This is the real subject at hand concerning Loar mandolins and many of my posts in the recent past.
We do not have enough data points with Loar FON's to know what happened. We have only recently realized that it took some time to build those Loar mandolins prior to installing a July 9, 1923 label. Are we really to believe that they built all the ~48ish July 9 mandolins between the time they signed the 36 or so June 13th mandolins and July 9th.....I don't think so. If they did, then why did they have so many odd parts and neck and bodies that some of the later ones used.
So FON's for Loars are the highest priority on my research list and we have been talking about the possibily of revealing some by MRI/Cat scan on another forum.
Joe and I "sort of agree" on this "built by FON" and shipped by serial number deal. My only contention to that statement is that they "seem" to have changed their philosophy around 1924/1925. My belief is that the statement is entirely fact after 1925. But, it "seems" that they built, serialized and "stored or shipped" instrument in the years prior.
Joe takes the viewpoint that they may have treated the Master Model line differently and serialized only those. This could also be true. That statement would make it hold true in the years prior to 1925. But, I view the hand written serial number under the labels issue as evidence that they changed their methodology during this period from one of build to completion and store/ship to one of "let's have semi-finished FON'd stuff in stock, but let's not finish up and install parts until they are sold, we'll put the labels and serial numbers on then.
I believe that during the "golden years", Gibson was building MOST of their instruments to entire completion in production line order. The exception to the rule may have been that for lower selling items like a mandola......they started say 24 and completed only 12, leaving some FON's bodies in stock. This would be where we see stuff completed and serialized much later in Joe's manner. In my mind, it also accounts for the "A" suffixed FON's in 1925.
That's all for now.
Darryl
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