Whether it be a mandolin, fiddle, whistle, flute, guitar, banjo,accordian or any other instrument, for that matter, there is always an aesthetic attraction to the older instrument, a lot of the time for me personally that attraction is purely aesthetic and specific, for instance I would love to have an old Gibson
L5 type archtop hanging on the wall just to look at, I might not enjoy playing it because it was someone else's pride and joy,
but it would make a nice artwork. I would much rather play one of the instruments I have either had made, or owned from new for a very long time. I have had this conversation with my brother many times, and we both sway towards one owner instruments for that personal attachment and mental bonding.
I'm just looking after my fiddle and viola 'til the next person who gets them after I'm dead. You shouldn't covet instruments. A good instrument is more important that you.
Agree - some bad karmic momentum could be generated by instrument coveting. Just looking at the instruments sitting around my living room (most belonging to my SO) only three were bought new. I don't mind secondhand. Quite apart from the fact that it's cheaper, I also like the thought that others might have had huge playing enjoyment from the instrument. We had a relatively new piano some while back (which we bought new) and were trying to sell it. A prospective buyer looked it over but said she didn't want it as she thought it had too many of our vibes for her to enjoy it! We had some good times around that piano but I guess she couldn't pick up the happy vibes - or pehaps she just didn't like the look of us!
Neither shall you covet your neighbour’s wife. Neither shall you desire your neighbour’s house, or field, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.
A mix - but I think as long as they have stories behind them, that gives them a personality. Mass-produced things don't cut it for me. My least favourite harp is an Aoyama 3/4 pedal even though bought secondhand, and I think it's because it's immaculate. All my others have their own history / dents / worn bits - my new Ravenna 34 harp, even though it is "new" was an ex-rental one and I love the sound so much. I've already started to put my own wear on the finish, so it definitely has my "imprint" on it.
Considering that many instruments get better when they age, some (like fiddles etc) even need that 50-odd years to really show their potential, I should think that most of us have at least one instrument that was played/owned by someone else before it landed in their hands.
And anyway, musical istruments (when well made) are not disposable, to be thrown out when you don't use them anymore. Also, as beautiful as any of them are, they're not just meant to be hung on the wall and admired, they're meant to be played. I've had the priviledge to play to oldish fiddles (80 years old is old, when you're still in your twenties ) and I like to imagine who and what kind of people were the other musicians that had those fiddles before me, and how the fiddles have eventually ended to me.
Clogstepping ,however, I cannot deny my attraction to seconhand pianos., fretless basses and secondhand Gibson SG's all of which I would gladly play if I acquired. Its secondhand acoustic guitars and mandolins that I'm
phobic about.
It's a fallacy that Instruments get better with age. They may take 1,000 or so hours to play in, but after that, the idea that they improve is simply not true. Though it's straight forward why older violins hold their value and are usually better instruments. If a violin has lasted intact for 300 years it's usually because it was a good and expensive instrument when it was made. Cherished and looked after. The poorer instruments don't survive because they are not cared for.
My violin is about 1850 and came to me via a friend who restored it after finding it in bits in a junk shop. It was worth restoring. And after I had an accident with it (20 years ago now) and split the top into 3 bits, it was worth getting a very talented and expensive restorer to fix it.
My viola is only 1920. But it's a better instrument. It was a better instrument in 1920 when the violin was already 70 rears old.
I am in Ilig's camp. Unless you have one of the rare prisitine condition antique instruments-there is areason they are expensive....very few and far between, most folks are better off new.
The problem is increasingly the junk that is made in Eastern Europe, China, Viet Nam, and East Timbuktoo. You really need to shop hard to find an instrument that feels good/sounds good/ plays well. Even the main line names are being offshored or subcontracte. A buyer has to be more selective.
On the other side, there is some good value in unlikely places. On my box, even though my most recent purchase was a Saltarelle, the Giustozzi (made in Castelfidardo Italy) I bought when I started learning the box is a wonderful instrument and actually has a wonderful tone and very quick action.
For some tunes/situations, I prefer it over the Saltarelle which was a significantly more expensive purchase.
I played a number of older used boxes, including a number of older Paolo's. One that was kept in the sellers family and well maintained was a beautiful instrument. The others...well they would have required alot of work and maybe even then might be a bit of a disappointment. But they were Paolos just the same.
