I just got back from my second visit to Carter Vintage and I'll save you all the oohs and ahhhs (maybe in another post) and cut to my dilemma and questions.
I have never played anything but A5s and F5s, but have had those for nearly 30 years. I have an emando I fool around with. I recently discovered the magic of ovals and my mind was simultaneously opened and blown.
So I went in to Carter looking to taste a bunch of familiar mandos and did so, but I also 'discovered' mandalas, mandocellos, and octaves - and oval A and F mandos. I didn't see that it made much of a difference the sound holes on the larger instruments.
So now I have a new form of MAS. I want a mandola, a mando cello, and an octave.
My question for y'all is, since I can only buy one now, is whether or not there is enough 'redundancy' between an octave and cello (or bouzouki or other alternatives for that matter) that one would be happy (temporarily) with one or the other. And, does it matter which one?
If it makes a difference, I was shocked at how easily my mando knowledge transferred to ANY of these instruments despite the fact that on the dola and cello I was playing in different keys due to the courses, whereas on the octave I would essentially be doubling myself if that makes sense. I plan on doing nearly 100% solo work with these instruments, AND i don't care and have the ability to transpose fairly quickly should I need to, for example, play the cello in a band and not play 0023 as a G major chord. In other words, I don't see where I need an octave for ease of playing the same fingering to fit in with a band without having to transpose what I would play on mando.
If it helps, I really dug on pretty much all the mandolas whether oval or f from gilchrists to old gibsons. And the northfield black top octave currently listed in the classifieds was my favorite overall instrument (next to the dude F5, obviously).
Anyway, any insight y'all could provide, stories you could share, and perhaps share in my joy of discovering something totally new at this point in my game. My mind is so blown and I can't believe it took me this long to 'get it'.
Chris
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