Why is it nearly impossible to copy Loar?

[Spruce]

I think the Loar craze is slowly going the dodo bird. Like modern pianos, vastly superior to their early and mid 20th century counterparts.

I dunno...
Beatles-related instruments, '59 Bursts, "the guitar Wes played", etc. etc. are what's driving a lot of vintage instrument pricing, and not the sound they supposedly produce...
I'm guessing it's actually a good time to pick one up, and not vise-versa...

It's easy to find local spruce with density and stiffness of typical red spruce over here. I've been thinking about calling one old man who cuts violin spruce (and he grades them according to density) if he has something too dense and stiff that he could sell for less. I bet wood like that ends in his firewood pile...

Yep...
I'm guessing you'll come home with a lifetime supply, for not a lot of Euros...

[grassrootphilosopher]

I´d like to thank you all for this thread.

The tip of the iceberg is allready interesting to give appetite for more.

[Spruce]

Most of the tops are slip matched

Check out the top on Ricky's Loar....
It's missing some sapwood on the bass side, but you can really see the bookmatch--or good slipmatch...
...and there might be some medularies between the bridge and tailpiece denoting quartered wood...a really nice top.
Pretty cool...

[FLATROCK HILL]

I'm guessing it's just the camera angle...maybe the lens, but that bridge/saddle looks like someone drove over it.

[Hendrik Ahrend]

"Ricky's Loar" is a broad field, as Ricky owns several. Pictured is Ricky's first Loar #76778. Part of the somewhat unusual appearance of the top grain may be due to the fact that John Paganoni refinished it.

[Timbofood]

The vast vault of information shared around here is amazing! Not many would know that one of Ricky’s Loars had been refinished let alone who did it and when. Pretty interesting Henry!
I’m learning so much information here I’m going to get a second brain to contain it all! The problem will be not having a better manner to find anything specific!

[Hendrik Ahrend]

You're welcome, Timbo. I believe Ricky had that Loar refinished right after he purchased it in, I believe, 1974. The giveaway is the reversal of the grain, kind of a negative appearance, that is the softer (summer) grain absorbed too much stain and thus looks darker than the harder grain, which should be or is usually the other way around. Only very few original Loar finishes are like that, and only in small areas of the top.
That worn spot of Ricky's pinky looks much bigger these days.
AFAIK Ricky once gave away this F5, but eventually bought it back at some point.