Familiarity and the appeal of a specific mandolin

[Tim Logan]

I have noticed a phenomena over the last year that I think affects the 'appeal' of a specific mandolin . It is familiarity. I have two distinctly different yet marvelous mandolins. If I play one for two weeks or so and totally ignore the other, I bond completely to the sound of the instrument I'm playing - and the unplayed instrument oddly seems less desirable to play. If I switch instruments, after two weeks or so the 'bonding' is reversed. I also noticed that I had to slightly 'adjust' to the most recently picked up mandolin. Nowadays I play each instrument daily and I have found that it 1) by far reduces, if not eliminates, the 'slight adjustment' period, 2) my playing has improved by getting a more intimate feeling of the instrument differences, and 3) I enjoy them both equally. I'm concluding that instrument 'familiarity' is a significant 'thing' for me. Perhaps this thought might be of benefit to others. Cheers.

[Ranald]

I've had somewhat the same experience. One of my mandolins has a wide neck, so this increases the physical difference between the two. I alternate my two mandolins daily. However, the mandolin-banjo doesn't get its share of attention in order not to annoy my to spouse, neighbours, passing strangers, etc.

[allenhopkins]

I go through extended (months) periods when I really concentrate on one particular instrument. For quite a while, it's been my Stahl (Larson Brothers) mandola. One reason is that I've been largely backing up singers, and the mid-range of this somewhat bass-y instrument seems to suit vocal accompaniment.

However, if the situation arises where I really need to play, say, my Dobro mandolin or my Gibson A/N Custom "pancake," I find myself fitting right back in with that instrument. Recently, for no particular reason, I pulled out the Eastman DGM-2 "Bacon clone" for a particular job, and thought, "Why don't I play this one more?"

Always nice to know I have a selection of tools in the toolbox.

[Jim Garber]

Part of my choosing my main core group of playing mandolins are the next profiles and comfort in playing them. They all have different outputs in terms of sound but I can pretty much pick up any one of them and play away. Granted there may be some slight adjustments as you mention but not much. The only one i truly notice a big difference is my National RM-1 which is the only one with a decidedly wider neck width at the nut. With that one I do find it more difficult to just pick it up and play. It would be perfect with a neck 1/8" narrower. Oh well...

[Eric Platt]

I get it. There are times when I get so used to the sound of an instrument that when grabbing another one it's like it's a different thing entirely. Not just a different mandolin. Especially the case the last year.

The good thing is that now that things are starting to happen (jams/gigs) other mandolins will get played and I can get used to switching between them again.

All my mandolins have fairly different neck profiles, yet it isn't that difficult for me to swap around. Then again, about the only profile I've discovered no longer works for my hands is the sharp V of the 1930's Gibsons. Too bad as there are some very nice instruments from that time period.

[Louise NM]

If the mandolins you're talking about, Tim, are the 1925 L&H and Collings listed at the bottom of your post, I can see why familiarity would be an issue. Between the bright, direct sound of a Collings and the mellower, more complex L&H sound, the difference in scale, and the very different neck profiles, there is a lot of space between the two. Do you prefer different picks for each? Hold them a little differently? Use a harder or softer attack with each? Play different repertoire with each? It all adds up.

[Kevin Winn]

It's kind of the opposite, for me. I rotate my two mandolins weekly(-ish), and whenever I pick up the one that's been in the bullpen, it's like a homecoming party. Next week, the same thing happens with the other one.

I think I chose wisely...

[Frankdolin]

I think Tim is referring to the sound, and not any playing difference. And the same thing happens to me. If I play a particular mando for days, when I switch the one I was playing often seems better some how, or the one I pick up seems a little flat. Then that gets happily reversed. I thought it was just me.

[Frankdolin]

And so after going out for a beautiful morning wake-up, I'm left wondering if our instruments are going to sleep much faster than maybe originally thought. Maybe "new" instrument "opening" after time is a more frequent natural cycle for all wood instruments no matter the age.

[Jim Garber]

I think it can be every aspect of each mandolin. As often noted in the many breaking in threads players as well as mandolins adjust to each other. Tim can answer what he was referring to.