Lowprofile, I agree about some instruments wearing out. That's definitely true of harps - "antique" harps are generally just junk unless you are buying something very well-maintained or want something decorative and have a large space to put it in! Harps are generally in a different league compared with the fine attention to workmanship you get with (say) fiddles. Equally, new ones need about a year to bed in as the soundboard has to "learn" to curve outwards under the string tension.
In my spare room I have a spinet that someone's given me, and it will probably find its way to the junkyard in the next week or two as, frankly, it's junk.
Probably, when you think about it, it's quite rare for someone to part with an instrument unless there's something wrong with it. Or am I just an old cynic?
I play a metal boehm flute and because they are meant for beginners (solid silver ones are too tempermental for busking!) it is better to get those new. My old one wore out after only a few years of play, and it was fairly good quality.
But I'm shopping around for my first fiddle and my mate who plays the fiddle has told me not to buy a new one but go second hand. I trust him enough to do so.... he also said that if I bought new he would disown me.
I guess it's all down to preference, isn't it? Everyone also wants a different sound out of their instrument, and playability and that. If an instrument doesn't give you what you want, find a different one - I don't think I'd mind whether an instrument is new or second hand as long as it plays for me. If it doesn't it's better off with someone it gets along with!
I have two second hand recorders in beautiful hardwoods. I knew their first owners must be dead. No-one would part with them otherwise. One of the instruments had a name and address in the box, and I checked and the woman had recently died.
I know it's silly superstition but every so often I play the previous owner a tune specifically for them.
I find a used flute practical. You can avoid the 1-2 month being cautious about not ruining it, but I like new built ones because I don't have to put up with anyone other's preferences.
Unless I bought it from someone I knew was playing it regularly I'd always play in second hand woodwind as if it was new. I also clean it very carefully and apply fresh oil where necessary and wax the outside.
Having harvested a hardwood we have no right just to throw it away - and that would apply to a stringed instrument as well, but there are other potential problems. One of my recorders has ivory embelishments on it and I don't dare take it through customs! It was made in 1954 - and this can be proved from the number on it - so is perfectly legal - but I still never take it abroad.
I'd say that if you are in the £50 to £10,000 range, an old fiddle would be better than a new one, for the same price. Above £10,000 you can get a comparable new fiddle. The top makers have enormous waiting lists and don't make many instruments and, deservedly, earn a lot of money.
Certainly, nowadays, since some bright spark put a bit of Strad varnish through one of those analysing machines and found out the ingredients, you'd be crazy to spend £1,000,000 on an old fiddle when you can get a new one just as good for £100,000.
But that's not us though is it. For £500 you are gonna get a poor new fiddle. But shopping around and keeping your ear to the ground, you can get a perfect old one, for this music, for £500.
(and less of this racist nonsense about Eastern Europe, China, Nam, and East Timbuktu. There's hundreds of thousands of westerners whove done dodgy instrument building courses at their local colleges who churn out rubbish at way higher a price than the equivalent Chinese dross. And have you ever seen the intricacy of a 600 year old chinese pagoda compared to the rough european stuff from the same time?)
The blind listening experiments that I’ve heard about have failed to distinguish ancient from modern instruments, but that’s not hugely relevant to the new-vs-used question. As llig said, it might take thousands of hours of playing an instrument for the voice to really come in. I’d rather buy an instrument that’s already gone through that maturation than a new one whose mature voice is years away and uncertain. In theory, anyway. The problem is that (particularly with guitars) I have some fairly specific preferences for things like neck dimensions and body size. I can’t just go to my dealer and order a twenty year old instrument made to my specifications, so I’ve wound up buying more new than used instruments.
Mark - I suspect most people get rid of an instrument because they want something different, not because it’s defective. I have several friends who are constantly buying, selling and trading instruments. These guys tend to reach a saturation point where, in order to have and hold and fondle the next object of their desire, they have to sell something from the collection. One of my oldest friends has a huge collection of guitars and fiddles and every time I visit him, he has something new. And it’s usually “the best <fiddle/guitar/mandolin/…> I’ve ever owned.” Within a year, it’ll be gone. I believe this has become a recognized psychiatric syndrome.
8hours a day, 5 days a week, 160 hours a month, times 4 , thats 640, .... so no, still wrong. try 6 months, . but Actually it can take thousands of hours, And who plays 8hrs a day, 5days a week?
I think with flutes in particular, new is often a good idea. Granted there are some fabulous antique flutes out there and some lame new ones, but nowadays, the art and science behind Irish style flutes has come pretty far.
