Should I get rid of my other instruments?

[Frost]

I've seen a few threads like this, but I'm struggling a little bit now so would appreciate any thoughts, opinions or advice from others...Should I get rid of the instruments I'm not playing? Would you? Have you? Why? Did you or do you regret it? Should I just shut up and go to bed?

I've been playing mandolin since this past september I think...haven't really touched my guitars or my fiddles since then. So of course I'm feeling some guilt over leaving nice things all alone collecting dust, but also tinges of nostalgia and fear of potential future regrets.

In my basement right now sits neglected a mid 90s gibson SG, a Peavey transtube 2 x 12, an Alvarez acoustic guitar, an August Koh K565 violin and another no name former rental violin from local music shop.

These are adequate to fairly nice gear, more capable than I have ever been. My skill with these instruments directly corresponds to how often I am playing them, but ultimately I am just a hack and well...don't play them much now. I would estimate that I have already exceeded my violin abilities with the mandolin, and probably approaching the edge of my guitar ability with the mandolin as well...as much as one can estimate such silly things.

Guitar inspired me to play and write but not study, practice or learn much. Violin inspired me to learn, study, and practice but was a bit of a struggle to play. So far the mandolin has drawn me to play, write, study, practice and learn. Enjoyable work and enjoyable play. That may be as much a statement about my personal develpment as the instrument. It's been 6 months since I wanted to pick up the other instruments except to make an empty stand for the mandolin. Then again it's only been six months.

These other instruments aren't mandolins. They can do some things mandolin can do, mandolin can do some things they can do, but nothing does everything. I'm worried that I would miss whatever I let go. The mandolin fills a void...but I don't know if it is enough to fill the whole thing. The other perspective is that without the other instruments, I'd be forced to explore and find more of the capabilities of the mandolin.

I haven't been without a guitar in my house for 20 some odd years. Both of these guitars I've had since high school, gifts from my departed father. The rental violin was a gift from mom. That said, they are ultimately just things and currently serving mostly as decoration.

There is only so much time for music after work, wife, cats, house, car, knee surgeries, etc. I'm aging well, but still aging. There are undoubtedly many musicians that could make better use of this gear than I do...blah blah, the usual story. The main nagging thought is that if I put time into guitars or fiddle, it's time that wouldn't be going to mandolin. But if I don't, then what's the point of having the other instruments? But if I don't have them, what if I miss them?

[John Soper]

"Then again it's only been six months."

Yup, only 6 months... If you have enjoyed playing them, and it doesn't affect your ability to pay rent or put bacon on the table (or other vegan options), then I'd advocate to hold on to most of your other instruments. Passion may re-ignite, your Fathers guitars may speak to you... There is a reason we call it "playing" music. Play when and what you can - I've gone through many spells when I couldn't pick up an instrument, but have never regretted hanging on to one or two that don't get played as much as I'd like.

Yes, do sell stuff when you need to finance other aspects of your musical life, but unless you are a top flight bass fisherman & need a new boat, or a golfer that needs new clubs and renewal of the country club dues, etc you should hold onto stuff that gives you pleasure in this life. If making music adds pleasure, then hold onto that.

[Louise NM]

Just go to bed.

If it's only been six months, you may go back to them eventually. It's good to dive headfirst into mandolin, but as you get more comfortable with it, you may find time to play some guitar and fiddle too. You may want to thin out the collection, at some point you may want to send it all on its way, but six months isn't very long. Especially as some of these have sentimental value, don't liquidate until you are sure.

[BrianWilliam]

Sell all your gear and upgrade your mandolin? Maybe

[Jill McAuley]

Played guitar for 20+ years, was never without one (or two, or three!) but haven't had a guitar in the house since 2011. Sometimes I find myself swayed when I see a nice used Waterloo in the classifieds, thinking it would be a nice gateway back into guitar, but honestly I just don't know when it would get any playing time amongst the mandolin, tenor banjo and tenor guitar and jazz drumming that as it stands take up all my free time.

[pops1]

I have just started playing guitar a little after 30+ years. I enjoy it and am enjoying it again. If you can afford to, keep them.

[OneChordTrick]

If you have no other need to sell then keep, you want to come back to them at some point and it will cost more to replace than you’ll get for them.

[Beanzy]

Well once you’ve been at it long enough to really explore the subtleties of mandolin technique and logic you’ll be able to transfer those over to the other instruments. The fiddle will especially benefit from your double stops and chording. While your bowing on the fiddle will help to reveal where and why the drive happens differently beyween different styles. It will also help when it comes to learning how to shape your tremolo to emulate what you can do more easily with a bow.
These two especially are complementary in terms of developing your musical understanding. Keep practicing the violin in the background as you gallop through this initial run of accellerated learning and enthusiasm for the mandolin. It will be much easier to go forward with both if you just keep the bowing going and don’t have to pick it up from cold when you want to develop more later. It will also help you to hit those moments of realisationsooner if you do a bit of flitting back and forth with the same tunes.

I don’t have an opinion on whether you should ditch the guitar, but it seems to be good for supporting singing and writing activities.

[Bertram Henze]

Don't go to bed. Start making room on your walls. Some day, you may start to do YouTube videos of your mandolin playing and give your other instruments a cameo appearance every now and then.

[Ray(T)]

I have at least ten instruments (maybe more!) that hardly get played. They simply sit there appreciating in value. If you need the cash for some other purpose, go ahead and sell them but if you'd simply put the proceeds in the bank, you'd probably be better hanging on to them. You may even find the urge to play them sometime.

