The "Beater": Yes or No

[LastMohican]

So...in March I bought a Loar 590. Nice mandolin. But it no sooner hit the door than I was back online looking I what I really wanted...a Northfield F5S.

After not too much deliberation, I pulled the trigger on the Northfield.

I immediately went and posted the Loar in the classifieds as a means of helping pay for the Northfield.

But, now, I'm having second thoughts...

Should I just keep the damn Loar as my "beater".

This Friday night, we have a Smoke & Choke event for the men at my church where all eat ourselves into a coma and then, those that are so inclined, break out the cigars and the bourbon. I love to add to the overall atmosphere with sub-par mandolin playing. For this kind of deal, because it's not yet sold, I'm taking the Loar, not the Northfield.

In a couple of weeks, I head off to ROMP and, of course, a big part of being there is the impromptu jams. I'm taking an ax. I'm taking the Loar.

Do you start to see a pattern here. With all you cats that have been buying and selling mandolins for years, I strongly suspect a similar dilemma has presented itself. Should I just keep the damn Loar to use for this types of events?

And, while "beater" seems like the right term...this mandolin is and will be cared for in the exact same manner as the NF.

[MikeZito]

I would say that if you can comfortably pay for the Northfield without selling the Loar, then I would keep the Loar. For me, having a good-sounding, good-playing 'beater' is almost a must . . . especially when you are headed to a place where you are not 100% comfortable with bringing your #1 instrument.

[LastMohican]

I would say that if you can comfortably pay for the Northfield without selling the Loar, then I would keep the Loar. For me, having a good-sounding, good-playing 'beater' is almost a must . . . especially when you are headed to a place where you are not 100% comfortable with bringing your #1 instrument.

"Comfortably" is a relative term but I can pull it off. Bottom line...thinking about ROMP again...if I didn't have the Loar then I would probably go without an ax.

[fatt-dad]

In the end, all your great stories will be with your beater and none of them will be with your Northfield, alone at home.

I've travelled with all my mandolins. Just had my Cohen on the beach in North Carolina for a week. My A3 has been in countless planes. I just don't think there's actual peril in most instances. But for a bunch of men at a church event? I'd take the instrument you want to play!

f-d

[LastMohican]

In the end, all your great stories will be with your beater and none of them will be with your Northfield, alone at home.

I've travelled with all my mandolins. Just had my Cohen on the beach in North Carolina for a week. My A3 has been in countless planes. I just don't think there's actual peril in most instances. But for a bunch of men at a church event? I'd take the instrument you want to play!

f-d

That's exactly the quandary!!! I mean, I didn't by the NF not to play it! I don't know...I just don't know.

[multidon]

Really, it all depends on being honest with yourself about why you chose the Loar in the first place, and why you bought the Northfield. How do they compare in tone? In playability? Why did you get the Northfield, if the Loar satisfied you and is a “nice” mandolin? Does it have better tone? Is it more comfortable to play? Is it just prettier to look at? (Rhetorical question, I’m sure it is!)

I’ve owned several mandolins that I used as “beaters”. But any time I used them they left me wishing I had my Weber. So I eventually sold all my “beaters” and decided that, any time I play in front of other people, I need to bring my A game. So I stopped using “beaters” altogether. My A style was less expensive than my F style, but I value them equally. Even though they are both Bitterroots they give me different tones. I choose the one that suits what I’m playing.

What I’m saying is, if the Northfield is what floats your boat, then I would just play that as much as possible if I were you. But of course I’m not you.

Another reason for having a second mandolin is not so much as a beater as a back up. What happens if your #1 has to go to the shop for a little TLC? Then at least you have a spare to carry you through. If you are looking for a reason to hang on to the Loar there it is. And if taking your Northfield to the types of situations you mention means that if might get the occasion scrape, scratch, or ding, well, that’s what happens when an instrument is well loved and well played. I mean, do you want to keep it nice and minty in its case, for future resale value, or do you want to play it? That’s a question I had to answer for myself and I struggled with it. But I came to the conclusion that instruments need to be played. And any time I play, no matter what the situation, I want to have the instrument with me that I do my best with.

[Timbofood]

There are always questions about whether or not to take “the good one”. Frankly I’ve found that a very silly concern. Why buy something and think of it as a museum piece!? Just take the thing and play it!

[Givson]

I have a Strad-o-lin that is my vacation mandolin. It sounds great, and already has various scratches and dings, and I do not worry if it acquires a couple more. In its gig bag, I can put it under the seat in an airplane. I have hiked with the Strad, carried it to the tops of mountains and played it on glaciers.

[Scott Rucker]

I have faced similar dilemmas throughout my musical instrument playing life and have almost always sided with keeping the old one when I could afford it and was willing to keep playing it. I still have the first mandolin I ever bought, a Washburn M-1S, just for "beater" purposes. It's set up well and I can take it places I wouldn't take my others. However, I always take a better one when playing with others. The Washburn gets the nod when I go boating or camping or when I travel via airline for work and want something to play in my hotel room. Your Loar is worth quite a bit more than my Washburn so it's a little different. Selling that Washburn (with cracks and a sinking neck joint) won't exactly change my financial situation much. I also have two beater guitars right now, so I guess one could say I'm a fan of having beater instruments around.

