# General Mandolin Topics > eBay, Craig's List, etc. >  Lloyd Loar F5 L  #72,204 made 2-26-23

## P.D. Kirby

I followed a link from the classifieds to Kentucky Vintage Instruments (NFI) and scrolling through I ran across this Loar. I don't know if it's been discussed or not (ever do a search of the cafe for 1923 F5 Lloyd Loar? ) Anyway the reason I bring it up is they have some great High Resilution pictures of it that are wonderful.

http://www.gbase.com/gear/gibson-f-5...1923-sunburst#

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## William Smith

> I followed a link from the classifieds to Kentucky Vintage Instruments (NFI) and scrolling through I ran across this Loar. I don't know if it's been discussed or not (ever do a search of the cafe for 1923 F5 Lloyd Loar? ) Anyway the reason I bring it up is they have some great High Resilution pictures of it that are wonderful.
> 
> http://www.gbase.com/gear/gibson-f-5...1923-sunburst#


 Yeh its a nice one, very nice burst as ya see on the 23's,I like how the burst goes more under the extention on the 23's,they've had this for months now, ,nobody is buyin,lots of Loars and other killer mandos out there right now,,, but why would someone speedneck a Loar?,crazy to me for what that is..

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## Marty Jacobson

It's even got a Christmas theme going on.

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## f5loar

This is owned by a well known Knoxville, TN picker and has been for sale for sometime.  I didn't notice a price on it.  Being an early  '23 it features that really light tobacco cremona finish.  Lighter than most.  The truss rod cover is not original but I'm sure the original is in the case.  I've picked on this one many times.  I like it.  It's the real deal.   I've seen quite a few Loars change hands lately and at pretty good prices.   They really need to be spectacular to bring the big bucks.

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## budashoots

I would like to know what it means to speedneck?????

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## P.D. Kirby

> I would like to know what it means to speedneck?????


Removing the finish on the back of the neck. Some say it stops your hands from sticking to the finish on humid days but I think it's a crime against nature. YMMV

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## f5loar

I have found my hands move no faster on a "speed neck" than a regular finished neck.  I would think you could expect a slight discount on a Loar that has been speednecked.  However a good luthier can put it back to regular varnish finish.

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## Hendrik Ahrend

"Speeed neck!" (Think of Oliver Hardy looking into the camera.) It's about the right hand, isn't it? :Wink: 
Henry

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## Bernie Daniel

> This is owned by a well known Knoxville, TN picker and has been for sale for sometime.  I didn't notice a price on it.  Being an early  '23 it features that really light tobacco cremona finish.  Lighter than most.  The truss rod cover is not original but I'm sure the original is in the case.  I've picked on this one many times.  I like it.  It's the real deal.   I've seen quite a few Loars change hands lately and at pretty good prices.   They really need to be spectacular to bring the big bucks.


Is that the right tailpiece?

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## f5loar

that first photo must have caught the flash just right to make the TP look brand new but you still see the little worn place in the upper right corner.  The other photos show a better representation of what it looks like and it's all original.

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## Glassweb

Many violinists prefer an unvarnished neck. You'll see lots of classical violins with little or no varnish left on the neck. Gil, Ellis, Campanella... these are just 3 modern builders who use very little or no varnish on their mandolin necks.

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## budashoots

Thank you for the info, and I'm with you seems a crime and pointless.

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## Darryl Wolfe

This speedneck is a bit more than removing the varnish.  This one along with Skagg's original Loar had the necks slimmed down some.  They both had a very beefy round profile and they were triangulated some.

Not particularly a good idea at this point, but when it was done it was for utilitarian purposes as it was being played daily.  The owner was very happy with the profile after having it done.  It's really not much different than the profile on my July 9 except that it maintains the same consistent depth further up the neck

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## Gary Hedrick

If I remember correctly wasn't there a Loar that had a neck "speeded"  to the point that the truss rod was showing?

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## Gary Hedrick

Frankly messing with a Loar neck is like altering the Mona Lisa......why would one want to do it.   I can see replacing the fretboard if it is worn out or not intonated correctly....bridge top break....peghead scrolls are broken (and sometimes lost like the one I used to own) and tailpiece covers are lost....but screw with the wood structure .....not me.....those necks are just fine and as for a "speed neck" look by the time one of these has been played for 70 years or so the finish is almost gone anway and replaced the the best finish in the world.....skin oils....

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## Darryl Wolfe

> If I remember correctly wasn't there a Loar that had a neck "speeded"  to the point that the truss rod was showing?


Yes, that was the Skaggs Loar.  I believe Gibson (Derrington) did some work to restore it back

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## Gary Hedrick

Darryl,  thanks for confirming my sometimes corrupt memory.  I am always amazed at what is sometimes done to these crown jewels of the mandolin world. 

Also I agree with Ken, Tom and you and say that I have never played one that was as bad as some of the dear folks want to claim they are. There are ones with old strings....bad set up....haven't been played in a great while but bad?   Naah.....they all have a certain mojo to this picker....

and oh for those of you out there that may not know.....Darryl makes a dead on replacement tailpiece cover for them.....I bought one for the 1/12/23 Loar I owned for 22 years......

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## Darryl Wolfe

Here is the only photo I could find of the neck on the Skaggs deal

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## Mandolin Mick

Is that the truss rod showing near the bottom of the neck?

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## Darryl Wolfe

Yes, however that may be after they worked on it (as in that may be wood and filler in the picture)  If I remember correctly, it did have what amounted to an irregular ditch with the round rod in it

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## Mandolin Mick

Maybe there's something I'm not getting here ... Why would somebody keep on sanding after the truss rod is exposed to that point?  :Disbelief:

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## Darryl Wolfe

You have to remember the bottom of the slot is square.  Once you reach it on the two bottom corners, you have a whole ditch that is ready to cave in...in narrow little sections of wood that expose the truss rod.  You reach the slot essentially before the truss rod, but it's too late now

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## Gary Hedrick

Hence why I say you shouldn't mess with Mother Nature.....leave the dang things alone...you can do a large amount of damage in a short time......just ask some of the folks that repair these treasures....

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## f5loar

The hole in the neck didn't seem to affect Skaggs picking one bit.

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