Embarassing Question - Which Mandolin to Bring to Jam?

[Austin Bob]

Last Sunday, my wife asked me which sweater she should wear to church. I told her she should wear the red one, it looks great on her. She replied that she liked it as well, but she just wore it a few weeks ago. I asked her if she could remember what her friend wore that same week, and of course she could not. "Well," I said, "no one remembers what you wore either, so wear what you want."

The point I'm trying to make is that no one will care, nor likely remember which mandolin you take. I would advise you to take the one that plays and sounds the best, which is likely to be the more expensive one. Have fun and try not to be self-conscious. No one but you will remember if you make a mistake either.

[Billy Packard]

Let’s get our priorities in line

1. Play music
2. Have fun
3. It doesn’t matter what you play as long as you’re having fun.

It’s not about what you look like but rather how you sound.

[Bren]

Bring your best one.
The better you can hear yourself, the happier you will be.

[MikeEdgerton]

There are times when I bring more than one upright bass. If you can't decide, bring both mandolins...

[Mitch Stein]

Ground well covered but yes.

If you're already self-conscious about your playing, why would you want to lean into that by bringing a lesser instrument? Bring the lesser instrument where you forsee poor conditions that might result in damage or loss. Bring the good one everywhere you will be able to hear the difference.

[Phil-D]

Im not a very good player and was in the same situation just before COVID. I have what most would consider a good beginner mandolin and another high end resonator. I also don’t know very many songs in the genre that they play at the local jam so I feel very inhibited. I started bringing the less expensive mandolin, but when I brought the resonator it caused quite a stir. Most players wanted a look, some didn’t care at all. The jam started up recently and I still don’t know many of the songs that they play. I’m thinking of going to the person who runs the jam to get a list of what they mostly play so I can start up again and not feel inhibited. Just have fun.

[Simon DS]

Good news. If you bring along your good mandolin and it gets a nasty ding in it then people will at least remember that it was you who had that nice mandolin!
-they’d probably even remember the make and model.

But that isn’t going to happen. You’ll probably just go there, meet a lot of fine people, play some great tunes and have a good time.

(Many people, and many musicians, don’t know the difference between a really good mandolin and a pretty good mandolin)

I went to a session at Christmas years ago; a woman put silk flowers all around the headstock of her travel violin. She said it was to make it look like a fiddle, but whatever, everyone remembered that it was a beautiful instrument!

[Dave Wrede]

The only time anyone has ever mentioned my instrument is when someone noticed it says "The Flatiron" on the headstock. Their comment was along the lines of "I wish I had an instrument that said "The"".
All other comments have been along the lines of "great groove" or "good timing".
It's all about the sound.
Take the one you feel more comfortable with and have fun!

[Hudmister]

At the few jams I've attended a $2,500 mandolin would be in the lower tier of value. You may be amazed at the value of some of the guitars, basses, banjos, mandolins and fiddles that show up at jams. Bring your best.

[journeybear]

Just have fun.

When in doubt, do this. Words to live by. Worth repeating ...

Just have fun.

That oughta do.

Though perhaps the problem is, which path to take in order to have fun. One could argue either way you go will be fine and get you there. As a wise man once said, when you come to a fork in the road, take it.

[tmsweeney]

if you have a nice mando, bring it out, show it off, let others check it out while you play theirs, you tend to start figuring out what you really like about different mandolins, and after that I can only express caution and making sure you have enough room to store the cases.

[JEStanek]

Taken the one that sounds and feels/plays the best to you. All of my instruments are nicer than I can play. Don't worry about what your instrument says. Worry about your manners and how you try and fit in. Have fun. Some really great players have inexpensive instruments, some beginners start with real nice ones. I try not to judge based on that, rather by how they play and contribute.

Jamie

[lgibjones]

Putting proficiency aside, there are circumstances where it’s nice to have an economical instrument. I would start with a basic instrument until you have a feel for what works best in this environment.

[greensea]

Take with you the mandolin you enjoy playing the most. Everything you see it you just want to play.

[Victor Daniel]

I always bring the mandolin that sounds/plays the best, which in my case happens to be the most expensive too. The only time I deviate is if there is more risk of damage or theft, like traveling, having to leave the instrument in car, or camping in colder or wet conditions. But do whatever you feel comfortable with and have fun!

