How do you justify MAS?

[Resolve]

I admit that if I was not married to a conservative businessman I would probably have reached this point in my life without a penny to my name (despite the fact I have always had a career).

However, it also means I have to somehow justify spending a LOT of money (even if I keep my budget to 1K) on a very SMALL instrument when I've already spent a lot of money on 2 guitars. Said spouse (a practical man not driven by passions so cannot empathize with MAS) while very supportive of my duo endeavor, will not understand why a gigging guitar player would want/need to pursue a less common instrument (at which she will probably not be very proficient).

For those of you partnered with non-musician mates....how do you keep explaining/justifying the need to explore another avenue in your personal musical journey?

I'd love to buy a $3000 instrument but I am wondering how I'm going to even explain the $1000 choice.

[DataNick]

I'm sure that your husband understands who you are...if this is not an impulsive, "phase", he should be good with it!

You seem like you've got the fever! (as do most of us around here)...btw: resistance is futile...

[Bill Baldridge]

Why would you want to justify MAS?

[bttahern]

I got the bug last year and I own a nice 1951 Gibsons southern jumbo along with a couple of nice electrics. I've always told my wife that good stuff costs money and thats just a simple fact. I bought a Loar 220 with the knowledge if I started really putting some time in on it I'd upgrade. I eventually bought a June A5 from Walter after logging at least 12 hours a week on the Loar.

So my belief is that if you are gonna play it a lot....then its really a long term small expense. I don't buy much expensive stuff and my golf habit has been whittled down to 4 rounds a year with three little kids.

I also feel its easy to explain that if you buy a used Gibson F5 out of the classifieds for a decent price you can get 90% of your money back most likely from buying used. So really if you need to sell then you have something and a way to get your money out.

Also it sounds like you've done well saving....SPEND SOME!! ha.

[Clinton Johnson]

We all know mama wears the pants of the house...just get the mando and ask questions later lol

If mama aint happy...

[Charles E.]

Resolve, you are an experienced guitar player with a couple of nice guitars. As for learning the mandolin there are some great sounding, affordable choices out there and I would encourage you to 'dip your toe in the mandolin water' with that type of instrument before shelling out thousands of dollars on a mandolin to learn on.
I have been playing mandolin for many years and have owned more then a few over those years, including a couple of Eastman mandolins (a 315 and a 314 oval hole). I played those Eastmans very happily over the past couple of years until I found my current mandolin.

As far as justifying MAS, my wife (who is a wonderful singer and owns one guitar) and I have a deal, if a new instrument is to come into the house one has to go. In the last purchase three instruments left to pay for my new mando.

[bigskygirl]

Heck, I think it's healthy to have passions and if you are lucky, a supportive spouse. Lucky for me my hubby is a fly-fisherman, so we both have our passions and spend time pursuing them, then we have together time. I don't understand why someone wants to stand waist deep in a river all day beating the water but by the same token he doesn't understand how I can be so happy abut a new set of strings....ha

I hope that although he may not understand your passion he'll support it.

[barry]

I all seriousness, just do your homework and get a feel for the market. Buy something off of the classifieds that you determine is a fair deal. As stated earlier, you can usually recoup a significant part of the purchase price. Considering the small expense to maintain a decent instrument, the true cost is minimal as far as hobbies go.

[Emmett Marshall]

If you faithfully (consistently) check the classified ads on this website, I'm pretty sure you'll come across a fantastic deal - sooner than later. I think I recently saw a Kentucky KM-1000 being sold for $900. That's a nice mandolin which is in your $1000 budget. Street price is about $1500 for a new one. I paid $450 for my first mandolin and it's still a darlin'.

[BJ O'Day]

As far as justifying MAS, my wife (who is a wonderful singer and owns one guitar) and I have a deal, if a new instrument is to come into the house one has to go. In the last purchase three instruments left to pay for my new mando.[/QUOTE]

Sounds like she OWES you 2 instruments!

[Bob Clark]

For those of you partnered with non-musician mates....how do you keep explaining/justifying the need to explore another avenue in your personal musical journey?

I, too, have a mate who is non-musical and does not understand my need to make music and own beautiful instruments. But it really is not too big of a problem. I don't really expect her to understand my need for these instruments, just to realize that this need exists in me. I explain my purchases in the following way.

I am not getting any younger. We've worked hard and lived well within our means our entire life (to date) and therefore have a little money set aside. Why work and save if not to be able to enjoy the fruits of that work at some point? I reiterate, I am not getting any younger. I'd rather spend a little money on a few beautiful instruments that will give me joy now, than to have that same amount of money sitting in an investment somewhere, from which I derive no pleasure. And then I really do enjoy the instruments I purchase.

I could not make that argument if we were living 'close to the bone' and needed every penny to keep the wolves from the door. But that is not the case with me and from what you state, I suspect it is not the case with you either. So really, what is the point of all that work and saving if you cannot derive a little pleasure from it? And if there is one certain truth about our instruments it is that they give us pleasure.

Buy the instruments that inspire you to play. Play in a way that gives you joy, and hopefully others joy as well. Never regret the few dollars less in your savings. Life is too short for that.

Just my two-cents worth. Others may disagree and that's fine, too.

[Charles E.]

As far as justifying MAS, my wife (who is a wonderful singer and owns one guitar) and I have a deal, if a new instrument is to come into the house one has to go. In the last purchase three instruments left to pay for my new mando.

Sounds like she OWES you 2 instruments![/QUOTE]

Well, it is a really nice mandolin (Girouard) no regrets!

What Bob said!

[MikeEdgerton]

Put on your big girl pants and accept the fact that you have the disease. The first step in getting over anything is admitting you have a problem. Once you do that you simply chalk up anything you acquire to the disease. It's simple. No justification needed.

[bigskygirl]

I, too, have a mate who is non-musical and does not understand my need to make music and own beautiful instruments. But it really is not too big of a problem. I don't really expect her to understand my need for these instruments, just to realize that this need exists in me. I explain my purchases in the following way.

I am not getting any younger. We've worked hard and lived well within our means our entire life (to date) and therefore have a little money set aside. Why work and save if not to be able to enjoy the fruits of that work at some point? I reiterate, I am not getting any younger. I'd rather spend a little money on a few beautiful instruments that will give me joy now, than to have that same amount of money sitting in an investment somewhere, from which I derive no pleasure. And then I really do enjoy the instruments I purchase.

I could not make that argument if we were living 'close to the bone' and needed every penny to keep the wolves from the door. But that is not the case with me and from what you state, I suspect it is not the case with you either. So really, what is the point of all that work and saving if you cannot derive a little pleasure from it? And if there is one certain truth about our instruments it is that they give us pleasure.

Buy the instruments that inspire you to play. Play in a way that gives you joy, and hopefully others joy as well. Never regret the few dollars less in your savings. Life is too short for that.

Just my two-cents worth. Others may disagree and that's fine, too.

Excellent! And I also wanted to add that one does not have to spend alot of money to find a mandolin that works for them.

I've played a few spendy mandos and maybe I don't have enough skill to appreciate a $20,000 mando but I know what I like and I like my mandolins.

[metrognome]

From the time I was a little boy, my dad always expressed the desire to get a banjo and learn how to play it. At 85, he expresses regrets that he never did so. He was very successful in his career, and the money for a banjo would never have been an issue but for one moment during the long and healthy life he has lived. But, he is now living with regrets about never having gotten his banjo. As a son I would have loved to see him learn, practice, perform, write songs, etc. and possibly leave his own unique musical imprint in the sands of time on this planet when he departs.

Sometimes you just have to let the music in your heart be your justification. Time is too short and there are no go-backs. We are now talking less money than it would take to change a timing belt and a water pump, for something that will give years and years of enjoyment.

[Relio]

1) It's not like I'm throwing away the money on something that will depreciate heavily. Buy a used quality mandolin and it will hold it's value.
2) I'm planning to play it for the next 50 years.
3) It's a hobby that I love, why not spend money on what you enjoy?

I currently have a $2000 mandolin. A few weeks ago my wife gave me the OK to get a new one within a $9,000 budget.

[LongBlackVeil]

i cant even justify it to myself anymore, ive played alot of very high end mandolin, including mandolins used by some very good pro pickers, and mine is still my favorite. Its very difficult for me to even justify getting a beater or something completely different because my ellis can do everything so well

The best way to justify mas I would say, is to buy used at a good price. So you always know you can get your money out, or at least most of it given that you might knick it or scratch it or what have you. This way, your not really losing anything, just trading one thing for another for awhile and if you ever feel like it, you can trade back for your cash . (Yeah right! Mandolins are way cooler than cash!). It's way better than a car buying addiction or something like that which loses value overtime.

[Buck]

For those of you partnered with non-musician mates....how do you keep explaining/justifying the need to explore another avenue in your personal musical journey?

First, I don't drink, smoke, or chase other women. That's the opener.

Secondly, our family is financially sound - no debt, retirement funding in place, and all that. I spend nothing which would compromise that.

Thirdly, if you buy wisely, it's money "parked" not money spent. Most of my instruments are worth more than I paid for them, or at worst worth very little less.

Lastly, and most importantly, I have the best wife ever. (No offense to any other wives. I am admittedly somewhat biased.)

[Jacob]

MAS is a genetic trait. We have it, or we don't.

[terzinator]

Like Buck says in his third point:

Buy smart, and it's better than money in the bank. (Not saying the return on the investment will reap huge financial rewards, but you will enjoy it and learn something while you own it. If you need to sell, well, you won't lose anything.)

Unless you're buying a mandolin a month, we're not talking about massive amounts of money, really.

If you honestly can't afford it, really, then it's a different issue altogether.

[George R. Lane]

Resolve,
I don't think you can justify MAS to someone who doesn't have the same passion. I would bet when he sees the smile on your face when you play, that would be all the justification he would need. I am lucky to have a wife who is glad that I enjoy the things that make me happy. She has put up with my golf, music, fly-fishing and motorcycles for 45 years and still says if you need it then buy it. Man, I love her.

[k0k0peli]

The straightforward way to keep things smooth with a spouse is to take MAS or UAS or LBA off the household books. I could indulge in unlimited LBA (lens-buying addiction) by selling superfluous glass before buying more. Yeah, I *really* wanted that A50/1.2, about the greatest Nifty Fifty ever made. I sold off a few Takumars and Tomiokas and voila! As long the money flows into and out of my Paypal account and doesn't hit the bank statements, all is cool.

MAS and UAS are creeping up on me, of course. I have the OK to buy some few affordable instruments my wife loves. Beyond that, I'll have to sell stuff. Not the grandkids -- they wouldn't bring much anyway. No, when we return home from this long road trip, lots of my vintage glass will show up on eBay, especially the macro lenses. Then I'll have to find room for more instruments. I only have one lens that's as big a a mando. And if I get into my fantasy of building strange axes (like a triple-neck banjo) I'll have to hang them from the ceiling.

[zedmando]

Why would you want to justify MAS?

My thoughts exactly--it's a Syndrome!
No justification needed...

[pianoman89]

Like Buck says in his third point:

Buy smart, and it's better than money in the bank. (Not saying the return on the investment will reap huge financial rewards, but you will enjoy it and learn something while you own it. If you need to sell, well, you won't lose anything.)

Which is why I buy vintage. I buy to restore and sell, but if I decide I have found one I can't part with, I know it's not money lost. If my taste should change later, or I come across one I like more, I can count on getting my money back out of it.
I don't think I could justify buying a new mandolin that wasn't handcrafted, but that's just me I suppose. I am musically inspired when I play an instrument that's 100 years old.

[Ivan Kelsall]

MAS isn't something that you 'justify' - it's something that hits you like a Mac truck when you see your latest ''i must have it'' mandolin. The justification part comes in when you put together the argument for actually 'purchasing' the object of your desire. A good friend on mine who passed away many years ago,once told me - ''If you can afford it without detriment to anything else,& you'll enjoy it - buy it & enjoy it''. I've always adhered to that advice. Right now,i could buy my dream mandolin,an Ellis "F" style,however,the cash i have saved up over the past 5 years is there for any emergencies - 3 of which have hit my home over the last 4 years & which have cost me a lot of cash. To buy my 'dream',would in my case, be detrimental to my home should another emergency arise - so my MAS has to be put down as soon as it arises - that's life !,
Ivan