Well, I never thought I wanted a mandolin until I got one, almost. The early Ry Cooder albums made me hear them in a different way, though. Do bluegrassers get annoyed with that sort of thing (Bela Fleck, for example, who showed up on Austin City Limits last Saturday and was wonderful) i.e. if you want a guitar, get a guitar? For me, blugrss is like reggae: after about the fifth number I lose dedication and appreciation of subtlety. But some instruments (and rhythms can show up in such odd places and sound so RIGHT.) Of course you need a mandolin.