What has your mandolin been called?

[Astro]

Why bother calling... Never listens to me anyway.

[MikeZito]

Many years ago I used to play a Rickenbacker guitar/bass double-neck on stage.

One time a guy said to me: 'What is that thing?'

I simply said: 'It's a lot of fun!'

He didn't get the joke . . . .

[Bertram Henze]

My OM has been called a guitar, a Portugese guitar, a ukulele, a banjo, a bouzouki, a mandolin. One BG musician saw the case and asked "four strings or five strings?" I shrug that off.
Once they gave me a present for playing: a bottle of Jack Daniels. I had a hard time shruggin that one off. Made me think of the motto of Scottish Kings: "Nemo Me Impune Lacessit"

[ColdBeerGoCubs]

“A beautiful looking guitar being held by an idiot.”

[gspiess]

"Your new toy."

[Bren]

My two favourite comments (apologies since I posted them before):

"Can you play Duelling Banjos on that ukulele?"

And on an offshore rig when a female worker, presumably a guitarist, came to my cabin because she'd heard I had a guitar:
"Oh. It's just a little one."

Story of my life.

[John Lloyd]

Ukulele, banjo, and wuffo (short for "wuffo you play that funny-lookin' little guitar?").

[Chris Cochran]

I play guitar in a church group and have occasionally added a ukulele.
"Oh, play that mandolin on this one"
"It's a ukulele"
On the next occasion:: "Oh, the mandolin, I love that!"
"Um, thanks"
Now that I actually have a mandolin, I can't wait to bring it along and see what they say.

[Gunnar]

Well, that's strange.

[Charlie Bernstein]

Annoying.

[Bertram Henze]

I can't wait to bring it along and see what they say.

It's quite clear: "Oh, you brought your new - wait, I'll get it right this time - ukulele!"

[Charlie Bernstein]

I once went into a bank to deposit a check and I was carrying a shaped F style case with my mandolin inside. All the customers and tellers suddenly got very quiet. Wonder what they were thinking??

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

It reminds me of what someone said in a nearby thread: Walk into a bank with a violin case and people panic because they think you have a machine gun. Walk in with a banjo case and they panic because they think you have a banjo.

[mandolinstew]

Once upon a time, a nice lady referred to my octave mandolin as a "Lithuanian Banjo." No idea how she came up with that.

The elusive hard to find very rare Lithuanian Banjo I found in a pawnshop in Belfast Maine.

[Michael H Geimer]

Just last gig, "Is that an ukulele?" understandable because we are an uke-centric band. Me: "No, this is a mandolin", and she went, "Drat! My nephew was right. I knew it was an uke, and he insisted it was a mandolin. Waddaya know."

[LKN2MYIS]

It's been called - by others - "Out Of Tune".

[jphalabuk]

My college-freshman daughter asked me over last Winter break what instrument I was playing. I told her it was a mandolin. Her response: "It doesn't LOOK Chinese."

[Bertram Henze]

"It doesn't LOOK Chinese."

[Tim N]

On the basis that I describe my bouzouki as an "inflated mandolin", I guess my mandolin must be a "deflated bouzouki". (but they still say banjo....)

[Caseymandolin]

Gives me an idea for a new cafe group, "The 8 String Uke Club"

[Bertram Henze]

On the basis that I describe my bouzouki as an "inflated mandolin", I guess my mandolin must be a "deflated bouzouki". (but they still say banjo....)

I often get asked what the difference is between my OM and some other player's bouzouki. I have two answers to choose from:

- my OM ends where the bouzouki has its capo.
- his is longer.

[Janos]

After a gig a woman came up to me asking what instrument I just played. I told her it's a mandolin. No, she said, that's not it...

I left it at that.

[Leester]

Usually a polite question of 'what is that'? I explain that it's a mandolin but that it's an 'A' style which is not what most people are used to seeing. I sometimes add that an F style is more common but since those are more expensive, that's why I have an 'A' style. About half the time folks do know what it is so we're making progress!