# General Mandolin Topics > eBay, Craig's List, etc. >  Gotta have it  hold me back!

## mrmando

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Beautiful-Ho...cAAOSwG-1Wz7-3

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## almeriastrings

Better just hope it sounds as good as it looks  :Grin:

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Flame Maple

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## plinkey

Clearly labour of love, although perhaps misguided a bit.
However, that is what they used to say about Salvador Dali's clock paintings, and we know how "affordable" are those today. :Cool:

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Jess L.

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## Tobin

The "tape binding" is a particularly exquisite touch.  :Laughing:

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## Flame Maple

That is a shame, it wont ship to Portugal. :Wink:

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## bbcee

3 pounds ... the Les Paul of mandolins.

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## Ray(T)

Won't ship to to the UK either - thank goodness!

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Flame Maple

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## JeffD

We can speculate that there might be a reason it appears unused.  :Smile:

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## MikeEdgerton

Scroll.

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## T.D.Nydn

It looks lopsided and the F holes are backwards,,,,

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## Zach Wilson

I'd pay  $50 for it and put a humbucker/controls on it. 3 lbs.... this totally needs to an electric mando  :Smile:

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Jess L.

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## Jim Garber

For hysterical porpoises:

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Flame Maple

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## northfolk

What more could you ask for?  It's beautiful, it's handmade, it's certainly one-of-a-kind and last but not least, IT HAS NEW STRINGS.

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## billhay4

Looks like something I'd make, but alas it isn't. And I have a whole roll of athletic tape going to waste.
Bill

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## F-2 Dave

I'd have used antique ivory binding tape. That stark white binding tape makes it look funny.

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Jess L., 

Mark Wilson

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## JeffD

Just for some context...

The reactions I and many of us have seeing that instrument are, for me, reminiscent of the reactions I had seeing an F body for the first time. It was "are you kidding me?" Especially the traditional headstock, which I could not "not" see as the silhouette of a big nosed guy with a cowlick. 

Through experience and acclimatization I have grown to like and even love the F body, but there is in fact something arbitrary about that process. I cannot, in good conscious, say that I could not have become similarly acclimatized to something that looked like the referenced mandolin. In fact, had something that looked like the referenced mandolin and sounded awesome, and been played by Bill, would it not have become the aesthetic standard?

I cannot really answer that, much as I find the object in question vaguely disturbing.

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Jess L.

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## Denny Gies

Take two aspirin and call me in the morning.

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## journeybear

"Seems unused" - Gee ... I wonder why?  :Confused: 

Nice of the seller to post *three* close-ups of the scroll. Must be really proud of that bit of luthiery.  :Whistling:

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## Seattle

My thought was who hand makes a mandolin and then uses a laminated soundboard (and tape)?

"Laminated" and "heavy" kind of stand out.  :Smile:

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## Jess L.

> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Beautiful-Ho...cAAOSwG-1Wz7-3


It reminds me of some of the 'folk' homemade instruments we had when I was a kid. We didn't build such things* but they often appeared amongst the large unruly collection of other instruments in the house. 

I wonder what it *sounds* like when played by a competent experienced player who could bring out its best qualities... 

It probably has an interesting history, too bad there isn't more known about it. 




> I'd pay  $50 for it and put a humbucker/controls on it. 3 lbs.... this totally needs to an electric mando


Right on!  :Mandosmiley:  That'd be awesome.  :Smile: 

---
_Edited to add:
* Actually we did build some banjos but they were symmetrical, not misshapen, and could have passed as ordinary medium-grade factory instruments._  :Smile:

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## Jess L.

> ... who hand makes a mandolin and then uses a laminated soundboard (and tape)?


Maybe an elderly person with Alzheimers, just puttering around? Or a developmentally disabled person as their first/only project? Or a stroke victim who tried really hard but that's the best they could do? Or a college student as a prank or on a dare to build something wonky just for fun? Or a modern artist who likes to thumb their nose at the system or whatever? Who knows.  :Confused:  

Whoever they were, it must've took them a while to put that thing together... or could something like that have been tossed together in 3 hours?  :Confused: 

The laminated soundboard wouldn't bother me, I'd amplify it  :Grin:  anyway so the acoustic sound wouldn't be all that important. But the tape seems unnecessary.

