Celebrity Loars

[saintanne]

Being that celebrities are rich and connected, I was wondering if you all know which ones (if any) are proud Loar owners? I just got to thinking about it last night when I saw Vince Gill sweetly picking a Bill Monroe song on CMT...

[ronlane3]

Vince was probably playing his Gibson that Amy bought him. #That mandolin was Bill's and Amy bought it for Vince for Christmas.

As for Famous persons that have loar's, I know Ricky and Doyle both have one. I believe Jesse McReynolds has one. That's all I know.

[mandopete]

Bobby Osborne, Hershel Sizemore, Mike Marshall and John Reischman to name a few more.

[Tom C]

Hershel Sizemore has 3

[mandofiddle]

Grisman

[mandopete]

Wayne Benson and Aubrey Haynie.

This is fun - trying see how many names we can come up with.

Not sure is Grisman's is Loar, anyone know for sure?

[sunburst]

Allen (Alan?) Biby, David McGlaughlin, Ron Thomason...

[Chris Baird]

Steve Smith

[Flowerpot]

"Hershel Sizemore has 3 "

I thought he was down to 2 as of late. But I could be wrong.

[mandofiddle]

Not sure is Grisman's is Loar, anyone know for sure?
When I saw him at the Boulder Theater not too long ago, he made sure to mention that it was a Loar. Went into a whole spiel about it too...

[mandopete]

Frank Wakefield

[mandopete]

Not sure is Grisman's is Loar, anyone know for sure?
When I saw him at the Boulder Theater not too long ago, he made sure to mention that it was a Loar. #Went into a whole spiel about it too...
December 20, 1922.

[danb]

Jack Schultz

[AlanN]

Wayne has a '25, not a Loar.

Marty Stuart
Chris Hillman
The guy from Open Road

[evanreilly]

Joe Val had one also.

Bill Monroe's son has one but I hear he's trying to sell it. #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[G. Fisher]

What about Butch Baldassari and Jack Tottle?

[Brian Ray]

I had the privilege of playing Lloyd Loar's Lloyd Loar. He certainly knew how to pick 'em.

[sunburst]

Stuart Duncan had one, Anybody know if he's still got it?

[evanreilly]

Butch has/had a 1925 'unsigned' Loar. Jak Tottle did not have either a signed or unsigned Loar, best I know.

[Bradley]

What about the boys at Gibson.....

Charlie D and David Harvey

[telepbrman]

I may have read that Nancy Blake has one...dy.

[Fretbear]

Jack Tottle has a converted F-4; Nancy blake plays her husband's (Norman's) Loar, tho' she generally prefers her own "snakehead" Gibson A to it....

[Rroyd]

Stuart Duncan sold his a few years ago; Butch Waller of High Country has one; it got a bit wet a few years back #while the band was travelling up the west coast in a rented motorhome, and they had stored part of the instruments in the bathtub, and the faucet started leaking and filled up the tub. #No Permanent damage, though. Tom Rozum of Laurie Lewis fame also has one.

[danb]

Charlie's unsigned was recently pictured in the Loar picture of the day thread

[AlanN]

Doyle Lawson
John Paganoni
Tony Williamson
Bob Osborne

[Scotti Adams]

I wasnt aware David Harvey had one...he didnt when I seen him last Feb. I know he had a new MM...he used to have a Loar.

[Scotti Adams]

..I dont think of them as Celebrities but AlanN and Brian have Loars http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[Dan Cole]

Elderly has one. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[Bradley]

[QUOTE]I wasnt aware David Harvey had one...he didnt when I seen him last Feb. I know he had a new MM...he used to have a Loar.

I spoke to him after he got the MM...he said he felt uncomfortable playing the Loar out.Not sure if he still has it but assumed so http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

I also believe he sold that blonde mando with the inlays that he had for so long

[mandopete]

Okay, here's the list so far (in no particular order):

Ricky Skaggs
Doyle Lawson
Bobby Osborne
Herschel Sizemore (3)
Mike Marshall
John Reischman
Aubrey Haynie
Alan Bibey
David McGlaughlin
Ron Thomason
Steve Smith
Marty Stuart
Chris Hillman
Caleb Roberts
Norman Blake
Butch Waller
Tony Williamson
David Grisman

............are the others?

