Allen Hopkins
Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
Natl Triolian Dobro mando
Victoria b-back Merrill alumnm b-back
H-O mandolinetto
Stradolin Vega banjolin
Sobell'dola Washburn b-back'dola
Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
Flatiron 3K OM
From Adrian - "MY advice would be get it done by real pro.! I think that the op.could have figured that out for himeslf,but it sounded as though he wanted tips on how to do it himself - hence my advice - but you're correct !!.If it was mine,& i wanted it 'put right',i'd have it done by a good luthier/finisher,
Ivan
Weber F-5 'Fern'.
Lebeda F-5 "Special".
Stelling Bellflower BANJO
Tokai - 'Tele-alike'.
Ellis DeLuxe "A" style.
Kevin- the posting guidelines say "we expect spirited discussion and widely varying opinions". How in the world can we have spirited discussions if everyone took your advice and only posted on threads where consistent agreement was the rule?
I think if you post a question here, you open yourself up to all sorts of opinions. You sort of have to take it all in and draw your own conclusions. To me, the more divergent opinions you have to work with, the greater your ability to come up with an answer that is acceptable to you.
Even though he has no need for anyone to defend him, I would just like to point out that Allen is one of the most prolific and helpful posters here. He is also regarded by the rest of us as a great example of gentlemanly online behavior. If you don't like his advice, fine. But no need to get an attitude about it. You asked for advice, you're getting it. What more could you ask for?
Don
2016 Weber Custom Bitterroot F
2011 Weber Bitterroot A
1974 Martin Style A
I don't disagree with this thread. I mentioned what I had done when I had some "pinky wear" on my Eastman mandola. I also said that it's more difficult to find a pristine finish on a used instrument, but that minor finish wear was repairable -- and, IMHO, not a major barrier to acquiring a mandolin that was in all other ways satisfactory.
You may -- and apparently do -- find minor finish blemishes more disqualifying than I do. That's your opinion, and you're entitled to it; after all, it's your money and your decision as to what to buy.
I don't see this as a urination competition, merely an exchange of views, and no more acerbic than hundreds of others I've read and participated in on the Cafe. With that, I will bow out.
(But before I do, I'd like to publicly thank Don for his complimentary post. I try not to step on toes, don't always succeed; nice that some appreciate my contributions.)
Allen Hopkins
Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
Natl Triolian Dobro mando
Victoria b-back Merrill alumnm b-back
H-O mandolinetto
Stradolin Vega banjolin
Sobell'dola Washburn b-back'dola
Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
Flatiron 3K OM
Me too, Allen.
Don
2016 Weber Custom Bitterroot F
2011 Weber Bitterroot A
1974 Martin Style A
I am glad to see you rise to the defense of your friend, and I have no desire to be seen as having an "attitude" but being told that you are disconnected (I assume from reality) by wanting to buy a well maintained or repaired used instrument is hardly an opinion on how to address pinky wear. I'm done with this thread now .
My thought is that any musical instrument is a tool, not a jewel, and is meant to be played. With playing, the instrument's finish will show the wear that comes with the experiences in creating music—each mark tells a story and is part of the instrument's history—whether it was by your hand or someone who has enjoyed it before. Think how "plain" a mint condition Stradivarius violin would look; that is if such a thing existed. Patina is a beautiful thing. I leaned to appreciate imperfection as perfection through the art of kintsukuroi.
FWIW, this thread has started within me what must be the MAS I read about. While perusing the classified ads to see what "pinky damage" looks like, I fell in love with several instruments; one being a Weber Bridger F and a beautifully-imperfect Gibson F-4. Both of which are way beyond my playing ability, and one is way beyond my financial ability.
I think finish repair is like fingernail maintenance. I think there are solutions and such that will conceal a blemish. When I sent my Stiver to Lou for a radius and fret job, he removed a wear mark from prior use. I mentioned it to him and he made it go away.
f-d
ˇpapá gordo ain’t no madre flaca!
'20 A3, '30 L-1, '97 914, 2012 Cohen A5, 2012 Muth A5, '14 OM28A
Instruments get wear from playing. If you don't want play wear on your mandolin, buy a new one. Or install a pick guard over it. Problem solved.
