Picking your next instrument

[Steven Clarkson]

Love, yes. Obsession, no. The next instrument you buy could be your first or your last. Don't buy on a whim - oh, this will fill all my needs. Know what neck profile you want first and foremost - more instruments are returned on the it doesn't feel right to me kinda signal - thick neck/thin neck/or something in between. Most people have a hard time with measurements - including me. Then what kind of sound are you looking for - do your research - it will be good for you and your dealer. This has all been posted before - just be careful - you might not get what you are looking for - do you want it set up and ready to play - are you ok with a couple marks here nor there - do you want to play out - if so, do you want to be mic'd or do you want to go the piezzo route - all things that have been hashed and rehashed - just think what you really want - I am at a place of happiness instrument wise - if you are not, it's a big investment and not one to jump into. Just think!

[Steven Clarkson]

I was a catch and release guy for 10 plus years - I wouldn't do it again, knowing what I know now. Pick your instrument carefully - there are a lot of builders and great aftermarket stuff - shop wisely.

[Mandobart]

Twice now, once before I knew about mandolincafe, I bought a lower end instrument that seemed "good enough." These were shortly replaced by "great" instruments and are now seldom played. I'm finding you can't "always sell" the old one when you upgrade. Did I need the experience of the mediocre to truly enjoy the great instrument? Probably not. Anyway, I've learned and am now resisting the impulse to buy the cheap chinese made 5-string fiddle while I investigate great handmade ones by small US builders. It's no bargain to buy something for $500 when I know what I really need to get the tone and playability I'm after will cost closer to $3000.

[allenhopkins]

...This has all been posted before...all things that have been hashed and rehashed...

OK: decent advice, fer shure, but those who take it to heart probably don't need it, and those who need it will probably go ahead and do what they were going to do anyway.

Find it more useful to respond to a specific focused inquiry, than to issue general rules of mandolin-acquisition conduct. I've violated a bunch of these axioms; bought an Eastman DGM-2 on about five minutes' reflection, 'cause it looked really cool and John Bernunzio (http://bernunzio.com/) offered me a good deal. Not sorry about it, though not the purchasing procedure I'd recommend to all...

The one piece of advice I'd offer almost universally, is not to spend the rent-and-groceries money on a mandolin (unless you're immediately going to use it to make back the rent-and-groceries money, by playing the Opry or some such). Or, to make it even more succinct, don't be stupid and irresponsible. I've been both, but not at once.

[Bertram Henze]

One rule I always found useful is to keep every part of the decision process at the level it belongs to, i.e.

Level 1: Your heart (finding out what would make you happy)
Level 2: Your head (finding out what you need to make your happiness project real)
Level 3: The outside world (instruments, money, testing)

e.g. it's no good trying to find out what makes you happy with your head (done on level 2, belongs on level 1), or to spend money to figure the realization process (done on level 3, belongs on level 2). If you have to logically ponder in your head if this instrument is what you want, you have already made a mistake.

Those levels also differ in speed: your heart will know what it wants in a split second, your head takes minutes to think, reality creeps along for days and months. Therefore, a love-at-first-sight impulse from your heart is probably right, but spontaneous spending of money is not (never follow that buy-today-and-get-discount scam).

The levels also differ in persistence: what your heart really needs is your very own and will not change. What you think can change because man is not really good at logic and thinking is influenced by what others say. The outside world changes all the time without notice.
I have often experienced that motivation will ripen and get more distinct if I let it just be for a while, like a still lake that clears as the silt is sinking and finally reveals what's on the bottom. Then I see if that motivation is in my heart.

This way, much money can be saved. 90% of my happiness can be fulfilled without even speding a dime.