Its fairly hard to find a quality antique flute that hasn't had cracks and such over time due to the simple fact that they are wood and metal having moisture pass through them constantly.
A new flute, by any respectable maker is apt to be better tuned, and free of flaws. It still needs breaking in, but playing trouble free from the get go is a big advantage.
"Depends what you play, doesn't it? Mandolins definitely wear out. I've seen some very sad little specimens."
Well I would say mandolins can wear out. It really depends on how you play them. I would agree that they are somewhat more prone to giving out than violins. You are banging away at the strings with a hard pick rather than with bow hair. Also the string tension is much higher. That said the most coveted mandolins of all--Lloyd Loar era Gibsons--were made in the twenties and most are still going strong. I know that's not that old compared to violins, but there's no reason to believe that they won't still be around in a hundred or more years from now. I also love Howe Orme mandolins which date from the nineteenth century, and are some of the earliest steel string American instruments. So there is no reason that if cared for well, mandolins can't last for many lifetimes.
I don’t think I’d call it “wearing out,” but I’ve known some guitars that sounded fairly good for their first several months, but then actually lost some of their balance across strings. I attribute it to shoddy construction. This was 25 – 35 years ago. Manufacturing standards are considerably higher now.
I have bought (and resold) almost exclusively pre-owned flutes. A big reason is I'm impatient and can't stand being on a waiting list for months to a year, which is the case with almost all good Irish flute makers. It's bad enough waiting a week for the thing to ship here.
I've seen two old instruments in the last couple of years which I would far prefer over their modern equivalents.
The first was a concertina bought from an antique shop by a friend who didn't even know what it was. It was built around 1867 (some judicious searching on the web, based on the maker's address) and was still in very good condition. There were funny star shaped marks in the velvet lining of the wooden box it lived in - it took me a few minutes to work out that they'd come from the J shaped metal rests for the little fingers. That instrument had been in and out of its case, in every possible position, thousands of times. Someone had almost definately bought it in England and emigrated to Australia with it. Possibly it had been passed down the family... all that history in the palm of your hand.
The second was a button box a friend was given about thirty years ago. It looked to be late 1800's, with ivory buttons and a real feeling of age. And it was the fastest box I've ever played. Now if she only decides she doesn't want to learn box after all...
"Would I for this moment in time,
lift my eyes to heaven.
And remember those who have passed,
these pipes could honour them at last
Thence when the last notes depart,
of beauty played from anothers heart."
Not sure who it's a quote from - it was on that YouTube of Davy Spillane's Midnight Walker someone posted a few threads ago.
I have to say that the two instruments that i love playing are my Fiddle and Octave mandolin. Both are pre-loved and i really wouldn't trade them for any other at the moment.
As for the mental bondage... i mean boning... um... bonding... my fiddle is my first decent instrument and it will probably last me for a very long time. I don't think the fact that it was pre-owned is going to make me work any less hard to make it sing. I still don't have a name for it yet tho... any suggestions?
I might as well chime in. I have two 1974 Conrad acoustic guitars (one a 6 string, one a 12). They were known at the time as the 'poor man's Martin' because they were such perfect knock-offs, it resulted in CF Martin filing and winning a patent infringement case against them.
I was young and poor at the time-so I supposed they suited my purposes.
The six string has done great service, but it is showing its age. I think like the mandolins, guitars don't age well. And there are so many good lower price options available....if you have the time to sit, play and find them.
When I needed a new fiddle, my old one having suffered a major accident, I asked a good fiddler to look at two fiddles for me. Not telling him an antiqued Jay Heide (chinese made) was brand new he couldnt decide between it and a c1900 German model. In the end I bought the 100 year old, but either would have done the job and neither was perfect.
I still haven't broken in the bellows of my Castagnari and it's still giving me aches when playing at speed. I could have avoided this buy buying a worn in one for cheaper price too.
zippydw. Your post reminded me of Tama guitars that were manufactured in mid 70's for awhile. They were tremendous instruments. I bought one new ( of course ), and it was a very tight instrument, with the most gorgeous mother of pearl dot markers and bindings. They where well known for their 12
strings that sounded great and had a spectacular appearance
with abalone or mother of pearl vines creeping up the fret boards. I traded it in after a couple of years on a Guild D25 that was completlely hostile. Tama stopped making guitars I assume and concentrated on drums thereafter with much success. Has anyone ever seen one, or better still own one, I
still kick myself to this day.......
what, no pipers?a 100+ year-old set by the Taylor Bros. recently went for $16,000 on the internets! a year ago i saw a fairly recent set by Froment sell for $11,000! i'd say, given the enourmous amounts of money involved either way, most pipers would pick a nice used set available for sale rather than wait years for a brand new one. then there's the lucky ones who have piles and piles of ready cash....