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## Seattle

> Maybe an elderly person with Alzheimers, just puttering around? Or a developmentally disabled person as their first/only project? Or a stroke victim who tried really hard but that's the best they could do? Or a college student as a prank or on a dare to build something wonky just for fun? Or a modern artist who likes to thumb their nose at the system or whatever? Who knows.  
> 
> Whoever they were, it must've took them a while to put that thing together... or could something like that have been tossed together in 3 hours? 
> 
> The laminated soundboard wouldn't bother me, I'd amplify it  anyway so the acoustic sound wouldn't be all that important. But the tape seems unnecessary.


Maybe there were a fan of Danelectro guitars (regarding the tape).  :Smile:

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Jess L.

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## barney 59

[QUOTE=JL277z;1475512]Maybe an elderly person with Alzheimers, just puttering around? Or a developmentally disabled person as their first/only project? Or a stroke victim who tried really hard but that's the best they could do?

That thing would be pretty cool if it was made by a blind person!  I once purchased a nice big set of swiss made carving tools at a flea market and all the handles had braille markings!

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Jess L.

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## mrmando

Good golly, there's no need to drag diseases and disabilities into this ... that's unfair and insulting to both the builder of the mandolin and people who actually have those disabilities. It isn't a very well built mandolin, but that tells you precisely nothing about the builder's mental state. It is folk art and we have no reason to suppose it was meant to be anything else.

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allenhopkins, 

almeriastrings, 

Bernie Daniel, 

brunello97, 

F-2 Dave, 

journeybear, 

Jude Reinhardt, 

Loretta Callahan, 

onassis, 

Timbofood

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## journeybear

Indeed, sir. It's OK to disparage the instrument - it's deserving of some such - but reading more into its existence, particularly its builder's attributes, is a bit much.

At first glance it appeared similar to the "work" of Gibbs, of whose output I have two entirely unplayable examples. Some factors seem alike - the general body shape, the weight, the choice of woods, the haphazard bridge. Some do not - what looks like an actual playable fretboard, the lack of certain decorative items, the headstock shape. It is located in the Southeast, though, and could represent a later attempt, incorporating some improvements upon receiving advice from others. It's hard to know for sure without more information.

Still, I believe a $60 investment in an actually playable Rogue would be less money better spent.  :Wink:

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## allenhopkins

It's "folk art" of a sort, an unschooled craftsperson trying to build an object that perhaps he/she has only briefly seen -- surely hasn't a factory-made example to use as a template.  Sometimes crudely handmade items acquire a high market value: does anyone remember "Grandma" Moses, the self-taught Adirondack painter whose paintings have sold in the million-dollar range?

This "luthier" ain't in that class, but there's no earthly reason to attribute Alzheimer's or developmental disability to him/her.  It was an attempt to sorta copy a Gibson-esque F-model; perhaps the builder thought that it was even an improvement, or that he/she was adding unique signature features.

We have the experience, and in some cases the expertise, to do a critical evaluation.  And surely, we would rate this homemade instrument as totally inferior to even a mediocre factory product.  Probably many of us could/would do better (myself _not_ included!).  But I'd counsel reining in the snarkiness and _ad hominem_ put-downs.  At least the builder tried -- and, I hope, got some satisfaction from the process.

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Bill Kammerzell, 

Bob A

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## Zach Wilson

> Still, I believe a $60 investment in an actually playable Rogue would be less money better spent.


Well said. I think my humbucker idea would work on one of those as well.

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Jess L.

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## Jess L.

> ... there's no need to drag diseases and disabilities into this ... that's *unfair* and *insulting* to both the *builder* of the mandolin and people who actually have those disabilities. ...


On the contrary, *YOU* are the one *making the assumption* that having a *disability* is somehow *"insulting"*. That reveals a lot about how YOU regard disabled persons. Do you see them as real people, or as some specialty case to shy clear of? 

*THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING AT ALL "INSULTING" ABOUT BEING DISABLED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*  :Mad:  




> ... It isn't a very well built mandolin, but that tells you precisely nothing about the builder's mental state.


