Travel to buy

[John Uhrig]

It would be great to always try before you buy, but living in the middle of nowhere can put a damper on that, and I agree...more money that can be spent on the instrument instead of travel.
My last 3 mandolins I have bought online and always from reputable dealers with a trial period.
I have never sent one back either!
Expecting my newest acquisition tomorrow...I'm sure I'll be keeping it too

[Br1ck]

In the interest of full disclosure, I've bought all three mandolins sight unseen and it's worked out, but the most money spent was $1200. I still have never seen a Silverangel in a store.

Apart from buying though, is the education. I've had my hands on many Collings, Weber, and Northfield mandolins, one Pava, only when I was in Phoenix for spring training was I able to play a Gibson. I limited myself to F 9s. They had two,nand the new one was better than the 04 they had. This is where I proved to myself I would never be quite satisfied with a master Kentucky. If I had ordered one, no doubt I'd have been thrilled, and if my Arches kit build turners out as good I'll be happy. In the end I'd have to spend extra for a Northfield knowing what I know.

These educational experiences have been invaluable in shaping my ability to evaluate a mandolin, and one should certainly take advantage of any opportunity to lay one's hand on a mandolin. I also agree that as you go up the ladder it's more important. I also hav no doubt you would be thrilled with a Collings sight unseen, but might be happier with a Gibson. As a retired person, I think I have one major (+2.5k) mandolin perchase left in me. Depending on the outcome of my build, that will likely be a Flatiron Festival or an ivory top A3. And I've yet to play a Festival.

[Chuck Leyda]

From Chuck - " At that point I would travel. " Wise man - however,for some folk,$1,300 US is a fair amount of cash & they need to get it right,so a journey might be in order for them. Sometimes it's a matter of ''can i afford not to try before i buy'',
Ivan

I guess that's the crux isn't it..can you get more mando for X or X-cost +knowledge that travel brings. Who knows? Fun to speculate

[colorado_al]

I don't travel for mandolins, but I do travel frequently, and I always try to find a mandolin shop or builder in or near, or on the way to where I'm staying. It is a great way to get some experience with different shops and different builders so that when a great deal on a mandolin pops up in the Cafe Classifieds, it is easy to pull the trigger and buy it.

[DougC]

For what it is worth. I'm 65 years old, and I've been playing guitar, fiddle, and mandolin most of my life. I give the best advice I can think of. So I suppose that you can assume others are doing the same. My point is that recommendations are, from me at least, well thought out and are based on lots of experience.

Nowadays, there are few places where you can go and compare various instruments. It was not the case 20 years ago. Now you can cruze the internet and have almost anything delivered to your door.

Would I recommend a "shopping holiday'? Yes, but not for myself and others like me. I know what I want, and I know where to find it.

However, I am going to Michigan in a few weeks and I'd certainly like to drive over to Elderly for some serious 'shopping'. And if I were 'younger' and looking for a better instrument, I'd be there for sure.



I think you can rely on Mandolin Cafe for good advice. And shop in this 'internet based' world with some confidence.

[Al Trujillo]

My brother-in-law lives in Phoenix, which is about a 12-13 hour drive. Ever since I bought my mandolin I've really, really wanted to go see him. Oh, and TMS along the way.

[Jeff Mando]

Good point about combining visiting relatives, travel, and shopping for mandolins, guitars, etc. Mom lives about 800 miles away and I usually go by car and on the way I hit some of my favorite "old time" music stores off the beaten path. More often than not, I manage to find something that I didn't know I was in the market for........

A tip that I will share.....actually a friend suggested years ago and it works.....you need to choose a route that is at least an hour from the interstate if you want a chance to find an "old time" music or pawn shop. State routes or smaller. Places that might have been more active 50-100 years ago, but have suffered due to changes in the economy or traffic patterns. Sure, it takes longer to travel that way, but I have found many of these places DO NOT show up on google searches and most do not advertise in the Yellow Pages -- in other words, you just have to luck upon them. Some of them are in an isolated area and they serve that area and have for years. The stores near the interstate usually get all the vintage dealers stopping by on a regular basis and their prices reflect that. Some of these places I'm talking about price still used instruments as "trade-ins" rather than vintage instruments!

That being said, I haven't found anywhere with hundreds and hundreds of great mandolins, BUT, many times I have found a good mandolin amongst a wall of guitars, FWIW.