The Fine Art of Not Selling a Mandolin

A couple of months ago, a customer walked in with one of the cleanest Gibson A-style mandolins I’d ever seen. It looked like it had just left the factory - mint condition, from 1916. He came in to sell it.

Whenever someone sells a vintage instrument, I’m always curious about the reason. I make a point to ask before we talk numbers. Over the years, I’ve heard just about everything:

• “I don’t play it anymore - it just gathers dust.”
• “I’m bored with it. I think there’s something better out there.”
• “I need the money.” (Always hard to hear, and more common these days.)
• “My wife says I have too many.” (A classic.)
• “Found it at a garage sale and heard it’s worth something.”

This customer gave me the first reason.

“I just don’t use it anymore,” he said. “I feel like someone out there should be playing it.”
We struck a fair deal. He left with a check, and I had a stunning mandolin in hand - which sold the very next day.

That would’ve been the end of the story. But this one came with a twist.

A few days later, the seller returned. He asked, sheepishly, if I still had his mandolin. He regretted letting it go. He told me how he’d found it 20 years ago, what he paid (peanuts), and how fond he was of the memory. It clearly meant more than he realized when he brought it in.

Unfortunately, the mandolin was already gone.

It had gone to a long-time customer - someone I’ve done a lot of business with - who had been looking for this exact model. The moment he saw it, he didn’t blink at the price. It wasn’t about the profit, it was about that look on his face when he found the mandolin of his dreams.

There was no undoing that kind of sale.

The original seller left disappointed, and I returned to my bench - still grateful for the work I do, but sobered by what had just happened.

The Point (and It’s an Important One):

Never sell an instrument unless you absolutely have to. And especially not out of boredom. Before you let go of a guitar or mandolin, try these first:

• Change the strings. Even an old instrument comes alive with fresh strings.
• Get a setup. Poor action or intonation can kill your enjoyment without you realizing why.
• Put it away for a few days. Sometimes we’re just in a weird mood. Give it time.
• Let a friend play it. Listen from the other side. Get a second opinion.
• Still want to sell? Come on in - we’ll talk it through together.

Moral of the story: You can always sell an instrument. But once it’s gone, you can’t always get it back.

Happy picking,
~ Joe (TME owner)