Good news, bad news.

[Buck]

Where are you all in your instrument acquisition journey? Does it jive with reality?

Reality? It is what it is, so I guess it's my reality. My instrument quality far exceeds my skill though. As an old bandmate used to say, "If we can't make good music, it's not for lack of equipment." :-)

Like nearly everyone else, I started at the low end of things. I learned to play guitar on a 1960's Univox borrowed from my dad. Looking back, I'm surprised he let me take it to college, but he did. Took up mandolin about the time I graduated. My first purchase was a flattop Romanian-made mandolin I bought for the stunning price of $39. He wanted $40 and I was only able to get him down one more dollar. Still have that one by the way. Lots of instruments came and went after that.

My primary player these days is a 1999 Weber Big Sky that I bought new. Something about this particular example grabbed me from the first time I touched it, and I quickly found a way to make sure I bought it before someone else did. It was a lot of money for me at the time. I've never regretted it, and I've had some more expensive mandolins since buying that one. They're gone and the Weber stayed. That doesn't mean I won't buy something else. I'd like to have a Paganoni someday. There are other good choices in that price range, but I've always liked those a lot. Truth is though, I would be fine with the Weber and my Ledfords.

Since leaving the Bluegrass band I've concentrated more on guitar, since it just works better around the house and if I'm performing alone. People know I'm a mandolin player and I get asked to fill in occasionally, but mostly I play guitar. That has brought about far more guitar than mandolin acquisitions in the last 15 years. Most of those guitars are old Martins, including some prewar examples. I've also bought some modern guitars by relatively well known makers - presently owning instruments by Pre*War Guitars Company, Whipple, Proulx, and Klepper. The guitar by Howard Klepper is the only one I had built. The others I bought used or directly from the maker, but they weren't made specifically for me. The experience with Howard was delightful, and I couldn't be happier with the guitar. There's little about it that's not perfect for me, including the neck shape. Howard nailed everything I asked for in that build. Again, the guitar exceeds my skills, but I like it.

As a family, we live below our means in many other ways, specifically so that we can do things are important to us. That includes family trips, education, charity work, and saving for retirement. I look at my instruments as another form of savings. I'm not a chronic "guitar trader" but I do enjoy the ability to buy and sell a little and try new instruments over time. Even if they don't offer investment grade returns, they do retain value and could be liquidated if necessary. I've always primarily bought for enjoyment of the music though. As my friend Tom says, "Buy for tone, but buy responsibly." He's a lot better at it than me, but he got a head start.

[catmandu2]

Personally, I'm more obsessed with the music than the tool. I have no trouble finding adequate instruments to use - except for a hdgfl which took several years to locate. I've let go when necessary, only to then find another.. There's no dearth of supply - for which to play music.

[catmandu2]

Where are you all in your instrument acquisition journey? Does it jive (sic) with reality?

Learning to deal with object fetish resulted in happiness, for me.

*Though I'm not unsympathetic to obverse: spent the better part of 40 years with it. And still an unrepentant jazz collector.

[fatt-dad]

My collection's complete!

f-d

[NickR]

One of the things, I have learned is that good instruments do not always have Gibson, Martin or Epiphone on the headstock and I wish I had found this out earlier. However, when I started out, there were so few instruments available- and the used opportunity was purely what turned up in the local music shop- and the odd ad in the local paper or the weekly national music newspaper with small ads. Some of my best and favourite instruments were the higher end output of the less storied makers. Of course, now we have books like "The Other Brands of Gibson" to help us- and I did acquire the Wards version of the Gibson A50- and that is courtesy of the internet ebay revolution that has opened up the second hand market worldwide.

[Chuck Leyda]

I should be done...(see sig).

I have everything I need and then some. I may sell one octave mandolin this Spring. I don't need two but I want two

Even with the buying and selling, our band has always declared a small profit at the end of the year so I don't feel bad about my collection. My one regret is playing around buying and selling too many entry level pro mandolins. Once you get that Collings MT, or Weber Gallatin, or Northfield NFS etc etc just keep it and play the heck out of it. They're all good. They're all in the same category. Play it and if you need an upgrade make sure it's an upgrade rather than an expensive side grade.