[Darryl Wolfe]

I have a hidden "owner" column in my MS Excel spreadsheet that forms the basis of The F5 Journal. Obviously, I can't unhide it for publication in the printed version.
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[Darryl Wolfe]

Here are a few names of past and present owners...none of these would care about listing here

David Bromberg
Frank Wakefield
George Gruhn (personal collection)
Mike Seeger
Byron Berline
Ronnie Reno
Mac Martin
Verlyn Bryant
Jim Smith
Chris Hillman
Bernie Leadon
Peter Rowan
Larry Sledge

How 'bout me?, I used to be a celebrity in The Knoxville Grass http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

[64lusso]

I thought the post wanted to know if any celebrities had Loars. Since when have all these great mandolin players been celebrities? Maybe to us but does anybody out there in the real world even know who these folks are?
I just re-read this post, it was meant to sound a little tongue in cheek, not quite as stern as it reads. Anyhow there's a couple of hundred Loars out and about so I'd bet this list could really grow but are any famous celebrities even aware enough of good Mandolin/BG music to know that some of the old instruments are quite valuable. I can think of Steve Martin and wonder if he has a pre-war flat-head (banjo) but other than are there any other celebs with a known afliction for BG/acoustic music?

[Darryl Wolfe]

64lusso....I believe with any name posted here, the person may believe they are a celebrity...or at a minimum, they have a fan base that considers them a celebrity. #It's all subjective

[Moose]

f5journl :"WE few.., we happy few" - Oh how quickly they forget.. (but sometimes "the wine remembers" hee.. hee..) http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/coffee.gif

I took celebrity to mean someone known to some people who have never met them. #That is consistent with popular usage with "major" and "minor" in front of the word. #By that standard, most of the people listed are celebrities.

[Moose]

Now let's see... ; where did I put that Webster's Dictionary.. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/coffee.gif

[Brandolin Tucker12]

Tom Isenhour, a fine picker from NC, has several.

[straight-a]

There's another guy in NC (not Isenhour) that has FIVE. I won't give his name without his permission, though.

[earthsave]

What about Tom Cruise? He got one?http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[ronlane3]

Since Darryl brought it up, I can confirm Byron Berline's. That is the only one I've ever played and it has me hooked on the loar's. A very nice mandolin.

[mandopete]

Who is Tom Cruise?

[f5loar]

You have to define what you mean by "Celebrity" first.
Certainly many named here do not quality. In fact I'm not so sure Monroe was ever a Celebrity in the true sense.
Now if Oprah,Elvis, Trump or Cher had one that would be considered true Celebrity. They didn't. Maybe Dave Apollon who did have one would be under the Celebrity category.
Pickin' in a bluegrass band ain't going to put you into a celebrity class of folks.

[Brian Aldridge]

Didn't John McEuen of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band have one at one time? Does he still have it?

[Moose]

f5loar ; Right on!! - OR.., make you a Donald Trump.. hee.. hee.. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[WJF]

Joe Val had one also.
The Joe Val Loar is now owned by Kevin Lynch who resides in Connecticut and plays with a variety of folks.

[djeffcoat]

How about :
Andy Owens
Gene Johnson
Tom Rosum?


DJ

[Jim Yates]

Although you gave Norman credit for the Loar, I've heard Nancy say,"I think I'm the only woman to own a Loar."

[Hal Loflin]

f5loar....Maybe this should be anaother thread, but is probably a short answer.

How many Loars are unaccounted for?

[f5loar]

A few dozen still hidden out there unless they are floating around the NewOrleans area this week. In all seriousness the tragic water damage this week in such a wide area lets us know just how easily you could loose your possessions quickly with no chance of recovery.
I suspect there may have been a Loar or 2 lost in that area unless the owners knew to get them out but doubtful you would think of that(I would) but most would only be concerned for their lives getting out. I know of at least one other fine lady who owns a really nice Fern Loar so Nancy is not alone.

