TOPIC: Performance Key?

The capo is your friend until someone in the back row yells, "Let's play it in the key of F. . . like in physics!"

Ok guitars....capo 10!

I repeat --- ask the key in which the mandolin plays the break. If the mandolin is just strumming the song, the mandolin player can usually play in most keys without a capo.

Hey Kmando, I knew that!!!! The trouble comes in when the mando player wants to take the lead....see I AM learning something in my lessons FRETMENTOR!!!!

If i was a mando player, i would totally resist the desire to capo the thing, it's such a tiny instrument to begin with. Let the most flexible instrument (guitars) do the adjusting.
My rule of thumb is ask, but i'm ready to go sharp for my fiddle and mando friends.