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Thread: Not much of a mando culture in my area

  1. #26
    Struggle Monkey B381's Avatar
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    Default Re: Not much of a mando culture in my area

    It seems more popular in the North, we have family in Gloucester, Mass.....even a store with mandos in that little area. I guess due to the winter maybe since its so cold out it gives something to do until the thaw?
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  2. #27
    Registered User Ranald's Avatar
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    Default Re: Not much of a mando culture in my area

    People have mentioned the shortage of mandolins in their local shops. When it comes to buying mandolins, I think most of us are caught in a vicious circle. Our local stores don't have much selection, so we go online where we can get whatever instrument we want, often at a cheaper price. My closest music store usually has about six mandolins on display. That was fine for my first purchase, but I later bought a banjolin online in a private sale -- there was little choice. Another local store has a few more mandolins, but all cheap ones, under $300. If I were to purchase another mandolin, I'd likely want to upgrade, so I suspect I'd shop online. We shop online because our local stores don't have enough variety and the prices are higher. The shopkeeper looks at the store's turnover, and thinks: mandolins don't sell very well, so there's no point to bringing in more. We visit the store again and think: there's still not much selection here, so I'll have to go online. Both merchant and consumer are influenced by the behaviour of the other. The same situation is true for many other commercial goods.

    I like a bargain, but to be fair to merchants, they have to pay for commercial space, often in a desirable location, for informed and helpful (in my experience) employees, then take a loss on wear and tear on to instruments. By and large, local music stores can't compete in prices with a warehouse employing minimum-wage workers shipping instruments in boxes. My sweetheart used to work in a bookstore. She'd spend twenty-five minutes finding out a customer's interests and guiding them around the store, recommending books, which they often decided to purchase. After that, many customers would look at their devices and ask why the book is more expensive here than online. Well, it has to do with the fact that a paid employee with considerable expertise spent time helping them and providing books to browse in a bricks-and-mortar store in an expensive business district. That's true of music store pricing as well. Still, I'm not rich -- how much extra will I pay for the benefits of using a local store?
    Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
    "I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
    Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.

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  4. #28
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    Default Re: Not much of a mando culture in my area

    The mandolin culture is almost dead here in Northeast Louisiana. When my Grandfather played in the 80s and 90s Bluegrass Gospel was at every church. The only band left around here is teaching my boys the banjo and mandolin. There is still a lot of guitar and bass here as churches have moved to progressive Christian music. I have found that there is definitely a need and interest in the instrument but folks need to be introduced to it.

  5. #29
    Registered User Mike Arakelian's Avatar
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    Default Re: Not much of a mando culture in my area

    Quote Originally Posted by B381 View Post
    It seems more popular in the North, we have family in Gloucester, Mass.....even a store with mandos in that little area. I guess due to the winter maybe since its so cold out it gives something to do until the thaw?
    If you have family in Gloucester, the next time you visit plan to drive down to Lexington (about an hours drive) to visit The Music Emporium. TME is an excellent store with friendly, helpful staff and always has an excellent assortment of quality mandolins in stock. They are a Cafe’ sponsor, and you can check out their stock by clicking on their web site. My last visit there netted me a beautiful ‘07 Sumi F5 Deluxe that was on consignment. It’s a must visit for me whenever I’m visiting family on the North Shore.
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  6. #30

    Default Re: Not much of a mando culture in my area

    I'm not sure there is much of a mando culture in any area, save Nashville or the Appalachians. Guitar has taken such a prominence since the 1960s, it seems to have edged out mandolin and fiddle even in the traditional musics where they normally were common. But, there seems to be a slight comeback as both fiddle and mandolin come back into mainstream music, witness the prominent use of mandolin in Little Big Town, Alison Krauss, et al. and also fiddle making a comeback in all sorts of styles of music.

  7. #31
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Not much of a mando culture in my area

    I think there are some intense pockets of mandolin/fiddle/banjo and traditional music. It is easier to connect and more concentrated in the cities. I started playing fiddle and mandolin in Boston are and then moved to NY city soon after. When I lived in New York I probably knew most of the musicians playing bluegrass, old time as well as Irish music.

