Mandolin World News

**pickaway** · Oct-09-2015, 1:47pm

I used to pick a good bit and have been away for years. I was cleaning up recently and found my old Mandolin World News. They were full of information for all to see back before the internet. Chock full of great articles, pictures, music and interviews with the greats. I haven't seen them for many years.

There are 4 bound books that go from Spring of 1976 to Winter of 1982 for a total of 24 issues. There are also 2 individual issues (Spring '82 and Summer '83)

What I want to know is there still an interest in this stuff. To me, there is something about holding a hard, print copy of a book and sitting back to enjoy. Are there opinions about what they may be worth and the best way to market them so that a new fan could enjoy them?

I bought them new many years ago. I would appreciate the input.

**AlanN** · Oct-09-2015, 1:52pm

Cool to see the spiral-bound versions. I have all, and as a flagship subscriber, cherish them all - the tunes, exercises, letters, interviews, stories, photos and ads for Loars for a song.

Value? Priceless, imo.

**Timbofood** · Oct-09-2015, 1:57pm

I would have to agree with Alan, the "real" copies of the printed goods you have are bordering on historical documents anymore. I love the feel of the printed page! Keep them until you find a worthy steward for them.
Priceless to most folks around here is probably not far off the mark.

**JeffD** · Oct-09-2015, 2:20pm

Mandolin World News was what I had for a café. I read everything in every issue over and over again. It was in the MWN that I saw my first F style mandolin, learned who all these great players were, figured out where in the mandolin world I fit and where I could aspire to.

There was something really cool about receiving my MWN in the mail, and taking it to a diner for coffee.

I lost all my original issues over time and several house moves and only recently purchased a complete set.

**T.D.Nydn** · Oct-09-2015, 3:13pm

I remember those,,I have a few copies around here somewhere,,there was something really cool about getting and reading them..they just didn't come out as often as I wanted,,,

**JeffD** · Oct-09-2015, 3:41pm

I didn't think about saving them. I would read one raw till the next one came out, put the old one on a shelf.

I also subscribed to The Mandocrucian's Digest. I came to that party late and only got a handful of issues. Which of course I have lost.

There were several slick magazines I used to get back in those days, like Frets, and some guitar magazines. But nothing as wonderfully mando-centric as these.

Frets would have some cool mandolin stuff, I remember John Duffy on a cover and Dave Grisman on a cover, and something about Andy Statman at one time. But it didn't feel as much like membership in an exclusive club, like MWN does or like the Mandolin Café does, actually.

**AlanN** · Oct-09-2015, 3:53pm

I refer to MWN transcriptions, to this day:

Waiting on Vassar - Dawg
Janice - Dawg
Lady Be Good - Buck White
Swing '39 - Tiny and Jethro
Don't Be That Way - Goodman/Jethro
St. Thomas - Rollins/Dix Bruce
Stumblin' - Tiny
Mean Woman Blues - Duffey
Donna Lee - Bird/Tony Williamson

Many others.

In the back of one issue, Joe Carr (R.I.P., dear sir) offered up his hand-written transcriptions to all of his mandolin solos off Jazz Grass. I wrote to him (letter in the mail). He wrote back (letter in the mail) and included them all, with a copy of Slim's chord charts to Gravy Waltz, written on a cocktail napkin! He would take no pay.

FRETS was indeed great, Grisman had a somewhat regular workshop column. Fantastic things in there - Joy Spring, both parts, Skaggs' hip solo to Hwy. 40 Blues, Happy Birthday, Bill Monroe, exercises, etc. Niles' rag was awesome, too.

**Spruce** · Oct-09-2015, 6:42pm

Originally Posted by AlanN

I refer to MWN transcriptions, to this day:

Waiting on Vassar - Dawg
Janice - Dawg
Lady Be Good - Buck White
Swing '39 - Tiny and Jethro
Don't Be That Way - Goodman/Jethro
St. Thomas - Rollins/Dix Bruce
Stumblin' - Tiny
Mean Woman Blues - Duffey
Donna Lee - Bird/Tony Williamson

Many others.

I remember a chord solo for "All The Things You Are" that really opened my eyes (and fingers)...
Forget who worked that one up, but it rocked...

I like reading the old classifieds, like:

"For sale: The only known Loar A5. 10K. Contact Tut Taylor."

I'm going from memory here, but I think it's close...

**Timbofood** · Oct-09-2015, 8:46pm

Real paper letters which took forever to get from one address to another! The feel of paper and irritation when you spilled coffee on it. Now we get in trouble for failing to disengage the caps lock and coffee fries a keyboard!
Kinder, gentler, more leisurely days.
I really loved Mugwumps all the same reasons!
Nice comment about Joe Carr there Alan, I was lucky to have spent a few post gig dinners with "Country Gazette" in the early eighties with a dear friend. Joe was one of the funniest men I have ever met! Alan Munde, super nice ( until you ask him why there is so much empty space on the banjo sandwich album

) Roland, well he's just such a pleasant man to sit and chat with, Bill Smith was playing Bass then, again, really fun to share a bag of mixed nuts with! He was quite fond of pecans if memory serves.
But, Joe! Laughed til I was in tears!
It's a fun musical genre, and it was still so small back then, I had dinner in the same kitchen with Sonny Osborne back in those days of my youth!
This has kind of gotten....OH, a squirrel!

**mandopops** · Oct-09-2015, 9:12pm

I still got all mine.
I poured over them again & again. I hadn't looked at any for a while, but just yesterday I pulled out a few and just looked at the covers. I have other Mandolin magazines I'd part with, but not the "World News". They are just too much fun.
Joe B

**Teak** · Oct-09-2015, 10:01pm

I still have a few copies lying around. I ordered a Givens A mandolin after seeing his adverts in Mandolin World News. Cost of $650 back in 1978 dollars.

**journeybear** · Oct-10-2015, 1:25am

Originally Posted by JeffD

I also subscribed to The Mandocrucian's Digest.

Of course, now, thanks to several advances in technology, you can get all the mandocrucian you can digest, right here.

For free.

I guess the OP is getting the idea his collection could be valuable, or at least desirable, as far as a small group of interested people are concerned. As to that valuation, or the extent of interested parties' desire, or oh by the way, how long this thread will be allowed to continue, stay tuned.

**AlanN** · Oct-10-2015, 7:44am

Originally Posted by Spruce

I remember a chord solo for "All The Things You Are" that really opened my eyes (and fingers)...
Forget who worked that one up, but it rocked...

I like reading the old classifieds, like:

"For sale: The only known Loar A5. 10K. Contact Tut Taylor."

I'm going from memory here, but I think it's close...

Remember that transcription, chord chart. Done by a guy from Hawaii, it was depicted on pages of a fretboard graphic, with markers where to stop the strings.

Guadreau advertised his '25 fern in an issue. Mandolin Brothers advertised in it. You could have bought a Monteleone F-5 copy for $1,800.

**DavidKOS** · Oct-10-2015, 8:01am

I wish I'd have kept the couple copies I had back then. That was the first real information about mandolins I ever read.

**twilson** · Oct-10-2015, 8:43am

I had several copies, don't know what happened to them. But, I remember a Jethro Burns interview. He said the interviewer didn't show up for the appointment, so Jethro conducted the interview with himself. It was a hoot.

Tim Wilson

**AlanN** · Oct-10-2015, 8:58am

An early issue featured Frank Wakefield. The accompanying transcription was Jesus Loves His Mandolin Player Number (...). In the MWN interview in 1979, Frank talks about the PeeWee Lambert 1922 Loar with the broken neck. Tough to follow the story of it, but at IBMA 2015, I listened to David Harvey fill in the blanks to that story. Pretty cool.

**allenhopkins** · Oct-10-2015, 9:22am

Best way to market them –– Mandolin Cafe´ classifieds.

Market value -- oh, say, "$300 or best offer." Three hundred is really high, best offer may be $50, see what happens.

**pickaway** · Oct-27-2015, 10:37am

I took allenhopkins advice and listed this collection in Mandolin café classifieds. They are in the "accessories" section. Thanks for all of your responses and help. They represent many fond memories for me. It is time for someone new to enjoy them.

**mandroid** · Oct-27-2015, 1:56pm

Dix Bruce, Musix.com .. [Now no web presence so that may be history..

sold a set of them all, Photocopies Filled in for the out of Print Ones.

I'd think comb binder holes may pierce the text unless re formatted
with room to spare towards the spine..
since the center stapled ones dont need that Margin.

edit: ( I note this is a teaser for them selling on the Classifieds its 91622,

..if you dont want to scroll to it)

**DKmando** · Feb-03-2023, 11:34am

Hey, I know this thread is old but I'm looking to buy a complete catalogue of "Mandolin World News'' and was wondering if anyone who has it would be willing to sell it. Please let me know!

**Mandolin Cafe** · Feb-03-2023, 11:45am

Originally Posted by DKmando

Hey, I know this thread is old but I'm looking to buy a complete catalogue of "Mandolin World News'' and was wondering if anyone who has it would be willing to sell it. Please let me know!

This should be asked in the Classifieds as an ad as we try to keep the Forum a marketing and selling free zone. Asking there you're likely to find what you're looking for.