Would you rather, new or used?
Would you rather, new or used?
Whether it be a mandolin, fiddle, whistle, flute, guitar, banjo,accordian or any other instrument, for that matter, there is always an aesthetic attraction to the older instrument, a lot of the time for me personally that attraction is purely aesthetic and specific, for instance I would love to have an old Gibson
L5 type archtop hanging on the wall just to look at, I might not enjoy playing it because it was someone else's pride and joy,
but it would make a nice artwork. I would much rather play one of the instruments I have either had made, or owned from new for a very long time. I have had this conversation with my brother many times, and we both sway towards one owner instruments for that personal attachment and mental bonding.
What do you think?
# Posted on July 28th 2008 by chuneboi slim
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
I'm just looking after my fiddle and viola 'til the next person who gets them after I'm dead. You shouldn't covet instruments. A good instrument is more important that you.
# Posted on July 28th 2008 by llig leahcim
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
Agree - some bad karmic momentum could be generated by instrument coveting. Just looking at the instruments sitting around my living room (most belonging to my SO) only three were bought new. I don't mind secondhand. Quite apart from the fact that it's cheaper, I also like the thought that others might have had huge playing enjoyment from the instrument. We had a relatively new piano some while back (which we bought new) and were trying to sell it. A prospective buyer looked it over but said she didn't want it as she thought it had too many of our vibes for her to enjoy it! We had some good times around that piano but I guess she couldn't pick up the happy vibes - or pehaps she just didn't like the look of us!
# Posted on July 28th 2008 by clogstepping
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
Neither shall you covet your neighbour’s wife. Neither shall you desire your neighbour’s house, or field, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.
# Posted on July 28th 2008 by chuneboi slim
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
A mix - but I think as long as they have stories behind them, that gives them a personality. Mass-produced things don't cut it for me. My least favourite harp is an Aoyama 3/4 pedal even though bought secondhand, and I think it's because it's immaculate. All my others have their own history / dents / worn bits - my new Ravenna 34 harp, even though it is "new" was an ex-rental one and I love the sound so much. I've already started to put my own wear on the finish, so it definitely has my "imprint" on it.
# Posted on July 28th 2008 by Mark Harmer
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
Considering that many instruments get better when they age, some (like fiddles etc) even need that 50-odd years to really show their potential, I should think that most of us have at least one instrument that was played/owned by someone else before it landed in their hands.
) and I like to imagine who and what kind of people were the other musicians that had those fiddles before me, and how the fiddles have eventually ended to me.
And anyway, musical istruments (when well made) are not disposable, to be thrown out when you don't use them anymore. Also, as beautiful as any of them are, they're not just meant to be hung on the wall and admired, they're meant to be played. I've had the priviledge to play to oldish fiddles (80 years old is old, when you're still in your twenties
# Posted on July 28th 2008 by noranoreen
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
Clogstepping ,however, I cannot deny my attraction to seconhand pianos., fretless basses and secondhand Gibson SG's all of which I would gladly play if I acquired. Its secondhand acoustic guitars and mandolins that I'm
phobic about.
# Posted on July 28th 2008 by chuneboi slim
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
I confess - I've promised myself a brand new Castagnari if I can get the melodeon playing up to a decent speed. Ask me in a year.
# Posted on July 28th 2008 by clogstepping
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
A bit of both can work really well.
# Posted on July 28th 2008 by eurbanjo
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
It's a fallacy that Instruments get better with age. They may take 1,000 or so hours to play in, but after that, the idea that they improve is simply not true. Though it's straight forward why older violins hold their value and are usually better instruments. If a violin has lasted intact for 300 years it's usually because it was a good and expensive instrument when it was made. Cherished and looked after. The poorer instruments don't survive because they are not cared for.
My violin is about 1850 and came to me via a friend who restored it after finding it in bits in a junk shop. It was worth restoring. And after I had an accident with it (20 years ago now) and split the top into 3 bits, it was worth getting a very talented and expensive restorer to fix it.