    I now live about 1 hour or so north of NY City and know quite a few folks but we are all spread further apart. Some travel to our monthly jam (tomorrow night) from over an hour away. Still we connect and enjoy playing.
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  8. #32
    not a donut Kevin Winn's Avatar
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    Default Re: Not much of a mando culture in my area

    We're pretty lucky in the PDX area, in that we have Taborgrass to help keep the bluegrass culture alive and that's through the herculean efforts of Greg Stone, Linda Leavitt and their dedicated volunteers. Instruction and jamming every Saturday through the Fall, Winter and Spring.

    There are several regional festivals throughout the summer within a couple hours drive or less, and at least three local music venues dedicated to bluegrass or Celtic music. We have Brian Oberlin's River Of The West Mandolin Camp, and Artichoke Community Music Center. Plenty of opportunities for mandolin players.

    Sadly, we have no high-quality mandolin store here. Nearest would be Dusty Strings in Seattle, or possibly McKenzie River Music in Eugene.

    Given the choice between a good culture and a good store, I'll gladly take the culture. I can buy a good mandolin from Elderly or one of the other sponsors here (or the Cafe Classifieds), but the culture and playing opportunities are hard to come by.

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  10. #33
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    Default Re: Not much of a mando culture in my area

    Well y'all that do have any semblance of a mandolin or acoustica culture, need to do your best to help perpetuate the "alternative" instruments and acoustic music. It appears that mostly there are two ways of getting a jam band together: 1) Grow your own. Teach your children well, and 2) move to a large metropolitan area where the numbers work in your favor.

    'Course I did neither and now suffer. Wagh!
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  11. #34

    Default Re: Not much of a mando culture in my area

    I'm grateful to have Gryphon at my disposal, but even this 49 year old business who has one partner whose heart is in mandolin has a good but not great mandolin selection. Who knows what that would be without a web presence. And it's right in the middle of one of the most prosperous areas of the country.

    But I go in and can see eight or ten Eastmans,two or three Northfields, six or eight Collings, plus a few Kentuckys, small shop flat tops, a mandolin or two, and maybe an octave. Old Gibsons come and go. Then five or six upper end mandolins hanging behind the counter along with one to four old Gibsons. So you can walk in and buy a good to great mandolin for sure, but nothing like what is sitting in The Mandolin Store who has next to no walk in business. The cost of inventory in a brick and mortar store needs sales to support it. It's a tough proposition. I'd like to do side by side comparisons if I were buying a $7000 mandolin.

    Now most are down to pointing at a picture and hoping for the best. Luckily you are likely to get a very good mandolin that way.
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  13. #35
    Registered User Ranald's Avatar
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    Default Re: Not much of a mando culture in my area

    Quote Originally Posted by Br1ck View Post
    Now most are down to pointing at a picture and hoping for the best. Luckily you are likely to get a very good mandolin that way.
    I suspect that many of my mandolin heroes looked through the catalogue, saved for months, mailed a cheque for a hard-earned five dollars to the retailer, then waited weeks for the purchase to arrive in the mail. In a way, we're returning to the way things used to be done, except that on the internet, we can go to Mandolin Cafe for advice, perhaps even find a video of someone playing a mandolin similar to the one we're considering, and have the instrument shipped by courier. I bought my banjolin unheard through a Mandolin Cafe ad, after consulting a luthier and musician who I respect for some advice. All worked out fine, though I know that's not always the case.
    Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
    "I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
    Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.

