Professional mandolin players and MAS?

[frankmsu]

Do you think professional mandolin players have MAS as much as non-professionals? I am at a level of player ability that I would consider approaching intermediate, and I have MAS bad. I get the notion that great players spend their time playing the mandolin, and not buying and selling. Maybe MAS is not as much a function of player proficiency as it is a personality issue. All I know is, I need a cure!:confused:

[Rick Schmidlin]

The Dawg sure has.

[John Flynn]

Well, I don't know the whole stories, but Compton, Dawg, Thile and Steffy, just to name a few, seem to do a fair amount of horse trading and upgrading. Sure, they can justify it as "tools of the trade," but they would probably sound as good on any well-made mandolin, but still they keep searching for the next big thing.

[Jeff Harvey]

I am a semi retired pro and I never had MAS like most of the people here on this site and I still dont. I play other instruments as well and every instrument I have is nice, but I dont get into the search for the ultimate mando. I spend that energy playing rather than searching.

[Chris Biorkman]

I've heard that David Grisman has amassed a pretty impressive stable of instruments.

[MikeEdgerton]

Mr. Grisman appears to acquire instruments on a regular basis. I pretty much have MAS in check but that doesn't mean I won't be buying any new mandolins. I will but I don't feel the maniacal drive to get a new one that is common to those with MAS.

[frankmsu]

I think if I lived in an area where more people played the mandolin, and there were music stores that carried nice mandolins, I wouldn't have to buy them to have them pass through my hands. Thus, I would not have MAS.

[Folkmusician.com]

I had noticed this in the past... My experience is more with regional guys who I would consider Semi-Pro. Guys who regularly play clubs and events for money, but also have day jobs.

I think this varies by the individual, but as a whole, it does not seem like average professional players rotate through their instruments at a high rate. They typically find a few that work for them and leave it at that. They also seem much less concerned about cosmetics and I notice a lot more low to mid grade instruments than you would expect among professional players.

[billkilpatrick]

just saw a b.b.c. world service interview with a spry-sounding, 83-year-old b.b. king - who says he only has two guitars - " ... one extra in case something goes wrong."

[OldSausage]

just saw a b.b.c. world service interview with a spry-sounding, 83-year-old b.b. king - who says he only has two guitars - " ... one extra in case something goes wrong."

Well, but, the guitar he has is Lucille (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucille_(guitar)).

[billkilpatrick]

yes but it would appear lucille has a sister ... wonder what he calls it - her ... is it a clone, i wonder?

[re simmers]

Bill didn't seem to have it.........until his barbershop mandolin went in for service. But, then he chose to have it rebuilt. I guess Bill then had the "Anti-MAS?"

[Sheryl McDonald]

Jeff Harvey == do you just have your main one and a spare, or do you have a couple of each kind (oval hole, f hole, etc) or ?

[Sheryl McDonald]

I would be happy with one A5 and one A oval hole, if I could sell the other two I have. Would I ever look at another one? Probably. I'm curious.

Interesting, but with my fiddles I do not have FAS. I am happy with the two I have, and I have never spent time looking at others. I do enjoy looking at pictures of them (wood, make) but I'm not remotely interested in buying one. I guess it's because the two I have are such an extension of my playing and sound, I feel they match me, and I'm not looking for something different.

[Stephen Lind]

what better way to line one's nest
than with little wooden nest eggs
that one can play and appreciate
and will also appreciate in value

[Eddie Sheehy]

That doesn't rhyme Steve... a Haiku maybe?

[Stephen Lind]

bless you:grin:
and
speaking of lined nests...:mandosmiley:

[OldSausage]

yes but it would appear lucille has a sister ... wonder what he calls it - her ... is it a clone, i wonder?

I think it works the same as Air Force One - whichever guitar he's playing becomes, by definition, Lucille.

[MikeEdgerton]

Bill didn't seem to have it.........until his barbershop mandolin went in for service. But, then he chose to have it rebuilt. I guess Bill then had the "Anti-MAS?"

Bill owned way more than one mandolin.

[Carolie]

Many different woods can be used to make a mandolin and each combination of wood sounds different.

Professional players might also travel more than the average person, visit more music shops, be exposed to more different instruments and be able to make a choice after having tried many different instruments. I wonder also if professional musicians have a desire to generate a consistent sound for recording purposes, thus not shocking their fans by the sound of an unfamiliar mandolin.

