thought you guys were kidding - Page 2

29er · 03-28-2009, 05:39 PM

Many moons ago, while playing in an electric blues band, I was asked during a break about my bass playing. Thing is, I was playing lead guitar at the time

I got over myself that night. It's amazing how "dumb" people can seem about something we are so passionate for.

CES · 03-28-2009, 06:20 PM

We just need to remember that ignorance and stupidity are two entirely different animals...ignorance can b remedied...stupidity, well, not always.

One of the daughters of a guy I play with commented a couple weeks ago, as she looked on in wonderment, that I had a "Really sweet little guitar" (pronounced suh-WEET')...totally cool...but, then, she's like 9...and no longer ignorant...

stratman62 · 03-28-2009, 06:42 PM

as I was asked last night, is that a ukelele? no.

Jim MacDaniel · 04-01-2009, 12:20 PM

I just created this sticker for my case last night at obamaiconme.com -- but I suspect I'll still be getting questions like, "But what is it?"...

Jim MacDaniel · 04-02-2009, 04:42 PM

New and improved -- and more comprehensive version:

billkilpatrick · 04-02-2009, 04:59 PM

how about running the images of an F-style, a flatback and a bowlback on top and the words "do they look hawaiian?" underneath.

a pleasure to meet you but there's no bulge (unseemly) in my toga - bill

mandozilla · 04-03-2009, 07:09 AM

Q - What is that thing?

A - Why, don't you know...it's an 'UN-B**JO' of course!

Jim MacDaniel · 04-03-2009, 10:15 AM

Bill - I'll give that a shot during my next obamicon session. (I'm a bit OCD, so I'm sure I'll be back there soon!)

Mark - maybe we can this gentleman to be our official un-spokesperson...

mandozilla · 04-03-2009, 10:34 AM

Yeah!, I remember that guy with the un-cola nuts.

We should have some 'Un-B**jo' case stickers made! Only problem is only folks 35 and over would understand what Un-B**jo means.

Jim MacDaniel · 04-03-2009, 10:42 AM

I think "retro" is still "in" with kids today -- maybe we can start forwarding that youtube vid to large email distributions, and get it to go viral, then we can move forward with your campaign.

woodwizard · 04-03-2009, 11:15 AM

We all go thru it...Such is the life of mandolin players... we're here to educate

JeffD · 04-05-2009, 09:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim2723

I've had a lot of people ask "Is that a mandolin?" and then say "I thought so, but my grandfather's was more rounder on the back part". That also is perfectly forgivable.

Yes but I have seen that same question regariding an Ovation guitar. Its the somewhat rounded back that confuses them.

flatt · 04-05-2009, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GDAE

This weekend I was playing for the second time in a group of people at a party. There were some new folks there, non-musicians. One asked me if what I was playing was a violin.

I can see not knowing it was a mandolin...but don't most people know what a violin looks like?

A bit of-topic here, but several times in a mainly guitar-based band situation playing country-esque stuff, a few times people have told me that they "heard a fiddle" - even though they know I'm playing mandolin .... must be something to do with the resonance of the strings?

Fred Keller · 04-05-2009, 10:10 AM

And a follow up question naturally presents itself. Would we contrarians play the mandolin if everyone knew what it was?

One of my favorite "what-is-that?" situations happened in Ireland a few years back. Sitting in a pub in Donegal I was requested to "give us a chune on yer wee guitar." Still makes me smile.

Chris Keth · 04-05-2009, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fred Keller

One of my favorite "what-is-that?" situations happened in Ireland a few years back. Sitting in a pub in Donegal I was requested to "give us a chune on yer wee guitar." Still makes me smile.

Yeah, can't get mad at that one.

A part of my family is from Donegal. I often wear and get a lot of compliments on a patchwork hat I got there.

Ivan Kelsall · 04-05-2009, 11:49 PM

I bought 2 of these last year in an attempt to literally 'show' folk what a 'Mandolin' looks like.Unfortunately, the Tee-shirt doesn't actually have the name Mandolin on it,similar to the way the Mandolin Cafe Tee-shirts don't have a Mandolin logo on.What we need is a combination of both - a 'Cafe Tee-shirt with a Mandolin logo,it shouldn't be too hard - i'd buy it !,
Saska

allenhopkins · 04-06-2009, 12:41 AM

I think the problem is that most of us seem to want a shirt/sticker/neon sign that says, "It's a mandolin, you idiot! Don't you know anything?"