  14. #36
    Registered User Ranald's Avatar
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    Default Re: Not much of a mando culture in my area

    Quote Originally Posted by Ranald View Post
    To the best of my knowledge, the mandolin was never an important instrument in Canada, though I find a great many people are familiar with mandolins, and generally expect the owner to be a bluegrass musicians. My mother, from rural Prince Edward Island, was quite familiar with mandolins from her youth before the invention of bluegrass, though she never mentioned mandolins being played around her until I took up mine.
    Last night, I was talking with my mother, who's turning 97 next month (Dec., 2018). She told me that she knew of mandolins when she was young but never saw one, either in her rural PEI community, where there were plenty of fiddles, pump organs, and pianos, or in Nova Scotia, where she attended university after WWII, and where she and other students were singing folk and popular songs, accompanied by guitars and pianos. I was born in the early 50's and grew up in rural Nova Scotia and urban Ontario, and was, like her, aware of mandolins, but I'm not sure that I would have been able to identify one until I stated seeing them at folk festivals in the 1970's, often with bluegrass bands. I'm suspect that within particular ethnic groups (e.g., Italians), people were more familiar with mandolins, but once again, I don't think they were ever a popular instrument in Canada, as they were in the US. I'm curious as to what others know about this.
    Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
    "I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
    Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.

  15. #37
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    Default Re: Not much of a mando culture in my area

    Mandolins a rather scarce around here, but I think that has worked to my advantage. I found that buying a mandolin opened up a world of jam and performance opportunities in the local guitar dominated music scene.

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  17. #38
    Registered User Charlie Bernstein's Avatar
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    Default Re: Not much of a mando culture in my area

    Guitar culture is, of course, universal. Here in Maine, the second most popular traditional stringed instrument is the fiddle - Celtic, Franco, Maritime, and old-time players abound.

    Mando is fairly popular, too. So is round-neck dobro. Much less common is squareneck dobro. I have one, but I can count the others I know who have them on one hand and still be able to hitchhike.

    My sister lives up in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina, and she seems to know plenty of mando players.

    But I think what you'll find is that it's mostly bigger cities that have stores with great mando selections.

    From where I live, it would take a trip to the Boston area to do much browsing. Likewise, you could take a day trip to Nashville to visit Carter's and Gruhn's.

    The only pro musician in North Carolina I know (slightly) is Si Kahn, and he's the kind of person who likes to haunt places like Gruhn's. So he seems to think it's worth the trip.

    Another strategy: If you know what brands you're interested in, you can also go to their websites and see where their dealers are. For instance, Weber has two North Carolina dealers: Area 22 Guitars in Brevard and Harry's Guitars in Raleigh.

    Otherwise, the classifieds here and at Craigslist and Reverb.com are good places to find more pro-grade instruments. (But if you buy through Craig's, buy in person so you can check out the instrument first. There are some really squirrelly advertisers there!)

  18. #39
    Registered User j. condino's Avatar
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    Default Re: Not much of a mando culture in my area

    You are an easy drive to Nashville. Save up $50 for gas money and head over for the weekend. Between Gruhn, Carter, and the other smaller shops, you can play more great mandolins in one day than probably anywhere else in the world. On the way, hit up a few of the big jams in Asheville and you'll likely see and play almost anything you could ask for.

    Fayettville may seem like a mandolin desert, but compared to most of the country, you have nice options. About 35 years ago a friend convinced me to drive to 48th st in NYC to go guitar shopping. That day changed my life when I learned that as cool as it may be to ply four or five nice instruments locally, for $50 in gas I could ply thousands of instruments in an afternoon. Life is short, get on it...

  19. #40
    Registered User Dave Fultz's Avatar
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    Default Re: Not much of a mando culture in my area

    Central Ohio has a few places to buy used, not much in the new dept. Sam Ash seems to have a few used of various qualities. Guitar Center might have one hanging out of reach. Surprisingly, the used instrument store, Music-Go-Round has the biggest selection of new instruments, typically Loar 320s and the like. I got my Loar 590 there.

    On the south side of town, there’s the Bluegrass Store. They have a nice selection of low to mid price mandolins, and is the only place that seem knowledgeable about them. I bought my girlfriends Kentucky LM254 there.

    In my circle I’ve only met a few other players. We’re all weak.

    Columbus used to have a thriving Bluegrass scene, but it’s dwindling. There’s a few jams but not the bluegrass bars like there used to be.

