Should I take my mandolin to the beach?

[Michael Bridges]

Gawd, I need this vacation!, However, a little bit hesitant about exposing my J Bovier to salt air. Our house is right on the beach, but it's only for 5 days. Should it be safe enough, or should I just pull the old Rogue off the wall and restring her? Maybe a stupid worry, but it's mine.

[Astro]

Its really humid but if the AC is good and the spray not bad, then should be fine in doors.

That said, Id take the rogue. That way you can play on the beach at night if you want and not worry about it.

Have fun !

[fiddler37]

No!

[Dagger Gordon]

I wouldn't have worried about it at all.
What do think the problems are?

[bart mcneil]

Have you ever wondered why there are no mandolins have ever been made in Italy or any part of any country close to a lake or ocean? That is the reason.

I would avoid playing it out in the rain, or using it as a canoe paddle, but even expensive ones are made to be played inside, outside, and near a body of water. Common sense should be your guide. Or just lock it in its case and never take it out. Any wooden thing can develop a crack or two. Cracks are not the end of the world.

[lenf12]

Absolutely, take it to the beach but be aware of the exposure to direct sunlight which can heat up your mandolin and throw off your tuning (which is a first symptom of over heating the instrument). If you're aware of the potential problems, you can easily avoid them. Besides, what better way to attract the attention of scantily dressed members of the opposite gender? My dos centavos...

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[jaycat]

Yes you should take your mandolin to the beach. Make sure to bring a shovel and pail so it doesn't get bored.

[Timbofood]

Sure, take it, just don't leave it languishing in the sand while it gets a tan, plays hell with tuner gears.
And make sure to follow Jaycat's advice!
With six in a small cottage at Lake Huron I don't have room to take my mandolin there, I took it to the zoo once....

[Pete Jenner]

Mike, have you considered dinner and a show then maybe a romantic stroll along the esplanade?

Or if it's not that sort of mandolin, it may enjoy a drive in the country.

[Michael Bridges]

Everybody likes a little....nobody likes a smart.....

[OldGus]

It's fine, just remember to bring a beach ball and a frisbee...

[Jim]

I would not worry about taking a good instrument to a house by the sea, in fact it sounds like fun. I would even play it on the beach though at a reasonable distance from the breakers. However, if a lot of beach time ( sun , sand ect) were planned for the instrument I'd take that Rogue, after all that's what beaters are for. If you just hate playing the Rogue then this is a great excuse to BUY ANOTHER MANDOLIN:grin: something better than the Rogue but not as nice as the J Bovier, perhaps a lower end Kentucky or a Rover.

[Austin Koerner]

Yes! I have played tons of gigs at the beach, right on the water. And every vacation to the beach I take it. My mando is totally fine. Playing hot festivals in direct sunlight when you are sweating all over it is probably a lot worse, and that happens more often. I say go for it.

[High Lonesome Valley]

The salt air might partially ossify the wood. A coin toss if that would be an improvement.

[Michael Bridges]

Thanks, everybody, I feel a bit more relaxed about it. Actually, I just plan on propping my feet up on the front deck, and letting the waves feed me inspiration! No actual sand-time in the plans. If my little comment above came across wrong to anybody, my apologies, I was just trying to be a bit of a smart... myself! Just my natural disposition.

[William Smith]

Is this really a ? TAKE IT!

[Charles E.]

Yes, take it! It would be a good chance to learn some "surf music" like The Ventures or Dick Dale. Hmmmm.... Dick Dale meets Bill Monroe.....could be interesting.

[avaldes]

Austin pretty much sums up what I would respond. I have been to Hawaii and luaus at the beach (those were good days). No mandolins, but several guitar and ukulele family instruments. Luau bands do it all the time.
Exercise common sense about getting it overheated (also remarked above). I suppose if you played it for months witonn the sound of the crashing surf, there might be enough salt in the air to shorten string life, but I doubt a few days would do anything.

[Paul Kotapish]

I've taken my favorite mandolin to the beach when we have our annual reunions in Virginia and have done so for many years. We play music most nights we're there, so I want something good to play on, and I've never had any problems at all, even after the flight from California. I'd be more worried about a super-dry environment in the high desert this time of year. I should mention, though, that even though the house we rent is right on the waterfront, it's air conditioned and pretty stable inside throughout the week.

[Petrus]

This looks like fun, if not recommended. (Sorry, couldn't find a surfin' mando pic!)

123291

[Paul Busman]

Have you ever wondered why there are no mandolins have ever been made in Italy or any part of any country close to a lake or ocean? That is the reason.
.
Were you being ironic or serious?
A bowlback mandolin is also called a Neapolitan, and there are also styles called Milanese, Lombard, and Bresican-- all named for Italian cities or regions. Not to mention all the great luthier made instruments on both coasts of the US.

[Mark Wilson]

My mandolin jumped in the car and is here at the beach now. To hear it - it likes the porch and the salt air. Life is short :mandosmiley:

[fatt-dad]

I bring my mandolin to the beach. I keep it under the bumpershoot when I'm not playing it. Keep a towel over it too. Never had an issue. Fun to have fur sure. Can't just read books the whole time!

f-d

[Dagger Gordon]

I'm slightly curious - are people having a jam/sing-song type of thing actually on the beach, or is it more that you find a quiet spot and have a wee play to yourself?

A beach house is a rather different thing really.

[fatt-dad]

I just play where we are all gathered, but I'm the only one with an instrument.

f-d

[Astro]

Find a really crowded spot.

Sit down in the middle and play loudly.

Soon you will have the beach to yourself.

(If you need even more space, it helps to wear european type speedos)

[darrylicshon]

One think to remember is to clean your mandolinn dont leave the salt water which is in the air it can eat up finish

[Michael Bridges]

If you REALLY want to clear them out, bring a banjo. BTW, the sight of me in a speedo is a visual NOBODY needs.
Find a really crowded spot.

Sit down in the middle and play loudly.

Soon you will have the beach to yourself.

(If you need even more space, it helps to wear european type speedos)

[J.Albert]

You can take a mandolin to the beach, of course.

BUT -- I wouldn't take a good mandolin to the beach, no way.

[allenhopkins]

Beach environment doesn't seem to inhibit this mandolin duo (are they really calling themselves "Sweet T & A"?):

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Does seem to reduce the ability to play single-string leads, however...

[journeybear]

Can't just read books the whole time!

Yup. And girls are a lot more likely to come over and see what's going on than if you're reading a book. In case something like that is in the back of your mind.

Just take precautions to guard against adversities, such as heat, sun, sand, water, sunscreen, kids. And I would take my good mandolin. I don't believe in beaters. Always best to sound your best.

[journeybear]

Yes, take it! It would be a good chance to learn some "surf music" like The Ventures or Dick Dale. Hmmmm.... Dick Dale meets Bill Monroe.....could be interesting.

Believe it or not - been done, more or less, by my band. Our lead singer went though a phase of fascination with surf and rockabilly, even put together an electric trio with the bass player and a drummer (I told him he should call it "Surfabilly) and did some gigs. Well, more like shared gigs, as they'd do a short set in the middle of some of our gigs. It would have been nice if I had been included in this project, so I could have gotten some ya-yas with the electric and amp, but that's all right. :cool:

We ended up working some of those songs into the act, particularly our take on Dick Dale's version of "Misirlou" - thus returning it to its tremolo-laden glory. Other standouts included "Pipeline," Walk Don't Run," "Apache," "Surf Rider," a few others, and sometimes we would segue "Misirlou" into Malaguena" and back. Fun stuff. Even after the drummer took off for the summer, we continued playing them - the washboard player duct taped a kid-sized snared drum to the bottom of the washboard and a cymbal on an armature to a mike stand. When there's a will, sho' 'nuff there's a way! :mandosmiley:

And one of the best parts of it was the banjo player couldn't cut it - could not or would not get these fairly simple melodies right - and this is critical in kind of music -so he would either try to slur banjo rolls somewhere in the vicinity of the melodies or just sit out when we veered into the surf zone. Guess all that fancy-schmancy Berklee training ain't everything! ;)

[Charles E.]

That is what I had in mind, thanks JB. You could also throw in the theme song from "The Munsters".

[journeybear]

How'd you know? :disbelief: We DID do that a couple times - I assume you mean the rockabilly version - but it was a bit too tricky, or just more trouble than it was worth. Worth checking out on youtube, though - it's a riot!

[Charles E.]

Great minds think alike.

[Tom Haywood]

Hey Mike. Just saw this thread and wondering what decision you made. Yeah, I'm having nightmare visions of salt rusting out the car and the metal mandolin parts but, come to think of it, I've never seen that happen. Have fun!

[journeybear]

Great minds think alike.

Or we're both twisted in the same direction. ;)

[Pete Jenner]

Don't you live inland Mike?

[Paul Kotapish]

Hmmmm.... Dick Dale meets Bill Monroe.....could be interesting.

Bruce Harvie and the Sand Fleas (http://www.surfrockmusic.com/bruce-harvie-and-the-sandfleas-overhead-at-darrington.html) are all over this.

[Eddie Sheehy]

Believe it or not - been done, more or less, by my band. Our lead singer went though a phase of fascination with surf and rockabilly, even put together an electric trio with the bass player and a drummer (I told him he should call it "Surfabilly) and did some gigs. Well, more like shared gigs, as they'd do a short set in the middle of some of our gigs. It would have been nice if I had been included in this project, so I could have gotten some ya-yas with the electric and amp, but that's all right. :cool:

We ended up working some of those songs into the act, particularly our take on Dick Dale's version of "Misirlou" - thus returning it to its tremolo-laden glory. Other standouts included "Pipeline," Walk Don't Run," "Apache," "Surf Rider," a few others, and sometimes we would segue "Misirlou" into Malaguena" and back. Fun stuff. Even after the drummer took off for the summer, we continued playing them - the washboard player duct taped a kid-sized snared drum to the bottom of the washboard and a cymbal on an armature to a mike stand. When there's a will, sho' 'nuff there's a way! :mandosmiley:

And one of the best parts of it was the banjo player couldn't cut it - could not or would not get these fairly simple melodies right - and this is critical in kind of music -so he would either try to slur banjo rolls somewhere in the vicinity of the melodies or just sit out when we veered into the surf zone. Guess all that fancy-schmancy Berklee training ain't everything! ;)

Bruce Harvie (Spruce) and The Sandfleas have a great downloadable album - Overhead at Darrington - which is exactly that kind of music... have a listen...
http://bruceharvie.bandcamp.com/album/overhead-at-darrington

[Eddie Sheehy]

oops, you beat me to it, Paul.

[Paul Kotapish]

oops, you beat me to it, Paul.

Great minds and whatnot, Eddie! Love that surf sound, and the Fleas have carved out some cool territory there. I think Roger Landes and Co. are doing some equally great stuff down there in the wild surf of the SW.

[Mandolindian]

I take my varnish finish Sorensen mandolins to Maui all the time. Never had a problem.

[Capt. E]

Dry air is much more of a problem, certainly not at the beach. Take it and play it often. Just follow the usual safeguards when going to a festival, camping, etc. Treat it like a baby: don't let it out of your sight, lock it in a car, dunk in the ocean, bury it in the sand or let it drink alcohol.

[Michael Bridges]

Yeah, Pete. I live about 20 or so miles north of Marty. My wife and I are joining my sister, mom and dad for a week at Oak Island, N.C. Just a nice, relaxing week. Gonna sit on the front porch of our beach house, watch the waves and sun, and play whenever and whatever srtikes me. Just what I need to clear my head.
Don't you live inland Mike?

[Franc Homier Lieu]

Like the "Love Song" says,

"Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach?
I shall wear white flannel trousers, and [take my mandolin to] the beach."

[Charles E.]

It turns out that the mandolin has a direct link to the birth of surf music.

From the liner notes of "The Best Of Dick Dale and His Del-tones", " Misirlou" released in May1962. "The single version is one of the classic rock instrumentals of all time. Note the almost constant double-picking of the guitar throughout the tune. This technique has been used for years in the playing style of certain stringed instruments such as the mandolin."

"His recording of "Misirlou", a Greek pop standard from the 40's, was testimony to Dales family heritage ( a Lebanese father and a Polish mother ), and his fondness for Middle Eastern melodies."

[Charles E.]

Michael, I hope I have not hijacked your thread!

There are some great beaches here in NC, Oak Island is one of them. If you have a chance, it is worth going over to Bald Head Island for the day, beautiful. Enjoy your mandolin-beach time!

[Michael Bridges]

Thanks, Charley! We've been to Oak Island several times. When our kids were young, it was our yearly vacation spot. Looooove it there! I enjoy the fact that it's not a highly developed party spot. Just good and relaxing.

[jim simpson]

The timing seems right to dredge (pun intended) this photo up again. Taken at the shore in North Jersey early 90's.

[journeybear]

Sweet! :mandosmiley:

[Pete Jenner]

Yeah, Pete. I live about 20 or so miles north of Marty. My wife and I are joining my sister, mom and dad for a week at Oak Island, N.C. Just a nice, relaxing week. Gonna sit on the front porch of our beach house, watch the waves and sun, and play whenever and whatever srtikes me. Just what I need to clear my head.

In that case there is no question. You need to take the mandolin.

I believe Atlanta may be a beach front town in a few years though.

[Astro]

Take them both. One for the surf, one for the porch.

[fatt-dad]

evidence - about 5 or so years ago. And, yes, that's my daughter!

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f-d

[Pete Jenner]

Nice looking cigar.