Few vs "the one"

[jromano23]

Out of curiosity, what's the general consensus out there regarding the practicality (or lack thereof) of having a couple of great instruments (mix of guitars and mandos) vs the thought of consolidating everything for one grail type instrument? For me, there is a certain rush about the idea of having something that I'd never imagine ever having the chance to own and play, but also some trepidation that I might be too scared to play it. Again, this is ONLY for curiosity's sake, and not because I've fallen off the MAS wagon... That said, the classified section is only a click away! Thoughts welcomed...

[phiddlepicker]

flip a coin and follow your destiny

[Chip Booth]

I lean towards one really fine instrument. Both viewpoints have validity though.

.

[cayuga red]

Hard to disagree.

[joemcg]

Well if you only have one, where will your desire stop? I guess if you're Bill Gates you could start right at the top, but for most of us the "really fine instrument" will still be humble compared to say a mint '24 signed Loar.

On the other hand, if you have several you can pick one out of your stable and use that to trade for a new toy.

I'm the tradin' type. As a matter of fact, this weekend I traded a Flatiron 2K for an Eastman guitar. Now I look at the Kentucky KM900 that I needed to put in its case and stick in the closet to make room for the guitar and think "am I going to be playing that much any more? Hmm wonder what I can trade it for?"

[OldSausage]

It doesn't matter if it is cheap or expensive, it only matters whether you enjoy playing it and if you can get the sounds you want from it. If you want to be able to make more than one kind of sound, you'll need more than one mandolin, otherwise you won't. Preferences change over time, so what suits you now is unlikely to keep you happy for the rest of your life, and even with the greatest mandos. Some guys stick with one thing forever, others don't.

[Paul Kotapish]

Interesting question.

When I was playing full time and making my so-called living from music, I basically had one guitar and one mandolin that I used for everything--gigs, recording, sessions, and noodling on the couch. It wasn't a holy-grail situation, but I had good, serviceable axes.

Since I've been back in the world of the full-time day job and actually had some disposable income, I've acquired far more instruments than I have time to play. It's not that I want a collection--far from it--it's just been easier to acquire than to divest.

Some impending home-repair expenses will solve that problem, and if I'm smart about it, I'll get back down to the handful of instruments I play regularly.

But even if I ever got back down to just one good guitar and mandolin, I'd want a beater version of each to take camping.

[Eugene]

I come to any instrument because of a love for its dedicated music first. Any one archtop mandolin, no matter how fine, doesn't conduct its business quite like a modern Neapolitan, early Neapolitan, Roman, Tuscan, Lombard, early mandolino, f-holed, oval-holed, whatever-type mandolin. That said, while I might feel I need a dozen instruments, I don't feel I need a dozen of any one type; I favor a stable spread across some degree of diversity.

If you only want to play in one genre or general style, it makes sense to me to have one fine instrument and one decent backup if you happen to gig or have other musical obligations. As Herr Sausage has offered, what fits you as fine is not perfectly correlated with price tag.

[Bob Clark]

1. I want instruments that inspire me to practice regularly and play my best.

2. I want instruments that give me a range of musical voices so I can attempt to play all of the various types of music I desire to play, and can play them in the voice that sounds right for that style (at least to me).

3. I also want instruments I can take with me to places I might want to go and in which I might expand my range musical experiences, but where I would be inhibited to take the 'one and only.'

4. I have no need to have multiple instruments with similar voices and of similar qualities.

Therefore, I need to have a limited number of instruments spread across a range of types.

YMMV, but that's what works for me.

Bob

[Charles E.]

I have three mandolins. One of them is "The One", I will never sell it. The others are for when I want a different sound or for taking to a festival or the beach.

Don't ask me about my tenor guitars.

[padawan]

I have my "Grail" instrument (Collings MF). Its probably silly to spend that much on a mandolin when I can barely manage the simplest of tunes but once I strummed it the first time I was hooked. My hands didn't want to let go of it. I went back and forth for a couple of weeks before I gave in and bought it. The end result is that I play 10 times as much as I did before and think I sound better doing it.


I for one believe there is certainly something to be said for having an amazing instrument. Whether it costs 10 times more or 1/10th as much as the one that I fell in love with, having the one for you is a pretty awesome thing.

Yes, I still have my old mando as my backup along with a couple of toys but they don't get much action these days.

