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Rip off that band-aid! Play where people walking by can hear you, but aren't really paying attention to you. Then, play with a small circle of people at about your same level and whom you know well...

I recently got in one of the new Chris Thile signature mandolin picks from D'Addario (Model 2CA7-01CT), which are currently retailing for $25 apiece. That's fairly expensive for a single pick, but...

Sorry to hear you're going through this.

Here's an example of handling this kind of situation, maybe it will help...

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I'm 65, played banjo for about 50 years and mandolin on and off...

The old Forum software has been reinstalled. But I wasn't done meddling just yet. I saw some things in the other version and decided they had their place here so changes have occurred in the...

You may experience some binding in the nut. Also the action at the nut could be a little higher if they don't fit in the slots.

It depends on the mandolin and how it is set up currently. There may be no noticeable effect. I don't know what you are playing, but I suggest the odds are very small that you will notice a setup...

No direct experience with 74's and 75's in quite a few years, but I've been switching back and forth between Mangan mediums (BG series, 11.5 to 41) and lights (10 to 36) for the last several months,...

I found the J-75s were tougher on my left hand, with sore fingertips and finger cramping after a bit of playing, and that's with fairly low action. I like the Flat Tops better for more comfortable...

Yeah, it's a never ending debate.

I continue to look for that unbiased human being and for that mechanical sound collection and measuring device (especially microphones) that was designed and made...

There is wisdom in the statement that if you really can't hear a difference save the money.



My view is to avoid any thinking about investment. It leads to ridiculous behavior like not playing...

Catalyzed finish. They are very durable. They also tend to be pretty brittle compared to instrument lacquers and varnishes. Instrument lacquer, such as available from Mohawk, have plasticizers (sp?)...

Don't touch the lacquer! If it's valued at $8k, it must be by a good luthier. Lacquer cracks and crazes, shrinks and color shifts as it ages. But because if its composition, it becomes integrated...

Another option is to sell,trade it for a new, shiny one. Lots of risk in having it refinished.

Ditto everything John said.

In addition, the color from black lacquer often penetrates into the wood. And even with clear lacquer finishes, the sealing coats penetrate into the wood. To...

Several things come to mind here:
-Rule #1 when doing finish touch-up or refinish work: It is always easier to make it look worse than to make it look better.
-Black lacquer (or black finishes in...

I’m sure some folks will claim it will open up more. I wouldn’t count on it.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Do what makes you happy.

Btw, my 00-21 has a very crazed top, rest of the...

IMO..Id love it for what it is.

There is a vast difference between the measurable reality of sound produced and the perceived reality. If one could scientifically measure and quantify what good tone is, and perhaps it can be done,...

Actually, I'm afraid that your recollection of these experiments is not quite right. Yes, some of the very same brain areas 'light up' in fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) studies where...

The question you asked in the original post brings to mind the scientific experiments done over the years in the field of psychology and perception. Using all of the tools available for measuring...

Sorry, but I cannot agree that the consensus of opinions expressed on the MC is mainly explained by some kind of "observation bias," namely, that people will tend to report whatever works for them...

I suspect reporting success and failure is the same here as anywhere else. Folks are not generally so keen to report that they tried something and that it made a situation no different or worse,...

sadly, her in norway, getting ahold of a proper mandolin, isnt very easy. I did recently, however, manage to get a weber aspen 1 in mint condition, and so my journey from a low-end mandolin (cort...

One reason the results we hear are almost always positive is that people who go to the expense of buying something which has a negative effect on their playing often don't care to share that they...

I spent over a month not using the toneguards on my mandolins. I suspected that toneguards act much as a shoulder rest on a violin does tonally speaking. The voice of both instruments is changed by...