Thile's loar?

[DeamhanFola]

Hi all,
I was lucky enough to be visiting Ashland KY on the 14th and saw Nickle Creek play a killer show. For one of the last numbers around a big condenser mic, Thile announced that this was the "first time in 82 years" that this mandolin has been played on stage as he pulled out what appeared to be a Loar F5. I was 5th row, so I couldn't see the headstock all that clearly, but the pickguard looked right. Whatever it was, it sounded great!

If it was a Loar F5, fair play to him for bringing it on the road and sharing the sound with the fans! It takes courage not to treat it as a collector's item & lock it away or to use it only for occasional play in private. Thanks Chris--you're a gentleman and a virtuoso.

Anyone have any inside info about this mando?

[bradeinhorn]

that would be roughly a 1925 minimum instrument. don't know what other f-5 looking thing it would be besides a loar. cool. was it his?

[danb]

Sounds like a late '24. Keep an ear peeled on the road folks, this is fairly interesting

[John Hill]

I guess all the big names get around to playing a Loar sooner or later. It will be interesting to see if Thile indeed has a Loar (or close to Loar Gibson) and if it starts to get playing time over the Dude.

Edit for weak joke: I can see this ending up in a Thile Signature Model...free haircut included...

[DeamhanFola]

If memory serves, he only played it for one song (maybe 2) during the encore. We'll have to wait to see if that ratio is replicated later on.

So if a 'normal' Loar goes for $120K, what would one owned & played by Chris Thile go for? Would be nice to have a Dude as one's 'beater' mando! But in all seriousness, I can't think of someone more deserving of a Loar than your man, especially if one thinks of how many young folks he's turned on to the mando.

[Bill Snyder]

...So if a 'normal' Loar goes for $120K

You haven't been keeping an eye on Loar prices the last few years have you?

[Glassweb]

I'm not sure what "a normal Loar" is... but all clean and original condition Loars would bring somewhere between $175K-$200K these days... not a science here, but that's a pretty good average. I could easily be wrong about this, but I wouldn't be surprised if somebody brought their Loar to the concert for Chris to take a spin on. I saw Chris and Mike in a duet concert in Seattle about 3 years ago and the same thing happened... a collector just wanted to have Chris play his Loar for a few tunes... and so he did!

[bradeinhorn]

Would be nice to have a Dude as one's 'beater' mando!

He already does...

[f5loar]

It happens all the time. I loaned Bill Monroe my Loar for a night since his was in for repairs after a severe "poker" mishap. I'd probably loan it to Thile too if he would leave the guard on. Monroe scratched mine while the guard was off. Should add value to it but I doubt a Thile scratch would.
I'd say if you could buy a good Loar for $120,000 today you would be very, very lucky!

[fwoompf]

I doubt Thile would scratch it, the guy is a ridiculous perfectionist and oh so precise...I think the marks on the treble F-holes of his dude are due to microphone mishaps...

[eightstrings]

if he has it this weekend, i'll try to snap some pics. i'm very curious about this one too

[Brady Smith]

Just talk to him before or after the show...he's usually readily available.

[Willie Poole]

f5 loar...I once had a D-18 Martin that was reported to have been owned by Elvis but the fellow I bought it from couldn`t prove it and when I offered it for sale over the internet and listed the serial number but no mention of Elvis a fellow called from New York and said he would buy it sight unseen so I wonder if there is or was any info on what guitars Elvis actually owned.....I got a lot more than most D-18`s were bringing although it was a good sounding guitar and was offered a good price years ago by Norman Blake and I didn`t take it so I will always wonder....Willie

[bradeinhorn]

i will try to get the scoop from him at grey fox.

[RobP]

This is a cool thread. #

You know what would be cool? #I was thinking it would be neat if a Thile or some other very talented player would switch off and play a set with a low-end Kentucky or something, just to show that in the right hands even an inexpensive instrument can sound great. #I think such an act would be most inspirational to many players who lust after Big In$truments

Cheers,

Rob

[DryBones]

you mean like when Dawg played that Eastman? It's on YouTube somewhere.

[Tom C]

Get the Grisman Tone Poems. Grisman and Rice playing cheap to expensive vintage intruments.

[Glassweb]

I once loaned Chris one of my F5s and he did, indeed, put a scratch or two on it. Not to mention a hurtin'! But it was cool... we were just jammin' backstage after a show. Oh, and then there was this other mandolin player we were jamming with. Turns out the guy used to play bass with a rock group from England, but he was a REAL good mando player. I think his name was John Paul Jones or somethin' like that... what a time it was!

[jefflester]

A couple of pics of Chris and his new Loar (or post-Loar?, I guess that's still not exactly clear) backstage on July 13th. Click on the pics 8 and 9 in the link to see high resolution and more detail. Is it recognizable from the wear? (or maybe those are reflections?)

Pics from thilefans

[Scotti Adams]

..my guess is that someone asked him to play it..not his. Hes playing his Dude on stage thats obvious. In the pic of him with the top facing up it looks to me that he was just handed the Loar and he was checking it out.

[Chris Baird]

That's an interesting sitting position.... for playing someone else's Loar.

[Scotti Adams]

..yea if it was my Loar both his feet would be planted on the ground.

[sixstrng]

Recently, a gorgeous '24 Loar sold from a local SF Bay area shop (Gryphon Stringed Instruments). #I was wondering if Chris knew about it and found an extra $175K laying around. #Yet to be determined...

Glassweb, sounds like you were at the first symposium with a couple hundred of your best mando friends... LOL # At least Chris didn't scratch my Lebeda Fern!

[Glassweb]

nope sixstrng... this happened backstage at The Moore Theatre in Seattle after a Mutual Admiration Society concert. Quite a group!

[jefflester]

..my guess is that someone asked him to play it..not his. Hes playing his Dude on stage thats obvious. In the pic of him with the top facing up it looks to me that he was just handed the Loar and he was checking it out.

No, it's his. He did play it onstage for one song in the encore.

From the thile fans msg board from the person who took the pics:

http://thilefans.com/forum/index.php?topic=150.0

"Then we went into the green room and he played some Bach on this mandolin he had bought that day which was a "loar" gibson that was 80 years old and had only been played a year...."