"Mint"

[ryjan]

Whatever sh@#tty amp or guitar you're selling is "mint"?
WTF does that even mean? It smells minty? What kind of mint? Spearmint, peppermint?
I will NEVER buy your stupid crap simply because you described it's condition as mint or worse, "minty", and the most asinine, "dead mint". Someone with the mentality to use this ridiculous adjective is someone I couldn't trust to have taken proper care of an amp anyway. If you want to use big boy words to convey the condition of the item you are selling then I will take great interest in your ad if I am in the market. As soon as I see "mint" in there I realize I'm dealing with a child and skip the ad.

There. I feel much better now. :lol:

 

[swbo101]

I believe the term "mint" comes from the "minting" production of money/coins. A fresh newly "minted"/struck coin is in perfect condition.

I know your angry, not trying to incite you.

 

[ryjan]

you're
And I know where the term comes from. It's the misapplication that is troublesome.

 

[RR]

Take a chill pill :lol:

Just kidding! :wink:

Gosh there's a plenty of description used to describe tone on Craiglist or E-Bay.

Strat : "Sounds Knofler-ques" or "Sounds SVR meet Hendrix" or "Sounds chime-eeeey".

"It sounds like (x-amp or x-guitar) but on steroids!"

etc ... :x

 

[Don]

"Mint" is a perfectly valid term.

As long as the item being described is in as new condition.

Not in "as new" condition considering that it's 30 years old!

Most of the brand new guitars hanging on the wall at the local guitar chain store are not in mint condition (maybe that's why they no longer sell Mesa amps there!)!

 

[ryjan]

"Mint" is a perfectly valid term.

Sure, if we're discussing coins or stamps.
Any product which has been removed from the factory packaging can never be considered "mint" or even new. It is now at best "excellent" or "like new".
Words happen to mean things. Now get out of my rant thread.

 

[Archlute75]

"Minty" is so fucking TGP. It makes me want to throat punch people over there....

 

[TRENCHLORD]

I was big into baseball cards when I was a kid (early-mid 80's), that's before they were so trivialized by the Home Shopping Network lol, so anyways I guess the term has never bothered me so long as the amp/guitar is really in factory-fresh condition, which they rarely are even when listed as mint.

My preference though for music gear is;

showroom (meaning how it SHOULD look in the showroom, not how they always do at say Guitar Center for example)
excellent
good
well-used
poor/rough

Not much need for more than that IMO.

 

[elvis]

In my experience, "mint" means "has a few scratches and only one ding", while "minty" means "same as mint, but a COUPLE of dings and at least one missing piece".

They are both big red flags for me.

Rant away, ryjan, it always cracks me up :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[ryjan]

Rant away, ryjan, it always cracks me up :lol: :lol: :lol:

I aim to please. :wink:

"Literally"
My teen daughter drives me crazy with this one too.
"Dad, when she said that I literally died"
No honey, you figuratively died.
I always do my best Inigo Montoya and say "I don't tink dis word means whatchoo tink it means".

 

[Jorn218]

Mint isn't as bad as "Like New". How can something be like new? It is either new or used. Now using a descriptor with used as in barely used says the same thing, but is more properer. :wink:

 

[MrMarkIII]

A lot of people have limited vocabularies and find it easier to copy someone else's vague term they have seen many times before.
I really think some folks think "mint" means "I haven't played it in a couple months". It's like virginity. It's now something you can re-gain if you only use it once, then put it back in the box, so to speak.
Yes, people are stupid. Shocking, I know.

 

[Jorn218]

Uh.... Not sure I understand what you meant by that. How does one regain their virginity?

 

[Markedman]

So I figured I'd look to see what is "Mint" in my area on CL musical instruments. Literally everything is mint. Just about every ad listed mint in it. I never really noticed how everyone uses this worthless adjective. Tea, candy, cough drops, gum, snuff, now I'd expect to see mint listed in the ad.

 

[ryjan]

Here's my Mint Amp.

 

[Markedman]

http://richmond.craigslist.org/msg/4847333249.html
"Like New!" I didn't know Mark IV"s came new with 2 knobs broken off, great deal at 1800.00! We have a winner.

 

[ryjan]

http://richmond.craigslist.org/msg/4847333249.html
"Like New!" I didn't know Mark IV"s came new with 2 knobs broken off, great deal at 1800.00! We have a winner.

Minty as hell. :lol: