Loars again

[Jonathan Peck]

You always hear about good sounding Loar's and most everyone here has a favorite. These favorites are usually owned by a pro picker. Maybe this is due to more people getting to hear them. Does anybody have a favorite Loar owned by a non-pro picker? There seem to be alot of them out there.

[Red Henry]

George Gruhn had a '22 Loar in stock a few years back, and I liked it more than any other F-5 I've played. Don't know who got it, though-- I don't expect it was a professional performer-- not so many professional musicians have the capital to acquire one.

Red

[woodwizard]

I suspect a lot of Loar owners wouldn't like the world to know they have one in their possesion too. To keep the thieves away.

[El Rey del Mando]

Gordon Titcomb had a very good sounding Loar. It's a shame but in around 1978 or 9 he offered to sell it to me for $4,500.00. I had 3,000 to my name and that's the name of that tune. Someone got a great sounding instrument though. Gordon bought it for 1K a couple years before.

John

[sunburst]

I suspect that sometimes the reason that a parson's favorite Loar is owned by a pro player is because the pro sounds good playing it. Also, a professionally played Loar is more visible than a kept-at-home one.

My favorite Loar is a 1924 owned by a retired fellow who is not a professional musician. It is quite possibly my favorite F5-style mandolin by any maker.

[f5loar]

I have played a good dozen Loars that are in private collections that would be up there with the best of them. One collector has 3 great ones and another one has one great Loar and one great Fern. But always the July 9th reverse binding Loars are the best. One of the best Ferns I've played is sitting in the vault at the CMHF. Donated by a private collector's estate in Georgia it has never been put on display. He also donated a Loar H5 and K5.
These great mandolins are no longer making music. Silenced for a tax write-off. What a shame.

[Ivan Kelsall]

That's just what i'm afraid might happen to the most famous Mandolin of all,Bill Monroe's iconic Loar,if it comes up for sale. The thought that THE most famous Mandolin EVER,may end up in a glass case in a private collection, fills me with utter dread,the same way that i'd feel if all the incredible Violins made by the great makers were 'in collections',& not around to be played by the Violinists who ARE priviliged to play them today. I'm hoping that if Bill Monroe's Mandolin does come up for sale,that a wealthy benefactor can be found to purchase it for the CMHF,& all of us. Noticeably,The Gibson company have said nothing re.the possible future of their most famous instrument. I know that this point has been discussed before & reasons why/why not,put forward,
but for the life of me,i cannot understand a huge company such as Gibson NOT wanting to safeguard the most famous instrument they've ever (& most like WILL ever) make. Purely my point of view & not intended to begin a similar thread all over again,
Saska :disbelief:

[Red Henry]

Interesting that a well-known friend of mine recently encountered a July 9 Loar that had a fairly disappointing sound. I suppose it just goes to show that all mandolins are different!

Red

[f5loar]

Red, there are 2 batchs of July 9ths, the first batch had the regular top binding and the 2nd batch had the side bound like Monroes. Which one did your friend have?