Crafter
M 70E

It was one of those days where there was a BIG (300+) Guitar auction - and in a mess of calendar clashes, a second slightly smaller, but still substantial (50+) Guitar auction. Now the BIG one was in Bath again, where I had won stuff before so I knew it was a bit of a hike to get to but my thinking was "at the last one there was no real interest in the non-guitar instruments; and with that many Guitars; and the number of quality Guitars on offer, some of the cheaper, "pony", (but I like them at Ukulele Corner it does incorporate the Pony Guitar Sanctuary after all), Guitars would go at bargain prices". After all with 9 Epiphone Les Pauls, on top of all the genuine Gibson ones, you would think there was enough for everyone so it wouldn't be so much of a hike if I was collecting a number of nice instruments? So I went  through the catalogue and put a low auto bid in on the ones I was interested in, (a tactic for getting a low start but a small risk of ending up with 3 or 4 Epi Les Pauls).

Then there was another one, but this time in Glasgow! However on this one they had a quote for shipping next to each lot, (and a promise of discounts if I was shipping more than one lot), Now the shipping price was quite high, but like buying from the US on eBay, as you know it you can factor it in to your total bid - so a plan? And there was a few here I liked too. 

The Glasgow auction started first so I started there and I did have some success, winning 3 lots (but not an Epiphone Les Paul and they did have one too).

Back to the Bath auction and everything went through at way too high a price; even the Keech Banjulele; even the Epiphone Les Pauls, (every one of them went for more than the one in Glasgow; and I thought that was too expensive); even the Mandolins...

Apart from the second to last one, a Crafter M70e with the bubinga top and a Crafter gigbag. Now I like the bubinga top, I think it looks very pretty, (that's why I bid in the first place as design wise its very similar to my Crafter Q50), but having lost everything else at this point I was kind of hoping I would get nothing and save myself the trip. 

However now every one else had had enough and my auto bid was unchallenged. Had I won this much earlier in the auction I might have tried harder for some of the other lots but all that was left after this was an A style Mandolin that I didn't really want to go for, but I still had to drive to Bath for the Crafter

After a looooong drive to Bath it's here! And it does have an absolutely gorgeous soundboard; and a lovely tone, and now it's here it was well worth the effort. Now I must learn some more Mandolin chords.