Other than that, it's been fun! That Davy Stuart mandola is an amazing instrument that I got for $850!

[Greg P. Stone]

I started on drums and have acquired way too many (8?, 9?) despite moving to Sequim a decade ago with a single 1965 Slingerland set. Everything needs to go except the last two, a custom Sapele stave 18/14/12/10/8 with 13 snare and an all maple 20/15/12/10 w/14 snare. Ten other snares need to go. I'm settled on Acoustic guitar with two: Tacoma jumbo and parlor. Settled on electric w/ Gibson P90 Les Paul, Epi 335, Cort Artisan bass. Need to sell some amps and pedals. Two each of Roland Handsonics and keyboards will do.

My F style Olympia OM6-SW is all I need. It equals in volume and has 90% of the tone of the $3000 to $5000 mandolins I've tried. However, I may buy a local builder's A style today as I can't get it out of my mind and need to play it again to see if my mind is playing tricks on me or it was really that good.

I really don't want to to accumulate but I do want to keep learning and experiencing what music has to offer.

[Br1ck]

Another thing I've noticed is my ability to simultaneously revel in the awesomeness of what I have, and scour the world for something else.

My thinking has me going in the direction of fewer but better instruments. But I'm doing nothing until my main squeeze stops changing for the better. It is gradually developing a warmth I never thought it would have.

I'm also contemplating another build which is the best MAS quasher ever.

[MikeZito]

Over the past 40 years I estimate that I have owned somewhere in the neighborhood of 250-300 stringed instruments; (guitars, mandolins, basses, lap steels, banjos, ukuleles, violins and pedal steels). Some of them were absolutely amazing instruments that I had to put myself into somewhat uncomfortable debt to own - but I always managed to survive, feed my family, etc.

As I creep towards my 6th decade of life, having achieved absolutely no level of success in my 'musical career', I think that I can safely say that my days of buying, collecting and/or upgrading are over. I now have a dozen or so moderately priced instruments that are 'good enough', and that are more than likely to remain the instruments that I will keep and play until I go to that big woodshed in the sky.

[pheffernan]

Needs, abilities, purpose.

As the poster who instroduced these terms, perhaps some clarification is in order.

Needs: this could go from none to hundreds. Does one actually need an instrument of any kind? Not needed to sustain life.

In the simplest sense, I need a mandolin to play the mandolin. I don’t need seven, and certainly not an eighth mandolin.

Abilities: an instrument does not exceed one's abilities, except perhaps the very cheapest instrument which is beyond anyone's abilities. Those who subscribe to the I am not worthy school of thought, please get over it. Really, flush that misguided thought. If you can play Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, there is no reason not to buy a Gilchrist, except inability to pay for it. Don't confuse this with worthiness.

I don’t equate ability with worthiness. I unapologetically own some mighty fine instruments. By ability, I mean that I am not technically limited by some shortcoming in the mandolins that I own which could be overcome were I to invest in an eighth mandolin.

Purpose: a tricky one. A single instrument could cover everything. I'll bet you'd be forgiven if you showed up at a session with a Loar, or an old time jam, or a symphonic concert hall. So purpose as a reason to buy more instruments is a much used justification for one's self and spouse.Dear, I could be getting Irish gigs if I only had an oval hole. Please don't figure the ten years it will take to pay off.

For purpose, I meant that I do not have an application, such as a worship band at church where I’d need to be plugged in, that would require an eighth mandolin. And I have thought about consolidating my mandolin portfolio for years:

https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...426&viewfull=1

So this pretty much leaves us with want. One would be wise to come to grips with this. Some will want one nice mandolin, others want dozens. This will change over time.

Want is a tempting mistress, more dangerous when she comes clothed in the guise of need, ability, and purpose.

[Eric Platt]

Will admire the folks who are satisfied with what they have. Got it with my guitars. But only after going through way more than sensible. And actually "downgrading" to what I now have. None of them are exception, but they get the job done.

That's where I am on mandolins. Although am still at the stage of the journey that I sometimes long for something "better". Whether that's a used Collings MT, or Northfield, or something else, impossible to say. In the alternative, eventually, satisfaction has to take hold. Even if it's just staying pat with what I already have.

