"beater" mandos vs. case candy

[!obey]

Howdy folks. Long time lurker & first time poster here.
I'm mostly an electric guitar player, so my history with the mando is a bit spotty. Been playing mandolin since i was in high school in the mid-90s. It gets put down for months at a time, but play heartfully for months at a time when I'm into it (which takes a necessary month to get my chops back and start opening the wood back up...i swear that my right-hand forgets everything right away).

Since about mid-Dec, i've been in the mandolin phase & picking away at a 70s MIJ lawsuit-era Aria m-900 (like the m800 listed in the classifieds.. quality piece for under a grand!) that I've had for about a decade. I love it, but have a problem: it's too nice. By that I mean that it's a generally pristine 40year-old instrument. I don't leave it on the couch, or rest it on hard surfaces. I'd never take it to the tavern to pick with other people.

I'm sick of having a decent case-candy mandolin. I feel that if I had one that was already scratched up and had been around the block, it would get more use. I don't mean just from being neurotic about dinging it up. I mean in the same way that I eat pretzels instead of fruits&veggies as a snack: they're on the counter where I can see them, not inside of the fridge where I can't.

I'm trying to avoid buying a far lower-quality $300 beater. I had one years ago and played that to the near exclusion of the case-kept one.

Whaddy'all think? Similar problems to relate or advice?

[MikeZito]

Welcome aboard.

The short answer to your question is simple: If you are uncomfortable bringing your Aria out to the tavern, etc., then, by all means, find something that you are more comfortable using as a 'beater'.

There are LOTS of very nice mandolins on the market for under $1000 that play and sound great, that you could feel comfortable throwing in the back of the car, and maybe letting a few drops of beer splash on it, over at the local watering hole jam session.

I had the same type of situation many years ago when I played mostly acoustic guitar. My main instrument was a 1969 Gibson J-50 that other players drooled over when they saw it. I played it at impromptu jams and in the studio - but whenever I was doing a gig in a less-than-comfortable environment, I dragged along my Washburn D21S. It still sounded decent, and I didn't have to worry about having a 'classic' ruined or stolen.

[Mark Wilson]

Spend the day and take some quality pictures of the Aria.

Then play the snot out of it. Take it camping. Take it to festivals. Let strangers play it. Life is short. Make some music.

A cool thing when looking close at my mandolin is all those little signs that it's been played. A lot.

[Cliff Seruntine]

Spend the day and take some quality pictures of the Aria.

Then play the snot out of it. Take it camping. Take it to festivals. Let strangers play it. Life is short. Make some music.

A cool thing when looking close at my mandolin is all those little signs that it's been played. A lot.

To me, instruments are art. But they are also tools and should be used. But I would have a hard time bringing a mandolin worth many thousands to a session, too. There is definitely a case to be made for those instruments you don't mind a ding and stain on. Some would say those dings and stains give 'em character.

[Randi Gormley]

Well, check out the classifies here. Chances are a used mandolin will have a couple dings or nicks on it and you'd still get a good bank for your buck.

[MontanaMatt]

As an owner of fancy ones, I take them to jams, bars, gigs, parties, ect. I always try to take special care to not beat them up, and only let competent musicians take them for a spin...
I think you’ll realize that damage is rare, and Luthiers can fix most accidents.
So far after 1400 gigs with a band, and thousands of hours of jams and practice, little bad has happened. None of the dings have caused a loss of value or lifespan. Knock on wood!

I have a friend that fell into a river with his mando, it survived and he now has a great story to live with.

[EdHanrahan]

... it's a generally pristine 40year-old instrument.

Right there you identified the REAL problem. To paraphrase an old bitter-love song: "The first scratch is the deepest!"

Trying not to sound superior but, if it were a pristine collector-grade instrument that you could readily swap out for a new car, well yeah, I'd be a bit paranoid too. But all of my better instruments (only talking a handful that are nicely into the 4-digit area) were bought used and somewhat pre-worn, so I enthusiastically USE them, sometimes to the extent of listening & grinning from across the room as someone ELSE gets to realize how good they are, while I play theirs.

That comment above about "life is short"? You bet! When I bought my first good acoustic, a well-worn Martin, it seemed old and was probably gonna be "temporary". At this point, I've owned it for 60% of its life and maybe 40% of mine, and it just gets more worn and better sounding every year. As will yours if you, as folks like to say around here, play the potatoes out of it.

