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If you happen to live in California, then yes, you do. You have suppressed all information about yourself in your profile on the MC, so we can't advise you further unless you're willing to tell us...

Every maker is free to use whatever naming scheme they like. That said, following Gibson, a lot of other makers have more-or-less adopted the convention of using the number "4" to designate a...

In that case, why not do us all a great service and upload a ZIP file to Mandozine with all known TablEdit files to date, I ask, or make it available to MC members in some other fashion? It should...

Here are a couple of ways of cutting a nut at 1-1/8" width. One has equal spacing between the strings for all double courses; the other uses a smaller spacing for the A & E courses, and a larger...

In my opinion, the highest-quality tuners now being made for F-style mandolins are no longer Waverly (Stew/Mac), but Rubner (from Germany). They are hard to get at the moment, but more are said to...

Jeff -- In post #92 of this thread, i'd already pointed out that "baksheesh" has multiple meanings, and that the word can function as either a tip or a bribe, depending on the local culture, context,...

Huh?!? Gee, I didn't pick up on any "veiled implication of hostility" towards folks who work with their hands -- or their feet, for that matter. I am not sure where you're getting that from....

If I'm not mistaken, most folks tend to buy mandolins for the lovely, woody tone that they can provide while playing a melodic lead, or while playing sustained chords or double-stops, and not for the...

Cool. I find these personal tales of foreign travel and border crossings utterly fascinating, and terrific reading! That said, I think folks are confounding, at least to some extent, the meanings of...

Well, it's a truism that nothing lasts forever. Not me, not you, and not anything else! But the June 1, 2003 interview with you, Niles Hokkanen, can still be found on the web, if you know where to...

Looks like Phil Brug to me. He worked for Gibson in the 90's, when their mandolins were being made in Bozeman, Montana.

But Bren -- how can you possibly judge, yourself, "what it is worth?" And worth it to whom? Are you suggesting that you're a better judge of the pricing schedules for instrument repairs in your area...

The Mandozine website was asking for donations recently to cover their overdue web server bills, so it's possible that they ran out of the funds necessary to keep it going, and closed the site -- or...

I would venture to guess that luthiers are seldom tipped for regular repair work. For that matter, you seldom tip a car mechanic, a plumber, or an appliance repairman. Not that offering extra money...

Interesting to hear about your experience, because D'Addario claims that their new XT-series coating is more durable and long-lasting than the EXP coating it has replaced, not less durable. It's...

As Tim Logan pointed out (:)) get it? "pointed"!), the shape of the pick's point and bevel play big roles in the pick's sound, and not just its thickness. The thickness itself mainly determines the...

Well, this is just my opinion, but it's probably shared by many players with experience: No gig bag offers "substantial protection." A gig bag may well protect against various scratches and...

Well, you are not very likely to find something better -- and better fitting for an Eastman -- than Eastman's very own gig bag -- for just $25 on sale! Tell us if your budget is larger. There are...

Lots of advice here. My own two cents are these: if, when you play it, the mandolin doesn't say something to you, i.e., doesn't brings you a more special sound sensation than when you normally play...

Here's a suggestion along the lines of what you requested. If you are really flailing with your right arm while picking, just try putting it in an improvised sling. You can make this sling from...

If you look closely at the photo you posted, you'll see a hairline crack that had developed in the back, running horizontally, straight through all four of the white string pegs. This is not good,...

It should probably be pointed out that this observation applies only to oval-hole mandolins, not to those with f-holes. The fingerboard extension and support does not affect the air cavity resonance...

HoGo is correct, and the arch of a properly graduated mandolin top can withstand the down-bearing force of the bridge and strings, which can be up to 80 lbs. (60 lbs. is more typical). This happens...

Sorry, I mistyped! I meant to write: "Today, there are vastly more carved back [NOT "flatback"] mandolins being produced than bowlbacks or other designs."

Many thanks for catching that. Also, I...

It's not the altitude that changes the tuning, but the moisture. Higher elevations in the Nevada mountains tend to be drier. Wood will shrink. Take the mandolin down to the California coast (hint:...