it. So now I just have to decide which one I imagined to buy. Except I'm frozen in imaginary fear that I might buy the wrong one and all the remorse that goes with that. No wonder I can't sleep at night.

[Mandobar]

I've never had the desire to buy any of them back.

[Astro]

I've never had the desire to buy any of them back.

Thanks for that. Makes me feel better for not buying one. I'll sleep a little better now.

[Denny Gies]

Spruce, I'll part with it or it will part with me?

[Bob Visentin]

Back in the mid 70's when I was first learning the mandolin I had a cheap bowl back. All I could afford. I meet a guy who was a guitar player and he had a 1923 A model Gibson that was his ex-girlfriend's grandfather's mandolin. She did not play at all. He let me keep it for about a year until his ex wanted it back. I was spoiled and never found another one as sweet as the memory of this blonde beauty.

[Austin Bob]

I haven't sold any mandolins that were "the one", but I have sold several guitars that I still make me wonder what I was thinking. The story is always the same; I'm not playing it much, and I need the money for another purchase or sudden expense.

The most notable was a Martin HD 35 that I still consider to be one of the best sounding guitars I ever played.

I have a very nice oval A mandolin that was custom made for me 35 years ago by a local builder. It doesn't get played much any more, but I'm not going to sell it because I'd never get what it is worth to me.

[Mandobar]

I was going to buy me a legendary mandolin. Then I decided to spare myself the remorse of having to sell it by not buying one...Now I have the remorse of not buying it for fear of the remorse on selling it. So I decided to spare myself that remorse by pretending I bought one and had to sell it. So now I just have to decide which one I imagined to buy. Except I'm frozen in imaginary fear that I might buy the wrong one and all the remorse that goes with that. No wonder I can't sleep at night.

One person's legendary is another person's "meh".

For whatever reason, different people define "the one" in accordance with their skill set, their preference in music, etc. I've played instruments that some players make sound like the holy grail, but for one reason or another (set up, pick choice, string gauge, etc.) just does not work for me. There are a lot of things that go into that "grail" selection.

Ever play a mandolin that you have admired from pictures or a YouTube, and are just so disappointed when you finally get to take it for a spin?

[colorado_al]

I've never sold one that I wished I still had, but there is one I wish I had bought that got away. A few years ago, I was in Seattle at Dusty Strings and played a fantastic blonde Collings MF5 with a one piece birdseye maple back and Italian spruce top. I played it for about 3 hours the first day, and then again for an hour a few days later. I didn't have the money at the time and when I got home I made some sales to free up some cash. When I called them about 2 weeks later to buy it, it had been sold. I have played every MF5 I could since then, and none of them are quite as sweet as that one sounded. I suppose it could be the sweetness of memory, and the ones I've played since might be its equal, but I haven't bought one.

[Mandobar]

I have one of those, Al......its a MAS killer. Every time I open the case, I think "she's so fine." A mandolin totally deserving of a $765 Collings case.

[JeffD]

The only instrument I have ever let go of was a Stefan Sobell bouzouki. An early one. I sold it to another café member, because I just wasn't playing it as much as it deserved to be played. And while I occasionally do want a bouzouki, I have to admit I probably wouldn't play it as much as I like to think.

Other than that I still own and play everything I have acquired. That might change, but I have no concrete plans to sell anything.

[fatt-dad]

I loved my pre-Gibson, Carlson-signed Flatiron A5-1! I did sell it though. I've known it to bounce about, but, maybe it's where it should be now?

f-d