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I had a young man work for me when I was at Gibson. He could "chicken pick" a mandolin and volume was not an issue. He is an incredible picker and could flat pick as well. It's all technique as...

Lloyd Loar, Charlie Derrington, and David Anderson (Skern). Many others have been an influence, but those three spoke most to me. Charlie knew more about mandolins and repair than anyone I've...

Danny and Charlie were together until the end of 2004. Charlie was then moved and Danny stayed on till the end of 2005 when he was moved to the repair and restoration department where he still is. ...

Charlie signed some mandolin from about 98 through 2004. Danny signed most of them except the Master Models and DMM's through 2005. The 2005 MM and DMM were signed by Danny. They were all great...

labels can designate several things that can be quite confusing. First, the Master Model label indicates the body style (Loar style body). This is usually indicated for F5L or Fern and above. This...

Custom inlay usually does not increase the value, and can decrease the value at worst but certainly limit the field of potential customers if you would ever sell it. I like inlay as much as anyone...

This was one I had... "Blondie" and is one of the most incredible mandolins you will ever play!

To radius a fretboard the frets must be removed, the board radiused to the degree possible, then regretted. It is not cost prohibitive, but could run a few hundred dollars. It might be better to...

They were just called A5. They are the same basic mandolin as the A5L, just less expensive to make. They did not make many. The A models (except A9) was not a very high volume seller so not many...

The F5G usually does not have a signature. The serial number has build date only. The first and last digit will give the year it was made. Post the number and we can interpret it for you.

In some instances autographs can bring a higher price, but not usually. In the Nashville community it usually lowers the value by quite a bit. That is because there are so many of them and the...

Comparable to the LM700 but does not come with a case or gold hardware. Otherwise similar to the 700. You can get a case for it, but it is not included in the mandolin price as it is with the F...

Mandolins are just like any other instrument. They sometimes need a neck reset. It is not as common as on guitars, but many still do. We have done many over the years and when it is needed there...

Patrick... Al the frets are useable if you are able to play them. A number play all their frets, even the 29 on F5. Now, to the original posters question. The number of frets to the body is not...

Cyanoacrylate (superglue) was originally designed for field dressing wounds on the battlefield where sutures could not be applied. It was not used in the US for that until about the last decade. ...

The substitution of a rigid gig bag for a hard case may have nothing to do with cost. Cost may even increase slightly. When at Gibson we switched to the travelite case to lessen the chance of...

I meant to put Roland White and Buck White on my list as well. All my mando influences are/ were friends, which makes it even more special. There are plenty other favorites as well, but these are...

Probably just finish cracks. If so, best to just live with them. They develop naturally over time. Have luthier check them to ensure they are not in the wood. Fret ends will need to be dressed. ...

The LM600 is a very good mandolin and a used one at that price is also a decent price. You will not likely find one for less. There are tons of posts on the Loar mandolins on the café and you will...

Herschel Sizemore
Danny Roberts
Paul Williams
Dave Harvey
Butch Baldasari
Jethro Burns
Bill Monroe
Charlie Derrington
Bob Alekno

They were still using that packaging in the late 90's. Don't know when they changed.

The items mentioned above (nut and bridge) can certainly help your mandolin, but it won't make your mandolin much more than it is now. A proper setup is the most important thing that can help. ...

Bill shared the story with a few people, but preferred it stay between them. I think that's a good place to leave it. It would serve no purpose at this date to open that can of worms. Just like...

Just because one might know does not mean they should tell. Mysteries are always more fun than reality :).

Bill...yes. Sold it a couple years ago. Wonderful mandolin.
Billyhay...it wasn't needed for support, only tone definition. Very few actually cross under the feet anyway. It was an idea I had and...