Martin to Mandolin Question

[2TonCommon]

Good evening all.
I have a seemingly odd question for anyone interested. Perhaps due to age I'm finding I play my mandolin almost exclusively and my martin d-42 sits unplayed for months at a time. So, part of my bucket list includes a Gibson mandolin - just because. If I were to offer my D-42(mint) and my Breedlove Alpine(also mint) for trade, what are your thoughts about an F style Gibson I might be able to acquire? Yeah, it's probably an odd-ball question, but no one's ever confused me with Einstein! Love to hear your thoughts/opinions/ or abuse. Thanks a bunch.
Joe

[jim simpson]

Welcome Joe,

Not an oddball question at all. I would probably try to sell both of your instruments outright and then see what you can afford. I'm sure many here including myself have sold pieces in order to buy what we want. You might try listing them for trade in the classified but again my choice would be to sell off first.
Good luck!

[Jim Garber]

A quick search and you can see what a D-42 goes for. Looks like new retail the price is around $5,000 or so. Used it would be somewhat less but if you wanted to sell it quickly then you may need to price it lower. I don't know what the Alpine is worth but you can find out. Post an ad here in th classifieds and see if anyone is interested.

[Mark Wilson]

If you could sell first then the options for acquiring the Gibson expand greatly. Doesn't hurt to list the option for a trade in your sell ad to test the market

[multidon]

If you sell outright you should be able to get in the ballpark of 4000 for the D-42 and 1400 or so for the Breedloves. USA Breedlove mandolins have not held their used value well now that they are orphans of a sort. An outright cash sale should net you 5400 or so to play with, which is more than enough for a new F-9 and almost, but not quite enough, for a new F5G. If you were willing to buy used you night be able to get a Goldrush, Sam Bush, or even an F-5L depending on how much play wear you're willing to accept.

The trouble with a trade like you propose is that the chances of finding someone who has a Gibson F style mandolin that wants to trade for your two specific instruments is pretty slim. Of course it would be easy to find a music store willing to do such a trade. Most Guitar Centers don't keep a stock of Gibson mandolins, but they can special order them. Of course the trade in value of your instruments would go down substantially, about half, because there has to be meat on the bone for them to make money on what you trade in. So outright cash sale, which would be likely to be to two different buyers, would be the best way to realize maximum cash and buying flexibility.

Consignment is another possibility. I have gone this route. At Elderly, for instance, their cut is generally around 20 percent of selling price. So you could get 4300 of your projected 5400 sale in store credit to spend there. They aren't Gibson dealers, but they do get nice used ones in from time to time. You could look at a scenario like that as a trade of your two instruments for something else, with Elderly getting their cut to act as a clearing house for both parties.

One thing somewhat vexing about your question is the attitude that you want a Gibson F style mandolin "just because". Like all mandolins, being hand made, there is variability in quality. Not all Gibsons are stellar, some are meh. If you do actually find someone with a Gibson F style willing to do your trade, how do you know it's a mandolin you would actually want? Of course, if your only requirement is that it says the right thing on the headstock, with no other qualifiers, that renders everything else moot. You are not alone in that attitude, by the way. At least you are more up front than most about it. I mean, look at that old advertising slogan of theirs. "Only a Gibson is Good Enough." Here's hoping that you find what you're looking for. I am dubious that you will be able to accomplish your goal with a direct trade, but as noted above there are a lot of different ways to go. Good luck.

[Capt. E]

I am exactly the same, I lost all interest in guitars (6 String) after getting a mandolin. I admit to have recently acquired a tenor guitar that I have strung up and tuned like an octave mandolin...chords, scales etc exactly like a mandolin, just an octave lower. That is the closest I will every get to guitar again.

As far as your trade/sale of the guitars with the goal of getting a Gibson mandolin is concerned, I would recommend you think a bit about other brands. $5500 would buy you a Pava F or other brand that could be every bit as good. However, I do understand the draw that "Gibson" on the peghead has.

[dwc]

I think the estimate of $4k for the D42 after shipping and fees is pretty close, maybe even slightly optimistic, and Breedloves just don't hold their value, but you could probably net around $5k to $5200 total on your sale. That would get you a new F9, a used F5G or maybe a used F5L. It would also get you a used A5L if you were willing to go with an A style.

[2TonCommon]

Many thanks to everyone for their sage advice. Actually, the Breedlove plays/sounds as good as any mandolin I've come across. So the real issue, I guess, is what I call the "Rolex Paradox." Any 50.00 dollar quartz watch will be more accurate than any $50,000.00 Rolex. So yes, I suppose it's the name on the headstock. Probably not the best reason to sacrifice top-notch instruments. Thanks to everyone for the metaphorical "kick in the ass" to get my head on straight. Best option seems to be save a few bucks and just buy one of the damn things. No shame in owning two mandolins - in fact it might be the best way to win the "my fishing tackle is bigger than yours" debate prevalent in my neighborhood. Thanks again to all, you guys/gals are a great bunch!

[UsuallyPickin]

I started out on guitar in the 60's picked up mandolin in the 80's and fiddle in the 0's .... I have no intention of stopping playing any of them. When I go to a jam my idea is to fit in and play what's either missing or least in attendance. I'm looking at starting in on banjo just to have another option.........

[nickster60]

Jolly I have sold many instuments to finance others over the years. That being said the are bunch of those I would like to have backend some today would be valuable. Although it is convient way to finance a new instrument there can be some downsides.

[Buck]

I don't follow Breedlove, so I can't help you there. The Martin D-42 will be advertised new at the Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) which is $5,599 but can be purchased new with warranty for more like $4,300 or so. I'd expect to get no more than $3,500 in a private sale, and sales are slow right now. Trading it in to a retail store on a new mandolin, I'd be shocked if they offered more than $2,500 in real money. They have to resell it, and they know sales are slow now too.

[Denny Gies]

Joe, depending on your state of MAS, I'd look into a Randy Wood rather than a Gibson.

[pheffernan]

Joe, depending on your state of MAS, I'd look into a Randy Wood rather than a Gibson.

Like this one in your neck of the woods, Denny? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Randy-Wood-F...EAAOSwX61ZBeHA

[Charlie Bernstein]

Many thanks to everyone for their sage advice. Actually, the Breedlove plays/sounds as good as any mandolin I've come across. So the real issue, I guess, is what I call the "Rolex Paradox." Any 50.00 dollar quartz watch will be more accurate than any $50,000.00 Rolex. So yes, I suppose it's the name on the headstock. Probably not the best reason to sacrifice top-notch instruments. Thanks to everyone for the metaphorical "kick in the ass" to get my head on straight. Best option seems to be save a few bucks and just buy one of the damn things. No shame in owning two mandolins - in fact it might be the best way to win the "my fishing tackle is bigger than yours" debate prevalent in my neighborhood. Thanks again to all, you guys/gals are a great bunch!

Another idea:

Keep in mind that not many people would want to trade a mando for BOTH the Martin AND the Breedlove.

So, given that you like the Breedlove so much, I'd sell (not trade!) the Martin and keep the Breed, which wouldn't get you a whole pile, anyway.

Then, since you'll still have the Breed to play, take your time shopping.

You should be able to find a satisfying instrument for the money you got for the Martin.