Which doesn't make us goodwill ambassadors, does it?

Womandolin · 04-12-2009, 02:25 PM

Usually when I get the silly "what is that" questions, it is mainly an attempt to tease me. My friends don't know what a mandolin is, but instead of just asking, they say "Hey, get out that guitar banjo thing. Come on, what is that thing.. a mandalooni..?"

JeffD · 04-12-2009, 05:36 PM

When I carry a bowlback in its Eastman case through airports, I get a lot of comments, and most folks correctly identify it as a mandolin. I presume that the bowl back mandolin is the iconic mandolin in most non-specialist minds. Certainly it doesn't look anything like a guitar.

Someone once asked me if it was a lute - I give her credit for the quality of her wrong answer.

03-28-2009, 05:39 PM	#26
29er Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 25	Re: thought you guys were kidding Many moons ago, while playing in an electric blues band, I was asked during a break about my bass playing. Thing is, I was playing lead guitar at the time I got over myself that night. It's amazing how "dumb" people can seem about something we are so passionate for.

03-28-2009, 06:20 PM	#27
CES Registered User Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: NC Posts: 919	Re: thought you guys were kidding We just need to remember that ignorance and stupidity are two entirely different animals...ignorance can b remedied...stupidity, well, not always. One of the daughters of a guy I play with commented a couple weeks ago, as she looked on in wonderment, that I had a "Really sweet little guitar" (pronounced suh-WEET')...totally cool...but, then, she's like 9...and no longer ignorant... __________________ Chuck

03-28-2009, 06:42 PM	#28
stratman62 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: nc Posts: 144	Re: thought you guys were kidding as I was asked last night, is that a ukelele? no. __________________ dwight in NC

04-01-2009, 12:20 PM	#29
Jim MacDaniel Carpe plectrum. Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Oakland, CA Posts: 2,813	Re: thought you guys were kidding I just created this sticker for my case last night at obamaiconme.com -- but I suspect I'll still be getting questions like, "But what is it?"... Attached Thumbnails __________________ "The Spirit of Wine Sang in my glass, and I listened With love to his odorous music, His flushed and magnificent song" ~ William Ernest Henly "Music is the wine that fills the cup of silence" ~ Robert Fripp "I hate quotations" ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

04-02-2009, 04:42 PM	#30
Jim MacDaniel Carpe plectrum. Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Oakland, CA Posts: 2,813	Re: thought you guys were kidding New and improved -- and more comprehensive version: Attached Thumbnails __________________ "The Spirit of Wine Sang in my glass, and I listened With love to his odorous music, His flushed and magnificent song" ~ William Ernest Henly "Music is the wine that fills the cup of silence" ~ Robert Fripp "I hate quotations" ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

04-02-2009, 04:59 PM	#31
billkilpatrick Registered User Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: italy Posts: 3,076	Re: thought you guys were kidding how about running the images of an F-style, a flatback and a bowlback on top and the words "do they look hawaiian?" underneath. a pleasure to meet you but there's no bulge (unseemly) in my toga - bill __________________ http://www.youtube.com/user/billkilpatrick http://billkilpatrickhaiku.blogspot.com/ http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...ick&ref=search ------------------------ today's guest avatar: henri rousseau

04-03-2009, 07:09 AM	#32
mandozilla Mark Evans Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Simi Valley, Ca Posts: 1,282	Re: thought you guys were kidding Q - What is that thing? A - Why, don't you know...it's an 'UN-BJO'** of course! __________________ "You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can't wipe your friends off on your saddle."

04-03-2009, 10:15 AM	#33
Jim MacDaniel Carpe plectrum. Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Oakland, CA Posts: 2,813	Re: thought you guys were kidding Bill - I'll give that a shot during my next obamicon session. (I'm a bit OCD, so I'm sure I'll be back there soon!) Mark - maybe we can this gentleman to be our official un-spokesperson... __________________ "The Spirit of Wine Sang in my glass, and I listened With love to his odorous music, His flushed and magnificent song" ~ William Ernest Henly "Music is the wine that fills the cup of silence" ~ Robert Fripp "I hate quotations" ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

04-03-2009, 10:34 AM	#34
mandozilla Mark Evans Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Simi Valley, Ca Posts: 1,282	Re: thought you guys were kidding Yeah!, I remember that guy with the un-cola nuts. We should have some 'Un-Bjo' case stickers made! Only problem is only folks 35 and over would understand what Un-Bjo means. Attached Thumbnails __________________ "You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can't wipe your friends off on your saddle."