When you stop and think about choosing the right instrument for yourself, not only does the sound matter, but the affordability of the price, the physical ability or not to play a particular instrument (e.g. is the neck too baseball-batlike? The size of one's hands, nickel allergy), and the comfort level with the sound of a particular instrument.

In addition, each person's ability to distinguish nuances in sound differs as well, so some people might not be able to tell as much difference between two good quality instruments whereas other people might be able to tell a great deal of difference.

Acquiring a new instrument might also serve as motivation to continue working hard at one's craft. If a person is already a professional mandolin player, that motivation exists already and satisfaction is achieved through other means, such as fame, money, and audience satisfaction (at live performances).

There is the collecting side as well as the playing side. Mandos are among some of the most beautiful instruments made by man. Then the different styles of mandolins, depending on the shape of the back. How about modern instruments vs. early 20th century instruments vs. really antique instruments. Then of course, we have all the instruments in the mandolin family that complicate things even further.

All are factors which might serve to fuel MAS.

We have all manner of toys as children. What makes us think we're going to be any different as adults?

Carolyn

[allenhopkins]

little wooden nest eggs
that...will also appreciate in value

We'd like to think so, but don't count on it. That new Collings or Kentucky you just took home, also took a hit when it went from "new" to "used." Hold on to it for a decade, and perhaps it will increase in value faster than inflation; then again, perhaps not. Buying vintage is different, if you're well-informed and careful, but remember one is often buying retail, selling wholesale... George Gruhn waxes eloquent on the subject of vintage instruments as long-term investments, but, like playing the stock market, YMMV.

With regard to professionals having or not having large collections of instruments, I think that varies. Professional musicians, especially acoustic musicians, don't always have the spare cash to indulge their MAS or GAS or BAS or whatever. Some rock stars have huge guitar collections -- and the money to acquire them. I sure wouldn't have the 70+ instruments kicking around my basement, if I were supporting myself and family on the $$ I make playing 150+ gigs annually. My little aphorism is, "Music makes a wonderful mistress but a lousy wife."

But spending a large part of one's life in contact with instruments sure has a way of giving one an appreciation of their beauty, variety and musical potential. And the differences among instruments of the same general type, mean that one can always find a rationale for getting "just one more -- you know, I don't have a (1) resonator mandolin (2) short-necked f-hole (3) guitar-bodied mandocello (4) acoustic-electric (5) whatever else."

Hence, a dozen or more mandolins. All different. And the potential for another acquisition, if one should cross my path. Anyone got a bowl-back mandocello that you're not using?

[frankmsu]

We have all manner of toys as children. What makes us think we're going to be any different as adults?

Carolyn

I think this sums up why I have MAS. Then again, I'm 55 years old and my generation did not have the unbelievable quantity of toys that kids seem to have today. So maybe we are making up for it now. I have been asked by those that don't play mandolin why I keep buying (and selling) mandolins, and I tell them it's like Christmas every time I get another one in.

-Frank

[Hans]

... but still they keep searching for the next big thing.

Sure you don't mean "free"? :grin:

[Big Joe]

Trust me....they get MAS just as much as anyone else. They just have the means and opportunity to extinguish it. They may have their favorite main axe, but they trade and buy and sell just like everyone else. Tom T Hall once was quoted as saying he gets a guitar because it has certain songs in it. Once he gets all the songs out of it he can he gets rid of that one and gets another with more songs in it. That is as good an explanation of MAS as I can come up with. Life happens and MAS does too :) .

[evanreilly]

I once asked Bill Monroe how many mandolins he had. He thought for a minute or two and answered that he had fourteen. Including the two Loars. He used to make it a point to stop at yard sales and look for mandolins while driving around to shows.

[re simmers]

I assumed Bill had way more than one, but I didn't know he had 14. Were they all Gibsons? I think I have an old Frets magazine with a picture of Bill playing an Alverez on an ad.

When does it become a "syndrome?"

[mandomania7923]

If 14 is MAS what do you call 60? http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51507

[Mike Bunting]

If I remember correctly Ibanez was the mando in that ad.

[Jeff Harvey]

MCH, I have only 2 mandos and only really have never owned more than one until recently adding a custom build from a member here on the Cafe. When I toured I had a Givens A and endorsed a F style for Cliff Sargent. I had plenty of chances to get others including a few Loars, but stuck with what I had. I gave the Sargent back when I quit touring and later saw Rhonda Vincent with it. I'm enjoying breaking in my new Wilson built by Craig Wilson.

