Do You Play ALL of Your Mandolins Regularly?

[Charlie Bernstein]

Yup. All one of 'em.

[Charlie Bernstein]

People have more than one mandolin???

Hard to say. They all look alike.

[Mando Mort]

I only have one mandolin. I am primarily a guitar player and I have just one acoustic guitar; however, I do have a handful of electric guitars and I do rotate them regularly because I love them all.

I can't afford to buy another mandolin and I have greatly downsized my guitar collection, keeping the higher quality instruments. So I will make do with what I have. I am blessed to have all of these lovely sounding instruments.

[Astro]

No. That's why one day I'm going to sell one of "The Great Ones"

[NursingDaBlues]

These days, I have no pre-determined rotation. I play the instrument that strikes my mood at any given time. That can mean some instruments can, and will, sit unused for weeks or even longer.

As far as instruments “going to sleep,” that’s an occurrence I primarily experience with my Adirondack-topped guitars. If I’ve not played any one of them for a few weeks, I personally find the voice somewhat brittle or harsh and occasionally even muted (maybe compressed?). This occurs on both my modern guitars as well as my vintage models. It can take a few hours of playing for the voice to re-emerge. I don’t seem to experience that effect (or at least to a similar degree) with my Sitka- or Alpine-topped guitars. Nor do I experience that with the any of the mandolins I regularly play; but then these are mostly modern-build mandolins that don’t have Adirondack tops.**

**Slight disclaimer: I do have some pre-1920 mandolins but am uncertain if they have Adi tops. These instruments don’t receive much regular, extended play. When they do, it takes some time for them to “wake up” as well.

[Phil Goodson]

I have had up to 6 mandolins from time to time as I buy and sell some of them.
I wouldn't keep a mandolin if I didn't want to play it at least every few weeks. I often play one for a few days to a week, then pick up another and repeat.
If I don't have the mood to play one for a month or two, that's a signal to me that I should really consider selling it. (and maybe buying a replacement )

As of now, I'm down to one because of some health issues.

[Br1ck]

I play my J75 strung mandolin most of the time until my fingers hurt, then switch to the J 74 strung, then to the shorter scale J 74 strung mandolin.

[Mark Gunter]

Yep, I play it every day. But from the sound of it, neither of us is waking up any time soon.

[DougC]

I think I go to sleep and it takes a while to wake up. However I think that if one has played an instrument and knows it very well, and I'm talking about huge amounts of practice and performance time. One can tell subtle differences.
I do know that my mandola needs new strings, my MT got played last night at a gig and the beautiful custom Collings MT2 did not go to the gig as I 'protect' it. But I'll play it today, just to hear the subtle differences. (I'm no Chris Thile as you may have guessed...) It does take some effort to give them all some attention because it is easy to just grab the MT as I know it is in tune and the strings are fine. What gets played usually depends on what gig is coming up. But I love 'em all and that mandola will get some serious attention very soon.

[Joe Dodson]

I've started putting my guitars on weekly rotation. Each week, I play one designated guitar for the week. I've only got three mandolins, not including the ocrtave, so it hasn't come to that yet with the eight-stringers.

[Bertram Henze]

My walls are full of idle instruments that loosely count as mandolin family. The two that get played are in cases/bags: the OM, and the electric TG.

[Victor Daniel]

I have 4 mandolins. 2 get played very regularly. One barely gets played and I think I need to sell it. It is a great mandolin and was my primary mandolin for several years that I used for performances, but it got replaced by a new purchase that really fits me better. I don’t like to have instruments that don’t get played. It feels wrong, like someone should be enjoying that mandolin like I once did. Also I really want to buy a Selmer style gypsy jazz guitar and could use the money from the mandolin to help fund it.

[Gibcaster000]

I've started putting my guitars on weekly rotation. Each week, I play one designated guitar for the week. I've only got three mandolins, not including the ocrtave, so it hasn't come to that yet with the eight-stringers.

I did something similar with my guitars for a while, but it was hard to keep up. I really favor small bodied guitars nowadays; I could never part with my dreads for sentimental reasons but they really don't get played as much as they deserve. They used to see more action whenever I was playing with a banjo player, but nowadays if there's a banjo in the room I'm usually playing mandolin.

