It's so great to have a beater!

[GTG]

The 'beater' mando performed beautifully this past weekend on a backpacking trip.

We camped in Yoho Nat. Park Friday night (hard rain all evening, night). Sat. morning, packed up, shoved wet tent in the car, strapped mando to pack (in Boulder gigbag), and hiked up the Little Yoho Valley to the Alpine Club cabin (some drizzle, mist, bits of remnant snow patches on the trail). A nice pack cover went over the backpack and mando.

Saturday night, pulled out mando and jammed in the cabin with a guitarist (guitar has been in the hut since 1983, apparently). Mando sounds and plays great - several compliments from those present (ok, whiskey and Bailey's may have contributed).

Sunday, hiked out, including an unplanned detour, lots of slipping and sliding in wet snow. Sat down and waited for 45 minutes at one point for folks to catch up - pulled out the mando and played beside a waterfall. Mostly clear, some drizzle at the end, some sun - one of those, jacket on, jacket off days.

Back home Sunday night, drying out gear, beater mando goes back in the corner. No evidence whatsoever (so far) of the hard weekend. Thank you Michael Kelly LFS!

:mandosmiley:

What are your stories of 'hard mando living' with your beater instrument?

[JeffD]

I fell off a chair and rolled down a hill, mandolin in hand. After a couple of rolls I got the hang of keeping the mandolin high in the air and never between me and the ground as I came around.

I rolled about 4 times and ended up half in mud holding my mandolin high in the air.

Not a scratch or a speck of mud on the instrument. Me and the chair - different story.

[Tom C]

Ahhh....Takakkaw Falls in Yoho.

[Rick Schmidlin]

I hope to get a MT as my beater.

[Jim MacDaniel]

I fell off a chair and rolled down a hill, mandolin in hand. After a couple of rolls I got the hang of keeping the mandolin high in the air and never between me and the ground as I came around.

I rolled about 4 times and ended up half in mud holding my mandolin high in the air.

Not a scratch or a speck of mud on the instrument. Me and the chair - different story.

I did that with a beer once, and was a campfire hero. (You can't waste beer when the nearest convenience store is a few hours away.)

[allenhopkins]

1] Sitting in the Ellipse near the White House, while wife and kids were attending the 1993 Easter Egg Roll, playing my $25 Strad-O-Lin. Couple comes up to me, says, "Hey, didn't you play at Peaceful Gatherings down in Corning last year?" "Yes indeed." Small world.

2] Trudging down Park Ave. in Rochester during the Park Avenue Arts Festival, playing the Strad-O-Lin, getting a smile from a Marine recruiter by playing From the Halls of Montezuma. TV crew comes up, filming a piece on the festival, starts following me down the street. End up being about 75% of the video soundtrack, mostly Boys of Blue Hill, a little Ragtime Annie.

Take your mandolin along when you go places; ya never know...

[fatt-dad]

<snip> TV crew comes up, filming a piece on the festival, starts following me down the street. End up being about 75% of the video soundtrack, mostly Boys of Blue Hill, a little Ragtime Annie. <snip>

Went to the local farmer's market last night 'cause I heard of an acoustic jam (had my real mandolin however). TV crew was there and I got on the evening news. Fun part was that the music we were playing ("Red-Haired Boy") became the soundtrack for the rest of the story. Not much of a beater story, but related to Allen's story. . .

f-d

[mandolirius]

Not a beater but my main mando.

Leaving my parents place in the mountains of central British Columbia on my way to music camp. Hit a patch of gravel on a high, narrow mountain road and went over the cliff. Flipped the truck end over end twice before bouncing off a hugh concrete culvert for diverting run-off from melting snow, turned sideways and rolled over a couple more times before landing in a lake, truck on its side, drivers door down.

Managed to get myself out before the cab completely filled with water. Sitting on the roof, which was out of the water, I instantly remembered my mandolin in the lock box, which was fully submerged. Reached into the water, found the box lid, ripped the top off with my bare hands (which was when I sustained the most serious injuries) and got the mandolin out. Waded to shore with it, opened up the case and poured out the water. Thought the mandolin was pooched, but it was over 30 degrees (celsius) that day, so it dried out pretty fast. I took the strings and bridge off, left it at my parents place and arranged to borrow an instrument from another instructor to get me through camp (a Heiden, no less).

Took it to my repair guy when I got home and it was fine. The truck was totalled and I was a bit banged up and my hands were cut when I ripped the lid of the box. All in all, the mandolin made out better than me or the truck.

[Michael Gowell]

Nothing dramatic here, just agreement that an old Strad in a chipboard case is a remarkably useful item in your vehicle...any daily downtime can be pleasantly frittered away in a park or parking lot.

[Bruce Clausen]

Travelling light. :)

[Aran]

Glastonbury festival has got to be one of the most extreme places I've taken a beater. 2005 our stall was under 2 feet of water. I'm on the right of the photo taking refuge on our counter having a pick.


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Later this year I will be bringing a beater to Thailand to a beach which is only accessible by little boat and when the sea is choppy you arrive completely drenched wet to the skin. Earlier this year when trying to leave the beach at night our boat overturned nearly killing a couple of us and soaking all our baggage. I didn't have a mandolin on that occasion thank god but my daughters ipod did not survive as she forgot to put it in the wet bag. I will be bringing a blonde F style Bean Blossom from Morgan Monroe this time. Wish me luck :grin:

[mandroid]

Oregon Country Fair gets standing water like that , but in the winter not the summer.

put my compact travel Leo mandolin, and slightly larger Martin Backpacker thru some rough conditions, and they came thru it in serviceable condition.

most recent acquisition, a Mix CF A5 may have renderd the other 2 redundant,

If I had such a weather proof , sturdy good sounding Mandolin along during long bike trip abroad,

I may not have come back.

but I had the gooder ones in storage..