FWIW, my only nylon-string guitar is also an Aria, lower-level but excellent-sounding, that seemed "old" when it was bought 40 years ago - a first-anniversary present from my wife!

[dhergert]

I restarted playing mandolin in 2010 after about 25 years of not playing (I'm primarily a banjo player)... Restarting mandolin again was sort of an accident, I unexpectedly acquired a 2002 F-9 in a trade of another instrument... And I found that I really wanted to make the F-9 sing.

Anyway about a year and a half ago I decided I'd like to have a beater/backup/travel mandolin to use in places and circumstances to which I don't want to expose the F-9. I started watching here in the Cafe' for just the right thing. Within a month there was a remarkable and unusual $199 blowout of some MK Legacy Festival mandolins and I got one, and it has turned out to be a very nice F style mandolin. I've set the MK up as close to identical to my F-9 as is possible, so the MK plays and sounds great and it is a very easy transition to playing it.

My F-9 is still my main player and I prefer to play it, but having the MK means I can play mandolin in places and situations where I wouldn't play my F-9, or possibly any instrument otherwise.

Having a beater/backup/travel instrument is a good idea and watching for one around here on the Cafe' is probably the easiest way to find one.

[Jim Garber]

Why not buy that Aria in the classifieds? That way you would have a less pristine one as your backup and quite possibly that one will sound as good as your beloved Aria.

I am not sure tho why you are so protective of this particular mandolin. I never thought those were especially desirable or valuable or even collectible. I understand if you have some sentimental attachment for it, but if you love it, then play it. Mandolins are to make music and the joy of a mandolin is not to keep it untouched and unplayed. Just my 2 cents.

[CES]

Play and enjoy it! By all means, if you want another mandolin, buy one...I have an Eastman 315 that I bought just so I'd have a beater that I'd actually enjoy playing (rather than "fighting with" my previous one, which had neck angle issues and a lot of fret wear, and wasn't worth the cost of the needed repairs). I take it camping, hiking, to the lake, I'll fly with it, and even take it to work on occasion. Amazingly enough, it still looks new. But, I got it on clearance for < $450, so if it does get dinged, no biggie.

If your Aria were a 1920s or 1930s Gibson, an early Gilchrist, etc, then I could see not taking it out of the house. But, what you have is a relatively invaluable instrument from a $$/resale perspective. If you floated trade values on it, you wouldn't get offered more than a few hundred bucks, if that. I took a 1970s Martin style A and my Silverangel A style (which is an exceptional mando that's managed to stave off scroll envy for about 6 years now) to a reputable vintage instrument store this week just to see what they'd give me (I really hate the hassle of selling) on trade value, as they had a couple F styles I'm interested in. The answer for the Martin was, "there's just no market. Keep it and enjoy it." The answer for the Silverangel was, "These aren't well known. It's a good mandolin, but I can't give you enough to make it worth your while." So, I'll either list them in the classifieds (as there is a market for both, it's just a very mando-centric one) and deal with the hassle, or keep saving. They had no trouble offering me a very fair trade value on my Taylor 714...it's a very good guitar, and people know the brand. Ultimately, I chose to keep it as well.

Don't mean any disrespect, as your Aria may be a very good mandolin. It's just not Gibson-like with respect to its $$$ value and name recognition (and, I'm not really a Gibson fan, but the facts are what they are). So, let it be a player's instrument. That's what these things were made to do!

[belbein]

I have a total POS mandolin with a decal name on yyhe headstock. I bought it for $65. Did a Meldrum setup. Glued the neck back when the dowels came loose. Doesn't sound like my Webers, but plays like a mando I leave it in my office or take it camping. Gets eaten by a bear or abused by the cleaning people, who cares?

[OneChordTrick]

It’s a musical instrument, it’s meant to be played so play it!

A mandolin that lives in a case is just an ornament...

[Ivan Kelsall]

From the OP - " ...I feel that if I had one that was already scratched up and had been around the block,.." How do you think those mandolins get to that point ?. They're loved to bits & played at every opportunity inside / outside / wherever / whenever !!!. Use yours in the same way & it'll get there - that's how the finest mandolins on the planet eventually end up looking 'worn'.

I have 3 very fine mandolins,none of which is considered 'case candy' - i play them exactly as i posted above - whenever / wherever. Unfortunately,they're still too young to show any real wear - unlike 73 year old me !,
Ivan

[Cochiti Don]

I’m with the !obey. I’ve been trying to find a used 315 for several months with no luck.

