Loar Picture of the Day

[Darryl Wolfe]

[Tom C]

My key board keeps getting wet from the drool. Maybe scott should make up a Loar section with all these pics. They make great backgrounds.

[JD Cowles]

OK, OK, enough already...that may be the most beautiful mandolin i have ever seen. #this thread is somewhere between nirvana and torture...i'm not sure if i could stop looking even if i wanted to...too much drool...hands shaking...must mortgage house...MAS taking...over... ahahahdhghgagltehtekthhhhhhhttphhhhtllll!!!!!!!!

[Scotti Adams]

..hmmm has the nut shrunk? or its obviously been replaced...

[Charlie Derrington]

I don't remember having worked on that particular mandolin, but I can almost promise that is the original nut. It's very common to see Loar nuts smaller than the neck width. I don't believe they shrunk, but I guess salt water pearl could lose water content ????

Anyway, I'd bet it's original.

Charlie

[Scotti Adams]

..I guess Im gonna have to pay better attention...I dont recall seeing a nut on a Loar that doesnt come to each edge of the fingerboard...thanks Charlie

[danb]

Tom C: We're on it (and then some! )

[Darryl Wolfe]

Most Loar nuts look that way..I agree with Charlie that they probably do lose something over the years

[Darryl Wolfe]

The "shoplifted" Loar. 79833 Dec. 1, 1924

[Darryl Wolfe]

more

[Darryl Wolfe]

[mandopete]

All of these pictures are enough to make a grown man cry, thanks Daryl!

[Darryl Wolfe]

One of my favorite scroll pics (73992)
"The way they should look"
Makes a great wallpaper, especially if you color match
your desktop (120:0, 240:125, 59:125)

[phynie]

that last picture is beautiful. thanks!

[Scotti Adams]

..has the front of the peghead been redone on that "shoplifted Loar" ?...the binding looks fairly white compared to the rest of the mando...

[Charlie Derrington]

It was standard in late '24s to have white peghead binding and ivoroid body binding.

By middle '25 all of the binding was white.

Charlie

[Clamdigger]

Charlie, what is the nut width on the 1923's? Thanks Clamdigger

[ethanopia]

Is that the original finish on the top of the shoplifted loar?

[Darryl Wolfe]

Everything appears original except for the hardware

[Darryl Wolfe]

The nut width on my 23 is 1" as I recall..I will double check but I'm pretty sure. This is the narrowest that you will see..and generally shows up on the mid '23's

[Darryl Wolfe]

Charlie is quite correct...The triple bound on the face/white binding first appears at the end of the Feb 18, 24 batch and generally continues until the end of Loar production. This is the "mismatched binding" concept I have spoken about..or.. by contrast these mandos are not quite as clean, smooth congruous, violinesque looking as most '23's are

[Darryl Wolfe]

[Scotti Adams]

..nice lookin Loar...thats the first time Ive seen an original case with the red interior....Ive only seen the green...

[Darryl Wolfe]

A nice peghead shot. 73682, June 1923. #Note that the "dirt" and flowerpot base are always dark abalone, the ball is egg shaped and generally white pearl. #The tuner set on the left side is always mounted higher. #The cut-out for the scroll is wider than most people do their mandos..and note that the binding miter always points directly to the right, not slightly up or down.

[Ken Waltham]

That's very cool. I think I owned that sidebound, but know for sure I own two of the's you've posted currently.
Darry, do you have photos of 73682? I feel this is one the most historically signifigant Loars in existence.
Folks should see the "June" F5, with it's unusual appointments.
Ken