Shaun Garrity
http://www.youtube.com/user/spgokc78
I can understand that sometimes you just can't get past the looks of an instrument, despite how good it may sound, or how good the price is. I've gone with a custom pickguard on an electric instrument, which covered it's severe finish damage and was in keeping with the overall look of the instrument (at least to my eyes). I talked to a good luthier about it, and he said either spent $300-$400 to refinish it, or make yourself a pick guard. For me, that was the right answer. If you can make that kind of compromise, or reach that kind of aesthetic solution, you can save yourself a lot of money, or get yourself a slightly better instrument, however you want to look at it.
-Dave
Flatiron A
Way too many other instruments
Coincidentally, I tried my hand at furniture touch up refinishing today. Our dog had chewed on the corners of our bedroom furniture when he was a puppy. This is not heirloom quality, but "good enough" stuff we bought from a big box store. The dog had managed to chew down several corners to the raw wood. I first got rid of any loose fibers, then overfilled the area with some plastic wood that was the closest I could find to the color. Once it dried, I carefully sanded it down to match the contours the best I could, then wiped over the top with some dark finish on a rag.
The results aren't great, but it looks better than before. Like I said earlier, I wouldn't try this on an instrument, but in my case I didn't have a lot to lose.
The lesson here is that if you want a next to new looking case queen, expect to pay top price. But for a mando with a pinky wear spot, you should get a discount that reflects the damage. I think that's what Allen meant by the disconnect statement, you can't have it both ways.
A quarter tone flat and a half a beat behind.
Yes it can be repaired, how well depends on the repairman (or woman). If it is down to bare wood, it should be sealed before any color is applied. Touch up and spot finishing can be effective but depending on the wear, expensive.
Charley
A bunch of stuff with four strings
Yeah Charles, I'm sure a professional furniture restorer could have done a much better job than I did, but in my case it wasn't worth it.
I expect the same would be true for many mandolins with pinky wear. It can always be completely refinished at a substantial cost. And I'm sure there are pros out there that can spot finish with excellent results, but they most likely don't work cheap.
I'll stick with my original post; if it bothers you, pass on it.
A quarter tone flat and a half a beat behind.
Jammin' south of the river
'20 Gibson A-2
Stromberg-Voisinet Tenor Guitar
Penny Whistle
My albums: http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/album.php?u=7616
Sometimes,folk will accept 'more wear' if it's down to playing over a long period = distressing !. Small patches of wear such as the wear in the photo. simply look like 'damage' in a way (which it is). All folk are different,& some will accept such wear with no problems & some folks won't. Wear such as on the Weber photo.,i'd simply colour in, & apply a tiny bit of bees wax polish to seal it. Simply make it less obvious & it would be fine 'for me',
Ivan
Weber F-5 'Fern'.
Lebeda F-5 "Special".
Stelling Bellflower BANJO
Tokai - 'Tele-alike'.
Ellis DeLuxe "A" style.
oh... bees wax
Two years later... I found this thread and was looking for a solution to seal the tiny bit of wood on my Weber Yellowstone... so Bees Wax on the raw wood should do it? I don't think I could refinish that bit with some kind of clear coat or whatever but bees wax seems do-able and organic... Do I have that right? A little bit will do it? Thanks folks!
Bees wax sounds good, but I doubt that it offers any protection. Check out this video of how Willie Nelson's guitar is 'maintained'. https://www.stewmac.com/How-To/Trade...er_guitar.html
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Just send an email to rob.meldrum@gmail.com with "mandolin setup" in the subject line and he will email you a copy of his ebook for free (free to all mandolincafe members).
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There are so many more important aspects to the decision to buy a particular instrument, IMO, I can't see pinky wear being a deal breaker.
I am curios however. Maybe pinky wear is a more embarrassing kind of wear for some folks? Like you might think upon just seeing me that I made that mark. They soon get over it when I capo however.
One option would be to convince all builders to leave the pinky area on all mandolins unstained and unfinished.
A preventative measure would be to require mandolin players to have their pinky nail surgically removed.
Seriously though, I would have to see a “pinky nail wear repair” to be convinced someone could make it look better than the actual wear. Matching wood finish colors, stains and shades is something that is extremely rare ....and the reason that even the very best woodworkers and luthiers refuse to do.
Bob
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