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"And now for something completely different......."
Monty Python.

Coming from a sales and marketing background myself I'll offer the thought that Gibson will have a difficult time recovering any substantial market share in the small, niche world of mandolin sales....

I second the idea of using OOOO steel wool. I have used it to clean gunk from old furniture. I also use clear BriWax which I believe contains naptha. Try a small amount and if possible on an...

My favorite BG album of all time is Bluegrass Special Columbia BN26031. Sweet little miss blue eyes, don't say goodbye if you love me, are you missing me, ...... Just some classic stuff. I mention...

A few random thoughts:
I firmly believe that reading music greatly enhances your ability to progress as a musician. Imagine walking in to your local library and saying I can only look at the books...

Living in WNY, north of Buffalo, we know a little bit about cold and snow. I have to laugh at some of the scenarios discussed here. Really, standing out in sub freezing temps playing acoustic...

203720
My Washburn M5S and a pic of the album cover Old Friends with Red Rector. Jethro with his M6. And Red with his classic old Gibson oval hole. Some great pickin and some fun banter too....

To start I'll say to each their own. It's your instrument, so if having it look distressed is to your liking, and you are willing to pay for it, so be it.
Long ago I got in the habit of returning...

No I don't use that style pick, but I'd like to say thanks for the kind gesture. One of the reasons this mandolin community is so special.

IMHO the answer to your question about going to a solid wood mandolin as your next instrument, and paying in the $750 - 1000 range, is a definite YES. Assuming you paid about $200 for the Rogue...

Sorry to hear about your GC experience. I was fortunate enough to acquire a Mid Mo about 5 years ago through the classifieds in almost new condition. The only blem was a little glue line at the...

I'm the same age and in the same situation as the OP. I started playing guitar as a teenager, played some banjo too, and about twenty years ago I got hooked on the mandolin and it's been my main...

I learned to read music years ago when I went off on a tangent and decided to learn piano. I rarely play piano because, as always happens, I was lured back into playing bluegrass music. But knowing...

Going back 36 years puts this mandolin in the mid 80s which would make this a Japanese made Washburn by my reckoning. I have a Japanese made Washburn Jethro Burns F5 that is a good, maybe not...

Good advice all around with these responses. I'll add just another thought (or two).
When the pandemic hit two years ago I determined I would take this time of shutdown to really work on my fiddle...

For your consideration I'll mention two older versions I've always loved. First up Doc Watson "The Essential Doc Watson" on the old Vanguard VSD 45/46 vinyl recordings 1973. Just Doc and Merle....

I was in industrial sales for many years and also did product safety training sessions for our customers. Speaking in public can cause anything from mild anxiety to outright panic attack for some...

Crypto Mando? I think I get it. No I don't, nor do I want to. If it requires more deep brain comprehension usage than my age addled cranium can muster at this point in life then I just let it pass....

Not here to comment on heating elements, but rather the use of galvanized pipe. My understanding (from working in industrial sales and calling on welding and fabrication shops) is that heating...

Had hip replacement 1.5 years ago and everything went great. I credit much of this my physical therapists. Follow the physical therapy protocols, especially doing your homework. Not just your...

I guess I'm going to amend my first response to this discussion. I'll bring the instrument that I feel most comfortable with depending on conditions and safety.
We used to have a gig where we...

It's part of my daily routine, usually as I'm finishing my morning coffee. Log on, check the classifieds, then go to the forum. And I have no intention of buying another mando. Between having all...

First and foremost I hope you have complete recovery and get back to playing soon. Your attitude seems great and it should serve you well. I (we) have enjoyed your contributions and perspective...

Funny I had been listening to a lot of Osborne Brothers since Sonny's passing recently. I have the Early Recordings of Sonny Osborne 1952 - 1953 Vol. 1 & 2 originally recorded on Gateway Records. ...

I have about two hundred albums on vinyl, half of which are bluegrass. The Seldom Scene, Doyle & QS, Newgrass Revival, Osborne Bros, etc. Most of the stuff those groups put out back in the 70s and...