Well, I have to say: I was perfectly happy with Two Buck Chuck for a good many years -- and especially when I was in grad school, and had a net negative income! Eventually, though, my wine-tasting experience broadened, and in parallel with that, my bank balance also increased. As I tasted and appreciated wines more broadly, I learned that -- as good as the Charles Shaw selection from Trader Joe's is -- I could do significantly better by spending more money. In fact, I discovered that I could do A WHOLE LOT better! Ah, but was the "value" any better, if you define "value" as the "taste goodness per dollar spent"?!
Hard to say! It depends a whole lot on what kind of a subjective scale you use for "taste goodness." But the fact is that the value that
I perceived went up, no doubt about it. Today, I no longer buy Two Buck Chuck. I belong to some wine clubs in California and get some of their best offerings. I buy French, Spanish, and Italian reds, too. I can afford (some of) them, now, and have decided that they are worth it. To me, that is, at my current stage of development in (1) taste and (2) income. But there are still wines I have decided I cannot afford. I don't tend to buy Petrus or Opus One or Harlan estate or Chateau Margaux or Screaming Eagle. Out of my league, still.
More or less the same is true for mandolins. When I was first learning, I would have been very, very happy with a Kentucky or Eastman or The Loar. In fact, I would have even argued that these offered me the best
value at the time! And back then, I would not have fully appreciated the responsiveness of a high-end mandolin. Both my ear and playing level were not up to it. But now? Well, currently I have an Altman F5 that I love. And a Pomeroy. And a Mowry. And I can certainly both hear and appreciate the differences from my older Weber -- and from an entry-level Kentucky, Eastman, or The Loar. I have gotten to the point where, on a visit to Carter's in Nashville, I could hear and appreciate the sound of a Loar-signed Gibson, a Gilchrist, a Nugget, a Henderson, and so on. But these beautiful instruments are currently too rich for my blood, and not a real "value" to me -- for now. But someday, as my appreciation for tone grows, and (hopefully) my savings account, I may yet spring for one of them.
That's how MAS works. Your musical tastes and appreciation mature. You funds accrue -- and then get spent down!!
Think of Two Buck Chuck as a gateway drug. Then you'll understand.
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