loar lore

**billkilpatrick** · Jul-22-2009, 6:15am

my new loar LM-600 arrived, via mandolin bros. and it's topped any and all expectation. would anyone know where i might find information on the making of this wonderful instrument (who, where ... how, etc.)? i have its serial number.

- bill

**MikeEdgerton** · Jul-22-2009, 7:18am

They are imported by The Music Link. You can contact them from their website.

**JEStanek** · Jul-22-2009, 8:04am

Congratulations Bill. Has your Café hat arrived yet as well?

Jamie

**billkilpatrick** · Jul-22-2009, 8:57am

thanks mike - i should have posted this in the "looking for information" section of the forum but thanks for replying. i contacted "music link" with the serial no., asking if they could name the person/persons who made my mandolin. don't know how "youtube" is received in china these days but i'd love to make a video, expressing my appreciation for his/her/their work.

i imagine you're familiar with modern mandolin manufacture. generally speaking, is it more likely they're made in an assembly line process - one person cutting, one person carving, one assembling, etc., etc. to include applying the nitrocellulose finish - or would one person follow an instrument through from beginning to end?

according to my patron d'art, allison jay gives each loar that enters their shop about 6 hours before someone buys it.

jamie - no. quite rightly, with the previous, italian postal fiasco in mind, scott asked for a stateside address for the hat. as the purpose of my recent visit was to see my ailing mum, i hope you understand that i don't want to be donning my mandolin cap anytime soon. (however, i collected a charango hat that i ordered months ago ...)

- bill

**JEStanek** · Jul-22-2009, 9:21am

If the The Loar's are built like Eastman mandolins, while still hand made, they are done assembly line fashion, i.e., one person graduates tops, a different person does necks, a different person(s) does the finishing. I believe production shops world wide (e.g., Gibson, Weber, Collings) operate with a similar building strategey as the norm rather than the exception. There may not be one person who did everything to yours. There may not be a single person who would sign/approve a label a'la Old Lloyd on most production models.

Jamie

**Michael Ramsey** · Jul-22-2009, 9:59am

Sim Daley builds all of his mandolins, by himself.

**Ted Eschliman** · Jul-22-2009, 10:34am

Here's a very specific link, complete with video (same as below): The Loar

**billkilpatrick** · Jul-22-2009, 11:00am

i'll calm down after a bit ... but in the meantime:

**Skip Kelley** · Jul-22-2009, 11:12am

Congratulation's Bill! The mandolin sounds good!

**Susie A** · Jul-22-2009, 11:21am

Congrats Bill! I enjoy your videos.

**billkilpatrick** · Jul-22-2009, 5:25pm

[QUOTE=Ted Eschliman;692209]Here's a very specific link, complete with video (same as below): The Loar

thanks ted, "tutto spiegato" ... i'd seen the video before but - my-my ... isn't there a world of difference between a virtual exploration of the instrument and a hands-on, in-one's-lap appreciation of same.

i'd never really appreciated what a finish could do to an instrument. previous experience in the early music (lute-dominant) world of music makes me wonder what a nitrocellulose coating on a renaissance lute might produce in the way of pro-jec-tion ... !!!

**MikeEdgerton** · Jul-22-2009, 9:12pm

Originally Posted by Michael Ramsey

Sim Daley builds all of his mandolins, by himself.

All of the small individual builders do the same.

The Loar is a production mandolin.

**Bernie Daniel** · Jul-23-2009, 5:24am

Congrats-zoni William!

Yes you have a beautiful piece there -- I just a few days ago saw my first one.

This weekend I was at bar with a live Celtic band -- from our table I thought he had a Gibson. Strange to see an F-style in that kind of music.

From the distance of our table "The Loar" is place at exactly the same slant as "The Gibson" and the flowerpots look like flowerpots.

Anyway at break I went up to talk to him and saw it was a new Loar LM600. It really was beautiful piece and of course the player was going banannas over it -- he was young and I'm sure it was his first new mandolin!

He had always used a oval hole Celtic style mandolin before but this was his new baby -- it was fitted with a Fishman style bridge pick up. It sounded terrific and I thought the workmanship on it was remarkable --I'll echo the video comments -- really nice woods and the finish was almost perfect.

That is a heck of a mandolin for a $1000 and a heck of a mandolin for more than a $1000 as well.