Don Julin's beat-up Nugget for sale

[Tom Morse]

I have a Collings MF5, and I've worn a comparable amount of finish off the soundboard. Just this week I had some minor maintenance done at Buckdancer's Choice in Portland, ME. I asked owner Phin Martin (a 40-year luthier) at the shop to weigh in on the wear and tear and he said that yes, it does lower the resale value, but structurally and sound-wise no worries. Violin maker Jon Cooper told me a couple years ago, when the wear started to show, to just play it and not to worry about it. My personal opinion is this: Having a mandolin as good as a Collings has helped me become somewhat semi-pro in my playing and it has paid for itself several times over. It's a terrific tool. Now the folks at Ford go to great lengths and take great pride in designing, building, and finishing the F150 pickup. And just as we all would be with a brand new mando, truck owners hate to see that first ding appear. But a couple years down the road, that F150 will earn its scars and look just like any well used pickup but still do a terrific job. So I think it all depends on what you're doing with your instrument. If you have a true, museum-quality collectible, by all means baby it. But it you have a high-performance, high-quality tool, just work it. Your mileage, of course, may vary.

[bernabe]

Sounds pretty good to me in the YT video. I have watched all his instructional and Billy Strings videos and never noticed him playing it

Those chop chords sound pretty weak to my ears starting @1:00. Low action perhaps.

[DataNick]

Those chop chords sound pretty weak to my ears starting @1:00. Low action perhaps.

Strings, pick, playing style, mike/recording variables, etc....no way to really tell unless in person; but you knew that already right?

[yankees1]

The Pickers call that patina ! Mike loves the look !

[bernabe]

[QUOTE=DataNick;1538578]Strings, pick, playing style, mike/recording variables, etc [QUOTE] Same, same, same, and same as open strings and notes near nut which sound decent and full with volume and low end being present. Then, chop chords up neck...... Some mandos just don't have it all. Another variable.

[Willie Poole]

Not very many instruments have "it all", some are great on the lower registers and some are great on the high ones, not many have both, I have heard many banjos that knock your socks off when played in G or A and then capo up and strike the B chord and it will make you shudder, same with a mandolin playing up the neck on most of them, just don`t sound right even though the tuner says they are correct as far as intonation goes...since most of play on the first 5-7 frets we don`t give much thought to the difference....

Willie

[DataNick]

When you look/listen at Don's playing style and the sound that he's getting, I don't thing he has a particularly aggressive chop stroke. He looks like he really lightly chops but digs in more when he's playing notes, and the tone to me is fabulous. I have to believe there's more chop in that mando that what you're hearing or not hearing based on the video examples I've seen...YMMV

[Don Julin]

Sometime loud is better, but only sometime. The way I see it, whether you are chopping, comping, strumming, or any other form of accompaniment, the point is to support and not bury the soloist. Ever buried a singer when they are trying to sing a ballad. You will get a serious stink-eye from the singer. That is only my opinion and you all are welcome to chop as loud as you can all the time, maybe even chop in ALL CAPS seeing that we are on the internet.

[DataNick]

You da man Don....love you're playin Brotha....what you & Billy had goin was special my friend!

In a way it kills me that I can't buy your mandolin, but as Mick Jagger sang "You can't always get what you want..."

[Atlanta Mando Mike]

At some point I saw a video where Don said he used lighter strings on that specific mandolin (a step below j74's if memory serves). If that is the case, that would likely have an impact on the character of the chop. Just a thought. Personally, I think that is a pretty special mandolin.

[grassrootphilosopher]

Sometime loud is better, but only sometime. The way I see it, whether you are chopping, comping, strumming, or any other form of accompaniment, the point is to support and not bury the soloist. Ever buried a singer when they are trying to sing a ballad. You will get a serious stink-eye from the singer. That is only my opinion and you all are welcome to chop as loud as you can all the time, maybe even chop in ALL CAPS seeing that we are on the internet.

It´s funny (kind of...) to see the thread morph into a thread about instrument care an and rythm mandolin picking...

On the other hand... I appreciate your input, Don.

Even though it´s a tough crowd out there, looking at your former Nugget, I think that whatever one may feel is a negative comment is directed at the instrument, not at the player.

Concerning backing up with a mandolin, I think that Don´s opinion (see quote above) should be common ground for every mandolin player. Sadly enough (me included at times), one is carried away, one does not listen enough while playing with other people etc. So more than not I encounter people that - if the mando had an amp - would turn the volume up to 10, leaving no option for dynamics. This is also noticable when people play in a band context. Banjos and mandos apparently fight against each other for loudness. Good players keep the volume level even.

Concerning the care for an instrument. I think that everybody shows how he values what he has through the care he gives. You can care overly much (allways rub down the instrument, grease the gears, wipe the strings, humidify for life, use the next fashionable product etc.) or you can plain neglect (belt buckle rash etc.). I think as with a child the happy medium takes the cake. I have a friend who wholeheartedly plays his D-41 (bought new in the 90ies). The guitar looks virtually new. He does not pamper it. He just does not abuse the instrument.

[AlanN]

Good players keep the volume level even.

Agreed, and go further: Good players adjust the volume level, as needed.

[Ivan Kelsall]

From Don Julin - "..the point is to support and not bury the soloist.". I think that's something that banjo players 'especially' have to (should) learn very quickly. Apart from the fiddle,the banjo's the loudest instrument in a Bluegrass band (IMO). Played hard,with metal finger picks,it's a hell of a noise. I learned very quickly when i had my band together, to cut down on how hard i picked when playing back up. It's your turn to let rip (sort of), when it's your turn to take a break. It's amazing how a decent mandolin will cut through the 'band sound' if you chop too hard as well. ''Blend in'' until it's your turn to shine is what it should be all about. I think that maybe back in the 'old days',using one mic.,that's all you could do,& many folk inc. me, still think it's the 'best' sound. Using separate mics.,unless you're really familiar with the set up,it's so easy for one or more instruments to overpower the others. It's a technique all on it's own & it's all to easy for a band to sound like a group of 'separate soloists' if they're not careful,
Ivan

[bernabe]

It´s funny (kind of...) to see the thread morph into a thread about instrument care an and rythm mandolin picking...
Even though it´s a tough crowd out there, looking at your former Nugget, I think that whatever one may feel is a negative comment is directed at the instrument, not at the player.

Somebody gets it