Morality of MAD

[strad]

What are peoples thoughts on the morality of MAD? I can understand having boxes in different keys but surely acquiring e.g a load of Paolo Sopranis all in the same key is removing the availability of those boxes from those who might want to get a decent box as they become more proficient in their playing?

Heading back to my kennel
Nigel

[Andy Simpson]

For me, the real sin is buying things just to look at them, not only taking a perfectly good instrument out of circulation and out of the hands of someone who's going to play it properly but also pushing prices out of the reach of most musicians and setting the scene for people buying instruments as investments, inflating the price further still.

I think it's sad that so many fine musical instruments are being hoarded away to satisfy somebody's need to have something for the sake of it. When I heard about that Strad in the Ashmolean that the donor specified could not be played under any circumstances it actually made me angry.

[HallelujahAl]

Hmmm...interesting thought this. Not a question of 'morality' really. I mean it's not like Melodeons are like air or water or food, so no there's moral conflict concerning their acquisition in general terms.

The greater problem from my perspective is the answer to the question 'why'. If the basis of MAD is simply driven by greed then that is, in my opinion, immoral - indeed, it's a deadly sin. On the other hand a collector of old grey Paolo's could be such because of the pleasure each unique instrument brings to the collector. In which case it's not greed that drives MAD and therefore far less likely to be immoral. If it's to show off - to be ostentatious about one's collection - then in my book that's simply immoral. If its a collection driven by the desire to research, understand and share knowledge, about a particular kind of instrument then I would say that is a praiseworthy endeavour.

Having said the above I have to say that I don't know any collectors for whom I would term their collection 'immoral'. Most collections are borne out of a desire to appreciate the finer nuances of their subject and real passion and love for a particular thing. None of which I would consider to immoral.

However, I do wish boxes were not so expensive.
AL

[Chris Ryall]

I've been slightly ashamed of my 6 for a while, (although my little Lilli will never be sold, while I'm still drawing breath). I made a sea change move into 3-row playing over the past 5 years and it took nearly 3 of those to get delivery from Gaillard. My  now rarely played C/F is on sale here and had a couple of offers. I plan to sell my interim G/C next now BG has art last delivered. My concertina went to a good home in 2004.

So yes, it is probably wrong to hoard instrumnents you don't play. This was IMHO particulary true of my antique Wheatstone concertina.

[A.J. Culwell]

Being a recent "victim" of MAD and having a virulent case that led to 5 boxes in a years time I figure I should comment.  While many of these boxes may be bought out of "covetousness or great desire to have a thing no matter what", there is some morality in one restoring the box and eventually passing it on to another player.   I'd have to say that every box I've bought so far needed at least some small amount of restoring and I'm in that process.  I now have placed my Primatona on Ebay last night simply because I only rarely play it.  Of course the night before I purchased another nice old box to restore and that's why I am selling the Primatona.  Yes I may never learn to play that Bb Eb Lilliput that I bought a few weeks ago but if I don't I'll eventually let it go. 

My feelings would be that if your not restoring it or playing it or exhibiting it for others to see and learn from then yes maybe there is a bit of selfishness involved.  If your accumulating rooms full of Melodeons and Accordions simply because you can, then maybe that's more a mental illness than a immoral act.

With me it's the fascination that I've just recently found with the mechanism and the sounds and sheer wonder of the little things!  Of course I wouldn't mind if some of the gentleman on this forum would flood the market with some of those wonderful old Paolo's and Walters so I could snap one up for a pittance...I can dream!

[xgx]

It might be amoral but the average MAD sufferer does not, I suspect, give a damn about some unfortunate who may be denied becoming a MAD victim!

...think of it as helping society keep the number of Maddies at tolerable levels.... until a cure can be found

The non-proliferation of Paolo Sopranis is an associated side benefit

Remember, a melodeon is not just for Xmas

[Andy Simpson]

I don't object to people owning quite a few instruments or even having nice ones they rarely play but genuinely appreciate. It's people who deliberately "collect" examples of nice instruments and at best play them once a year or take them out to show them off to another collector before carefully putting it back that misuse the instruments and drive prices up. The highly desireable instruments that garner such attention usually do so because they are superb to play and listen to and buying them just so you can say you have one, never playing it and sticking it in a glass case is just wrong. A sales rep from a musical instrument distributor whose father is a fairly well known electric guitar player once told us about how many lovely old acoustic guitars his dad had, (3 figures), and then went on to say how he only actually played a couple and the rest were all in storage. Sad.

...and don't get me started on those w*****s who commission the best makers to use all their skills to craft a fine instrument from the finest materials available for the express purpose of never playing it and sticking it in a glass case.

[Accordion Dave]

I get MAD when I see an unfamiliar acronym that is not defined anywhere in the text.

I work with a computer nerd that I call "alphabet boy."

Enough with the alphabet soup already!

[TomB-R]

When I heard about that Strad in the Ashmolean that the donor specified could not be played under any circumstances it actually made me angry.

Fair enough in some ways, but what is special about the "Messiah" Stradivari, is that it has more or less NEVER been played. It passed through various people's hands, but has always been kept in "as new" condition.

There are plenty of Strads working hard for their living, and there are a good few, that may well sound crap, that live in strong-boxes for that reason. Although it's a pity in some ways, it seems reasonable that this one instrument (assuming it is genuine!) should be kept in as new condition. 