I was not the one who questioned the "builder's mental state". I merely pointed out that there COULD be many types of VALID REASONS why the instrument was built the way it was and I was **hoping** that people would get a clue and QUIT THE CRITICISM OF THE INSTRUMENT because more than likely whoever built the darned thing probably did the best they could, and it's rude and stupid to criticize people for things they can't help. 




> ... It is folk art...


I said that too as a possibility, in case you missed it. The other response was to address a different question. 

Does anyone even *read* posts or do they just blast through and immediately jump to conclusions? If no one reads stuff except skimming the first line or whatever, it's a waste of time to even bother posting.

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## Jess L.

> This "luthier" ain't in that class, but there's no earthly reason to attribute Alzheimer's or developmental disability to him/her.


See my previous post. 




> ... I'd counsel reining in the snarkiness and _ad hominem_ put-downs.


Agree completely. No point in making fun of an instrument just because it's different.

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allenhopkins

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## journeybear

> I think my humbucker idea would work on one of those as well.


I was thinking much the same thing at time of purchase. But if you look closer at the frets, you'll see they are placed rather haphazardly, so they are unplayable. That's why I mentioned the fretboard on this one as a major difference, and evidence to support my assumption it was made by a different builder.

Now, before you  (or anyone) suggest replacing the fretboard with a working one, there are other anomalies to consider - tuning pegs, bridge, nut - that make such an enterprise prohibitively expensive - or just not worth it. Besides, I don't want to tamper with the creator's, ah, vision, and ruin what are perfectly good - or imperfectly awful - wall hangings.  :Wink:

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## mrmando

> On the contrary, *YOU* are the one *making the assumption* that having a *disability* is somehow *"insulting"*.


Rather, I am saying that _assuming the builder of this mandolin to be disabled_ is an insult to both the builder and disabled persons. There is no reason to suppose that a disabled person couldn't build a better mandolin than this. Conversely, the workmanship of the mandolin itself is no reason to suppose that its builder was disabled. 

In other words, is it an insult to _be_ disabled? Of course not. Is it an insult to _call_ someone "disabled" on the basis of a mandolin he or she built? Yes, I think it is.

Nobody said anything at all about the builder until you showed up. We were discussing _the mandolin_ before you came along and said _the builder_ might have Alzheimer's or be disabled.



> it's a waste of time to even bother posting.


In your case, I agree. The rest of your post doesn't rise to the level of deserving a response, so I'll leave it at that.

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## Bill Kammerzell

> Maybe an elderly person with Alzheimers, just puttering around? Or a developmentally disabled person as their first/only project? Or a stroke victim who tried really hard but that's the best they could do? Or a college student as a prank or on a dare to build something wonky just for fun? Or a modern artist who likes to thumb their nose at the system or whatever? Who knows.  
> 
> Whoever they were, it must've took them a while to put that thing together... or could something like that have been tossed together in 3 hours? 
> 
> The laminated soundboard wouldn't bother me, I'd amplify it  anyway so the acoustic sound wouldn't be all that important. But the tape seems unnecessary.


My wife and I just sent an antique wooden chair with cloth upholstery over to a local school for "developmentally disabled" children. I had been ready to toss that chair out with the trash. It was an absolute disaster. In pieces. Here is a photo of the chair. Returned to us yesterday. We were kind of shocked.


Had much experience with "developmentally disabled " people, or anyone similar?

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mrmando

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## journeybear

That's a nice story. But could we please steer the conversation away from this potentially disruptive line of thinking? It was a mistake to begin with, got pretty nasty pretty quickly, and as far as I can see, doesn't promise to offer anything worthwhile regarding musical considerations. Please. Thank you. Peace!

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## Bill Kammerzell

> That's a nice story. But could we please steer the conversation away from this potentially disruptive line of thinking? It was a mistake to begin with, got pretty nasty pretty quickly, and as far as I can see, doesn't promise to offer anything worthwhile regarding musical considerations. Please. Thank you. Peace!


Yes. I thought it was a nice story also. Thanks. I love nice stories.  :Wink:

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journeybear

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## Mandolin Cafe

Happy to test the theory if people read: 

JL277z and mrmando -  figure out the Forum posting guidelines which you're both violating or you'll be shown the door, immediately. No further warning.

On second thought, this conversation has run its course. Some of you clearly need to find somewhere else to get your kicks.

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