[Marcus CA]

This is a much more expensive version of the painter's quest for enough shades of blue.

You love your instruments, but then you come across one that gives you something different than what you have. When you find something better, downsizing isn't as difficult. When you find something different, though, it's tough to choose which one to let go. First-World problems, of course.

This is part of the musical life in the SF Bay Area. I'm within an hour's drive of Gryphon in Palo Alto, Sylvan in Santa Cruz, and Mighty Fine Guitars in Lafayette. Those Veillette soprano 12-string guitars at Gryphon are like musical fairy dust. There is a Lowden spruce/koa guitar at Sylvan that is nothing special --- until you tune it to DADGAD, which makes it magical. There is a Mowry mandola at Mighty Fine that has unbelievably rich tone --- and I'm not much of a mandola fan --- which makes it really hard to put back on the wall. I have lots of shades of blue, but not those. Still, I've gotten much better at resisting, most of the time.

[David Lewis]

To me, instruments are built for individuals. It might be a mass produced Asian Pac Rim, but when I pick it up, I know. My epiphone MM40 hung in the shop for 2 years, and I'd play it, and it just felt right. But I couldn't afford it. Then the shop closed down and it went to half price... Now I COULD afford it.

A friend had a good analogy - i took his son to a guitar shop to buy him a decent guitar. (Actually I didn't buy it, my friend did. but anyway).

The son wanted a 'jazz guitar'. Ok - a box? or a thinline? 'The Thinline.' Ok.

So, I grabbed a variety of very nice guitars - Telecaster thinline, Gretsch, and Epiphone 335, 339, and Casino. The boy is not big, and is a beginner. But the one he loved was the Casino with the biggest body and the P90 pickups which are very moody. But it fit.

My friend said 'i didn't realise it was like Ollivander's wand shop from Harry Potter - the guitar chooses you'. I think that's right.

[Bill Kammerzell]

While in Nashville, in 2016, my wife said to me, "You're 65 years old, our house is paid for, we put our daughter thru college, we have college funds for both our granddaughters. You've retired from two different careers. When are you going to buy the mandolin you really want?"
Well that was a number of mandolins ago. She says she still hasn't regretted saying it. I keep my collection at three. Not always the same three. The Collings, the Adams and the Kentucky are currently the three I want.

[Br1ck]

Want cloaked in the guise of need, ability and purpose. Brilliant turn of phrase there.

SF Bay area, a candyland of instrumental delights, yet we long to visit the ice cream parlor: Nashville via Austin.

Wives are smart. They know that for the price of an instrument or two, they derive countless hours of peaceful bliss, and if they hit the mother lode, you'll join a band and be gone playing Farmer's markets most Saturdays and bring home produce. Plus they can do math. Let's see. 2 rounds of golf every week, $100-400. That driver that will give you another 25 yards, two or three times a year. $400 ea. Bar tab after each round, $20-$40. Once in a lifetime trip to St. Andrews, priceless.

I have formulated my base instruments above witch the laws of diminishing returns kicks in big time. Not saying the returns aren't worth it, not at all. But buy one good D 18 or D 28 or J 45, pick your poison, or a Northfield F5S or Collings MT, and you could live with that. Maybe you couldn't, but I could. And really that is within reach of many. But let's not get carried away, because instrument builders and sellers need to eat too.

[THart]

"Hey Charlie, I think I'm happy for the first time since my accident
And I wish I had all the money we used to spend on dope
I'd buy me a used car lot and I wouldn't sell any of 'em
I'd just drive a different car every day dependin' on how I feel"

Tom Waits from Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis

A flat top, an archtop a resonator guitar, an F style mandolin & a GBOM. Three of them Webers, one Tom Jesson built & one vintage (1924) Gibson. All way above my ability I'm sure but each one chases the blues on different days.

[pheffernan]

I'm also contemplating another build which is the best MAS quasher ever.

While I’ve never personally done the actual building, nothing in my experience has cooled the white hot intensity of MAS quite like replacing the immediate hit of a purchase from the classifieds with the delayed gratification of a yearlong custom order.

