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My KM5000 Monroe model has really nicely flamed maple back and sides. A fine mandolin all around.

It's for real. I have spoken to Tom Ewing about it, who knew nothing about it. That would mean in his 25 years of researching Monroe for the book, he never ran across one. He suspects when the...

Wow! 7 pages of some serious MAS sufferers. More than likely the reason you even come to the mandolincafe is because you have MAS. Face it, where else are you going to go to find a daily, new...

I'd say the majority of it is due to MAS. There's no known cure for it. And getting a Loar won't cure it either. I've bought dozens since buying my first Loar. It's a disease that can't be helped...

I've met in person quite of few of the MC members over the past 20 years. Too many to name but the one that was the most exciting to meet was this guy in 2006 at a Bluegrass Festival in Bakersfield,...

Carter's and Gruhn's are the leaders in vintage instruments and especially mandolins. Both carry newer models too. Never feel the pressure to buy and they allow you to take your time to decide....

Those that paid over $200,000 pre-2008 likely still have them and don't need to sell them. They are collectors and buy for investments. When investments go south and you hold until they go back...

There was a time the $1000 or less was the range for beginners. I think that has ramped up to $2000 due to current inflation, increase in quality, increase in import costs, etc. That being said,...

If JR's Loar has it and it's obvious in that video, then we should only pray our mandolins sound this good. I sure didn't hear a problem with it either. JR has a different pick attack than I do. ...

Rolex does this with used watches, so I guess it will work for used Gibsons. As long as their prices are in line with big 5 vintage dealers, they will do fine. And if they throw in a new model to...

I couldn't believe it when I heard of Alan's passing. We go back to the mid 80's and remained pretty close. He loved coming over to my house to pick and see my mandolin "stuff". He had a deep...

Any Loar owners that need to know more about the next LoarFest in Jan. 2024 let me know and I can help set you up with more information.

No confusion here after decades of photographic studies of Bill's two prewar D28 guitars. The first one bought used around 1940 was a mid 30's D28 Martin. It was used by all the Boys up until late...

To answer a few questions about LoarFest East. It was added to Banjothon back about 2016 I think. Covid hit and 2 years were not held. It is a private event. Your best way to get invited is bring...

Are you being "punked"? $10k won't get you a DMM of any year. The DMMs are top of the line and will always bring more than the regular MMs. They trade between $15K to $20K. Like any mandolin of...

It is a most interesting "collectible/playable" custom Randy Wood mandolin. Very few, if any of Clarence White's instruments come up for sale because he really didn't own that many. Most all if his...

Ah, the controversial 50's F5s. You would think with Bill Monroe going strong by the 50's Gibson would have been overrun with orders. Many forget the F5 and the F12 were custom ordered instruments....

From what I have found it was Lester Flatt who played the first F5 in bluegrass in the Kentucky Pardners. If you are of the belief that the Monroe Bros. sound was the foundation for the sound of the...

Milestones indeed JB. 14K posts in 15 years sure has me beat. I go back to 1995 at the start, but somewhere along 2002 something happened and MC lost my past and I had to start over. It says I've...

well, Bill Monroe did keep the PG on his old F7 and when he got is old Loar it had the PG on it. He tells of the story it kept getting loose and kept falling off so he just left it off. Then later...

With the explanation from Charlie D. above, it makes sense the A5L which was re-introduced from the original Master Model A-5 from 1923. The fact it has the MM label and a signed label proves the...

I've got a few finer Gibson F5s but I also have a few Eastman 815s and also one each of the KM 900, 1000, 1500 and 5000. To me the high end Kentucky models are far superior to the high end Eastman. ...

So I get it, variety is the spice of life and you are always looking for something new, better or different. What about those Silk and Steel? I tell you there are lots of SS on the market by...

It seems the newer made KM1500 have changed the inlay in the headstock and it is not longer a Fern style inlay. Much less inlay now. Not sure what else has changed about them recently. Inflation...

The photo is from the RRHF. Levon donated it to them and then they ruin the display by showing him playing another mandolin (his EM200 electric Gibson). Seriously, these professional museum...