My viola is only 1920. But it's a better instrument. It was a better instrument in 1920 when the violin was already 70 rears old.
# Posted on July 28th 2008 by llig leahcim
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
I am in Ilig's camp. Unless you have one of the rare prisitine condition antique instruments-there is areason they are expensive....very few and far between, most folks are better off new.
The problem is increasingly the junk that is made in Eastern Europe, China, Viet Nam, and East Timbuktoo. You really need to shop hard to find an instrument that feels good/sounds good/ plays well. Even the main line names are being offshored or subcontracte. A buyer has to be more selective.
On the other side, there is some good value in unlikely places. On my box, even though my most recent purchase was a Saltarelle, the Giustozzi (made in Castelfidardo Italy) I bought when I started learning the box is a wonderful instrument and actually has a wonderful tone and very quick action.
For some tunes/situations, I prefer it over the Saltarelle which was a significantly more expensive purchase.
I played a number of older used boxes, including a number of older Paolo's. One that was kept in the sellers family and well maintained was a beautiful instrument. The others...well they would have required alot of work and maybe even then might be a bit of a disappointment. But they were Paolos just the same.
# Posted on July 28th 2008 by zippydw
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
Depends what you play, doesn't it? Mandolins definitely wear out. I've seen some very sad little specimens.
# Posted on July 28th 2008 by LowProfile
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
Lowprofile, I agree about some instruments wearing out. That's definitely true of harps - "antique" harps are generally just junk unless you are buying something very well-maintained or want something decorative and have a large space to put it in! Harps are generally in a different league compared with the fine attention to workmanship you get with (say) fiddles. Equally, new ones need about a year to bed in as the soundboard has to "learn" to curve outwards under the string tension.
In my spare room I have a spinet that someone's given me, and it will probably find its way to the junkyard in the next week or two as, frankly, it's junk.
Probably, when you think about it, it's quite rare for someone to part with an instrument unless there's something wrong with it. Or am I just an old cynic?
# Posted on July 28th 2008 by Mark Harmer
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
I play a metal boehm flute and because they are meant for beginners (solid silver ones are too tempermental for busking!) it is better to get those new. My old one wore out after only a few years of play, and it was fairly good quality.
But I'm shopping around for my first fiddle and my mate who plays the fiddle has told me not to buy a new one but go second hand. I trust him enough to do so.... he also said that if I bought new he would disown me.
I guess it's all down to preference, isn't it? Everyone also wants a different sound out of their instrument, and playability and that. If an instrument doesn't give you what you want, find a different one - I don't think I'd mind whether an instrument is new or second hand as long as it plays for me. If it doesn't it's better off with someone it gets along with!
# Posted on July 28th 2008 by An Kammneves
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
I have two second hand recorders in beautiful hardwoods. I knew their first owners must be dead. No-one would part with them otherwise. One of the instruments had a name and address in the box, and I checked and the woman had recently died.
I know it's silly superstition but every so often I play the previous owner a tune specifically for them.
# Posted on July 28th 2008 by LowProfile
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
I find a used flute practical. You can avoid the 1-2 month being cautious about not ruining it, but I like new built ones because I don't have to put up with anyone other's preferences.
# Posted on July 28th 2008 by TMB
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
Unless I bought it from someone I knew was playing it regularly I'd always play in second hand woodwind as if it was new. I also clean it very carefully and apply fresh oil where necessary and wax the outside.
Having harvested a hardwood we have no right just to throw it away - and that would apply to a stringed instrument as well, but there are other potential problems. One of my recorders has ivory embelishments on it and I don't dare take it through customs! It was made in 1954 - and this can be proved from the number on it - so is perfectly legal - but I still never take it abroad.
# Posted on July 28th 2008 by LowProfile
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
I'd say that if you are in the £50 to £10,000 range, an old fiddle would be better than a new one, for the same price. Above £10,000 you can get a comparable new fiddle. The top makers have enormous waiting lists and don't make many instruments and, deservedly, earn a lot of money.
Certainly, nowadays, since some bright spark put a bit of Strad varnish through one of those analysing machines and found out the ingredients, you'd be crazy to spend £1,000,000 on an old fiddle when you can get a new one just as good for £100,000.
But that's not us though is it. For £500 you are gonna get a poor new fiddle. But shopping around and keeping your ear to the ground, you can get a perfect old one, for this music, for £500.