[Ivan Kelsall]

I just finished reading Eric Clapton's autobiography & he tells of the first auctioning of a 'few' of his Guitars in aid of his drug rehabilitation centre in Antigua - he sorted out a 100 or so. He didn't mention how many more he had in his collection.
I think that many of the top players aquire instruments for the 'difference' in sound that each instrument provides,much the same point that Carolyn makes. My 2 personal Mandolins sound very different & if i were a 'pro.' player,i'd use them for different purposes,i'm pretty sure that most of our top players do much the same.Some instruments will sound great 'live' while others,with maybe a 'quieter' but 'sweeter' sound would be best used in a recording studio,where their nuances of tone & volume can be adjusted during mixing down. We must remember that what we hear on a recording has all been tinkered with,& hearing the same tune live,it would probably sound very different,
Ivan

[barney 59]

If you can claim it as a tax write off does it still qualify as MAS?

[jim_n_virginia]

Do you think professional mandolin players have MAS as much as non-professionals?

I think the answer is the same as applied to non-pros ... namely some do and some don't.

Also a successful working pro will most likely have more capitol to buy Loars, Gilchrists etc. than a poor back porch picker like me! :grin:

[Ken_P]

If I'm not mistaken, Norman Blake has an enormous collection of old guitars and mandolins, and is constantly trading from and adding to it.

[onassis]

I read a quote from Norman one time (and I'm paraphrasing); "When I got these instruments, they weren't vintage, just used!":grin:

[Greg H.]

I assumed Bill had way more than one, but I didn't know he had 14. Were they all Gibsons? I think I have an old Frets magazine with a picture of Bill playing an Alverez on an ad.

When does it become a "syndrome?"

He also had a Randy Wood as well as the Ibanez.

[Chris Biorkman]

I think the answer is the same as applied to non-pros ... namely some do and some don't.

Also a successful working pro will most likely have more capitol to buy Loars, Gilchrists etc. than a poor back porch picker like me! :grin:

I don't think there is too much money in being a bluegrass musician. I would think people who have normal jobs would be more likely to be able to afford high-end instruments. Maybe with a few exceptions.

[Tripp Johnson]

I don't think there is too much money in being a bluegrass musician. I would think people who have normal jobs would be more likely to be able to afford high-end instruments. Maybe with a few exceptions.

I agree.

[Chris Keth]

I see no reason why a professional would be immune to liking and wanting more mandolins. In fact, they would have a more legitimate reason for keeping a greater variety than an amateur: Recording.

[acousticnotes]

I think this sums up why I have MAS. Then again, I'm 55 years old and my generation did not have the unbelievable quantity of toys that kids seem to have today. So maybe we are making up for it now. I have been asked by those that don't play mandolin why I keep buying (and selling) mandolins, and I tell them it's like Christmas every time I get another one in.

-Frank

+1 Frank. It's a mid-life thang:whistling:

Joe

[frankmsu]

+1 Frank. It's a mid-life thang:whistling:

Joe

Joe, the mandos are alot cheaper than the Mazda MX-5 convertible I bought for the mid-life thing, as long as I keep selling mandolins when I buy. Another thing about my MAS, I always buy before I sell, and not the other way around.

-Frank

[ManjoMan]

In the case of Eric Clapton, I would think that a great deal of the guitars that he had or had were given to him by various manufacturers in return for his endorsement. I think that is the reason that Bill M. had so many mandolins - Gibson gave him (from what I understand) two per year for almost ten years.

I also agree that the majority of bluegrass musicians (the pro's) do not make the kind of money to support MAS like those of us who also have full-time jobs.

[Tim2723]

Don't the big name pros (at least in mainstream music) also get a lot of endorsment deals? It's a whole lot easier to collect a bunch of top name instruments if they hand them to you for an endorsement, I would think.

Oops. Sorry Manjoman. Simultaneous typing syndrome.

For several years I played an Ovation MM-68 and my partner played a pair of high-end Ovation guitars. We wrote to them to tell them that, but we never got as much as a set of free strings. I guess it only works for the big boys. Oh well.

[Michael Gowell]

And Roland White told me one time that when Bill visited LA he always wanted to cruise the pawn shops for mandolins. He almost bought an old 3-point one time...can you imagine the effect on the mandolin community if Bill had enjoyed a documented '3-point period' of musical production?

