Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 26 to 45 of 45

Thread: Bill Monroe's Mandolin: When Mr. Monroe was 21 years old

  1. #26
    ************** Caleb's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    DFW, Texas
    Posts
    3,676

    Default Re: Bill Monroe's Mandolin: When Mr. Monroe was 21 years old

    He and the woman holding the baby have the exact same hairdo.
    ...

  2. #27
    Middle-Aged Old-Timer Tobin's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Kerrville, TX
    Posts
    4,004

    Default Re: Bill Monroe's Mandolin: When Mr. Monroe was 21 years old

    So who exactly is in this photo? There's a note at the bottom, but it's hard to read. It looks like it says:

    L to R
    Charlie, Sylvia, James William, Birch
    Bill, dog, Willie (illegible)

    If this was taken in 1932, the baby James William is definitely not Bill's son, since he wasn't born until 1941. Who is Sylvia and baby James William? And who is at the bottom right? Is that his uncle Willie?

  3. #28
    Registered User f5loar's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    Salisbury,NC
    Posts
    6,468

    Default Re: Bill Monroe's Mandolin: When Mr. Monroe was 21 years old

    Just guessing the woman is Charlie's first wife and baby boy. I have seen one other photo of just Bill and Charlie with Bill holding this same Loar era A model.

  4. #29

    Default Re: Bill Monroe's Mandolin: When Mr. Monroe was 21 years old

    That picture gives new meaning to the term "a shock of hair".

    Len B.
    Clearwater, FL

  5. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to lenf12 For This Useful Post:


  6. #30
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Knoxvegas Baby!
    Posts
    114

    Default Re: Bill Monroe's Mandolin: When Mr. Monroe was 21 years old

    I'm sorry was there a Mandolin in that picture? I couldn't see past the haircut.

  7. #31
    Registered User trevor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    brighton UK
    Posts
    1,800

    Default Re: Bill Monroe's Mandolin: When Mr. Monroe was 21 years old

    I can state categorically that lots of hair doesn't improve mandolin playing!
    Trevor
    Formerly of The Acoustic Music Co (TAMCO) Brighton England now retired.

  8. The following members say thank you to trevor for this post:


  9. #32
    Oval holes are cool David Lewis's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Sydney, Australia
    Posts
    1,466

    Default Re: Bill Monroe's Mandolin: When Mr. Monroe was 21 years old

    That's bluegrass hair!
    JBovier ELS; Epiphone MM-50 VN; Epiphone MM-40L; Gretsch New Yorker G9310; Washburn M1SDLB;

    Fender Nashville Deluxe Telecaster; Squier Modified Vintage Cabronita Telecaster; Gretsch 5420T; Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat: Washburn Banjo B9; Ibanez RB 5string; Ibanez RB 4 string bass

    Pedalboard for ELS: Morley Cry baby Miniwah - Tuner - EHX Soul Food Overdrive - EHX Memory Toy analog Delay
    Fender Blues Jr Tweed; Fender Greta;

  10. The following members say thank you to David Lewis for this post:


  11. #33
    Registered User jim simpson's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Wheeling, WV
    Posts
    5,508

    Default Re: Bill Monroe's Mandolin: When Mr. Monroe was 21 years old

    I'm glad to see one of my heroes also had big hair when he was young, lol!
    Old Hometown, Cabin Fever String Band

  12. The following members say thank you to jim simpson for this post:


  13. #34
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Maryland
    Posts
    2,811

    Default Re: Bill Monroe's Mandolin: When Mr. Monroe was 21 years old

    Quote Originally Posted by sprucetop1 View Post
    That's a great photo. Assuming that is Charlie Monroe top left....what brand of guitar is he holding? Could it be a Larson Bros with the wide top binding and those headstock and bridge inlays?
    I'd wager a few dollars on the guitar being Larson Bros. Peghead and bridge look like my Maurer.

  14. The following members say thank you to Bob A for this post:


  15. #35
    Loarcutus of MandoBorg DataNick's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Fallbrook, CA
    Posts
    3,837

    Default Re: Bill Monroe's Mandolin: When Mr. Monroe was 21 years old

    Quote Originally Posted by DataNick View Post
    Bill Monroe's grandson, James William Monroe II, posted this picture up on facebook of Bill Monroe at age 21. Mr. Monroe is holding an oval hole mandolin that looks to me like some type of Gibson.

    Perhaps the experts here can ID it. His grandson would appreciate any info that could be gleaned.

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Monroe_Bros_1932.jpg 
Views:	175 
Size:	43.1 KB 
ID:	173680
    Thread Bump:

    In reading Tom Ewing's incredible Monroe biography, he details when and how, and what re: the mandolin.

    It's a 1924 Gibson A4 Snakehead...read the book and he gives you all the details around the acquisition.
    1994 Gibson F5L - Weber signed


    "Mandolin brands are a guide, not gospel! I don't drink koolaid and that Emperor is naked!"
    "If you wanna get soul Baby, you gots to get the scroll..."
    "I would rather play music anyday for the beggar, the thief, and the fool!"
    "Perfection is not attainable; but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence" Vince Lombardi
    Playing Style: RockMonRoll Desperado Bluegrass Desperado YT Channel

  16. The following members say thank you to DataNick for this post:


  17. #36
    Registered User jim simpson's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Wheeling, WV
    Posts
    5,508

    Default Re: Bill Monroe's Mandolin: When Mr. Monroe was 21 years old

    I love this picture of Bill Monroe at 21. I found one of myself at 21 and realized how much we had in common, longish hair and both holding snakeheads, lol!
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Young Bill & Me.jpg 
Views:	181 
Size:	152.7 KB 
ID:	173682  
    Old Hometown, Cabin Fever String Band

  18. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to jim simpson For This Useful Post:


  19. #37
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    Austria/ Europe
    Posts
    54

    Default Re: Bill Monroe's Mandolin: When Mr. Monroe was 21 years old

    Quote Originally Posted by jim simpson View Post
    I love this picture of Bill Monroe at 21. I found one of myself at 21 and realized how much we had in common, longish hair and both holding snakeheads, lol!
    Well, unfortunately that doesn’t matter if you don’t have an Uncle Pen.
    Last edited by Hubs; Dec-29-2018 at 9:12pm.

