Originally Posted by
2TonCommon
Hello everyone.
I was really reluctant about this post but decided to take a stab at it. Hopefully it will come out alright without me offending everyone in the Café.
I've been an avid reader for some time now and am extremely impressed with the knowledge and expertise found here. Everyone has been very gracious, (with one rude exception), and helpful with their advice and opinions. All in all, an exceptional forum.
I have never offered up an opinion/advice as I feel it is better left to the people who know what they're talking about. Well, here's my first and probably only opinion piece I'll ever write.
Recently I posted a question in the Builders/repair section and was given very excellent advice by well-schooled and polite members. However, I've been giving a lot of thought lately to what appears to me as a collective attitude concerning Mandolins. NOTE: I may be totally off-base. So take this with some level of skepticism.
When I started paying Guitar/banjo/mandolin in 1970 I never remember ever discussing the finer points of the instrument. If it sounded good and was fairly easy to play, well, you just went with it. Of course, there were no forums or computers for that matter back then. If there was a problem, we usually did our best to fix it ourselves and kept on playing.
Now, I'm reading more and more of the need to have a "perfect" instrument. Measurements in the thousanths, tearing down and basically rebuilding the instrument etc. Granted, the instruments of today are pricey compared to the $800.00 I would pay for a new Gibson RB-800 5 string back then. Same with Martin.
But,do you really need to have everything 100%perfect with a mandolin/guitar/banjo to have it sound good? What if, like me, you live in a climate that makes it impossible to ever have the perfect instrument. Or, there is no luthier within a reasonable driving distance to take care of tweaking. Franckly, I can't afford to send a mandolin out for adjustment every time there's a slight bend, bow, buzz etc. As we did 50 years ago, you took care of it the best you could. Yes, time changes things, but this leaves me scratching my head sometimes. If it sounds good, plays good and doesn't fly apart in your hands - is there really a need to sweat the small stuff?
I hope this doesn't come across as negative(it's not) but I get terrified when I read about all the procedures you need done to have a "playable" instrument.
Hell, I played Great Highland Bagpipes for over 25 years in upstate NY and Canada and remember using duct tape to hold things together for 5 mile parades. The pipes never sounded better. Same with flute, Uillean and Northumbrian pipes.
Anyway, I absolutely enjoy and take to heart the advice here - it's insightful and useful.
Just wondering how far to take it.
Thanks for your attention and time,
as always- warmest regards,
Joe
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