[Tim Logan]

If the mandolins you're talking about, Tim, are the 1925 L&H and Collings listed at the bottom of your post, I can see why familiarity would be an issue. Between the bright, direct sound of a Collings and the mellower, more complex L&H sound, the difference in scale, and the very different neck profiles, there is a lot of space between the two. Do you prefer different picks for each? Hold them a little differently? Use a harder or softer attack with each? Play different repertoire with each? It all adds up.

Yes they are the Collings and LH. I do use different picks but I am slowly trying to learn to use the same pick on each instrument. A more pointed pick is a little bit harder to use (for me) on the LH. I can't really isolate if attack is different - as everything flows together to make the feel different. Repertoire is the same.

[Tim Logan]

I think Tim is referring to the sound, and not any playing difference. And the same thing happens to me. If I play a particular mando for days, when I switch the one I was playing often seems better some how, or the one I pick up seems a little flat. Then that gets happily reversed. I thought it was just me.

Yes the sounds are distinctly different but playing them is most definitely different as well - as Louise described above. And, LOL, it's not just you!!!

[Tim Logan]

One of the reasons I became so acutely aware of this phenomenon (again, for me at least) was that I played the Collings nonstop for quite awhile. Then I picked up my LH and found I far preferred the Collings. So strong was the feeling that I lapsed into insanity and thought about selling the LH!!!!! That would have been an insane mistake!!!! So I put down the Collings and started playing the LH nonstop - lo and behold I fell in love with it all over again and was not picking up the Collings! Nowadays I enjoy them equally for their different sound and feel. I have never regretted selling the (3 or 4?) mandolins I have sold - as I better understand my personal preferences. But selling the LH would have been a horrible mistake. I'm glad I realized it was just the 'familiarity' factor!!!!!!!

[JeffD]

I so totally agree, to the extent that I wonder if folks whose normal mode is constant catch and release are really missing something wonderful.

I experience the phenomena of "familiarity as really get to know the mandolin as an individual instrument, not just a representative of its style or brand, to know where I can push it, where I need perhaps to coddle it, how to accommodate and how to exploit its idiosyncrasies. This stuff is great. So I have one mandolin with an excess of sustain. I have learned how to mute it when needed, and also to let 'er ring as an accompaniment to something on another string. I have another that is exceedingly beautiful at low to moderate volume, but the tone "breaks" or goes tinny when you try and play too loud. I have learned exactly where that breaking point is, and have learned to play just under it, and even, when doing a call and response type of tune, to go through it for a momentarily different voice.

Familiarity. Yes. An under appreciated virtue.

[Mike Buesseler]

I regularly switch between my Collings MT and my MTO. Same feel, different sound. I struggled with the MTO for awhile. There was something different in the feel under my fingers. It was driving me nuts. I about ready to sell it and move on, but decided I needed to get the bottom of problem before trying to sell. I measured everything, and finally discovered that the string spacing between the pairs was almost a millimeter wider on the MTO than the MT. Once I found that, a quick trip to Montana Lutherie for a few hours with my friend Bruce Weber, a new nut, new strings, a few other tweaks that Bruce just does automatically, and I am a happy man!

[Mandobart]

I started on violin over 40 years ago, then took up guitar just a few years later. But I really started progressing in guitar and fiddle when I started playing mandolin (about 13 years ago). Now I'm regularly playing my Martin HD-28, an Eastman arch top, a 12 fret round neck spider cone wood body resonator, a 12 fret Ovation 12 string and a gypsy jazz Sel-Mac copy.

Then there's the resonator mandolin, the banjolin, my F4 and F5, an A4 mandola, my mandocello, octave mandolin, 5 fiddles, tenor ukulele....

For me it's cross training and never a boring routine. I love them all, and though sometimes I'll focus on one instrument for a couple days I never lose the desire to play or enjoyment of the rest.

[MandoManCaleb]

I find this to be a very real thing. You get used to the sound, the specifics of how an instrument plays, what to expect, etc. I don't play many different mandolins. It makes it very difficult to evaluate if I were to ever purchase again if I'm quite honest. It's all such a subjective thing.

[tuhker]

I tend more to save 1 (Gil A) with fresh-ish strings for my never ending recording project and play the Kimble for gigs and practice. lucky me.