(and less of this racist nonsense about Eastern Europe, China, Nam, and East Timbuktu. There's hundreds of thousands of westerners whove done dodgy instrument building courses at their local colleges who churn out rubbish at way higher a price than the equivalent Chinese dross. And have you ever seen the intricacy of a 600 year old chinese pagoda compared to the rough european stuff from the same time?)
# Posted on July 28th 2008 by llig leahcim
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
The blind listening experiments that I’ve heard about have failed to distinguish ancient from modern instruments, but that’s not hugely relevant to the new-vs-used question. As llig said, it might take thousands of hours of playing an instrument for the voice to really come in. I’d rather buy an instrument that’s already gone through that maturation than a new one whose mature voice is years away and uncertain. In theory, anyway. The problem is that (particularly with guitars) I have some fairly specific preferences for things like neck dimensions and body size. I can’t just go to my dealer and order a twenty year old instrument made to my specifications, so I’ve wound up buying more new than used instruments.
Mark - I suspect most people get rid of an instrument because they want something different, not because it’s defective. I have several friends who are constantly buying, selling and trading instruments. These guys tend to reach a saturation point where, in order to have and hold and fondle the next object of their desire, they have to sell something from the collection. One of my oldest friends has a huge collection of guitars and fiddles and every time I visit him, he has something new. And it’s usually “the best <fiddle/guitar/mandolin/…> I’ve ever owned.” Within a year, it’ll be gone. I believe this has become a recognized psychiatric syndrome.
# Posted on July 28th 2008 by Bob himself
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
Actually, I never said "thousands" of hours, just maybe a thousand. At 8 hours a day, even with weekends off, that's less than a month.
# Posted on July 28th 2008 by llig leahcim
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
Sorry, that's 4 months. duh
# Posted on July 28th 2008 by llig leahcim
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
8hours a day, 5 days a week, 160 hours a month, times 4 , thats 640, .... so no, still wrong. try 6 months, . but Actually it can take thousands of hours, And who plays 8hrs a day, 5days a week?
# Posted on July 28th 2008 by the wicked hacker
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
I think with flutes in particular, new is often a good idea. Granted there are some fabulous antique flutes out there and some lame new ones, but nowadays, the art and science behind Irish style flutes has come pretty far.
Its fairly hard to find a quality antique flute that hasn't had cracks and such over time due to the simple fact that they are wood and metal having moisture pass through them constantly.
A new flute, by any respectable maker is apt to be better tuned, and free of flaws. It still needs breaking in, but playing trouble free from the get go is a big advantage.
Stephen
# Posted on July 28th 2008 by StephenR
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
Oh, sorry, Michael. I thought you said 10,000 hours, which I think is closer to the mark for guitars. Not sure about fiddles.
# Posted on July 28th 2008 by Bob himself
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
"Depends what you play, doesn't it? Mandolins definitely wear out. I've seen some very sad little specimens."
Well I would say mandolins can wear out. It really depends on how you play them. I would agree that they are somewhat more prone to giving out than violins. You are banging away at the strings with a hard pick rather than with bow hair. Also the string tension is much higher. That said the most coveted mandolins of all--Lloyd Loar era Gibsons--were made in the twenties and most are still going strong. I know that's not that old compared to violins, but there's no reason to believe that they won't still be around in a hundred or more years from now. I also love Howe Orme mandolins which date from the nineteenth century, and are some of the earliest steel string American instruments. So there is no reason that if cared for well, mandolins can't last for many lifetimes.
# Posted on July 28th 2008 by North Light
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
I don’t think I’d call it “wearing out,” but I’ve known some guitars that sounded fairly good for their first several months, but then actually lost some of their balance across strings. I attribute it to shoddy construction. This was 25 – 35 years ago. Manufacturing standards are considerably higher now.
# Posted on July 28th 2008 by Bob himself
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
I have bought (and resold) almost exclusively pre-owned flutes. A big reason is I'm impatient and can't stand being on a waiting list for months to a year, which is the case with almost all good Irish flute makers. It's bad enough waiting a week for the thing to ship here.
# Posted on July 29th 2008 by InSearchofCraic
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
Low Profile I love that you play a tune for the previous owner.
# Posted on July 29th 2008 by clogstepping
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
I've seen two old instruments in the last couple of years which I would far prefer over their modern equivalents.
