Hi all,
Thought you might enjoy a close-up of Frank's Loar, this one obviously hasn't had as much play as Bill's...
Hi all,
Thought you might enjoy a close-up of Frank's Loar, this one obviously hasn't had as much play as Bill's...
Philip Halcomb
Im listening to it as I type this...sounds like it needs played in some
Look up (to see whats comin down)
I used to chauffer Frank around NYC in the early 1970's and would go upstate to see him at Cafe Lena regularly. Have played his Loar many times. An amazing mandolin that has seen better days, it has been baked, fried, painted red, scraped down to bare wood, refinished... listen to it on the classic Red Allen, Frank Wakefield and the Kentuckians. One of the greatest bluegrass and mandolin recordings of all time. And guess who produced it for Folkways back in the 60's? THE DAWG!
..Ive played this mando a few times myself...the thing just honks with "the" sound..it practically plays itself...great axe.
Glass, I know it's rough around the edges but sure is a joy to play when he's just had it setup!
Philip Halcomb
You should see under the p/g...
That pic must be over a year old as his has switched out those Handels.
And as nice as that tailpiece cover is, it got in the way
There were dribbles of epoxy on the back seam and some other choice places that needed some help--an epoxy armrest as I remember. It could use a bigger piece of tape on the headstock. Sounds wonderful though.
2010 Heiden A5, 2020 Pomeroy oval A, 2013 Kentucky KM1000 F5, 2012 Girouard A Mandola w ff holes, 2001 Old Wave A oval octave
http://HillbillyChamberMusic.bandcamp.com
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/@hillbillychambermusic
Ha, yep I believe the dribbles of epoxy are still there. I snapped this shot about 2 years ago (as stated above the tuners, it now sports waverlies a generous gift from a Cafe member). I wanted to snap a bunch for the archive although I didn't want to impose on Frank, he seemed to be having a hard time understanding what the archive was since he's not a real computer person. He understood that it was a place where they put pictures of cheap modern pac-rim import mandolins that sounded bad. But anyhow, I felt awkward about having him pose his mandolin for shots so they didn't end up coming out that good. All in all, it's a great mandolin it goes to show you that aestetics are nice but overated, this mandolin sounds fantastic (it's #playability varies upon the last time he's had it setup) but when it's got a fresh setup it plays like butta'. #
Philip Halcomb
Yeah....
Didn't Mando Medic set up Wake with new tuners??
i dis-remembers......
That's what I call MOJO!
2015 Chevy Silverado
2 bottles of Knob Creek bourbon
1953 modified Kay string bass named "Bambi"
JOMO?
....and I notice he still has the "Gibson" name covered up!!
-Soupy1957
Breedlove Crossover FF SB
“The weather was so bad even my iPhone was shaking!”
-SDC
Flip- is it ok for me to copy your image to the mandolin archive? Please send me any you don't mind me using
No problem Dan, that's the only good one I have, I have it in full quality too that I'll send you later today, take care... As a matter of fact when I see him next I'll take the camera up with me again. Maybe I can get a full set for you, but no promises.
Philip Halcomb
Now, that is truly one Distressed Master Mandolin.
Courtesy of flip and Dan
Darryl G. Wolfe, The F5 Journal
www.f5journal.com
again
Darryl G. Wolfe, The F5 Journal
www.f5journal.com
That Loar is hammered!
It would be an interesting hypothetical if that instrument showed up for sale and the previous owner was Billy Bob from Backwoods Gap, USA, and a totally unknown person, what would it go for in todays Loar market.
I've often wondered the the samething about Ol'e Bills Loar.
Dan
Go Vandals!
I often have wondered the same thing. One thing to point out about this mandolin too, is that Frank always says that Bill Monroe has often said that this one is the only one he's ever played that sounds exactly like his. (That's just what Frank has said, I'm sure there's lots of room for argument there, but arguments aside). Now those of you who know Frank know that he can play pretty much exactly like Bill Monroe if he wants (in my opinion he is the best living example of the Monroe style of mandolin), but he doesn't try to infringe on Bill's style so most of the time he doesn't. But I've heard Frank rip through Rawhide on this thing and if you close your eyes you would almost think that it was ol' Bill himself playing his own F5.
Philip Halcomb
That's not the ugliest looking mandolin that I never heard.
(Is that PeeWee Lambert's old mandolin? The one Frank talks about in the final track of Bluegrass Mandolin Extravaganza?)
Alan
No that's not the PeeWee '22 Fern Loar. I guess after 50 some years of being faithful to the Gibson F5, Gibson,Inc. "overlooked" a Wakefield signature model, hence the cover up of the logo name which is probably a lot milder protest than a certain Gibson devotee did back in the 50's. I understand something about marketing and the effect it can have on sales but paying tribute to youngin's like Alan Bibey,Wayne Benson and Adam Steffey over a legend like Wakefield don't make no sense to nobody! After all Frank was the first to write a mandolin instrumental in Bflat! And if ever anyone needs a 2nd distressed master model it's Frank Wakefield.
Gibson Inc. will not do a signature model for a guy like Frank simply due to the demographic. He is not young, not particularly good-looking, not apt to entice young people to pick up 'his' mandolin to 'be like Frank'. The whole signature model thing smacks too much like a Pepsi commercial, or cigarette ads, or car commercials, where all the players are young, smiling, white (for the most part) people. My take only.
I think when you play a mandolin back by the bridge for 40-50 years, it's going to have that Monroe sound. You play it up in the sweet spot for 40 plus years and it's going to sound like what? # You sit across from Frank, and the sound from that thing will hurt you--in a good way. And that looks like a comfortable armrest, doesn't it. Alan, I think you nailed the signature model marketing plan.
2010 Heiden A5, 2020 Pomeroy oval A, 2013 Kentucky KM1000 F5, 2012 Girouard A Mandola w ff holes, 2001 Old Wave A oval octave
http://HillbillyChamberMusic.bandcamp.com
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/@hillbillychambermusic
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