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Concurring with Tavy's observation. Summer is absolutely the worst (you might think otherwise with festivals going on). With the exception of Christmas, anything around holidays is VERY slow. Back...

Now.

New year is strangely OK too, given that most other retail businesses are dead Jan/Feb.

Not summer time, can't sell instruments to save your life from August-September, those potential...

The worst time seems to be tax season, when lots of instruments with that excuse seem to flood the market. Most of my purchases have been fueled by opportunity coinciding with stipends or bonuses, so...

Hi Marty - A Cafe member who doesn't post that often these days,mentioned that Black Diamond strings of the same gauge as EJ74s,sounded great on his own Weber "Fern" mandolin,so i tried a set on mine...

Hi Lou - My Ellis "A" style has a James tailpiece,& i found Roger Siminoff's info. page whilst looking for general information. Roger was as thorough as usual in his instructions,
...

Then there's this :- 170874
Ivan

I think it all depends on your use of your mandolin. My mandolins rarely leave my home except for my weekly gig at a nursing home. No airline traveling with it and not a professional musician so I...

Ok, having never owned anything better than an Eastman, just from reading around here, this is how I think things are supposed to work (slightly tongue in cheek):

Beginner instruments (gateway...

I find when I love the sound of my mandolin I play it "just to hear it". When I am tired and don't have the energy I play it because "I want to hear it". I love the sound. NOW, if that is the way you...

Wait a minute, I'm confused. Are you supposed to have a reason for upgrading? This kind of runs counter to how this place seems to operate.

Cindy, find a mandolin that speaks to you, that you are...

I rarely talk to my mandolin. It's generally doing what it's supposed to do. I do however have to scream at my fingers now and again. They don't seem to be holding up their end of the deal.

I've played guitar since the early 70's and just picked up playing the mandolin a little over a year ago. With guitar, there are a limited number of chord shapes because of the tuning and the length...

GHS has sold for years a product called GraphitALL, supposedly designed by Rene Martinez (Stevie Ray Vaughn's guitar tech), white powdery general purpose lube for nuts, saddles, etc. -- good stuff --...

A clean, properly fit nut is best but in a pinch I keep some chapstick handy..

If you use the cord, or sandpaper for that matter, be mindful not to round or disturb the bridge-side edge of the nut slot.

Another thing to think about is, maybe you could smooth your nut slots. Maybe whoever did the set up just used files and left burrs and roughness in there. Mitchell’s Abrasive Cord is sold by Stew...

I know of one Cafe member who uses a Travelite case for his own Gilchrist . I also know of one very well known player,Mike Marshall,who carries his Lloyd Loar mandolin in a Travelite case. For...

I'm sort of in the camp of if the nut is cut properly it really shouldn't need any lube. I have never used it on any of my instruments. I have had sticking/clicking while tuning on several...

I use Tri-flow, when it dries it leaves a coating of Teflon. I also use it on my tuners. Great stuff.

I don't care for the gray residue a pencil leaves. This is what I use...

https://www.amazon.com/Music-Nomad-MN106-TUNE-Lubricant/dp/B01MPX0994


It's supposed to be a good all around lubricant,...

FWI - Big Bends Nut Sauce contains silicone.
I big issue if there is ever a need for finish repair.

I wanted to try some and I ordered D'Addario Lubrikit friction remover. Mine came in incomplete from amazon. But the grease smelled and looked like petroleum jelly. So I made my own "kit" with a...

Big Bends Nut Sauce. Way better than graphite. I also use it on tuner gears.

IMHO pencil lead is the no brainer choice here. Cheap, effective, dry and no mess.

If your nut slots are cut correctly for your string gauges, smoothed, and your nut is made from properly hard...

If you have nothing to contribute to this thread, find something else to do. Someone asked for assistance, not a request to start the discussion you want to have.