My main axes these days are my so-called "lawsuit" Ibanez Howard Roberts archtop that I bought new 32 years ago for $600, a Martin 00016-SGT I bought in 2004, and an a Fender MIM Stratocaster I bought last year. I still own the Tacoma, but it stays in its case these days. I think the musician makes the instrument, not the other way around. (If you check old threads, you'll find my comments.) Anyway, I went back to what I know best, the guitar world, where there is a lot less discrimination based on what instrument you play, and am much happier there. I just wanted to play music, not defend my choice of axe. I quit playing mandolin, in part, because I got tired of all the negativity I encountered on this site, and elsewhere, because I liked this instrument and, when asked, told people so. I think the Tacomas were a fine instrument, well made and very playable and nice sounding, and I'm sorry that the company was bought by Fender, and essentially gutted. I'd like to think I'm a pretty good judge of these things by now. I've been a professional musician and teacher for 30 years so I've played and evaluated a lot of instruments in my time. I have M3 sunburst that I bought new back in 2000 and I loved it back when I was playing mandolin. Hope you and your Tacoma will be back playing together again. But if I like the instrument, and it does the job for me, who cares if it's not the Generally Accepted Standard. People of that ilk can be found in the guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, and probably bassoon worlds. I've only played Tacomas at a dealer's shop a time or two, and they didn't "float my boat," but I'd never put someone down for liking or playing one.Īlso, I've seen a fair amount of "nameplate snobbery" among guitarists as well, since I walked into bluegrass jams with a Guild D-40 "back in the day." See, it wasn't a Martin D-28, so obviously I didn't know squat about bluegrass. Hard to believe that you'd stop playing an instrument you really loved, because some people you don't even know personally didn't respect Tacoma mandolins the way you did. Sorry you took others' comments so personally and seriously, that it impacted your choice of instrument and music. I just wanted to play music, not defend my choice of axe.I went back to.the guitar world, where there is a lot less discrimination based on what instrument you play, and am much happier there. I think the Tacomas were a fine instrument, well made and very playable and nice sounding.I quit playing mandolin, in part, because I got tired of all the negativity I encountered on this site, and elsewhere, because I liked this instrument and, when asked, told people so.
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