Loar's Mando/Viola 70321

[siminoff]

Delsbrother - yes, thanks, "Inglewood" - my bad. Yes, it's a pretty tough part of town today, but was rather mild back when Bertha moved there from Chicago with her second husband Ralph Westerberg. She lived a few blocks north of Manchester, and half block east of the Inglewood cemetery. ..R

[goaty76]

I found this online. It was labeled as from Mandolin Brothers from around '88/'89. The only thing that consoles me about missing out on it is the fact that even if I did see it back then I couldn't have come close to affording it. Plus I wasn't educated on the subject at the time and would not have understood the significance of the listing.

Phil

[Timbofood]

I vaguely remember that listing, interesting how things come back to nudge you from your past!

[Givson]

The Loar collection sold by Mando Brothers also included Loar's personal musical saw. Does anyone know if it was tap-tuned?

[Timbofood]

Kerf bound? Most likely "set" up by professionals.
I will go stand in the corner now.

[Darryl Wolfe]

I found this online. It was labeled as from Mandolin Brothers from around '88/'89. The only thing that consoles me about missing out on it is the fact that even if I did see it back then I couldn't have come close to affording it. Plus I wasn't educated on the subject at the time and would not have understood the significance of the listing.

Phil

I remember that. I believe that is when the current owner acquired it.

[Glassweb]

The Loar collection sold by Mando Brothers also included Loar's personal musical saw. Does anyone know if it was tap-tuned?

I believe it was TIG tuned...

[Timbofood]

It may have been tig tuned but is it still playing a little sharp?
Back to the corner, I know.

[goaty76]

Just saw this pic on Picker's Supply's Facebook page. It's not one I'm familiar with but it's pretty neat. What a group of instruments with the 10 string mando/viola, a K-5, and a mandobass with a pickguard!

Phil

[Darryl Wolfe]

Holy Cow Phil

[Steve Roberts]

Just saw this pic on Picker's Supply's Facebook page. It's not one I'm familiar with but it's pretty neat. What a group of instruments with the 10 string mando/viola, a K-5, and a mandobass with a pickguard!

Phil

At the risk of stating the obvious, I believe that is the White House behind them.

[Tom C]

And that must be the Griffith A5 Loar?

[Spruce]

...and which K5???

[Joe Mendel]

Not the Griffith A-5, that has 8 strings. This one has 10 strings, it's the mando/viola mentioned.

[Timbofood]

Ok, so is the saw in the case? Poor thing, relegated to its box for an important gig!
Do we know who this cast is by chance?
Too bad we don't see the saw, it must not have been right for the cutting edge set they had planned.

[Bob Bass]

Phil- Thanks for the great picture!

Spruce- The first signed K5 in the Archive is #75255, dated February 11, 1924. The headstock apparently showed signs that it had been modified from a guitar configuration. This instrument apparently had a large Virzi. There is a suggestion that this instrument may have been the prototype. David Grisman played it in Tone Poems 2.

Some of our resident experts may be able to further refine this information and/or pin-point the date & event.

[f5loar]

And the two chicks are picking on F5s! I bet that was on hot line up for the Gibsonians band.

[Timbofood]

But who are they? Interesting that the gents have removed their hats for the photo.
We know that that's Mr. Loar, hat in hand, ten string under his arm but, who is with him?
That's some interesting trivia, and obviously we are all about details on this site!

[siminoff]

This photo is an absolutely wonderful find - I've not see it before. This is a "Gibsonite" band and not the Sally Shipp group. The gentleman with the bass is James H Johnstone who was also head of Gibson's string division. I don't know the two ladies with the F5s or the man with the K5. The K5 is one of the earliest production truss-rodded K5s (evidenced by nickel truss rod cover) made just prior to or during Feb 1923. And yes, that's the same 10-string mandoviola that Loar is seen in the well published "workbench" (i.e., "Corner of Experimental Laboratory") photo. No way of knowing if the case had the saw in it, but that's the same case that would have also held Loar's electric viola. I agree that it is absolutely the White House. Had to be taken in 1923 or 1924. Now someone has to do some newspaper research and find out what they were doing there. So great!!!… R

Darryl and goaty76 - Mandolin Brothers ran that ad when I owned the mandoviola, saw, electric viola, and case. They were acting as a seller for me but believe it or not, we had no offers for the year or so that they had it up for sale (it was always in my possession during the time of sale). It was purchase by the current owner a few years later.

[goaty76]

Yeah I thought everyone would get a kick out of that pic. When I first saw it I just stared at it for a while on the edge of my seat. I know Bran from Picker's Supply from a few years ago when he sold me a beauty of a Mandobass. I'll try and contact him and see if he has any info on where the photo is from.

Also just wanted to say as cool as everything in that picture is I can't stop looking at that pickguard on that mandobass. Who would need/put it there?

Phil

[billkilpatrick]

is that the white house in the background?

[mu1tom]

Yep, that's the White House. I bet they have info...

[Timbofood]

This is the kind of thing that makes this site so much fun!
Roger how kind of you to weigh in on this, you're perspective is always interesting.

[Capt. E]

I'm not sure the White House archives would have information on the "Gibson" visit. The WH was a much more open place then, from the line in the back it was likely a public open house. The photo may have come from the National Archives. My mother grew up in D.C. and has stories of going to the Easter Egg Roll, even one story of my grandmother almost running over the President while driving by the WH in 1925 as he was taking his morning stroll (she was not a good driver).

Thank you to everyone for a wonderful thread.

[John Flynn]

Of course back in that day, people could just walk in front of the White House and if they wanted to, pose for a picture. Now, the closest you can get is a block away and even then, if a group of people started unpacking instrument cases, I guarantee the picture would look more like this: