Re: The search continues...
With each new post to this trainwreck of a thread, I feel increasingly vindicated about all the helpful advice that was offered, but promptly ignored. And shame on those of you who told me to shut up and go away. You truly don't understand what the MC is about when attempt to silence opinions that happen diverge from your own.
Here is a recap of some of the advice:
1) Don't be compulsive and act in a rush when going about purchasing a truly high-end mandolin. Take the time to better educate your ears and hands first about the wide variety of sounds and playabilities that exist out there in this lofty price range. Travel to some places where you can gain more first-hand experience before shelling out $10,000-$20,000 -- or more. It's better to compare mandolins on an A/B basis when you can, rather than simply relying on your memory. The cost of a plane flight to Nashville is less than 10% of what you're thinking about spending, so consider that. Even if you come back with nothing, you will have learned a great deal.
2) Don't buy a high-end instrument as your first and only mandolin. Get something decent, but perhaps not truly top-end, to tide you over as you search for the ultimate mandolin. Something in the $2,000-$4,000 range, like a Pava, Northfield, Collings, Weber, or the like would do very very nicely indeed. This should remove some of the edge, and your compulsion to buy. Or just get a 'beater,' in the $800-$1500 range. But have something to fall back on. Besides, you will need this mandolin whenever your high-end instrument goes in for repair, or whenever you go places where you can't risk taking along that expensive instrument. The purchase of a "lesser" mandolin only represents 10%-30% of what you'd spend on that top-end instrument, so it's a solid investment.
3) Don't purchase and then return a high-end instrument for trivial reasons that are easily remedied by any competent luthier, like a bit of loose binding or some crazed finish or a minor issue with the bridge or setup. That betrays a real ignorance, and shows that you don't understand much about what you're doing. Buyer's remorse is less likely to occur when you are on top of your game.
4) Don't whine!
People love this thread because it illustrates a clear example the heartfelt passion that underlies MAS, which so many of us suffer from. We feel empathy, and we are experiencing vicariously with you. And that's all fine. But when your evident passion gives way to obsession followed by impulsive actions, it begins to lose sense. You really need to slow down a bit and catch your breath, I'd argue. Your wife now writes that you may have settled for that Wiens when you liked the Gilchrist better. And you appear to have panicked on the Gilchrist and sent it back due to some minor issues that really weren't about the sound. And now the dealer, who offered to fix the minor things (Gryphon), would rather not deal with you -- and small wonder! There surely must be a lot of buyer's remorse, now that the return period for the Wiens has lapsed, the Gilchrist is stuck in your mind, and you are out many thousands of dollars that you rushed into spending before doing all your homework. And that's not funny; it's tragic. These are all symptoms of a lack of confidence, or knowledge, or both, i.e., of not really knowing what you're truly doing. That's my opinion, anyway, and I'm sticking to it.
There are some lessons to be learned from this thread for all of us on the MC. Lessons about passion versus obsession. Lessons about having a lot of disposable income to spend. Lessons about listening to our MC colleagues, and not rushing to silence them. Lessons about listening to mandolins, and not rushing to buy them.
But what the hell, learn to love that Wiens -- enjoy it: I'm sure it's a terrific mandolin, regardless if it's not The One -- and move forward with your life, poorer but wiser.
Originally Posted by sblock
Bookmarks