  20. #38
    Teacher, repair person
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
    Location
    Southeast Tennessee
    Posts
    4,077

    Default Re: Bill Monroe's Mandolin: When Mr. Monroe was 21 years old

    The mandolin is not an A-4-- there is no fingerboard extension or fingerboard binding. It's probably an A-1 or a plain A.
    Charlie's guitar is most likely a Larson; or there's a slim chance that it's an upper-level Galiano. The picture's too grainy to tell for sure.

  21. The following members say thank you to rcc56 for this post:


  22. #39
    Loarcutus of MandoBorg DataNick's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Fallbrook, CA
    Posts
    3,837

    Default Re: Bill Monroe's Mandolin: When Mr. Monroe was 21 years old

    Quote Originally Posted by rcc56 View Post
    The mandolin is not an A-4-- there is no fingerboard extension or fingerboard binding. It's probably an A-1 or a plain A.
    Charlie's guitar is most likely a Larson; or there's a slim chance that it's an upper-level Galiano. The picture's too grainy to tell for sure.
    Guess the proofreaders missed that one
    1994 Gibson F5L - Weber signed


    "Mandolin brands are a guide, not gospel! I don't drink koolaid and that Emperor is naked!"
    "If you wanna get soul Baby, you gots to get the scroll..."
    "I would rather play music anyday for the beggar, the thief, and the fool!"
    "Perfection is not attainable; but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence" Vince Lombardi
    Playing Style: RockMonRoll Desperado Bluegrass Desperado YT Channel

  23. #40
    Registered User f5loar's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    Salisbury,NC
    Posts
    6,468

    Default Re: Bill Monroe's Mandolin: When Mr. Monroe was 21 years old

    Tom did have a few what I call "typo" errors and this is one of them. It's not an A4. Just an A or A-1 but since it's black topped, likely just a '24 or '25 A model. Bill likely bought it used for $40, so he has been quoted as saying. Then he likely traded it in at a Gibson dealer in the Carolinas in early 1935 for his new F-7. What's interesting that Tom did find out about those rare photos of Monroe with the Loar era Snake A is they were all taken at the same time in Rosine, KY in July of 1934. Previous, others had said it was 1927 or 1929. So when you do the math, Monroe was 22 at the time. His previous mandolin was an old Italian taterbug bowl back, so I'd say he moved up pretty fast to find a Gibson A model.

  24. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to f5loar For This Useful Post:


  25. #41
    ===========
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Connecticut
    Posts
    1,628

    Default Re: Bill Monroe's Mandolin: When Mr. Monroe was 21 years old

    Quote Originally Posted by Emmett Marshall View Post
    I think the hair is a definite sign of musical genius. Have you seen Dawg's hair, or Mike Marshall's hair, or Thile's hair? There must be something to it.
    Oh sure - NOW I find this out . . . 25 years after I started losing mine!

    Actually, if you look at it a bit closely, he looks kind of like Harry Chapin . . . .

  26. #42
    Registered User Timbofood's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Kalamazoo, MI.
    Posts
    7,487

    Default Re: Bill Monroe's Mandolin: When Mr. Monroe was 21 years old

    Maybe he cut the Florida off (pick click?)!
    Ok, I will go to my corner again!
    Timothy F. Lewis
    "If brains was lard, that boy couldn't grease a very big skillet" J.D. Clampett

  27. #43
    Registered User TheGourdsFan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Southeast PA
    Posts
    36

    Default Re: Bill Monroe's Mandolin: When Mr. Monroe was 21 years old

    Aside from his famous "hairdo", Larry actually did play fiddle (violin).
    Imagine if he played mandolin, and was an inspiration for young Bill. :O
    _________________
    Northfield F5S
    Rover RM-75
    Epiphone MM-50E

    "Those that know don't close the doors on those that don't know" The Gourds.

  28. #44
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    California
    Posts
    402

    Default Re: Bill Monroe's Mandolin: When Mr. Monroe was 21 years old

    A Larson guitar makes sense because I think the Larsons were based in Chicago and Bill and Charlie worked in Chicago at oil refineries, correct? Do we know where the photo was taken?

  29. #45
    NY Naturalist BradKlein's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Lehigh Valley - Pennsylvania
    Posts
    2,275

    Default Re: Bill Monroe's Mandolin: When Mr. Monroe was 21 years old

    Quote Originally Posted by Bob A View Post
    I'd wager a few dollars on the guitar being Larson Bros. Peghead and bridge look like my Maurer.
    I've never seen a peghead quite like the one in the photo. Slotted for the tuners, and narrowing at the top instead of a straight line along the sides. Unless that is an artifact of the photo.
    BradKlein
    Morning Edition Host, WLVR News
    Senior Producer, Twangbox®
    Twangbox® Videos

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •