Teardrops on the Fretboard

[sonnyjammer]

I think I may need therapy, I received a new mandolin and located a new home for my older one. I am dreading tomorrow because I must pack up my old buddy and send him to a new home. I am having unexpected mixed emotions, remembering the good times we've had, all the fun festivals, the few on-stage apperances we made together, the new friends we made. All the times folks said "Do ya mind if I try it?" The times when I firmly said no when the requesting person had obviously had a little too much Whiskey before Breakfast. All the hours spent gently polishing out sweat and finger prints from his sound board after a long hard weekend of picking. Oh, I know my little Gibson will make new friends and my new Collings and I will too. I guess this sounds pretty goofy, Huh? That MAS stuff is cruel sometimes. Thanks fellow pickers, for letting me vent .

http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif

[Bradley]

Yes I have been there....

Several years back I sent off my 91 F5L....trusty friend she was....

And to this day I'd give anything to have her back.

If you are having those thoughts,you'd better reconsider or you'll regret it down the road. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

[Bill James]

Another Man(dolin) done gone.

It is better to aquire, then trade, than to never have aquired at all. Or something to that effect.

[Rroyd]

I know the feeling. I've had it bad enough that in one case I bought back what had been my first guitar some ten years after selling it. My rule now is that I just don't ever sell one. Let's see if I can just make it over to that chair. . .

[MWM]

This post really hit home. I've owned a "Plain Jane" Flatiron A for many years. It has great sound and has been a wonderful mando. I've always secretly wished it was a fancier model with a sunburst or inlay or something. I recently had a chance to buy a fancier A model. It played great. It looked great - almost sexy. It had maybe even better sound than my trusty old Plain Jane. I thought about it for days. Then I cased my old sweetheart up for the last time and drove to the shop again. Once I got there I just couldn't do it.

Since I that decision I've had 3 good mando players approach me during jams. Each one said great things about the sound from my trusty old A. I get compliments but these were exceptional and caught me so off-guard. A great picker went on and on how he's admired the sound for a long time. When I told him I recently considered selling, he scolded me for ever thinking that thought.

I might still look at the other girls but she's mine. Plain Jane puts out.

[Lee]

My recently departed mandos will recieve much more use than I would ever put them through, hence the joy they'll now impart to their new owners and new listeners will be more than I could accomplish. That's the way I console myself for the dozen or so years we spent together.

[Ken Sager]

I cannot say whether things will get better if we change; what I can say is they must change if they are to get better. --Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

Best,
Ken

[Dan Adams]

This thread must be why I have every mandolin I've every purchased. Maybe I can't deal with that seperation anxiety.

Too many mandos? Describe too... Dan

[sonnyjammer]

Hi folks, thanks for the comments and sharing your stories. I'm okay now, just left the UPS store a short while ago. I played my new Pal extensively this afternoon and WOW, what an axe the Collings truely is. I have one of the new MT's and it blows me away how loud and sweet this one sounds. The aroma of the newly carved wood just adds to the joy. I must confess after reading of the Gibson Lawsuit win against that Guitar builder didn't set quite well with me. It made parting with my Gibson a wee bit easier. Well take care yall from Central Texas. I'll be at the Pearl, Texas jam the 1st weekend in April and the Old Settlers Festival at Dripping Springs the 17th of April to see Hot Rize and The Del McCory Band. Might see some of you in the Campground. Audios http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[David M.]

Sonnyjammer, at least you got your Collings BEFORE sending the Gibson out the door. I packed up my good old Flatiron today and took it by the UPS store. As of 5:00 today, I'm WITHOUT a mando, but ol' jessboo came to the rescue and told me I could borrow one if I needed it. Just gives me more time to bond w/my neglected Martin flattop.

It's not that I'll miss it, or that I'm sad, etc. It's more: did I do the right thing?; I pray it gets to its destination OK; and how the heck can I scrape up the balance on that new one I've been eyeing?

So, I can relate, son. You're a better person because of it. and I HOPE I will be, eventually.

[fatt-dad]

What you do is you buy a nice Kentucky and then sell it. That way you get practice buying and selling. Also, it looks like you are getting rid of mandolins. Meanwhile, you then keep your Gibsons (yes I like them), flatirons and any lawsuit import that were actually was made right - ha.

f-d

[Mandodoc]

sonnyjammer:
We live in Washington State, we will be going on vacation to Gatesville Texas next Friday April 2nd and I am planning to go to the Pearl Jam on Saturday the 3rd, hope to see you there. I have a Black Rigel A+ Deluxe. I'll probably be the only one from WA. We'll see if we can meet.
jon watson

[Jack_Daniels]

Wouldn't "Tear Drops on the Fret Board" make a nice name for a piece of music?

Jason

[sonnyjammer]

Yep, I wrote the instrumental for that tune the day I posted, and the words for the song are an expanded version of my two earlier posts. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif