My original photo of Dr. William Griffith,
Atlanta School of Music. #He is holding 72615,
March 27, 1923, which was my 1st Loar. #
The Lloyd Loar A-5 was made for his wife.
My original photo of Dr. William Griffith,
Atlanta School of Music. #He is holding 72615,
March 27, 1923, which was my 1st Loar. #
The Lloyd Loar A-5 was made for his wife.
Darryl G. Wolfe, The F5 Journal
www.f5journal.com
"The Lloyd Loar A-5 was made for his wife."
Any truth to the story that the couple ordered matching Loars, but she thought that the scroll got in the way of her breast, thus creating the only Loar A5?
Hey Spruce........
Look at the bridge placement on the Griffith Loar. Sure is pretty far forward.
Charlie
Well, Charlie, a sharp dresser is gonna want a sharp instrument.
We few, we happy few.
how cool is that--to see the equivalent of a high school year book photo of your grandad, seeing your Loar in that old photo Daryl. Keep them coming please!
Jason Anderson
"...while a great mandolin is a wonderful treat, I would venture to say that there is always more each of us can do with the tools we have available at hand. The biggest limiting factors belong to us not the instruments." Paul Glasse
Stumbling Towards Competence
Spruce..I have heard that story..but it's likely "Urban Legend"..but it does make some sense..and could be fact
jason..What is particularly strange is that a local young fella/friend here in the Augusta GA area looks exactly like the photo...twins
Darryl G. Wolfe, The F5 Journal
www.f5journal.com
76549 March 31, 1924. Fern, dead mint, silver hardware, likely the consumate Loar mandolin. #Regardless of personal preferences, this is the mandolin that the F5 Journal would place in a time capsule as the most representative example of what a Gibson F5 mandolin was intended to be.
Darryl G. Wolfe, The F5 Journal
www.f5journal.com
Man, that's already been put in a time capsule...!
Wish I'd taken better care of that Frets poster...are there any more of those kicking around anywhere?
I might be an optical illusion, but it sure looks like the tuners on the left side are much higher than the right in the poster pic...true?
Love to see a pic of the back if you happen to have one...
That case!
Now that's drooling material....
Orcas Island Tonewoods
Free downloads of my mandolin CDs:
"Mandolin Graffiti"
"Mangler Of Bluegrass"
"Overhead At Darrington"
"Electric Mandolin Graffiti"
I'll be scanning and posting more pics of this. #This was the only digital pic I have. #The tuner issue in the poster is both true and illusion..it is higher like all Loars, but not as much as it appears. #I think the case is one of the first Pegasus. #The wood, gradiance of finish, and fit on this mando seem "presentation grade". I hate it when one of my friends pays a record price of $10,000 for something like this and you have to twist their arm to convince them they're doing the right thing.
Darryl G. Wolfe, The F5 Journal
www.f5journal.com
How long ago was that? I'm sure he's grateful for the arm-twisting now. That's quite a return on an investment. So, what's it worth now, at least $100,000?
Professor...I'd say a little more..seems like it was about 1985
73691 June 13, 1923
Darryl G. Wolfe, The F5 Journal
www.f5journal.com
So, where does this guy live? Does he have an alarm system installed? Does he have large dogs roaming the property?
You'd be surprised how many people own $1M+ in instruments. #We don't give names and addresses on open forums though. #I know one guy that has a basement with no windows and you can't see the seam in the carpet where the 4 x 8 trap stairwell opens up. #The fellow with the Fern above owns a solid masonry (floors and all) three story house.
Darryl G. Wolfe, The F5 Journal
www.f5journal.com
A better question I think would be... Does this guy play it? Boy, I hope so...
Mandofiddle
"You'd be surprised how many people own $1M+ in instruments."
And if you venture into the violin world, $1M seems to be the norm...(g).
Hell, there's a guy here in Seattle who has something like 7-8 Strads...
What's that--$20-25M or so...?
I recently attended a violin workshop with 4 Strads hanging around to have a look at...
Played backup on guitar for 2 fiddlers, each on a Strad...
$3M in each ear...!
Sounded pretty damn good....
Orcas Island Tonewoods
Free downloads of my mandolin CDs:
"Mandolin Graffiti"
"Mangler Of Bluegrass"
"Overhead At Darrington"
"Electric Mandolin Graffiti"
"Does it play it?"...yes he plays THEM..All three Loar F5's, his Loar mandola and every once in a while one of his other three post Loar ferns. #When he gets tired of that he'll drag out a '34 herringbone or a banjo for kicks.
Spruce, you are so right..I have a friend with a few old Italian violins..and a Vialluame (sp) and a Guanari (sp).no Strads..but makes a new Dudenbostel feel like Pacific Rim
Darryl G. Wolfe, The F5 Journal
www.f5journal.com
Nice. That's what I like to hear. Even though I know I'll never be able to afford a Loar, it makes me feel good to know that someone somewhere is playing them Especially the near-mint one previously pictured.
Mandofiddle
So, I'm at a festival in Washington a couple weeks ago that we were playing. Later in the evening its pouring down rain and we're huddled under two leaking tarps with a tiny light hanging from the top. A fella walks in out of the rain with a Takamine guitar out of the case in one hand and a beat up old mando case in the other. He hands me the guitar and we kind of keep playing. Then he pulls out the mando. Its really dark and theres water pouring in everywhere... We play a couple tunes and I'm thinking wow that thing sounds good. Then he hands it to me and says "pick one for us." I take it and look and its a Feb. 18th '24 Fern Loar. Needless to say I was pretty blown away. The next day I went over to where he was camping and looked at it a little closer and all that. That kinda thing just doesn't happen too much anymore.
How do the Loar mandolas/mandocellos rate with their respective playing communities? Are they as lusted after as Loar mandolins? If not, why? Rarity? Simply not enough of them?
76549 Fern Loar, March 31, 1924
Darryl G. Wolfe, The F5 Journal
www.f5journal.com
80782 First known post Loar F5
Identical to Dec 24 Loars
Note broad white binding and the return
to the '22/early '23 inlay and positioning
Darryl G. Wolfe, The F5 Journal
www.f5journal.com
The Griffith Loar 72615
March 27, 1923
One of the first Loars with tuners
in the correct position
Darryl G. Wolfe, The F5 Journal
www.f5journal.com
The Original F5 and A5 peghead veneer templates
They are dated and have dimensions etched and
have small pin holes for locating the tuners
and truss rod cover. #My Photo, Items courtesy
of Charlie and Gibson
Darryl G. Wolfe, The F5 Journal
www.f5journal.com
Friends -forgive my computer illiteracy, but I can't figure out how to view those pics indicated by a boxed red X. #I'm on a high-speed line to a pretty powerful PC (gift from son - no expertise from me.)
"He's the kinda guy, gets a new Maserati, puts the key in the wrong little hole.."
Maine Michael:
It's not your fault or you computer. I believe somewhere back in this thread f5journl said that he had limited server storage for these pics.
They were here at one point and probably deleted from his server to save space for the next ones.
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