[BigJoe]

Dave Harvey does NOT have one, I don't think Aubrie does anymore either. They both had owned them but no longer. Ronnie Reno has 2 and I think Tom Rozum has a fern a bit later in the 20's but that may be old information. Herschel does indeed have 3 (one of which is my favorite mandolin in the universe). Frank Ray has at least 2 but could have as many as 4. This information changes from time to time.

[Brian Aldridge]

Big Joe Tom Rozum has had a Loar for quite some time now.... What date on Herschel's Loar is fav in the world?

[ronlane3]

Last time I saw Frank he said he had 3 or 4. I saw the one that he had at the show and it was awesome. Question, how do you afford 3 or 4 $100K+ mandolins? (I know he didn't pay that much for them at the time but even at $50K a pop.

[Rroyd]

Depends on when they were purchased. Back in the mid to late 60s they were around $1000 or so, when a new one was around $700. The prices increased gradually, with mid 70s prices being around $7500. So those pickers mentioned who have several may only have a few thousand dollars
tied up in all of them, depending on how long ago they gathered them up. Now, if they have just put the collection together in the last year or so . . .

[Mikey G]

Two of Herschel Sizemore's Loars had consecutive serial numbers.

[Scotti Adams]

..that McCoury has one.

[AlanN]

I hope to see one of Ronnie's tomorrow.

[Jonathan James]

where's Ronnie playing, Alan?

[AlanN]

Snow Camp, at the Bass Mtn. fest.

[sunburst]

Depends on when they were purchased. Back in the mid to late 60s they were around $1000 or so, when a new one was around $700. The prices increased gradually, with mid 70s prices being around $7500. So those pickers mentioned who have several may only have a few thousand dollars
tied up in all of them, depending on how long ago they gathered them up.
In the last month or so, I've had two Loar owners stop by here on various mando related business.
One has been mentioned here as a celeb. He said he had three or four of them at different times in the early 60s, bought and sold them in the $300 - $400 range, and still has one.

The other guy said, when people ask how long he's had the mandolin, he tells them; "Since they were $30,000." He also said some of the young people ask him if he bought it new!

One guy was bringing stuff for repair, the other was buying a mandolin. I offered to trade even for the Loar in each case, but for some reason, neither one seemed interested!? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

[Chris Baird]

I saw Ronnie a couple months ago and he was still playing his Gilchrist. I think the "new" Loar was having some work done.

[Darryl Wolfe]

Kind of weird how this thread laid dormant for exactly a year (Aug 27, 04 to Aug 31, 05)

Here's a few names to ponder

Cliff Sargent
Herman Von Bernowitz
Gene Johnson
Byron Berline
Ronnie Reno
Frank Ford
Larry Sledge
Bernie Leadon
George Wynn
Charlie Rappaport
Bob Knyze

[bsimmers]

Real celebs are names like Bibey, Sizemore, Grisman, Monroe, Wakefield.
Celebs? What is an Oprah? What is a Trump? What world are we living in here on the cafe?

Someone recently purchased a Loar toaster on ebay. I don't know if it still has the tone. It hasn't been played in a while.

[Big Joe]

Hey Brian...one of his July 9 23's is my favorite. I don't remmeber the serial number off hand, but I know the mandolin. His other two are also nice, but that particular one just strikes me personally.

[jmpullen]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I am reasonably sure that
Larry Sledge sold his Loar ( with rhinestones ) to Frank
Ray. Did anyone mention Steven Gilchrist ? Don't he have
one ?

[Lieufire]

Dempsey Young of Lost and Found has one.

[Brian Aldridge]

Thanks Big Joe. Dempsey Young has a Loar??? Wow, I didn't know that. Alan, is Ronnie playing his Loar yet?

[AlanN]

Dempsey has no Loar, he plays an old Hutto made to look like a Gibson. I heard over the weekend that Ronnie McCoury's Loar is still being worked by Gilchrist. Ronnie (Reno) did not have either Loar with him, too bad.

[Ken Waltham]

Right, Alan.
And several of those others mentioned have no Loar, either.
Ken