Re: Loar LM-370??
$500 for a 370 is WAY overpriced. When the big box music stores carried them they were $350-400 new. Plus it's got laminated back and sides which you could get by paying $300 for a The Loar LM-310.
If you're dead set on getting a The Loar, go for the all-solid LM-520 as mentioned by others above. It's your best option if you have to have an F-style for around $500. Both online stores listed are great and carry them for the same price, although I see Folkmusician.com has some blem 520s for $450 (NFI).
FYI, general rule of thumb is you need to spend twice as much on a mandolin as you would for a guitar of the same quality, although the difference in price between A and F style mandolins skews this quite a bit. So $500 mando = $200-250 guitar. I used to own an LM-500 (around $700 when not on sale) and was quite pleased with it, although it took some work to get right. There are other options (different brands, A models, buying used, etc) that are worth the time to research before running out to spend some cash.
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