[farmerjones]

Every time I brought a beater instead, I missed the good one miserably.
Brian Wilson said, "Don't leave your best girl home on a Saturday night."
I go from jam to jam and see many Gibson mandolins and Martin guitars.
Literally thousands upon thousands of dollars, who's existence is to be played.

[MikeEdgerton]

Case candy has always been the stuff you find in the pick pockets of the vintage instruments you buy. For example, I bought a cheap Kay banjo for the 50's that had two national finger picks inside that were worth about three times what I paid for the banjo and case. Perhaps a shell pick, an original bill of sale. I'm assuming it's being redefined here.

[Jim Garber]

I was curious about the OP's mandolin and I see that it is top of the Aria line from that era. One sold in 2016 on Reverb here. It looks like a decent instrument but nothing to worry about. If I were the OP I would find another one as a backup or a "beater,' maybe put away the pristine one for his grandchildren.

[Br1ck]

Sometime in the last six months, Gryphon had a very attractive price on a Gibson, I believe it was an F 5G, anyway the plain one with only top binding. That mandolin sounded good but it must have had 50 severe dings where the back binding would have been. Otherwise it was just a well used mandolin. I thought to myself at the time what a great beater it would be if I owned a fern or other big buck mandolin, but I could not envision it as my one and only. I don't need or want pristine but I guess I have my limits. Pinky wear is another thing that bugs me, but not on a beater, witch is a relative term depending on where you are in the upgrade quest.

That Gibson did not last long.

[MikeEdgerton]

I have a 2005 F5G I bought new. Dinging the backside has never been an issue. Dinging the front side has. There's always somebody spinning around in a jam with a long necked instrument that they aren't paying attention to

I never saw that. If it was cheap enough I probably would have bought it.

[dhergert]

You guys are lucky living near Gryphon! I'm jealous! (Although my wife is thankful.)

[sblock]

There are players --and then there are collectors. If you are, at heart, a player, then buy a very good mandolin -- or even a great mandolin -- that is, something you will bond with. You will naturally want to take it almost everywhere you play, and you will take due care for it, but you will not waste a lot of time worrying about the possibility of a few minor dings! On the other hand, if you are basically a collector, then get some case candy in pristine shape, protect it assiduously, play it mainly at home, and worry more about its resale price than its ability to produce music wherever you may go.

This world has room for both types of mandolin owners: players and collectors. You have to ask yourself: Which one are you?

[jesserules]

Case candy has always been the stuff you find in the pick pockets of the vintage instruments you buy. For example, I bought a cheap Kay banjo for the 50's that had two national finger picks inside that were worth about three times what I paid for the banjo and case. Perhaps a shell pick, an original bill of sale.

Yes.

What OP is talking about is a "case queen".

https://loviesguitars.com/product/ca...eauty-w-shaws/

https://reverb.com/item/2171941-case...-1967-sunburst

et cetera.

[colorado_al]

Loan it to me the next time you stop playing it. I guarantee it will come back to you in festival ready condition!

[DataNick]

To me, instruments are art. But they are also tools and should be used. But I would have a hard time bringing a mandolin worth many thousands to a session, too...

Taking the "Loar" to jams, etc. never stopped Monroe and others....I'll let David Grisman's comments from another thread "If you had a Lloyd Loar mandolin" speak for themselves; btw, I totally agree with Dawg!

OK gang. “Crusher” (signed by Lloyd on 12/20/22) came my way in the fall of 1989, a day before I played at Carnegie Hall with Stephane Grappelli. The mandolin was in perfect, near mint condition and sounded just as incredible as it does today, right from the first time I hit the open G string. Playing that instrument the next day in Carnegie Hall at the back of the stage without any mic was a religious experience. By the following weekend I couldn’t bring myself to take it with me to the next gig, fearful of disturbing its brand-spankin’ new condition. By the following gig after that I had re-thought the situation, having asked myself, “What’s it all about anyway?” Now, 27 years later, I have no hesitation in taking "Crusher" anywhere and, though well worn and no longer close to mint, it has withstood the tests of time splendidly. So to all you mandolin players I say, “Play that mandolin!” — regardless of its pedigree.

[!obey]

Right there you identified the REAL problem. To paraphrase an old bitter-love song: "The first scratch is the deepest!"

Yup. This is the problem for me. I'd be fine if it wasn't still virginal and older than me.