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  20. #41

    Default Re: Not much of a mando culture in my area

    I've had some luck converting local friends to mandolin family instruments. Lots of my friends have been playing guitar for decades and are curious to branch out. Preaching to the choir, but mandolin is a great, very versatile instrument at home in many genres, especially when you consider solid body electrics in the mix.

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  22. #42
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    Default Re: Not much of a mando culture in my area

    I gave an eight year old boy an impromptu lesson after church last Sunday. His parents were kinda shocked at his interest. I hope that see was planted. Also my father in law has expressed interest, because Mando Tab is so easy to read and produces results quickly.

  23. #43

    Default Re: Not much of a mando culture in my area

    I’ve never really thought about “mandolin culture” though it’s been my primary instrument for many years. Winter and spring I live, like Ranald, in the Ottawa area. Rest of the time I’m in one of the most fiddle-centric music cultures in North America, Cape Breton. I mostly play mando—usually the sole proponent—in sessions with 8 or so fiddles. I have learned how to be loud! I am hard on strings and frets. I would like to see a few more mando enthusiasts to nerd out with, but I came here for the music culture that is here already, so most of my friends and inspirations are fiddlers.

    In smaller Canadian cities and medium sized towns, a certain retailer has pretty much taken over the retail store business. Let’s call them L&M. Helpful staff, good on strings and accessories, but... The mando stock is shrinking to even less selection—I now find no Eastman or Kentucky, just Alabama/Denver cheapos, and Epiphones. Frankly (this is probably for a different thread) I was deeply dismayed at the quality of a $900 Cdn Epi F5 copy. Fit and finish, sound, playability were way below what they would have been for a cheaper Eastman or Kentucky. Gotta go to Halifax for anything more.

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    Default Re: Not much of a mando culture in my area

    We don't have a great selection in the music stores around Kiama NSW but at the weekly and monthly jams there are usually at least 3 other mandolin players and another 3 or 4 guitarists or fiddlers who bring one and play for some tunes. Sometimes I wish I'd brought a guitar to balance the sound a bit.

  26. #45
    Registered User Ranald's Avatar
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    Default Re: Not much of a mando culture in my area

    Regarding my previous comments about the mandolin in Canada, it struck me that in the 1960's I would have become familiar with mandolins from American television programs either broadcast up here or arriving on signals from across the border. As a lad, I sometimes watched Flatt & Scruggs, Homer and Jethro, and the Dillards on The Beverley Hillbillies, Andy of Mayberry, and (H&J in) Corn Flakes commercials. Furthermore, mandolins featured on HeeHaw and numerous 60's variety shows presenting bluegrass bands. Canadian folk music shows such as Singalong Jubilee and the Don Messer Show likely had mandolins on occasion. Watching TV in that era -- at least near the border, where most Canadians live -- it would have been hard not to absorb what a mandolin was.
    Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
    "I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
    Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.

  27. #46
    Innocent Bystander JeffD's Avatar
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    Default Re: Not much of a mando culture in my area

    Mandolin culture is pretty sparse every where. That, I believe, accounts for the success of this very website.

    In those areas with a bit of a concentration of mandolinners, they are still the minority culture.

    Most importantly, any mandolin culture we are likely to find is a a mono-culture. All bluegrass, or all classical, or all four chord folks songs, whatever.

    In my area, with old time music, I am one of two or three mandolinners, in a sea of fiddles and banjos and guitars. With classical music I have to travel three to six hours to participate in classical mandolin events. I do it, willingly, because hey, that is what travel is for, but still.


    My points are

    ONE - that it may be more useful to find some kind of participatory music culture near-by, whether it is mandolinny or not. Who knows where you may fit and what you may find.

    TWO - expanding your search to within a few or several hours driving time may open up great possibilities. Hey, you know you have traveled a lot further for a lot less.
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  28. #47
    Registered User LongBlackVeil's Avatar
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    Default Re: Not much of a mando culture in my area

    Im very lucky to live near Austin, TX. Just about as wide ranging a musical community as there is. Plenty of traditional music with room for mandolins around. Irish, Old time, bluegrass. Theres even a mandolin orchestra.
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