[Richard Sanabia]

When I was making custom shoes and motorcycle leather goods I used to try, (and owned), all kinds of vintage sewing machines. They would actually sew differently, even between the same model. Now I'm having a LOT of fun going from one mando to another. I just reworked an old Harmony, and it sounds AMAZING! There are a lot of players around here so I have a great opportunity to try all kinds, 'cause I can't afford the "name brand" ones. My main player is a flattop from Canada. Peace, Richard in East Tennessee,,,

[acousticnotes]

Joe, the mandos are alot cheaper than the Mazda MX-5 convertible I bought for the mid-life thing, as long as I keep selling mandolins when I buy. Another thing about my MAS, I always buy before I sell, and not the other way around.

-Frank


Yeah..It was a 350Z for me. I do think sometimes that MAS or GAS sometimes interferes with music itself. I ask myself "Am I a musician or a collector?". When I first started playing guitar I would think that a more expensive guitar would make me play better until you see someone playing a piece of junk and sound amazing. WAKE UP CALL! Music should be first MAS should be a distance second IMHO. I guess I should practice what I preach;)

Joe

[AlanN]

Two afflicted pros who come to mind:

Aubrey Haynie
Adam Steffey

[Sheryl McDonald]

Another thing about my MAS, I always buy before I sell, and not the other way around.

-Frank

Well, it sounds like you have your MAS under control. And can it really be MAS if you get rid of one before you get another? Not the other way around, then have a hard time getting rid of any of them, because you like them both?? ;)

[Sheryl McDonald]

After reading this thread, I have decided that the term MAS is the wrong description of the condition. We should be noting that we are all connoisseurs of the mandolin, and we enjoy tasting many varieties of the instrument.
No one here would enjoy eating the same food over and over for dinner -- (well, ... there are probably a few of you that would); why should we all be expected enjoy just one mandolin? I nominate the term MAS be scratched out and replaced with the word connoisseur.

[frankmsu]

Well, it sounds like you have your MAS under control. And can it really be MAS if you get rid of one before you get another? Not the other way around, then have a hard time getting rid of any of them, because you like them both?? ;)

I never sell before I buy, because having bought is my reason to sell. Hey, I think you are right though, my MAS is under control. I got a new Weber in today, so I think that is it. Never mind the fact that I have bought 14 mandolins in the past 15 months. I'm through, finished, that's it, no more!! By the way, I have made a thoughtful decision to only keep four because that is what works for me. To each his own.

Frank

[floyd floar]

Greetings Mandocats and mandokittens:
I'd like to revive this thread because the answer my friend is blowin' in the Mandolin, i.e. a lot of my mandoheroes such as Don Stiernberg, Paul Glasse, Don Julin, Will Patton, Mark Levesque and a lot of pro 'grassers are Cafe members and post here on this very board, the same as you and I.
Let's ask them to weigh in on the MAS question- it would be cool to know if they own a lot of instruments or just a few. How about it, men?

[Chris Rogers]

This isnt about MAS, but since GAS is such as similar affliction, it's relevant. David Lindley once said of his stable of Weissenborn lap steels, "I just keep finding the perfect one...(sigh). Oh well, it's a write-off".

[mrmando]

Heard from a bandmate of Robert Bowlin's that Robert is an inveterate collector who has major GAS and FAS as well as MAS.

[Laird]

Then again, I'm 55 years old and my generation did not have the unbelievable quantity of toys that kids seem to have today. So maybe we are making up for it now.

This is interesting. As I said in another thread, I never experienced MAS until Janet Davis sent a catalog to my house, where it topped the charts in the bathroom library for a couple months. Flipping through those pages worked on me in exactly the way that advertising is supposed to work. I was never unhappy with my old Kentucky until I knew that I had so much reason to be unhappy!!!:grin:

(Actually, hearing folks on MandoCafe talk about their beauties doesn't help much either. I imagine that we'll become proportionately more dissatisfied with what we've got as the Information Age evolves and gives us more opportunities to see and hear what others are playing.)

As for how this impacts the pros, well, those of them who can afford to buy another mando are probably seeing a lot more of them out there on the road, where business (e.g., strings) takes them to various shops along the way. And I can certainly understand wanting the best tool for your trade. Maybe even a few tools for different jobs. But I don't imagine many hang on to lower-end models once they have something that does the same job better. (Though I've still got my old Kentucky hanging on the wall--just in case!)