[Luna Pick]

I have 3 mandolins and rotate them consistently, if maybe not equally. I like each one and often think I really just need one. But I'd hate to have to choose. If I went that route I'd probably have to let the market decide, but all 3 up for sale at the same time.

It's fun though to rotate betweens mandolins, as well as other instruments.

[Nick Royal]

I have two mandolins: the Gibson 2AZ I mainly play in classical settings (or at other times when I feel like it); my 2007 Fletcher Block A, I play a bit
more: at senior centers; and other performances. They are quite different and I really like them for that reason.

[Mainer73]

I only have one, so that's easy. The problem is that fiddle is my main instrument, and sometimes I can't (or don't want to) leave the time and energy for the mandolin. So sometimes it doesn't get daily love.

[Kevin Winn]

I have two and they are on a strict weekly rotation. it's the only fair thing to do.

[Jim Garber]

I know it sounds like voodoo but I think there’s something to it. Wood is organic. It breathes. It absorbs moisture and dries out. It flexes from the sound pressure and other forces incurred during playing. My mandolins tend to sound better the more I play them. Some sound good all the time, but to my ear they all sound better the more I play them. I have a new mandolin — new as in newly made — that was kind of unimpressive sounding until I played it. They do “play in.” To some extent, in my experience, some to get sleeping if they go unplayed.

I am organic. I breathe. I absorb moisture and dry out. I flex from sound pressure and other forces incurred during playing. I tend to sound better the more I play them. Sometimes I sound good all the time, but I always sound better the more I play my mandolins.

Sorry to mimic your post but I do think there is a magic relationship between player and instrument. There are subtle changes to both and even perhaps to the ears of the player. In other words, it is not a one-way street.

To answer the general question. I just returned from a weeklong mandolin-less trip. When I left I put my main players away in my downstairs closet. When we got back I really wanted to play some so I picked up my old but neglected 23 Gibson and plunked away on it for sometime. It was as if I forgot what a lovely instrument it is. Sort of like a loyal dog you haven't seen in awhile but who greets you with joy anyway. It didn't resent like at all but sand to me gently. Of course, my other mandolins were a bit jealous but they will have their turn eventually. They must just have patience.

[fatt-dad]

. . . ummm? Now?

Yes!

f-d

[William Smith]

No I don't, I play just a few all the time "my Loar, old Ferns, and my one Loar Buster F-7 conversion!" and I'm trying to sell many that would make players/collectors very happy! I figure even though the ones I posted are very rare and collectable and sound fantastic I'd rather sell them and put the $ toward something I will play! We really live in the best era for handmade high end mandolin builds-there are so many exquisite builders its almost scary! These builders have it going on today, there is no doubt in that theory!

[NickR]

The reality is, that some are just not very playable even though they sound good while some have shorter scale length which means they make it a pain to return to the longer scale mandolins, and a couple have a slightly wider neck/board that really suits me. That means I have favourites and sadly, the others, much as I like them, get ignored most of the time. I wonder if it is like that with a harem? I should be so lucky!

[zookster]

I am one of those rotation guys. I have a number of instruments, but with my mandolins, I do try and play them all in a roundabout manner. I will latch on to one for a while, and then switch just for fun. When I got my '08 Torch and Wire F4, I played it A LOT, because it performed so well. But each has a distinct personality, and I'm not one to leave them in cases. If I have an instrument, I'm going to take it out and play it in public no matter how "rare" it might be because that is why I bought them, and I enjoy sharing the sound with other players. If it sits around too long untouched, I'm going to move it on to another player. They are meant to be played, and often.

[chuck3]

Yes, I play all of them, in kind of an uneven rotation depending on what's happening and where I am.

However, the mandalas and octave are sadly neglected these days...

[Don Grieser]

I play the 2 mandolins (Heiden A5, Stanley F5) regularly, but not the mandola or octave. Those 2 don't get nearly enough playing time.

[Jim Garber]

I play ALL my mandolins irregularly!