Because it’s humorous. Lighten up. It’s gotta be good. Otherwise, there are other descriptions that are more appropriate for an instrument that ISN’T ‘minty’.
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Why do people describe stuff as "minty?"
- Thread starter Ekulati
- Start date
If it's not Mint, it's Excellent. "Minty" is a premium being charged on Excellent because the seller "knows what they have".
So fresh… like frosh fresh… you’ll be even cooler after buying this cuz it’s minty!
I always took it to be a "cute" way of calling an item mint, but I guess it makes sense that it would really be more of a hedge, as others pointed out. As in, not quite mint but close enough. Mintish, maybe?
On a slightly tangential note, I think the descriptor of Mint is so often inaccurate that I'm generally very, very skeptical when people rate a used item as such. It means something different to me than it does to most, from my experience as a buyer of supposedly mint items. What bothers me even more is when people start saying, "Mint except for..." It's either Mint or it's not.
On a slightly tangential note, I think the descriptor of Mint is so often inaccurate that I'm generally very, very skeptical when people rate a used item as such. It means something different to me than it does to most, from my experience as a buyer of supposedly mint items. What bothers me even more is when people start saying, "Mint except for..." It's either Mint or it's not.
Judging by some of the sleds guys get saddled with in online used bass sales, I'm not sure what it means, or my favorite, 'like new minus' . . . minus what . . . ?
Of course on the other hand, you can sell an honestly mint perfect not-a-mark on it bass to some online buyers who spend 30 minutes when they get it to find one teeny tiny something you never saw, and then it's on.
You never know online who's on the other end. And usually, you don' want to know.
Of course on the other hand, you can sell an honestly mint perfect not-a-mark on it bass to some online buyers who spend 30 minutes when they get it to find one teeny tiny something you never saw, and then it's on.
You never know online who's on the other end. And usually, you don' want to know.
Quite a few years ago, many of the top level vintage instrument dealers established a hierarchy that, from the top down, started with mint condition. That was typically described as flawless/unplayed condition. Going down, there were varying degrees of excellent with various modifiers like excellent plus/excellent minus etc. So, “mint” meant that the condition was typically unplayed and as new. Those terms have now been altered to represent a now more lenient description of condition though, the descriptors are still very positive. To me, being “older” now, “minty” means I’d better see it before I buy it because it sounds like almost perfect but really isn’t and that, for some sellers could mean quite a few things.
I just did some searching of the various slang dictionaries and found out that "minty" does not mean what I thought it did.
If I do this to my basses, the buckle rash, dings & fret wear disappear. Only costs about $430.00 worth 'o mouthwash.
There is freshly minted and minty fresh. The former refers to the condition of coins, and by derivation basses in perfect condition. The latter (clean, cool, crisp) refers to mouthwash - and by analogy, to the tone of basses with new round wound strings.....
Alkali Ike
Gold Supporting Member
- Jan 1, 2011
- 2,855
- 15,666
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- I never actually learned to play very well
For the same reason fast food joints call their bugers "melty". Because it's annoying and they know people will be so irritated by it that it will sear itself into their memories for conversations like this.
Total rabbit trail, but this ^ is the only color that I think a mint green pickguard looks good on.
just a word, usually put together with other words, generally forming a sentence to tell someone something....
"Mint condition" was originally used to describe uncirculated coinage.
I agree with this reading of it. I’ve always seen it as something of an insidious cop out. Mint condition has a meaning and a definition, “minty” does not. Whenever I read that I can feel the wink and the nudge that it implies. However once you initiate a refund or a return you have absolutely no recourse since “minty” has no definition you cannot prove that the instrument you received was not at all “minty”. It’s a cheap cop out sellers use to avoid accountability. I can’t blame them entirely with the way some buyers act, it’s easier to just not participate in the used market and avoid it all.
