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I was going through a few boxes of LPs that I hadn’t looked at for a few decades, and found a real jewel - Back To Back, by Jethro Burns and Tiny Moore. It was unopened for some reason. What an...

My wife and I went to see “An evening with Chris Thile” last night in Houston’s Cullen theater at the Wortham center. A swanky venue. The place was pretty packed. I knew it would be good, but holy...

Finding a case to fit a 1935 Gibson TG-50 turned out to be a chore. Well, a chore that was finished in a few hours of frantic googling, anyway. A new Gibson case by TKL, made for an ES-175 fits very...

https://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z215/mandocaster/63ECC3BC-1F14-460A-A2FF-138BA8B07596_zpspj2h7ybs.jpeg

There was a study concerning a correlation between beer consumption and intelligence. The only confirmation was the undeniable fact that it had made Bud wiser.

Now that I’m home from Austin I’ve had a chance to to really spend some quality time playing it. I didn’t have any expectations that it would be as loud as my Collings, but it does have a respectable...

I bought a lovely 1918 Gibson A from Fiddlers Green in Austin today. It is quite beat up but fantastically playable and sweet.
...

Happy birthday to the man who created the music that showed me a new world, and inspired me to pick up the instrument way back in 1978.

Thile: Do not try and click the blue link. That’s impossible. Instead… only try to realize the truth.
Neo: What truth?
Thile: There is no blue link.
Neo: There is no blue link?
Thile: Then you’ll...

I don't mean to be adversarial, and yet here I am. I don't there is a clear dichotomy. I know there are folks here that play a Rogue mandolin with a piece of string as a strap who probably are fine...

Here we are though, on the mandolin cafe, and it's safe to say that most of us are gear nerds. Beyond that, there is something magical about a fine instrument that might be a bit more transcendent...

The room makes a huge difference in the sound. The Loar was recorded in a cavernous space. Listen to the way his voice sounds.

I saw CT play his Loar tonight in a big concert hall with a close...

I took a chance and ordered the ebay JNNPearlinlay knobs for the new style Gotohs on my Collings. Very precise fit and very lovely solid real pearl. There was nothing wrong with the stock plastic...

Dawg has spoken. In all the discussion I didn’t see it. Thank you so much, sir! You are a big part of the almost four decades of my love for the mandolin.

Fabulous. It sounds like the audience was really enjoying it.
I think the logic that if I don’t like particular music, then it’s pointless and nobody should like it is difficult to justify. It may...

Have you seen the classic movie "Key Largo" with Bogart, Bacall, and EG Robinson? Everyman Bogart asks gangster Robinson what he wants. After all, the gangster already has money and power.
...

Congratulations on your decision to learn the coolest instrument.

I've been playing mando for around 40 years. Periodically, I imagine what I would have done differently if I was a beginner. ...

Jethro Burs said that there were three kinds of improvising, as I recall.
1. Play around the melody. Listeners would hopefully recognize the tune.
2. Stick to the chords and chord...

I played a gig last night with a bandleader who has no advance set lists - he puts them together right before the show. Sometimes it's familiar, Folsom Prison Blues in G. Sometimes not so much,...

The great thing about distressed instruments is that there is no need to be distressed - simply don't buy them.
What about people who buy vintage instruments? Does anyone worry that the players...

I love it. Beautiful voice, tone, taste. It makes me happy.

I agree, Bertram.
I am not a physicist specializing in acoustic instrument design, but I am a math and statistics teacher and someone who has played a lot of mandolins.
Let's say we measure the...

It can be a slippery subject. Many electric guitarists would probably say that a Les Paul with a long tenon neck joint has more sustain than a bolt neck tele. Inadequate finger pressure would limit...

I would bet that many on this forum have received a similar message themselves. 37 years ago I was at the the now defunct Kerrville bluegrass festival. I was very pleased with myself that I knew...

Sorry this thread has gotten contentious. I like to play a variety of genres. Beaumont Rag commonly has a section that goes up to high F. I like the way my mando sounds up there. I recognize that...