The aesthetics are important. Certainly aesthetics are secondary to tone and playability and build quality. But, even within those limits we do need to consider shape of the instrument.
A lot of what is important to me about music is its connections to past music. And the aesthetic connection helps with that. I can more easily see myself as a part of something gigantic with a long history and legacy if my instrument is either old, or looks similar enough to what was used "back
I have a theory that MAS is born of the endorphin hit one experiences acquiring a new mandolin, and the panic inducing thought that we may never experience that again.
I was just congratulating a member on her new mandolin and I got to thinking about this. Not wanting to hijack her thread and her joy on her new mandolin day, I thought I would share my thoughts here.
Rod Neep is a member here, though I we have not heard from him in a long time. in 2009 he did what we would
I have had my share of tragedy and sadness in life. Not significantly more than most and much less then many. My point is not to get sympathy, but to share a few things I have figured out.
Limited resources due to unforseen life events taught me at a relatively early age that experiences are better things to pursue than possessions. Experiences cannot be stolen by thieves or lost through carelessness, or divorce, or destroyed in a hurricane, or repossessed by the bank.
We all go through grey and dark times: Being alone when I did not want to be, being with people I’d rather not be. Not having what I want and having a lot I don’t, not being who I want to be by this time, or worse, having to ask myself, as did Peggy Lee: "Is that all there is?"
Being caught in a lie, or worse, being caught in a truth.
And darker times.
Losing friends over ridiculous arguments far less important (or informed) than was the friendship.
There is a syndrome, in my experience much more common among some guitar players, where bragging rights accrue to getting the absolute cheapest most beat up instrument possible. I think it has to do with resolving the cognitive dissonance of playing blues, down and dirty blues, on a guitar costing a couple months pay, or more, at a good job. Authenticity, or something like. But whatever the reason, a fellow carrying a guitar that looks like it was found in the men's room of the New York City Port
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