The first was a concertina bought from an antique shop by a friend who didn't even know what it was. It was built around 1867 (some judicious searching on the web, based on the maker's address) and was still in very good condition. There were funny star shaped marks in the velvet lining of the wooden box it lived in - it took me a few minutes to work out that they'd come from the J shaped metal rests for the little fingers. That instrument had been in and out of its case, in every possible position, thousands of times. Someone had almost definately bought it in England and emigrated to Australia with it. Possibly it had been passed down the family... all that history in the palm of your hand.
The second was a button box a friend was given about thirty years ago. It looked to be late 1800's, with ivory buttons and a real feeling of age. And it was the fastest box I've ever played. Now if she only decides she doesn't want to learn box after all...
# Posted on July 29th 2008 by bc_box_player
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
"Would I for this moment in time,
lift my eyes to heaven.
And remember those who have passed,
these pipes could honour them at last
Thence when the last notes depart,
of beauty played from anothers heart."
Not sure who it's a quote from - it was on that YouTube of Davy Spillane's Midnight Walker someone posted a few threads ago.
# Posted on July 29th 2008 by bc_box_player
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
Heya Chuneboi!
I have to say that the two instruments that i love playing are my Fiddle and Octave mandolin. Both are pre-loved and i really wouldn't trade them for any other at the moment.
As for the mental bondage... i mean boning... um... bonding... my fiddle is my first decent instrument and it will probably last me for a very long time. I don't think the fact that it was pre-owned is going to make me work any less hard to make it sing. I still don't have a name for it yet tho... any suggestions?
# Posted on July 29th 2008 by davydd
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
How about Juliet?
Or Goliath?
Eno
# Posted on July 29th 2008 by bc_box_player
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
Goliath? Haha! Self made album title there!
I don't think i could get used to that tho... Juliet might work.
# Posted on July 29th 2008 by davydd
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
i didn't know it was pre owned. I thought it was new. What about "Mr. Fujiyama ". I once had a fender bass called Colin.
# Posted on July 29th 2008 by chuneboi slim
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
I might as well chime in. I have two 1974 Conrad acoustic guitars (one a 6 string, one a 12). They were known at the time as the 'poor man's Martin' because they were such perfect knock-offs, it resulted in CF Martin filing and winning a patent infringement case against them.
I was young and poor at the time-so I supposed they suited my purposes.
The six string has done great service, but it is showing its age. I think like the mandolins, guitars don't age well. And there are so many good lower price options available....if you have the time to sit, play and find them.
# Posted on July 29th 2008 by zippydw
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
When I needed a new fiddle, my old one having suffered a major accident, I asked a good fiddler to look at two fiddles for me. Not telling him an antiqued Jay Heide (chinese made) was brand new he couldnt decide between it and a c1900 German model. In the end I bought the 100 year old, but either would have done the job and neither was perfect.
# Posted on July 29th 2008 by N.P.
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
I still haven't broken in the bellows of my Castagnari and it's still giving me aches when playing at speed. I could have avoided this buy buying a worn in one for cheaper price too.
# Posted on July 29th 2008 by upmine3
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
for a harp, id like a used one 'cause my pedal harp was new, and i had to loosen up everything.
# Posted on July 30th 2008 by harpomaniac
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
zippydw. Your post reminded me of Tama guitars that were manufactured in mid 70's for awhile. They were tremendous instruments. I bought one new ( of course ), and it was a very tight instrument, with the most gorgeous mother of pearl dot markers and bindings. They where well known for their 12
strings that sounded great and had a spectacular appearance
with abalone or mother of pearl vines creeping up the fret boards. I traded it in after a couple of years on a Guild D25 that was completlely hostile. Tama stopped making guitars I assume and concentrated on drums thereafter with much success. Has anyone ever seen one, or better still own one, I
still kick myself to this day.......
# Posted on July 30th 2008 by chuneboi slim
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
If you own a very old instrument, do you ever wonder who had played on it before you ? Cause I do.
# Posted on August 4th 2008 by hauke
Re: Would you rather, new or used?
what, no pipers?a 100+ year-old set by the Taylor Bros. recently went for $16,000 on the internets! a year ago i saw a fairly recent set by Froment sell for $11,000! i'd say, given the enourmous amounts of money involved either way, most pipers would pick a nice used set available for sale rather than wait years for a brand new one. then there's the lucky ones who have piles and piles of ready cash....
# Posted on August 28th 2008 by pipewatcher