I have formulated my base instruments above witch the laws of diminishing returns kicks in big time. Not saying the returns aren't worth it, not at all. But buy one good D 18 or D 28 or J 45, pick your poison, or a Northfield F5S or Collings MT, and you could live with that. Maybe you couldn't, but I could. And really that is within reach of many. But let's not get carried away, because instrument builders and sellers need to eat too.

In the same price range, albeit used, I think that it is possible to do even better in an independently built instrument made with all of the fetishized components (Adirondack top, hot hide glue construction, varnish finish, etc.) and even some of that figured wood and inlay that you admire.

[Br1ck]

[QUOTE=pheffernan;1705305]While I’ve never personally done the actual building, nothing in my experience has cooled the white hot intensity of MAS quite like replacing the immediate hit of a purchase from the classifieds with the delayed gratification of a yearlong custom order.

I threw those instruments out there just as examples people will know, you know, as a reference. My real world has me playing a Silverangel I got for $1400, and a Guild D 35 I have about the same money in due to an overhaul. So you can be happy with a total expenditure south of $3k. I took the SA into Gryphon one day and proved it could hold its own with anything. Whatever you end up with, that level of instruments removes the worst of the gear lust, leaving only self indulgence to drive MAS. I'm not discounting that either.

Someone in a recent post said to consider giving instruments away. I used to put strats and teles together from parts. I bought a strat body once that turned out to be plywood. Painted it pretty, had some good pickups to put in, and found a used neck. I had $200 in it, and it was way better than anything a friend had. I gave it to him. Recently I gave a Tele parts guitar to another musician friend who happens to be a good mandolin player. He's now giving me lessons, an entirely unexpected consequence. I had not touched the Tele in a year, and it now gigs regularly.

[AHoyle]

I’m 26 years old, I have 4 small kids and a awesome wife of 8 years. payed off vehicles and house. Was never able to go to college so I started doing Side work at age 16 (HVAC, Electrical ,and Plumbing) which soon turned into my own business at 20. Now I’ve been fortunate enough to have all of my Dream instruments at one time or another. My current line up can be seen in my signature. I started playing piano but always loved the guitar. My entire family plays classical instruments, I’m the black sheep with a banjo and the 1st generation of bluegrass in my family. Got my first guitar at 8yrs old and got the gear acquisition syndrome through my teenage years. I played for church and choir. But a need to play anything with strings took over (and has since also roped my brothers into music) So here we are just really glad I had a love of music at a young age and a strong work ethic and a bit of luck that has allowed me to always get what I wanted. That’s my story so far really still in the beginning of my musical journey (in my opinion) learned so much but there’s still a lot I want to learn. One thing I can say is it has been a truly blessed and incredible journey to this point. And I never know when MAS,GAS,etc will strike and the journey gets a little better.

[CES]

I've always been fairly strategic in my purchases, going for either improvement or a different voice. Since I got my Kelley, though, I hardly play the others (except the RM-1 and Mandobird). I need to move a few, but hate dealing with the selling process. Work's busy, and I don't want to deal with all the tire kicking and picture requests. Haven't decided if I'm going to gift several, consign them, or take a trip to Nashville and try to turn several into an OM, mandola, or small bodied guitar. But the fact that I'm not playing them as much as I used to coupled with an intentional downsize (in which I lost my music room) means some need to go.

The Kelley is better than my ability, but the thing really does inspire to pick it up and play, and I've gotten better since I bought it. If I ever upgrade again, it won't be for a lack of tone or workmanship, but I honestly have no desire at all to do so since I bought that one.

I took the Condino approach to instrument elimination on a cheap Squire Strat I'd bought as a project and on an Applause guitar that needed a neck reset (which didn't appear to be an easy task, and I didn't like the narrow nut width anyway). I recycled the hardware and plastic back.

Fewer but better is where I'm at, and I'm honestly really happy with my main players, so I feel like I'm nearing a point where I could be very satisfied.

[catmandu2]

I tend to be most obsessively neurotic as to the whereabouts of my instruments. They're scattered all about - living with me, bumping into them, etc. I have once dropped my fiddle from my shoulder on to a hard floor. I don't like that.