Article here
http://www.fritz-reuter.com/articles/guardian/messiah/lordofthestrings-messiahstrad.htm

(It has, of course, had the "Vuillaume" update to modern neck angle and bass bar etc.)

[Falseknight]

I know far more about the guitar equivalent than I do about the melodeon variety.  I don't have much time for collectors - there are people who collect 60's British electric guitars because they are rare - they are rare because they are so unremittingly poor that most were skipped years ago.  Interesting old electrics are now no longer available to working musicians and custom shop offerings tend to be rip offs comprising other peoples bad choices.

As far as I am concerned the value of any instrument is in how well it plays for the gig it is intended.  It strikes me that there is no melodeon equivalence of the "Gordon Smith" (look it up).  The Hohners are the Fenders and the Costallotis are the Gibsons.  My current contibution to MAD is one Delicia Popular III and one Hohner Club IIIB - I suppose I can't comment really.

[Accordion Dave]

Someone suggested Wicky-Wacky-pedia.

I should not have to do research because others are too lazy to spell out something the first time it is mentioned.

[Steve_freereeder]

Someone suggested Wicky-Wacky-pedia.

I should not have to do research because others are too lazy to spell out something the first time it is mentioned.

Dave,
I think you have unfortunately fallen victim of the 'long-standing chums' factor on this forum. The term MAD - Melodeon Acquisition Disorder - was first coined on this forum several years ago in its early days, and the merits (or otherwise) of accumulating several melodeons for various reasons was discussed at length then and on various occasions since. A high proportion of people here will know what MAD stands for and perhaps (wrongly as it turns out) assume that everyone else knows too.

If you look back through past threads you will find many references to MAD. It is not an official term, merely a bit of light-hearted fun, the impact of which comes from the acronym itself and which would be rather spoiled if it had to be spelled out in full every time. Enjoy the forum but don't take everything too seriously.

[Chris Ryall]

I get MAD when I see an unfamiliar acronym that is not defined anywhere in the text.  I work with a computer nerd that I call "alphabet boy."  Enough with the alphabet soup already!

Medics are much worse. The words are long and everyone abbreviates. Slightly dangerously they sometimes use the same letters for different things (different specialties) and decoding these on Xray forms can be challenging. I do concur that this group is particularly initial prone and the speed at which TOTMs have been reduced to these startled me. In particular AF always triggers the wrong thoughts in me as it is a standard one professionally.  So I'd encourage more use of the forum's ACRONYM tag. Am I the only person using it? Syntax is as below.

[ acronym="take out the spaces to make it work" ]TOTSTMIW[ /acronym ]  
Theo - could it perhaps be on the "Post Reply" toolbar? Far more useful than "glow" "shadow" and "travelling M"  

TR2T - I'd say buying lots of new accordions simply provides work for makers and is morally neutral, economically good.  Buying lots of second hand ones pushes up prices, bad for impecunious students wanting their first instrument, but good for the likes of Theo and Rees, also for the economy.  Buying antique ones (eg my concerina) and then not playing them is IMHO far more dubious

[ganderbox]

The term MAD - Melodeon Acquisition Disorder - was first coined on this forum several years ago in its early days

The term is also used for other instruments.
Some particularly appropriate versions relate to saxaphones (SAD) and banjos (BAD)!   

[Matt Langley]

[Lester]

Out of interest, what is AF an abbreviation for when talking about melodeons (or have I totally missed the point here?) 

Ashokan Farewell the current ToTM* following on from LiDL** and StP***

*Tune of The Month
**L'Inconnu de Limoise
***Speed the Plough

[Lester]

The 2 1/2 row D/G is quite recent and I now don't play the older 2 row D/G any more.  I know I should sell it on to a new good home but I never seem to get round to it - is this a new phenomenon? maybe we should call it 'melodeon inertia' (M.I  )  Anyone else suffer with this affliction?

Always worth having a spare (or four) just in case!

Also sentimental value means I have kept the G 1 row 4 stop I started with (if just a reminder to tell anyone thinking a one row is a good starter instrument that they are wrong) and my first decent melodeon (Castagnari Tommy) although I rarely if ever play it any more.

[Nick Hudis]

Since my Loffet 3 row came along, I've been wondering about my collection of Clubs.  They are not getting played (except the Lillput) and one of them, a Club IV previously owned (or kept for spare parts?!) by Tony Hall is a very fine instrument indeed, beautfully restored by Theo.  When the Loffet was away being tuned, it was the Lilliput that got played.

But somehow it seem a big effort to advertise or go through the ebay ritual.

For me its the same with guitars.  I had a fine guitar built for me 30 years ago by the Cambridge luthier Robert Welford.  I'ver flirted with others but always come back to the Welford.  Its my guitar, just as the Loffet is rapdily becoming my accordion.

[TomB-R]

You'll find MAD GAD BAD FAD etc on lots of instrument discussion forums.

"Don't you just hate TLA's?"
  






(Three Letter Acronyms.  Yes, two baited hooks for the pedants there!)

[ganderbox]

 'melodeon inertia' (M.I  )  Anyone else suffer with this affliction?

Matt

The thing is that it's hard to part with boxes that you have played in the past, even if you no longer play them, partly because of emotional attachment and partly because you just might want to play them again in the future, and you just know that you will never be able to replace them.
I would say that if you've bought a costalotti and don't get on with it, then move it on, but there's no reason to part with the old pokerworks etc because their value is relatively low and they are probably worth more to you personally than the cash you would get if you sold them.