Loar Picture of the Day

**Darryl Wolfe** · Aug-17-2004, 6:34am

Spoken as only the owner of a Fern Loar could say

**76547** · Aug-17-2004, 9:48am

f5loar & f5journal,
I am glad you cleared all of this up for me. #I still get confused when people discuss Loars, Ferns, unsigned, signed, f5's etc.

Thanks

**uncle ken** · Aug-17-2004, 12:06pm

I wish some of you Loar owners would participate in the Mandolin Project. I would love to hear the sound of some of these instruments to go along with the nice pictures.

**Brian Aldridge** · Aug-17-2004, 4:58pm

Aren't the "unsigned" Loars more rare that the Fern Loars?

**mandophil(e)** · Aug-17-2004, 9:11pm

I've heard there's 13 of them. Don't know if that's true or not. I also heard they're all pretty good sounding instruments, even compared with their signed brothers.

**Darryl Wolfe** · Aug-19-2004, 9:09am

I have 18 Fern Loars and 7 "unsigned Loars" accounted for. #There are numerous "in between numbers" that would put the unsigned potential mandolins in the range of about 18-20. #The main key to the unsigned Loars is the Factory Order Number. #They possess the 11985 and 11896 FON's. #December 1, 1924 signed Loars are FON 11985, and obviously 11896 FON mandolins were built before December 1 1924. #The true Ferns that display post Loars attributes begin with FON 8231, a whole new FON system.

**mitch simpson** · Aug-19-2004, 10:31am

Actually, the unsigned 81290 F-5 is incorrectly listed as having the factory batch number 11986. I owned that mandolin for a couple of years and it was stamped 11985 also. It must have been misread early and has assumed to be ever since then. I have owned 3 of of the known unsigned Loars and have found them to be completely equal to all of the signed ones that I have had.

**Charlie Derrington** · Aug-19-2004, 11:01am

You're right, Mitch...

It's 11985. And they are all equal in every respect except one....... that signature label.

Charlie

**Darryl Wolfe** · Aug-19-2004, 11:37am

I corrected that...so I guess this means that the unsigned are all presumably FON 11985

**f5loar** · Aug-19-2004, 7:18pm

It's not the meat you use but the sauce.

**Brian Aldridge** · Aug-23-2004, 12:07pm

unsigned 82369 has a FON of 11985

**Darryl Wolfe** · Aug-23-2004, 2:56pm

Thanks Brian. #This is an excellent example of unsigned mandos. #82369 is a flowerpot with the "unsigned Loar" FON/stamp number and 82348 and 82427 are both Ferns with stamp 8231

**Brian Aldridge** · Aug-23-2004, 4:09pm

82427 was my first old F5. What a nice mandolin it is. A totally different animal than 82369 though.

**Darryl Wolfe** · Aug-24-2004, 7:02am

The entire situation above proves that serial numbers are assigned late in the construction process,....and that batches can get mixed up in their relative stage of completion prior to assigning the serial number. Hence, "unsigned Loars" and occasionally a "28 serial number that looks, feels and sounds like a '25

**danb** · Sep-02-2004, 6:14am

Here's #73682, June 1923. No day on the signature label. Very nice instrument, the first with the July 9 batch features.

**danb** · Sep-02-2004, 10:04am

Back..

**mandoryan** · Sep-02-2004, 1:02pm

I just looked at those pics at the Archives and that is one pretty mandolin! Beautiful specimen...

**johnwilson** · Sep-02-2004, 2:39pm

What are the features of this group other than the triple side binding?

Thanks

**f5loar** · Sep-04-2004, 10:49am

Fantastic, mind blowing,bone crushing,mastertone bashing, incrediable sound with power. As Big Mon said of this batch "She's never let me down"

**Yellowmandolin** · Sep-04-2004, 12:53pm

I know this is an ignornant question, but what is the deal with Virzi labled mandolins? Whatever they are, are they still used today?

**Brian Aldridge** · Sep-05-2004, 9:09am

scroll down to virzi

# http://www.mandolincafe.com/archives/faq.html

**pdlstl** · Sep-05-2004, 4:55pm

1,000th. post of this thread

**Yellowmandolin** · Sep-05-2004, 7:52pm

Thanks, Brian.

**Brian Aldridge** · Sep-05-2004, 9:51pm

you're welcomed yellowmandolin. As to your Q are they still used today; There are two builders that I know of that offer them as options. They are Lynn Dudenbostel and Randy Wood. I am sure there are others that I am not aware of.