Hey, this is great!

Willie-o, I think you are probably right about the "jammin' right away" thing. I had a bit of a play in a session last night. I was alright with a song my friend & I had (sort of) practiced. When it came to simply jammin' I found a mix of poor technique and a lack of confidence made me some what quieter. I think there's something here for me about being willing to "go back to basics". I can jam along on a guitar reasonably well enough and can entertain a crowd for a while... so maybe your advice is spot on.

As for the mandolin itself, the bridge is not adjustable, so perhaps I should consider that when / if I choose to invest in a better instrument (this one was £50 2nd hand). I will keep with it for a fair while yet, so perhaps it will be interesting to see if the instrument does "wake up" after a while.

I must say that the more I play with it, the more I like it!

Thanks all.

Of course, anymore ideas (that don't involve backing trucks over things ;->)welcomed

Paul Mitchell C.D. available (No mandolin playing on it)