04-03-2009, 10:42 AM	#35
Jim MacDaniel Carpe plectrum. Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Oakland, CA Posts: 2,813	Re: thought you guys were kidding I think "retro" is still "in" with kids today -- maybe we can start forwarding that youtube vid to large email distributions, and get it to go viral, then we can move forward with your campaign. __________________ "The Spirit of Wine Sang in my glass, and I listened With love to his odorous music, His flushed and magnificent song" ~ William Ernest Henly "Music is the wine that fills the cup of silence" ~ Robert Fripp "I hate quotations" ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

04-03-2009, 11:15 AM	#36
woodwizard Mike Parks Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Knoxville Arkansas Posts: 1,950	Re: thought you guys were kidding We all go thru it...Such is the life of mandolin players... we're here to educate __________________ I Pick, Therefore I Grin! 1919 Gibson A4 '06 Gibson F5 Goldrush '47 Gibson L7

04-05-2009, 10:10 AM	#39
Fred Keller Registered User Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Sandstone, MN Posts: 473	Re: thought you guys were kidding And a follow up question naturally presents itself. Would we contrarians play the mandolin if everyone knew what it was? One of my favorite "what-is-that?" situations happened in Ireland a few years back. Sitting in a pub in Donegal I was requested to "give us a chune on yer wee guitar." Still makes me smile. __________________ Check out "Fenceline" at cdbaby.com the whistlepigs http://www.myspace.com/ravenridge my vids

04-05-2009, 11:49 PM	#41
Ivan Kelsall Registered User Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Manchester - Lancashire - NW England Posts: 2,976	Re: thought you guys were kidding I bought 2 of these last year in an attempt to literally 'show' folk what a 'Mandolin' looks like.Unfortunately, the Tee-shirt doesn't actually have the name Mandolin on it,similar to the way the Mandolin Cafe Tee-shirts don't have a Mandolin logo on.What we need is a combination of both - a 'Cafe Tee-shirt with a Mandolin logo,it shouldn't be too hard - i'd buy it !, Saska Attached Thumbnails __________________ Weber F-5 'Fern'. Lebeda F-5 "Special". Stelling Bellflower. Tanglewood TW-1000SR. Tokai - 'Tele-alike'.

04-06-2009, 12:41 AM	#42
allenhopkins Mando accumulator Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Rochester NY 14610 Posts: 4,893	Re: thought you guys were kidding I think the problem is that most of us seem to want a shirt/sticker/neon sign that says, "It's a mandolin, you idiot! Don't you know anything?" Which doesn't make us goodwill ambassadors, does it? __________________ Allen Hopkins Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello Natl Triolian Dobro mando Victoria b-back Merrill alumnm b-back H-O mandolinetto Stradolin Vega banjolin Sobell'dola Washburn b-back'dola Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello Flatiron 3K OM

04-12-2009, 02:25 PM	#43
Womandolin Turtle Hoarder Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 104	Re: thought you guys were kidding Usually when I get the silly "what is that" questions, it is mainly an attempt to tease me. My friends don't know what a mandolin is, but instead of just asking, they say "Hey, get out that guitar banjo thing. Come on, what is that thing.. a mandalooni..?" __________________ and = My Loves

04-12-2009, 05:36 PM	#44
JeffD Innocent Bystander Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Upstate New York and Washington DC area Posts: 5,751 Blog Entries: 5	Re: thought you guys were kidding When I carry a bowlback in its Eastman case through airports, I get a lot of comments, and most folks correctly identify it as a mandolin. I presume that the bowl back mandolin is the iconic mandolin in most non-specialist minds. Certainly it doesn't look anything like a guitar. Someone once asked me if it was a lute - I give her credit for the quality of her wrong answer. __________________ If you are not playing music, you better be at work, church, or fishing. Try stuff out. Stick with what you like. Repeat. "You don't really feel the tune unless you play it for a long time" ---Tommy Jarrell