Bob Mitchell
- Type: People Who Play
WHAT'S A" 'TATER BUG",,I ASKED??
IT WAS 1967 AND I WAS HAVING LUNCH WITH A NEW FOUND FRIEND. HIS NAME WAS CHARLIE AND HE WAS FROM ALABAMA.
HE KNEW I PLAYED GUITAR AND HE WANTED TO GET TOGETHER TO JAM. HE CAME OVER WITH THIS FUNNY LOOKING MANDOLIN, STARTED PLAYING AND IMMEDIATELY CAPTURED MY ATTENTION. HE SHOWED ME SOME CHORDS AND HOW TO PLAY "GOOFUS"
I'LL LEAVE IT WITH YOU SO YOU CAN FOOL WITH IT HE SAID. IT WAS THE BEGINNING OF A LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE MANDOLIN. I PRACTICED CONSTANTLY THE NEXT FEW WEEKS AND SINCE MY 30TH BIRTHDAY WAS NEAR,,MY WIFE WENT OUT AND BOUGHT ME A MANDOLIN OF MY OWN. SHE PAID $35.00 FOR A NEW HARMONY "A" AT SEARS, WHICH I RECENTLY GAVE TO MY GRANDAUGHTER.
LIKE MOST BEGININGS IN BLUEGRASS MUSIC, A FEW FRIENDS ARE NEEDED TO GET A KIND OF BAND TOGETHER, AND SOON I WAS PLAYING AT DIFFERENT FRIENDS HOUSES, 'TILL WE GOT GOOD ENOUGH TO PLAY AT LOCAL BARS AND EVEN GET PAID!!
AS IS NORMAL,,OVER THE YEARS THE BAND CHANGED AS WELL AS THE INSTRUMENTS. IN THOSE DAYS ONLY A GIBSON WOULD DO, AND I GOT A NEW F12 IN 1971 FOR $600.00. LATER ON,,I GOT A KENTUCKY KM850 SO AS NOT TO GET TO MANY BATTLE SCARS ON THE GIBSON. I HAD A DeARMAND PICKUP ATTACHED TO THE PICKGUARD AS WE WERE PLAYING ALMOST ALL KINDS OF MUSIC WHICH INCLUDED EAGLES,SOUTHERN ROCK, COUNTRY, AND EVEN SOME FOLK. THE LAST BAND I PLAYED WITH WAS CALLED THE MGB EXPRESS,, AND WE HAD A STEADY GIG (EVERY FRI.&SAT.) IN CENTRAL NJ THAT LASTED 11 YEARS!!
THE NIGHT CLUB GOT SOLD,,THE BAND WENT DIFFERENT WAYS, AND MY DAYTIME JOB
CHANGED TO INCLUDE A LOT OF TIME OUT OF THE COUNTRY. I PUT THE MANDOLINS AWAY FOR QUITE A LONG TIME, ONLY OCCASIONALLY PLAYING THEM. THEY WERE PRETTY BEAT, NEEDED FRETS, THE GIBSON HAD ABOUT 90 COATS OF VARNISH WHICH NOW WAS BUBBLING AND FLAKING OFF.
WHEN I RETIRED IN 2003,,I STARTED MESSING AROUND AGAIN, I DECIDED TO SELL THE BOTH MANDOLINS AND MAYBE GET SOMETHING NEW. I HADN'T REALISED THINGS IN THE INDUSTRY HAD CHANGED SO MUCH, AND THAT THERE WERE SO MANY DIFFERENT CHOICES. I FOOLED AROUND A BIT WITH DIFFERENT MANDOLINS BUT DIDN'T FIND ANYTHING I REALLY LIKED UNTILL I PICKED UP A FRIENDS WEBER BEARTOOTH. I REALLY LIKED IT AND MY SEARCH FOR ONE WAS ON. EVENTUALLY, I FOUND ONE, AN OVAL HOLE MODEL WHICH I KEPT UNTILL RECENTLY. I LIKED IT, BUT LONGED FOR AN "F" STYLE WITH MORE PUNCH.
I FINALLY PURCHASED A CUSTOM WEBER "COYOTE"..THIS WAS A TERRIFFIC CHOICE!!IT'S A GREAT MANDOLIN LACKING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING IN ALL IN TONE,VOLUME,PLAYABILITY, AND CERTAINLY A FINE LOOKING MANDOLIN. BEST OF ALL,,IT'S MADE IN THE USA!!! THE FOLKS AT WEBER ARE GREAT TO DEAL WITH, AND I COULDN'T BE HAPPIER!!!!
BOB MITCHELL
THANKS,JOANN!!
NEW JERSEY