[barney 59]

Well if you play the guitar then you need a guitar and if you play the mandolin then you need a mandolin --if you play both then you need both. If you live on a budget then you get the best of every instrument you play or really want to play that you can afford. I wouldn't not have an instrument that I can play so that I can have and afford a grail instrument of another instrument that I play. Believe it or not I actually know a guy that only owns one instrument!

[UsuallyPickin]

I have found that instruments are better investments than stocks and bonds. If I am ever in a position where I need to divest I can. But don't ever want to be in that position. With several nice instruments it's like havein friends over all the time. But they don't drink all my beer. -R/

[fatt-dad]

I'll never sell my Flatiron 1N, my 1920 Gibson A3 or my Cohen A5. They all bring their own joys. The others are just for fun and I like them too.

f-d

[goose 2]

As I became more proficient I settled down to only wanting to play "the one" all the time. I can make it do everything I want and so I have sold all the others (except my beater that I take fishing) as they were just collecting dust. I did the same for guitar and open back banjo. So I am basically down to my three main instruments and have been for years. I really don't want any other instruments. My only dilemma is deciding if its gonna be a banjo, mando, or guitar evening.

[JeffD]

One particularly virulent strain of MAS is that quest for the "one". So selling everything you got for that one may work for a while. But it won't ultimately be "the one" because another better one will be identified and you will go after it.

"The One" does not exist. But you know what, the one for now exists. So go for it.

[almeriastrings]

You can also have more than one of the one. Just because you have the one does not mean you don't need another one of the one.

[Ivan Kelsall]

I could 'possibly' afford my oft lusted after Ellis F5,but only if i traded in my Weber Fern & Lebeda 'Special'.The problem is,my Lebeda is such a good mandolin that i'll never part with it. OK,ultimately it 'might' not be as good an an Ellis,but it's certainly very good & i simply won't part with it. If i did,i'd want it back the next day - or sooner. So,i'll stick with what i've got & enjoy them until i win the national Lottery, which will be some time soon,
Ivan

[Bertram Henze]

For me, there is a certain rush about the idea of having something that I'd never imagine ever having the chance to own and play, but also some trepidation that I might be too scared to play it.

How many players are you?
And who is supposed to be happy when playing, the instrument or you?

[Anglocelt]

There is no 'the one' only 'what seems ideal right now'. Given the subjectivity of sound and how our preferences develop over time a major investment in 'the one' may be misplaced and regretted unless you have a very fixed idea of sound/ playability that you objectively measure and will not change. I have been through various 'the ones', enough to be clear there is no such thing and to be glad I did not take out a large loan to get there. However it can be fun trying. That is, perhaps, the beauty of an unattainable ideal.

As Swiss Tony might put it (obscure Fast Show reference) 'a fine mandolin is like a beautiful woman.....'

[Nick Gellie]

For me I play a variety of musical genres. I can do them all one instrument, an A-5 with a European Spruce top. I like the sound of oval holes be they flat or round for melody playing. I like to have an octave mandolin for Celtic and Balkan music. I am getting a custom-made F-5 for playing Bluegrass music - Red spruce top for projection (see Avatar). A Jacobson is on the way because I like Marty's unconventional and innovative mandolins. I am hoping it will be an all-rounder too.

[davidb1]

It has taken purchasing 10 to find 1 that sounds superior to all the others..the others have character, and I appreciate them for a variety of reasons:for the history they have.My Sam Bush Gibson is "the one".Compared to everything else..it's a winner.

[Mark Seale]

It's somewhere in between. There are a lot of instruments in our house. BUT, I have one fiddle that inspires me every time I pick it up. I have one mandolin that drives me to be better. The rest are instruments that get played when curiosity strikes, they just don't drive me to play.

[belbein]

One particularly virulent strain of MAS is that quest for the "one". So selling everything you got for that one may work for a while. But it won't ultimately be "the one" because another better one will be identified and you will go after it.

"The One" does not exist. But you know what, the one for now exists. So go for it.

I don't think what you're describing is MAS, and it has nothing to do with mandolins. Buddhists have a word for it: Tara Brach calls it "the trance."

[JeffD]

Most of my mandolins inspire me when I pick them up, and all for different reasons. And the ones that don't are great "kickarounds" that are fun to play when just kicking around. They don't all have to be concert models or banjo killers or recording axes. My Beltone is just a fun instrument to have out, pick up while heading to the porch, or to figure out some tune I thought I forgot. Its loud but not particularly pretty and it is fussy sometimes, so I don't take it to jams or gigs. But I won't sell it either because its too much fun.