Gibson Tenor Lute

[testore]

The Edsel comparison is perfect. Of course everything I’ve mentioned is pure guesswork but I have talked about it with several very knowledgeable people. It seems to be the most plausible course of events but we will never know for sure.
I’m happily building a mandola now based on the TL body. I know it will make a very fine mandola.

[goaty76]

I recently made a post on Facebook stating how Loar seemed to have a pretty strong liking for his 10 string mando-viola. Multiple public photos of him show him holding it. Being so fond of it it seems like something he perhaps would wanted to add to Gibson’s lineup. Then he parted ways with Gibson right when these were made. Seems like a possibility with these being F-hole instruments with Master Model labels, something that doesn’t really fit the aesthetic of them at all, that their initial intention might have been to be mando-viola’s. Of course this is just hypothetical pondering and has no way to be proven one way or the other.

Phil

[testore]

Very good point.

[William Smith]

The very few 30's F-hole elevated board short neck mandolas that I've seen look like exact leftover TL bodies from 24! The bridge is back on them like the F-7,10,12! We know Gibson held onto parts and mandolins only to be sold or used through the 1930's, there is proof in some models! I'm with Gary V. on the theory that if Loar stayed these TL's would be mandolas, I believe it's very interesting and have no problem with a conversion being done if that's what you want to do. I do!

[testore]

https://shop.gryphonstrings.com/prod...dola-h0-50763-

A most excellent call bluegrasser78 ! The f holes are identical to the TL’s. These are without a doubt holdover parts from ‘24. At some point they had to know the TL was a commercial flop. There’s no guarantee they used up all the Mandola bodies for TL experiments.