[DataNick]

There are always questions about whether or not to take “the good one”. Frankly I’ve found that a very silly concern. Why buy something and think of it as a museum piece!? Just take the thing and play it!

+1

If all I had was a Loar, then it would be my beater!

[Roger Adams]

Life is short. Eat off the good china.....

[Louise NM]

Any chance of cigar smoke, falling into a river, extremes of temperature, or around little kids, I'd use a beater.

[Ray(T)]

Beaters can never match up to what you're used to playing. Up until last year, may beater was a '24 Snakehead and I decided that itwas worth too much/was too fragile so I bought a US built Breedlove. To be honest, it doesn't cut it and I'd rather be playing one of my Kimbles.

[Seter]

It's always good to have a decent backup instrument available lest something unfortunate should happen, and the backup can be used for alternate tunings, experiments, loaning to an interested friend etc.

[Charlie Bernstein]

Sell when you need the money, have to downsize, or don't like the instrument.

Otherwise, what's the point?

[MikeEdgerton]

Life is short. Eat off the good china.....

Amen.

I'm stealing that line.

[Charlie Bernstein]

Beaters can never match up to what you're used to playing. . . .

Actually, I just sold one of my two dreadnoughts.

One had to go, but which? Easy! I sold the vintage Martin and keep the beater, an old Guild.

I could get more money for the Martin, and I never felt like I had to baby the Guild. It was my number one becaue I could take it out of the house without worrying about all the terrible things that could happen to it.

Don't underrate the power of a good beater!

[Steve Ostrander]

There are always questions about whether or not to take “the good one”. Frankly I’ve found that a very silly concern. Why buy something and think of it as a museum piece!? Just take the thing and play it!

Agree with Timbo. If I have two mandos, or guitars, or anything for that matter, I will always prefer one over the other and that's the one I want to play. I take my favorite mandolin to gigs, because I want to sound the best and be the most comfortable. But if I'm at a campfire, or a jam session, I'm going to take the same precautions as I would at a gig. So I don't get the whole "Beater" thing. I don't beat any of my instruments.

[JEStanek]

The beater may be right for some things and the NF for others. If you smoke cigars around your NF and ROMP isn't going to be in the rain or risky for theft, take the NF. Save the Loar for actual camping trips or dodgier situations or to have and maybe pass along to a new player.

Jamie

[Buck]

In the end, all your great stories will be with your beater and none of them will be with your Northfield, alone at home.

That is one of the primary reasons I reject the "beater" concept. Though I do keep some "lesser" instruments around, it's because I like them, not because I feel a need to protect my better instruments. It's also nice to have decent quality backup when your main instrument is in the shop, or to loan to another player at a festival or gathering.

FWIW, my "beach" guitars this year have been my Pre*War D and '48 000-18.

[roysboy]

Hmmmm...If you pack the Northfiled everywhere people might expect you to be much better than you may be. Whereas if you pack a beater you may be considered really good for a guy playing a beater.... . For me , this would be reason enough to keep the beater . That and if I drop mustard in the beater's soundhole at the campfire I can clean it out with a hose .

[Mike Scott]

I take my good mandolin (Silverangel F5) to jams, lessons, and anywhere where I can have control over any lack of abuse it will be subject to. For air travel or raucous events I take my “beater”, a Kentucky 500 even though the SA is mildly distressed. My skill level is more in line with the Kentucky, so if I go to a jam or something while traveling no one knows it’s a beater. YMMV, but I would always take the Loar to the cigar/whisky event or anything similar. For all else-the Northfield........just sayin’

[colorado_al]

I'm a fan of having 2 (or 5) mandolins. If one needs repairs, you have a spare. If a friend drops by to jam, they can use one of yours. If you travel to some exotic locale where a pricy instrument will be a stress if it gets broken or lost or stolen, having a less worrisome inexpensive instrument to take instead is great. If you can afford to keep both, I would. Then someday when you buy a $6000 mandolin, you can sell the Loar and make the Northfield your travel instrument.

I have a Kentucky KM-272 and a JBovier A5T that are both used as travel mandolins & loaner instruments. Both are great to play, not the equal of my Collings MT2O or Franzke A5, but still good sounding and easy playing. When I'm going to Mexico or BC or camping, one of them comes with me. If I have a friend who's interested in learning mandolin, one of them gets loaned out until they decide to buy their own. If we're having a jam and some kid wants to pick along, I put one of them in their hands without worry and teach them a few chords. If I'm playing one night and have to leave the instrument in the car during the day... So many reasons to hang on to it and money being the only reason not to.

[OldSausage]

I think if you can manage to restrict yourself to one mandolin, then you are winning at mandolin (I lost a long time ago).

[tmsweeney]

I have beaters for my octave, my mandola, and 3 for my mando (I even had a beater for my mandocello at one time), my wife somehow does not understand this concept. What I really like having beaters for is when someone shows up at the house without a box and wants to jam, I have also lent them to young students, who just wanted to try the mando ( I'm always in favor of more mandolin players), hopefully I can spare their parents the cost of a cheap mando that will wind up in closet somewhere. I also take the beaters traveling or to the beach or camping. If you have more than a few hundred invested, well worth it keeping the good one home safe in its case. Sometimes I go play the beaters just to work my fingers on the higher action, then playing on the good box is easier, kind of like wearing ankle weights when running. Problem is if I am considering selling, I play them and then decide I like them enough to keep.....