$1,999 for a bridge on eBay

[Scott Tichenor]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/170954796517

Let the bidding commence.

[Vernon Hughes]

A 75.00 item at best..

[shortymack]

..and a deal on shipping, just 26 bucks!

[JEStanek]

If they'll pay that much for it, I have a bridge to sell you. Wait... oh right they are selling a bridge!

Jamie

[Charley wild]

Gee...a guy offered me the Brooklyn Bridge cheaper than that.

[f5loar]

this has been on ebay several months now with no takers at that price. You would think they would at least lower it a few hundred bucks to see if it sparks any new interest. It's not even a Loar bridge, just a Loar era bridge. Could have come off an A model. Also the string slots look really deep.

[goaty76]

[QUOTE=f5loar;1144812] It's not even a Loar bridge, just a Loar era bridge. QUOTE]


What's the difference between a Loar era bridge and a Loar bridge?

Phil

[journeybear]

Approximately $1924, apparently - at least in the seller's mind.

[f5loar]

A real Loar bridge would have come from a real Loar. It would be shaped to fit the top of the Loar it came off of. Not many of those around loose, so you could get one off of a Loar era and shape it to fit a Loar. I can't think of one Loar that is without it's original bridge so the market for one to fit a Loar has to be really small. I don't think you will pay $2K for a bridge to put on your $2K A2.

[allenhopkins]

This "Loar era" thing is beginning to bug me. The idea that Lloyd Loar personally designed, supervised, and approved every piece of wood going into every Gibson mandolin made during his tenure with the company, is bunk. Let's say, for the sake of argument, that his employment by Gibson was an indication of the company's emphasis on excellence and innovation during the early 1920's. (And I don't know whether that's a fair assumption or not.)

Even granting that, to take a bridge off some mandolin from the period, and to attach a ridiculous premium price to it because Loar was on Gibson's payroll at the time, is marketing puffery pure and simple. I have a "Loar era" Gibson tenor lute, an instrument designed by the Great Man himself, though not signed by him. It's a neat curiosity, with a fairly mediocre voice, that I bought because it's a rarity and I like it. Paid less for it, in original case, than this seller's asking for one mandolin bridge.

Some things are goofy: "shipmast" Martin guitars, "lawsuit" Ibanez mandolins, "pre-CBS" Fender Mustangs. Caveat emptor, as we used to call him...

[AlanN]

Another thing to consider is the veracity/strength of a nearly hundred-year old, small wooden mechanism. I have an early 60's A-40, which had its original 2-piece adjustable bridge when I bought it in 1978. A few years ago, the bass-side bottom foot broke, just by sitting there, made the bridge bottom unusable. On a 1924 snakehead I had, the saddle split, making it unusable.

So, you buy a Loar era bridge with a risk.

[MikeEdgerton]

I have a possible Loar era tuner screw that I have been thinking about putting on eBay. It might have been on a Loar that was played by somebody famous. That provenance has to be worth something...

[Shelagh Moore]

A Bridge Too Far...

[f5loar]

More like a bridge over troubled waters! They do break. I guess some superglues can repair them. I really don't get this seller's motive for such a riducous price but is it any more riducous than Gruhn asking $10K for a Loar case? Even die hard must have collectors have their limits.

[goaty76]

Not that I would pay that much but here's how I can justify these prices. Say you have a Loar F-5 you would like to sell. Currently it does not have an origianl case. Most collectors/buyers would find this to be a big negative. So spending 10k on the case might not actually increase the value of the instrument that much but it could make it more attractive to buyers which in turn could make it sell easier. In other words, spend 10k and get 100+k for the mando.

Phil

[BradKlein]

I think that an original Loar case is in a different category than a '20s bridge. The cases are indeed very rare, and will certainly add substantially to the sale price of an instrument. The original bridge won't add much or anything if there's a perfect copy, well fit on the instrument. And one reason is there are many thousands of original Gibson bridges from that era available.

I think that some folks are taking this asking price too seriously. The seller is just having fun, or fishing for suckers or something... That person deserves the snarky response he's getting here, but it shouldn't raise anyone's blood pressure.

[shortymack]

Fishing for suckers?....naw, ya think?

[Hendrik Ahrend]

Don't know what you're all talking about. If you look closely, there seems to be half a mandolin stuck to that bridge.

[Bernie Daniel]

A real Loar bridge would have come from a real Loar. It would be shaped to fit the top of the Loar it came off of. Not many of those around loose, so you could get one off of a Loar era and shape it to fit a Loar. I can't think of one Loar that is without it's original bridge so the market for one to fit a Loar has to be really small. I don't think you will pay $2K for a bridge to put on your $2K A2.

That bridge has been offered for sale for months now. Looks like he's added a few more pics. I contacted the seller to see why he thought it was worth that much and got an inconclusive answer. The seller is certain that it is off a 1920's Gibson -- what model he did not say. Next time I drive through Ironton, Ohio I'll have to stop in and look at it I guess!

[jaycat]

I have a Loar-era dust bunny behind my sofa.

[stevedenver]

oh loar...duh!

in looking ast hisi other items for sale, he thinks they are all made of gold
and that everyone else's brains are made of...., well, wood wasnt exactly what came to my mind first...