[Dagger Gordon]

If I could play the fiddle I wouldn't let my technique slip too far. It's not that easy to play the fiddle in my view, and you must have put some effort into that which it would be a shame to waste. And indeed, as has been noted, your fiddle playing may well benefit from the mandolin playing.

Guitars are always useful to have around. You probably know people who might want to join in with your mandolin playing if they come round to the house and it's good to offer them an instrument to play.


It depends how many instruments you're talking about. Certainly keep those, even if you sell the rest.

[Frost]

Good responses, thanks all for some perspective.

I don't need the money for anything in particular, it's true one or all of them could come calling again some day. They do have sentimental value and it's not like they are worth a huge amount of money . Perhaps it is better that they stay at least for now. True they aren't doing much currently, but they aren't really hurting anything either.

[Bertram Henze]

True they aren't doing much currently, but they aren't really hurting anything either.

The important question: is that number constant or is it increasing? Only in the latter case there is reason for worries.

[Frost]

Its a pretty consistent number, i cant think of any reason why i would need another guitar or fiddle. Even the really nice stuff you see for sale doesnt excite me much or make me want to buy it. I would like a nicer fiddle bow, but cant justify that if the one i have isnt being used.

If i was going to spend any more money on anything musical besides picks and strings, it would be probably be lessons or recording equip. Maybe a Bb whistle. Maybe an octave mandolin someday, but can’t rationalize that yet. But someday, probably.

[CES]

Keep them. I’ll go months at a time without picking up a guitar, but I eventually get back to it, usually because the guitar player in our youth praise band can’t make it. I think I’ve played guitar the last 3 times I’ve played in church recently for that reason. The bottom end is nice to have when you need it. I’m learning Mandocello, but am not yet proficient enough to replace 15+ years of guitar experience...

[Mark Wilson]

I'm keeping a guitar that has been played for 2 minutes since I got my first mandolin five years ago. Experience has taught me that the only way to really know if I should have kept something I'm not using, is to get rid of it. I guess I'll keep the guitar. I let the bass and 12 string guitar go with no regrets

[darrylicshon]

Keep atleast one of each instrument, I have guitars and violins that sit for longer times without being played, but they are nice to have if you ever feel like playing one. It's been a few years since I've played alot of guitar but the last couple months I have been playing my guitars more. And if I record , it's really nice to have the other instruments to use in my recording

[Teak]

There is always an ebb and flow to life. I took up mandolin in 1976, but in the 1990s started playing guitar more. Finally, after a move back to the USA in 2012, I went back to the mandolin with a vengeance. I am glad that I hadn't sold off my Givens during its years of storage. Keep those instruments around until or unless you have a dire need for money, or cannot physically play them any longer.

[Bunnyf]

I'm in favor of thinning the herd down to one of each instrument. Keep the ones you most liked to play. I play mostly mando now but it's nice to have a guitar or uke around when the urge strikes or someone comes around and wants to play along. I have just one decent guitar and have only kept one soprano and one baritone uke. I've sold off the rest or rehomed instruments to family members. I don't regret it.

[stevedenver]

Im a hoarder.
That being said, we all take breaks.

If you like them, give it time.

One thing i guarantee, you will pay more to replace them, should, say in a year, you decide you miss them.

Fwiw, i really focused on mando for 7 years, sometimes not playing guitar for a month.
But first and foremost, guitar is part of my musical soul and essence.

Then i returned to it with passion, and a hugely renewed appreciation for guitar's range for vocal accompaniment.

Only you know, if in the past, you have made similar decisions and later thought twice about it.

[Steve Ostrander]

Don't get rid of them. Give them to me for safekeeping.

[pops1]

Just remember to take some tension off the instruments that are going to be sitting around so when you come back to them they are in good shape. You don't have to take it all off, but since they are sitting and you are not playing them it will help if something is starting to let loose and you are not there to see it.

[Randi Gormley]

My cousin has a test when she needs to decide whether to keep something or let it go: if it makes you smile, keep it around. If it doesn't -- if it has bad memories attached or you don't care either way -- then it can go. I've found it a surprisingly effective gauge.

[Ryk Loske]

Wait another six months before you do anything.

The instruments from your parents stay. You'd regret letting them go for what little you would get for them.

Not mentioned in your post ... are you a fellow sufferer of MSD? (Multiple Style Disorder) I'll be working hard on say Celtic music (now) and my arch top rhythm guitars sit in their cases. Then i'll hear some trad jazz on Pandora and out come the arch tops again. Because Lynne and i do assisted living and nursing home things where we play early 20th century popular music i'm always doing some work on those type of tunes on a guitar or the plectrum banjo. So waiting to see if you hear something that drives you to pull out a guitar or fiddle isn't too bad an idea.

Randi's post (#23) has a good tip too.

Ryk

[catmandu2]

Ya, I've got piles of instruments I'm currently studying; piles that I play out with; piles that I used to study, and may again some day. It's a lot to keep organized, and a bit crazy (or perhaps, very crazy). In the past, I would wrestle with it. But no longer - I just ride the waves now.

If you need to get stuff out of the house in order to help you focus on something you want to focus on, by all means do it. They're only tools, and you can reacquire what you need, when you need it - that is, unless you're into stuff that's hard to obtain.