Why do people only sell the great ones?

[OldSausage]

The quickest way to make a mandolin sound better is to put it up for sale.

[Homer Savard]

I’ve never sold a mandolin. They are all just too good to part with

[John Soper]

"The quickest way to make a mandolin sound better is to put it up for sale."

I've tried to avoid playing a mandolin after I've posted an ad. Too many times I've had seller's remorse while in the act of typing the ad... much to my wife's irritation, because I'd promised to thin the herd. Somehow she doesn't agree that interior decoration with mandolin cases is the acme of style.

[Eric Platt]

Depends on what folks are looking for. Would my Collings MT sell if I said "it's good, but the high ends are harsh to the folks that like oval holes. And it doesn't sound like a dead tree Mr. Loar signed. Works for the style of music I play, but as less than a dozen other folks on this list play that style, you would wonder what the fuss is all about." (Yes, I'm being sarcastic.)

And agree with the above, once determined to sell try not to play again or regret might set in. Would think that after all these years and the deals it would get easier, but it doesn't.

[Randi Gormley]

I have a couple sub-$500 instruments i'd love to get rid of, but the one time i attempted to sell them in the classifieds here, i got no bites. Frankly, the people on this board are, for the most part, pretty conversant with mandolins and what they want. Where a random mandolin-shaped object (or the very nice ones I own but never play any more) may get someone's attention via ebay or craig's list or the local music store, they often don't resonate with people who cruise the classifieds here. I'll look here to see what a Pava or a Gil or a Dude is going for these days; i don't expect to see a $400 strad listed here unless someone is specifically looking for one.

[T.D.Nydn]

For sale: questionable mandolin,built and sounds like total crap,as a matter of fact it's cursed,everyone who has played it has died.I pay you..

[LadysSolo]

I’ve never sold a mandolin. They are all just too good to part with

I too have never sold one - the only one I would sell is the one I let people who think they might like playing mandolin try out. Mastered the "catch" part, still working on "release!" LOL!!

[mandoglobal]

I had to sell an F5 custom built by Tyler White, and I miss it virtually every day. Sold it because I had a chance to buy something that was a better fit for me, and while I’m glad I did, if I had the funds I’d buy that thing back in a hot second. Perhaps someday.

[Don Grieser]

Some people only buy great ones.

[Tempotantrum]

I have bought and sold enough great instruments over the years I often think I should open a store. But it always creates some anxiety selling an instrument you know is top notch and well cared for yet you know people will question why you are selling it (and doubt all the positive comments). My approach is to be completely honest and if the instrument has a flaw or weakness, i will call it out. But that also means I will brag on its good attributes as well. What i appreciate about both the mando and banjo cafes is that they are communities where not only do most people operate in good faith based on the love of the instruments and the music they make, but relationships form and meeting at camps or jams or wherever is very common. So, you don't have to just take my word on an instrument usually - other members have likely owned it, played it or heard it as well. Character references mean an awful lot as well. So in the end, you really don't need to oversell an instrument here as long as you are acting in good faith.

[MontanaMatt]

As a fellow habitual classified reader, I am frequently struck by the amount of time some of the great deals available linger, while some that hardly float a tiny boat fly out of rotation.

[Br1ck]

I recently sold a guitar I’d owned for twenty years to a friend who has wanted it for twenty years. I was simply not playing it. My playing style had evolved to dreadnaughts. I was the second person to own the guitar for twenty years. I also sold my beater to someone who wanted to try mandolin. There are many instruments at dealers whose owners have passed on. My A 1 was one of those. It had been owned since the 80s. Then there is the pain that is the price of a new acquisition. I’m facing that right now as I’m contemplating selling two mandolins and one or two guitars plus adding cash to buy that something better.

I could probably be very happy with the worst Ellis ever made.

[John Adrihan]

I am literally LMAO over this thread. It is so true. I also noticed that when certain brands or models of Mandolin get discussed on the forum they start to show up in the classifieds. I was labeled a conspiracy theorist when I mentioned it before, but I did not bring it up because of any bad thoughts , it just seems that if we started talking about "x" mandolin all of sudden there are one or two for sale. I have sold 5 mandolins so far in my life and none of them were the best sounding ever. They ranged from awesome to really good and ok sounding but pretty looking in my descriptions. I sold a KM 1000 that I should not have sold. I now have the best sounding mandolin that I will ever have and I never plan on selling it. Mostly because it is an instrument built by a regional builder that will never be able to be replaced. I do like the Mandolin Stores description of instruments.... If they label it as a beast, it is. NFI.

[Demetrius]

I know you have! lol

Ever play someone’s “great” mandolin and think, “not for me”?

[Mandobar]

I know you have! lol

Many times, in fact, quite recently.

[yankees1]

I've noticed that virtually every mandolin for sale in the classified is an incredible mandolin, often the best the seller has ever played. I have yet to see one of the duds, or even a mediocre one, come up for sale. Apparently, people only sell the great ones. Go figure.

Good marketing ! The seller thinks ! Take it with a grain of salt !!

[rcc56]

The problem is --- If you ever do try to sell an instrument that is really good, nobody believes the ad if you say "powerful," "strong," "great sound," etc.

And yes, some of us do occasionally sell really good instruments, for a variety of reasons.

[yankees1]

Same with used cars ! Doesn't use ANY oil, great gas mileage, perfect condition and only driven to church and back !

[Benski]

I only buy great mandolins...so it only stands to reason when I sell one...

[Luna Pick]

I only buy great mandolins...so it only stands to reason when I sell one...

Ditto. I was about to reply with a similar post. I've (embarrassingly) bought and sold a number of mandolins over the years. The few I have landed on are really (to me) potentially great. If I sell one it will be one I think is great, not particularly the lesser of the others.

[John Soper]

In my ultimate tone quest, I've got my # 1 and a slightly different #2. I don't mind auditioning instruments. If recycled, it often doesn't have the tone that turns me on when I play it (although others think it's great or I thought it great when I bought it). Or I get hand fatigue when I play it for more than a couple of hours. Or somehow I didn't bond. I have only bought mandolins that I thought could displace #1 or #2 at first blush and sold the ones I found that I wasn't picking up often enough to challenge for the top spots in the roster. I've sold some instruments that I really loved over several years, but couldn't justify keeping because they weren't getting play time after I got #1 and #2.

So yeah, I've sold some great instruments, but haven't had to use hyperbole to sell them.

[tmsweeney]

well I have actually bought a few ( from mandolin cafe classifieds no less) that were clearly not "great ones".....

[Hudmister]

I've bought and sold more than a few mandolins and did rub on a little hyperbole oil to improve the sound quality but I've never sold a mandolin for more than I bought it for.

[pheffernan]

It is perhaps instructive that the thread "Why do people only sell the great ones?" is currently adjacent to one entitled "Do you play ALL of your mandolins regularly?"

[Old Growth]

The issue is that all mandolins are great