Re: A Reference for The Differences in oval holed Gibson A's?
Originally Posted by
pops1
...Great sounding and still a Loar if that trips your trigger...
I have a bit of a problem calling every Gibson mandolin built during Lloyd Loar's tenure with the company, a "Loar."
The "Master Models" where Loar signed the label, sure. And, perhaps, even the "unsigned" Master Model instruments, which he presumably would have inspected and signed, had he not left Gibson.
But any A-2 or A-Jr. built during that period? The "Loar" or "Loar era" designation is already used to hype up asking prices. Surely this was a period where Gibson mandolins were built to high standards -- though not every one's a gem. But Lloyd Loar didn't, as far as we know, inspect and approve every single mandolin Gibson sold while he worked there.
Unless we feel that Loar's aura somehow permeated every inch of the Kalamazoo factory, the "Loar" designation may be more of a seller's gambit than an actual deserved added valuation. IMHO, of course.
Allen Hopkins
Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
Natl Triolian Dobro mando
Victoria b-back Merrill alumnm b-back
H-O mandolinetto
Stradolin Vega banjolin
Sobell'dola Washburn b-back'dola
Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
Flatiron 3K OM
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