[Mandobart]

Last Sunday, my wife asked me which sweater she should wear to church. I told her she should wear the red one, it looks great on her. She replied that she liked it as well, but she just wore it a few weeks ago. I asked her if she could remember what her friend wore that same week, and of course she could not. "Well," I said, "no one remembers what you wore either, so wear what you want."

The point I'm trying to make is that no one will care, nor likely remember which mandolin you take. I would advise you to take the one that plays and sounds the best, which is likely to be the more expensive one. Have fun and try not to be self-conscious. No one but you will remember if you make a mistake either.

This is so very important to remember - and a lesson I learned as an epiphany when I was quite a bit younger. Other people pay about as much attention/concern/memory to you as you do to them (in other words very very little).

As a young self-conscious, low-confidence shy person I was just sure that everyone not only noted but remembered and kept a mental score of every mistake, bad haircut, clothing faux pas, awkward moment, etc. that I had. It made what is often a difficult time for many people just that much more difficult.

Then in my mid-20's I realized "hey wait a minute - I'm not spending any time tracking the foibles of others. Maybe the same applies to them; they just aren't spending any time or energy thinking about mine either."

This realization was so positive and liberating! As children we're naturally self-absorbed and think everything revolves around us. We only see things through that lens. Part of living and learning is outgrowing that mindset.

Don't think twice about what others might think about you and your choice of mandolins to bring to the jam. The truth is they're not thinking about it at all.

[Charlie Bernstein]

Welcome, Babera! You came to the right place. No question is embarassing around here, so make yourself at home. I'm fairly new to mando, too, and this forum is full of good folks with good experience and good insights — like the good thoughts above. Even if they didn't all agree with each other, they're all worth thinking about:

Another thought: Assuming that both are easy to play, you might think about the enviroment you'll be traveling and playing in. Will the mando be exposed to too much heat, cold, or wetness? Will it be in a place where it could easily be knocked around or stolen?

If yes, take the cheaper one. If not, you can take either one with impunity.

And another: This is just me, but I also think about whether the axe I'm packing fits my image of myself. I got rid of two mandos that seemed too low-rent to be out and about with and one that was way too swanky. The one I have now is a well road-worn workhorse short on bling but long on mojo — just how I like tosee myself, just the image I want to project.

So: What image do you want to project? If you're a serious, dedicated player and want to be taken for one, take the more expensive instrument. If you want people to understand that you're a novice just out to enjoy your instrument and hang with other like-minded folks, you might want to take the lesser instrument and leave the investment mando at home.

[DonKayG]

I know the feeling, I'm not new to mandolin but I've recently got into finding my place in a string band where players come and go and material I don't always know. It can be intimidating. All it takes is one person you look up to and respect saying something that makes you question gear or whatever. Just do your own thing, and play an instrument that you are comfortable with. You will find your way.

[Bill Cameron]

This is an interesting question for me because I am faced with much the same choice of mandolins every time I go to a session, which is once or twice weekly in Cape Breton. The $700 Eastman or the $3000 Collings?

I’m not concerned with what other people will think, everyone is accepting at these sessions. So I just try to dial into what instrument will suit me best.

Lately it’s been the Eastman. It’s just in tiptop shape, plays very speedily and comfortably and is not busting a lot of strings these days. (Maybe one every second or third session.) I regretted mightily taking the Collings to a summer session after I placed it improperly on the double Hercules stand it was sharing with my guitar. It crashed to the hard floor and took a nasty compression dent (with small cracks) to the top edge. I’ve continued to play it but I don’t use that stand much these days.

I would have been just as upset if the Eastman had been damaged, I’m very attached to that instrument after 13 years with it.

So overall I’d say take whatever instrument you like, but have some serious thought about how to keep it safe in a jam environment! (I will be getting a compact mandolin-specific stand for sessions and gigs in the near future. The problem with sharing a stand with a guitar is that the mandolin hangs way up in the air, and has a long way to fall in case of catastrophe.)

[Charlie Bernstein]

So, Barbera, that's what we think. Now, what do you think?