Should i trade my '54 gibson a40?

[shaycraft]

Now I am thinking of trading my '54 A40 for a newer model mando. What should I be looking for if I want to make an even trade?

[dmamlep]

if you are looking for better sound, you might find that hard. if you play in a band, most of us like f5's.

[Lane Pryce]

Theres a sweet Gibson A5G in the classifieds. Lp

[Eric F.]

Ah, you're definitely one of us now! You've gone from being determined to quit to suffering from MAS!

What's wrong with the A40, would be my first question. Do you think a different mando would inspire you more?

I've seen people ask $1250 and I've seen people them go for $530 on eBay. That at least gives you a range.

[shaycraft]

I've seen MAS used before but I still don't know what it means. Yes, I was thinking if I had something that sounded a little better it would inspire me to play more. The A40 sounds ok, but the chop is weak. Would a different mando not help?

[Eric F.]

MAS = mandolin acquisition syndrome. If you want another mando, I'm not the guy to talk you out of it. It might indeed inspire you more.

But I would also ask myself if the chop is weak because of the mando or because my technique is lacking. That's something to consider. People (I've been guilty of this, I'm sure) sometimes think their mandolin is the problem when it's their playing. I'm not saying that's the case with you or that even if it is, you shouldn't get a different mando if you want one. Just don't expect it to be the silver bullet that ends your playing woes.

[Jim Broyles]

MANDOLIN ACQUISITION SYNDROME

Keep the A40. It is wonderful for bluegrass. Try heavier (11-40 or 41) strings and heavier picks if your chop is weak. Chop over the "sweet" spot. Mess around between the bridge and the fretboard and find the place that seems to sound the best when you play there.

[shaycraft]

How 'bout that - I've had MAS for almost 5 years and didn't even know it! Am I going to die if I don't buy that Sumi I want so badly?

[Eric F.]

Yes. I think there's a good possibility of that. As your physician, I recommend you buy the Sumi immediately. Man, the Sumi I played a couple of months ago was sweet.

[soapycows]

I had an A40, it was my second mandolin. I found it to be weak, too. Having played and owned lots of mandolins since, I now have a Collings A model and am temporarily satisfied.
If you truly have MAS, an A40 won't hold you for long. There are too many mandolins out there. The temptation is too great.
However, for an even trade (if that is what you are looking for) you probably won't find anything better than the A40.

[shaycraft]

The only Sumi I've heard sounded better than the Gibson's that cost 2 or 3 times more. Maybe I have ### - Aquire Sumi Syndrome

[allenhopkins]

Here's (http://www.bernunzio.com/item.php?sku=0610012) an early '50's A-40 that Bernunzio is selling for $900; looks to be in pretty good shape.

Take $800-1,000 as a rule of thumb, then look through the classifieds for instruments that are being sold around that price or slightly lower (usually you take a little discount on a straight trade). That'll give you a universe of possible trades, IMHO.

By the way, if you put periods in Acquire Sumi Syndrome, such as A.S.S., does the electronic censor still kick it out? Let's see...

[tiltman]

I agree with some of the above... I doubt that you could get a better mandolin than the A40 for that price.

Better get another mandolin!
Kirk

[mandroid]

I had an A 40 for many years . # seemed fine . my 2nd one was an Oval A'0',
'chop tone' never entered my mind. but I've been outside the bluegrass #club thing..
[on Scrooge's pay packet, couldn't afford the car and all that driving to where I didn't live] #
yea, so I tend towards the blue notes..

Seems like the current equivalent gibby is the A9 , from the looks of it ..

[Lane Pryce]

I had an A40 once and it was an absolute dog. Chunk it and get yourself a really good A. Sure a mandolin that plays and sounds well is much more enjoyable. If it feels and sounds right then you will definitely find more time to practice. Lp

[Pen]

58 A-40 I've played has one of the best chomp's under 5k i've ever played. IMO it's a great mando.

[PaulD]

I've had my '52 A-40 for about 6 years and it's a sweet mando. It's got a nice action and a nice mellow tone. It does not have the BG chop and loudness that my F-9 has... if I expected that I would call it a dog. In fact it's not as loud as my Flatiron 1sh, but the tone is more balanced. As a mellow Celtic instrument I couldn't ask for more (I could ask for different, but not more).

I've only played a few other A-40s and they seemed decent too but I don't have enough experience with a broad range of A-40s to know if there were good years and bad years.

To truly embrace your MAS you must keep the A-40 and buy the Sumi or some other mando-family instrument. Until you have a wall full of mandolins you will never be satisfied... at least that's the way my shrink explained it to me! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

Paul