View Full Version : Loar f5 in ut for under $110,000?
jjboone101
Sep-11-2007, 7:18pm
No financial interest, but I ran across this '23 Loar F5 (#71838) for $109,000 at Intermountain Guitar & Banjo. I'm assuming the price is reflective of the refinish job but it still seems like a heck of a deal for someone looking for Loar tone without the big price tag...
http://www.guitarandbanjo.com and look under Inventory and then Used Mandolins.
And here is the link to this mandolin on the Mandolin Archive: #http://www.mandolinarchive.com/perl/show_mando.pl?71
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/coffee.gif
dirty harry
Sep-11-2007, 7:37pm
Best deal I've found on a great deal is the one for sale from Laurance Wexer. Redone by Gilchrist!
Harry http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif
Glassweb
Sep-11-2007, 8:00pm
I've been told that the Loar at Intermountain is a superb-sounding Loar.
jjboone101
Sep-11-2007, 8:09pm
Yeah, $90K at Wexer's site...looks amazing.
Yeah, $90K at Wexer's site...looks amazing.
Ahem...sounds it, too http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
jjboone101
Sep-11-2007, 8:44pm
Wonder why these two great sounding Loars haven't been snatched up yet, at these *attractive* prices...
sgarrity
Sep-11-2007, 10:51pm
Probably because most of today's Loar buyers are collectors and not players. And a refinish is the kiss of death in the vintage world. I'm sure they sound amazing.
Glassweb
Sep-11-2007, 11:44pm
Let's see... "most of today's Loar buyers are collectors rather than players". Hmm... the last 5 major Loar sales that I'm aware of (including one to a Mr. C.Thile) went to individuals that I know, for a fact, are very much in the "player" category. Indeed, all were players before they "collected" themselves a Loar!
And add the fact that the market/economy has softened somewhat, with higher prices for everything from monthly water bills, to gasoline, to milk ($4/gal!)
$90k or $225k, that's a lot of Ks http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif
sgarrity
Sep-12-2007, 7:33am
My above comment was not meant in a negative way. If the last five Loar sales went to real players, then that is very encouraging. It means they are still out there in circulation where people can see and hear them. It is just my perception that most folks paying $200k for an instrument probably aren't toting them around at festivals. And if they are....God bless 'em for it!
mingusb1
Sep-12-2007, 7:36am
"it still seems like a heck of a deal for someone looking for Loar tone without the big price tag..."
C'mon! You are talking about 110K!
More than my house.
If that's not a "big price tag", then what is?
Z
jjboone101
Sep-12-2007, 7:59am
my point is, in the highly relative world of Loar sales and with the recent strong appreciation, these prices are *bargains*...of course, you don't see me grabbing one, but the guys actively looking for Loars today have the means to do so.
testore
Sep-12-2007, 8:45am
The one in Utah is a heck of a sounder, I spent a good hour with it awhile ago. It is also the Loar in the Arches,Gil, Loar play off that Chris did two weeks ago. Great sound clips of it. It is also the mandolin that I am useing as my model now.It's a very good deal on a Loar, with very Loar sound.
Glassweb
Sep-12-2007, 9:27am
I know this sounds completely absurd, but when you compare the price of a great Loar to equal status violins or electric guitars they seem reasonably valued. I'm sure you all know what a clean, flamey 1959 Les Paul goes for these days... probably a half million. But the beautiful thing about 2007 as opposed to 1967 is that there are fantastic mandolins being made that are available to anyone and everyone for a fraction of the cost of Loar. Hell, for a fraction of the cost of a Dude, Gil, Nugget etc... Let the good times ring!
I was just going to mention that you can hear it here (http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=15;t=46667) in the thread that Gary mentions above. Gary beat me to it. If anyone knows what a fair price for a given antique instrument is it will be the guys over at Intermountain.
pd
testore
Sep-12-2007, 9:34am
Intermountain guys are the real deal. Best guys in the guitar/mando business for sure.
uncle ken
Sep-12-2007, 1:49pm
I think quality refin will be less of an issue as time passes. Old violin finishes aren't always original and refined strats are getting high prices now.
Glassweb
Sep-12-2007, 2:17pm
I agree with Ken... many of the Loars have been repaired, refinished and redone at this point... very different than, say... 30 years ago.
I think I would rather have one with a nice refinish than one that's been busted up with a fire poker! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
pd
sgarrity
Sep-12-2007, 2:52pm
To the player the refinish makes no difference. To the collector though......makes all the difference in the world. There is a '41 D-18 for sale currently that looks showroom new. Not a single alteration. It does need a neck reset and the price on it is $40k. If it had a few repaired cracks and/or a refinish, you'd probably be doin' good to get $15-18k for it.
The point I was trying to make in my earlier post is that folks that have owned Loars for a while take them out and play them. Folks that are paying close to $200k for one are probably a little more hesitant to do so. I mean when was the last time you saw a '50s flame top Les Paul at your local blues jam? And compared to those, Loars ARE a bargain.
I wouldn't expect to see top-end professional instruments at a local jam. I'd expect to see them on stage at a big show, however. I've seen at least three Loars played on stage that I can recall in the past 3 years (Grisman, Reischmann, and the mando player with Peter Rowan at Wintergrass 05), and the instruments were clearly there to be played, not mothballed.
Santiago
Sep-12-2007, 7:57pm
Maybe it's just harder to get a mortgage these days.
Chris Baird
Sep-12-2007, 8:55pm
Yes, I was trying to get an adjustable rate no down payment loan for the Loar at Intermountain but I guess they don't pass those out like candy anymore.
Ivan Kelsall
Sep-13-2007, 2:54am
The Loar at Wexer's looks to be in immaculate condition,re-finished i know,but it's been well looked after since then judging by it's appearance & that's a heck of a good price these days.
#Just to take up a point raised above,it does seem to me that owners of really TOP quality Mandolins are more willing to take their incredibly valuable instruments on the road with them, than are Banjo players who have expensive pre-war Banjos. The Banjo players are opting to buy top makes of modern instruments & keeping their pre-wars at home - why have them if you're not going to play them ?. Sitting in a bank vault playing your beloved pre-war Gibson doesn't seem to me much of a life,
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