The MAS Blues

[Zed]

I just had to share my aching heart with some others who would understand. My aching heart is aching for an F. I have always been a lover of the scroll, it's true, can't help it. Now, don't get me wrong, i still dearly love my A Natural and it performs wonderfully. It's just that as time goes on i know that i will have to have an F... and i really want that time to be NOW! That's kinda hard to do, however, with no funds to do such a thing, and those funds need to be in the $3k neighborhood for what i want. Ain't there someplace a guy can buy a $3k mando on time, like you'd buy a car? Payments i could handle... a $3k lump sum, no way.

Ah well..... just pining.... Why do those darn F's have to be so seductive?

[onlyagibsonisgoodenuff]

I hate to admit it, Zeek, but I actually financed a Sam Bush mando at my local credit union. My problem is I could never save up the cash for one, but I could always make the monthly payment. I suppose that's the price I pay for being such a lousy saver.

[Zed]

Oh man... i can just hear my banker laughing now... 'You want $3000 for a W H A T ? ?'!! Well... him and my wife... i can hear them both laughing at my ludicrous pipe dream.

[mandodebbie]

I guess more expensive things like houses, cars, and fancy mandolins are worth the cash in the long run. Or are they? This is coming from a single gal who works in an ice cream parlour, buys all her clothes at the Minnonite Thrift Shop, and neither owns a car nor a house. I bought my cheap Hyburn for $150.00. No complaints here. Then again, I'm no professional mandolinist, either.

[JiminRussia]

There's this Collings at .....well, I ain't sayin' where. It's incredible!. It is a fantastic matt finish. It feels right in my hands. it smells good. Do mandolins excrete pheremones? You just touch the strings and it plays the note. It is effortless! I have the money. I am within an hours drive of theis instrument. But, the IRS has diferent designs on that money. God, how I hate the IRS!!!!

[Zed]

Aw man... that hurts... having the $$ but not having it. I spose the Collings is an MF? One of many i'd spend the $$ on, sight unseen.

[RobP]

It's a trap, Zeek Close your eyes, forget about what the instrument in your hands looks like, and concentrate on the sweet sounds you are making.

Good Luck,

Rob

[sbarnes]

the irs thing can be done.....
play enough to call yourself a pro (semi-pro, etc.), keep records of the gigs and expenses, file the long form and deduct the cost of the mandolin as a business expense....you can take the entire amount in one year or depreciate it over 4 or 5 years.... i do that stuff all the time....

[Zed]

It's a trap, Zeek #Close your eyes, forget about what the instrument in your hands looks like, and concentrate on the sweet sounds you are making.

Yeah... i know... that's why i have a nice A model now But... An F is still an F and an A is not... For whatever intangible reasons an F is an appealling critter. But like i said, i love my A Natural and it sounds good.

[Bobbie Dier]

If you belong to a credit union they can take a little money out of your check every week or two and you never miss it. Just put away $150 every two weeks and by next 4th of July you can buy an almost $4000 mando. It hurts a little but there are ways to cut back on your daily expenses. Take your own lunch, drink water instead of soda etc etc. walk instead of driving when you can( expensive durn gas) Good luck!! Maybe some of the dealers on this site give credit or would let you make payments? (I'm ducking now)Don't hurt to ask.
ima

[Rick Schmidlin]

Traded Greg Boyd my Noble Braz/Ad Dred for the Prucha F. A very fair trade I must say, but that what it took to get the guitars equal in my hands. Sad to see it go but I still have my best guitar a Cedar/Braz Concert Roy built for me last year.Now I have the best of both world. Sometimes you have to part with something to cure MAS or GAS.

Rick

[mandodebbie]

Boys, remember that song by Dolly Parton- "I wish I was a Teddy Bear... Someone to hug me..etc. etc...." ? I wish I was a fancy mandolin. Enough said.

[Zed]

Sometimes you have to part with something to cure MAS or GAS.

Yes... that's the tragic thing also... unless i fall into a pile of money of a sudden, i'd have to trade/sell my Rigel to get the F i'd like. But, if the right one came along i could live with that.

Dealers who give credit... hmmm... never heard of such a critter.

[Nick Triesch]

Things can be done! #I know a guy who wanted a F type mando so bad once that he took out a loan on his government thrift savings plan. # The mando was a 92 flatiron F5 artist and it cost $2500.00 # And with thrift savings plan you pay back very little to yourself at a very low interest rate. # It was mt first F type mandolin! # Nick

[grandmainger]

I'm going to sound like a boring old grandad, why don't you order one? It will take some time, enough time for you to save, and it will be yours.

[jim_n_virginia]

Zed you and I are in the same boat!

I have been playing a Flatiron A for a few years now. While it is a nice mando, I am so ready to upgrade!

Things are pretty tight right now so it doesn't look good for me.

But my birthdy is in two weeks! Maybe someone in my family will buy me the Gibson Sam Bush Model I always wanted!

[Zed]

But my birthdy is in two weeks! Maybe someone in my family will buy me the Gibson Sam Bush Model I always wanted! #

Why, heck yeah, Jim... and maybe i'll find a Dude at a garage sale for $25! #

[Zed]

I'm going to sound like a boring old grandad, why don't you order one? It will take some time, enough time for you to save, and it will be yours.

I've thought about this... but that "saving" thing seems to be an elusive goal right now... something always comes up and eats it. The other problem with ordering is that i admittedly have zero patience. I freak out as it is waiting 2 days for UPS to come!

[grandmainger]

I know what you mean, I'm dead impatient too! But I have to say that the idea of having a custom model, made just for me, with all the woods/features I want is stronger than impatience... Plus, once you've put your down payment, you've no choice but save up!
Hard hard decision!

Good luck with whatever you choose!

[mandorado]

I keep an envelope hanging off the cork board in my office ... when ever I think about buying some little doo-dad ... I stick CASH in the envelope instead. I have found this adds up pretty quickly if you don't look in the envelope often.
By the way ... a good A mandolin is an awesome instrument to have. There is nothing second rate about it. I know some pretty proud A owners. Of course one of them is A Nugget.

[Damnation Gulch]

What is the average wait time on a custom mando? Also, couldnt you keep sending the builder cash during the process just as long as it was paid for by the time its completed? Kind of an oddball way of doing things I know, just asking...

I'm thinking of Ebaying off four or five guitars in the next year and going for a BRW...

[pathfinder]

With so many custom builders available, I don't think anyone can calculate the 'average' waiting period. #It depends also on the builder, the demand for his/her product, the extent of custom work required for a given order, their prices, and how quickly they can (or choose to) get them out the door each year. #

I've heard that guys like Dudenbostel, Apitius and Gilchrist are backed up for years, high prices notwithstanding.

In fact, it's rumoured that some buyers will speculate on a 'hot' builder's product, meaning they order one at today's asking price in 2004, plunk down their 50% deposit, wait 2-3 years, take final delivery, pay the final 50% owing, and then offer the instrument for a quick sale at twice the price to another buyer who can't be bothered waiting for 2-3 years for an instrument who's asking price might be twice as much in 2007 as it is today. #

Think about it. I pay a $5,000 deposit today for a $10,000 mando, wait three years, pay another quick $5,000 when I take delivery, and then 'flip' the instrument for $20,000 to a guy with more money than brains (or patience).

In three years, I've made a tidy 400% profit on my $5,000 original deposit. Try finding a bank or a stock that will pay that kind of return on investment!

I don't personally know whether or not it's going on, or how much so if it is. But it's a crazy world out there, so who knows for sure?

[pathfinder]

Oops, sorry! Only a 200% return on investment! I pay $5K today for the deposit, and I briefly borrow another $5K three years from now to pay the instrument off.

I then sell it for $20K, pay back the $5K loan, and am left with $15K.

$10K is pure profit and I'd get a 200% return on investment.

[John Rosett]

hey all you folks that want a nice F-style for a good price, i'll be selling my custom yellowstone soon. it'll be cheap, 'cause the peghead got broken. it will be professionally repaired, of course. pm me if you're interested.
i played an A-style for 20 years, and finally gave in to scroll lust. now i'm over it.
john

[elenbrandt]

You should only get an instrument that is going to improve the sound you can create, or make it easier to create that sound. #Get over the aesthetics (yeah, almost everyone goes through a case of F envy) and look for the instrument that sings to you. #If it has a scroll -- so be it. #Instead of being impatient -- start saving the bucks and make it a noble quest. #You are talking to the Queen of "I Want It Yesterday" -- but making a reasoned decision and waiting the necessary time, and finding the money to do it was one of the the smartest, most satisfying and character-building moves I ever made. #Don't settle because you are impatient. #Now, on the other hand....if that dream mando (and I mean THE ONE) shows up at your door -- use whatever legal means necessary to get that instrument.

p.s. #I ended up with very high-end A's after much searching... Maybe you should just get a Pac-Rim F to get over your Jones and get on with it...