Ooooooo...tough one. Let me know if you find out...lol...or if you give in!

For years I avoided music stores and did ok...I don't generally buy them from flea markets, etc., because I"m no good at fixing them. I don't really go to flea markets much anyway. My favorite fiddle was found by somebody I knew in a garbage can in her neighborhood...I paid her 50 bucks and took it to a Luther and he re-glued the seems, cut a bridge, and re set the soundpost for 30 bucks...so I thought that was a pretty decent deal. My husband had to do a little extra carving on the bridge for me since that guy was a classical Luther type person.

Anyway, guitars is mostly what I end up ridiculously buying when we can't afford it...so...since there's really more guitar stores around here than anything else...I just avoid music stores. Then my grandson got Heavy Metal in his head and went crazy, earning money any way he could and running to the stores to buy all that gear you have to have with that kinda music. Sometimes we were just with them when they stopped in, and he took so long picking stuff out I ended up buying two expensive guitars within three months or so...so I'm back now to no music stores for me...lol. That's the only way I get by without blowing all the money on instruments I don't have room for.

To me, guitars are like cute puppies in a pet store.

My jones for new musical instruments (and for stereo components, as well) finally went away when I moved from L.A. to a small town in the middle of the ocean. Yeah, I'm now older than I was in my consumer hungry years but, just as important, there's no more eye or ear candy within driving distance to covet.

Just tell yourself it ain't the instrument.
Are you going from an A style to an F style mandolin?
That is a bit tougher. I waisted a bunch of money trying to get one of those beautiful scrolls.
Then I found an Eastman dealer that dealt in violins and mandolins. So I could trade an Eastman violin for an Eastman mandolin.

Tell yourself you deserve a nice instrument after you perfect your playing a bit more….
That’s what keeps me from having a pile of ‘em! ;-D

Erockin - Adirondack spruce top, or Engleman? That is the question.

Exactly, Doug! LOL.

I was sitting in at a festival last weekend on Mandolin. I have an F-Style Eastman 315. I love it. New, they go for 1k now. I only paid 500 for it on sale back before prices went crazy. They used to sell for 799. Many people have complimented the tone and volume and in my opinion, it's a beautiful instrument. In the past 4 or 5 months, I've really dug back into it and made some serious strides in figuring out the map of the fretboard. Years ago, I looked into upgrading the tuners. That's my biggest gripe with low-mid instruments. If I were to swap good tuners, I'd be dropping $500 and to me, that could go to a new Mandolin! lol

So my mando was in its case, open and the fiddle player in the group I was playing with said he liked the look of my Eastman. He then said, "mind if I play it?" "Sure, I told him." He came to me a said "you want to buy a Northfield Big Mon?" Me? Awww man, that's awesome but I can't right now. He continued to say, "I'll make you a good deal" lol. He honestly liked my Eastman more. He said trade and some cash. Well, the NF goes for around 5-6k...Basically a forever instrument. I'm just not positioned to pull it off, however, will this opportunity come again? Maybe...

He gave me his card and then next day, I just text and said hey, let's just play with some numbers, just for fun! WTH am I thinking?? I know I can't right now but, I feel like I gotta know. It even has the same K&K pick up system. Which doesn't interfere with the instrument at all. Plus, I don't know what the top is made of yet. He invited me over to pick and he's only an hour away. Heck, he might be reading this on here because he's a top notch fiddler! I keep saying, "walk"

Now my feed is nothing but NF and other brand Mandolins. I mean...there is a BIG difference in these two instruments. I even book marked NFs website on my computer for quick access. As far as Adirondack spruce top, or Engleman? I've watched the comparisons and they are COMPLETELY different. The more people I tell, the more they are asking "When you getting that Mandolin?" hahahah...my wife looks at me like "What are they talking about....LOL" Still...."walk away"

Someday...

Sounds like a good opportunity, and could be a good deal. You have something he wants, and he has something you might like, which are the elements of a good trade.
Don't listen to your wife. If it were up to her she'd probably spend the money on food, utilities, clothes and shoes for the kids! They can go barefoot while they forage in the woods like their ancestors. (As you might be able to tell I've never been married).
I was at a big jam last fall and the guy next to me said he was playing a $15,000 mandolin. It was a Dudenbostel, but about ten years old, and he bought it from Elderly who'd gotten it from the original owner, a dentist in Connecticut - I don't know how much he actually paid for it. It still couldn't compete with my Marine Band harmonica. So you never know what kind of a deal you might get.
I have two old Gibson mandolins, a c. 1915 "punkin top" A, and what I think is an A-00 (F holes) from about 1940. Neither are playable right now, and I really miss having a mamdolin., but they both were very useful for me.
Good luck with your problem. You might wonder what it is about your Eastman that he likes better than the Northfield - you might end up liking it better too.
PS - I would think a new set of Gotoh tuners could be had for less than $500, but I'm really not up on prices these days.

MY dearly departed wife always used to say "Go for it. I know you'll make it up playing out with it" whenever I wanted to buy new kit. God bless her, she was no help. My advice - got the cash? Go for it. You intend on performing with it? Go for it. Otherwise salivate over it on the side lines.

Wait! He's played your's but you haven't played the NF?

I have not played it. I mean, I want to go have a private pick with him and see it. Then if I love it, then there is real trouble I believe lolol.
I shouldn't even be talking about it here...I need to forget about it but had to share!

quote:

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Originally posted by farmerjones

Just tell yourself it ain't the instrument.
 

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That ploy has never worked for me because, way too often, a newly gotten instrument has talked to me in ways that utterly revitalized my outlook toward playing & practicing. It didn't hurt, either, that ninety percent of my life was spent in L.A., a locale packed with quality musical instrument stores. I'd wander into a store, play an instrument, and fall in love. Heck, I've been through at least four acoustic pianos. I'm totally unable to count the number of acoustic guitars I've taken home over the years. Three fiddles now await my beck-and-call.

This could be getting into 'catch & release' territory. I personally can't seem to do it. I seem to attract Charles Manson type buyers.

I think if this dude likes your mandolin and seems to have some sort of attachment or connection with it. You should just take it as compliment. It’s all the more reason to hold onto it. You obviously have a good one. Even with the highest spec instruments it is possible to get a dud, and some of the plain ordinaries a real keeper. Plenty of fish in the sea!

martjoe - Indeed, on all counts.
BTW, Eric - It might be good to remember that "Big Mon" himself did not play a Northfield mandolin, no matter what they call it.

You have to first decide whether you’re asking about it because you want to be convinced to go ahead and buy it or because you want to be told to forget about it and stick with what you already have. Based on your posts so far, it doesn’t sound like you really want to walk away from it. If that’s the case, then the real question is how to plan for its purchase.

There’s one red flag that needs to be considered if you’re looking to buy—the friend is eager to unload an instrument that is supposed to be considerably more valuable. That sets off alarms that something is wrong with it or it doesn’t sound great despite its name. This is where playing to check it out is essential. You also want to go over the instrument with a fine toothed comb for structural issues. The compliments on your instrument may be genuine, but that’s also a common tactic for sweet talking someone into buying something else—stroking the buyer’s ego by pretending their old instrument was well chosen despite its lower value. It builds up the idea that you’re both “in the know” and that now that you’re thinking of upgrading, the other player knows just what will be a good match for you. Be cautious.

Trade + cash deals are often a bit squirrelly. You really need to be clear about the terms and the amounts, as people will sometimes try to manipulate them after the agreement is made. If you’re the one paying, there might be a guilt trip (“I realized just how much I undervalued it, can you pay x more?”) or some other tactic to bump up your cash payment. If you’re being paid, there might be a sob story excuse for the amount to change or the money to show up very slowly (leaking roof, sick relative, child tuition, etc.). Some people are experts at stringing people along for years without paying their bills. A few in my area are infamous for it. A deal is never done until the money is all in the bank and the instrument is in hand.

Walking away from an instrument can be accomplished fairly easily if you put a high value on the opinion of others. All you have to do is take the instrument to a player who is especially opinionated. The player will eviscerate the instrument for you and torpedo your opinion of it. You may be aware that the opinions are harsh, but the seed of doubt will likely kill your enthusiasm for it. A lot of genuinely good instruments get shot down this way.