Saw this as a new offering from Guitar Center. It's a hand-carved F-style Loar for $299. Has anyone had any experience with these? I can't find a review anywhere on this model.
Saw this as a new offering from Guitar Center. It's a hand-carved F-style Loar for $299. Has anyone had any experience with these? I can't find a review anywhere on this model.
Looks new enough of a model that very few will have had experience yet. Myself included, although I have owned a The Loar LM-500.
Checking the specs, it has laminate back and sides but a solid hand-carved (hmmm) top. Cheaper rosewood used for fretboard and bridge but it does have a bone nut. For $299 that's going hard at the low-end market where everything under $500 has a pressed solid top if you're lucky. An interesting business decision to say the least.
The Loar is a decent brand so if $300 is all ya got (plus $50 to $100 for the required setup if you can't do it yourself) and a new f-style mandolin is a non-negotiable requirement then it's great deal. Looking for a real instrument worth the entry fee? Better options are available.
C.
Northfield F5S Amber #347 - 'Squeeze'
Mann EM-5 Hollow Body - Gimme Moore
Kentucky KM-270 - Not just for whisky
Flatiron 1N Pancake - Not just for breakfast
Epiphone Mandobird IV - Djangly
Cozart 8-string e-mando - El Ch(e)apo
Lanikai LB6-S Banjolele (tuned GDAE) - Plinky and the Brane
I haven't seen these yet (brand new model), but it should be pretty close to the LM-370/375, which you should be able to find some reviews on.
My take on the Grassroots series.
Pros:
Nice straight necks. Good base fret work (they need leveling dressing, but they have a good starting point for this).
Great set of Grover tuners.
Lifetime warranty
Cons:
Laminated back and sides. Doesn't sound as good as the all solid models.
I have been happier with the Grassroots mandolins than many of the all solid instruments at the same price points and I am sure that will hold true for the 310 as well. I highly doubt that you will find a better $300 F-style.
Robert Fear
http://www.folkmusician.com
"Education is when you read the fine print; experience is what you get when you don't.
" - Pete Seeger
You'd do better buying from one of our sponsors, IMHO. You'd get a nice setup done competently. Bottom dollar pricing not always the best value.
Silverangel A
Arches F style kit
1913 Gibson A-1
I bought one of these about a week ago. I know someone who works at one of the major retailers who got me the mandolin at cost - a whopping $210.00, including tax and a RoadRunner gig bag.
Needless to say, to get an f-style Loar for that kind of money, you really can't go wrong.
- Hand-carved solid spruce top.
- Maple back, sides and neck.
- Rosewood fingerboard.
The sound is good, and reasonably loud (still 'breaking it in'). At first I found action a little stiff for my personal taste, but I made some fairly-quick bridge adjustments, and now I have no real complaints.
For several years I played a Rigel R-100, and a 1920's Martin Style 20. Naturally, this mandolin doesn't hold a candle to those two classics - but for a guy who has been out of the loop for about 10 years, it works very well as a re-starter instrument.
All-in-all, I would recommend at least giving one a try . . . even as just a knock-around instrument that you wouldn't mind throwing in the back seat of the car for an impromptu jam, practice or minor gig that you really don't want to bring the 'nice' mandolin to.
I've been looking for a decent (cheap) F I could put in mic/pu system in this may be it !
I had a Loar 600 that sounded great so I like the brand I will check these out at that price point I think most local music
stores will carry them.
any more scoop on this mando?
Mandolins are truly *magic*!
Is this a GC exclusive like the Martins they have made? Stripped of adornment, but functionally good?
Silverangel A
Arches F style kit
1913 Gibson A-1
It will be a standard model (I have them on order). I imagine the first batch was presold before it hit the warehouse.
Robert Fear
http://www.folkmusician.com
"Education is when you read the fine print; experience is what you get when you don't.
" - Pete Seeger
got one. it's quite good in all aspects from build to tone. it's NOT a $1k+ mando, but easily good enuf as knock-about for jams or practice. worth the $260/shipped i paid for it.
Mandolins are truly *magic*!
now on sale at guitar center for $250/shipped! yikes! a steal!
Mandolins are truly *magic*!
I just got one last week at Guitar Center. I'm not a big fan of GC's acoustic selection, but I have been wanting a decent inexpensive mandolin to take on road trips and family vacations. Since I saw that GC had this one on sale I figured I would give it a try. I have played The Loar's higher tier models and have found them quite enjoyable to play with very nice tone. This one has those same qualities. The tuners seem to be far more than adequate and have already stayed in tune, or very close, in damp, cold, and warm situations (rainy camping and cold with a sunny day thrown in for good measure). In fact, it stays in tune better than some of my more expensive guitars.
This seems to be the perfect instrument to be a sidekick. It is far better than any other mandolin in this price range I have tried. It was far superior to the Gretsch New Yorker I tried out that day, as well. I may lower the action just a bit by lowering the ebony bridge, but other than that it was perfect right off the wall hanger. If you go to GC get the $35 Roadrunner gig bag, too. Well worth the money.
Last edited by Manjovi; May-09-2017 at 9:46am. Reason: Typos
Yes, I do believe it really is ebony. It is listed in the specs on The Loar website for this model and several others, as well. On the instruments they use the rosewood bridges it is listed as such.
http://www.theloar.com/products/mand...-creek-lm-310f
Last edited by Manjovi; May-09-2017 at 12:27pm. Reason: Typos
Hmmm...perhaps my eyes were crossed that day but it actually looks like I caught the GC listing with temporarily incorrect copy. A quick search finds a couple of smaller instrument vendor websites that still list LM-310F specs that match my recollection of the description. The finish is wrong too.
Solid Hand-Carved, Fully Graduated Spruce Top
Maple Back and Sides
Maple Neck with Thin V Profile
Rosewood Fretboard
Scale Length: 13-29/32”
Nut Width: 1-1/8”
Bone Nut
Compensated Adjustable Rosewood Bridge
Grover Tuning Machines
The Loar Gold Decal
Ivory Body Binding
D’Addario Strings
Vintage Sunburst Matte Finish
One funny thing is every single vendor site lists the fretboard as rosewood but The Loar site has it as 'Revebond'. Think maybe TML prefers the rosewood description...
Either way, an ebony bridge is certainly preferable as long as it's in decent shape. I had to replace the one on my old LM-500 with a CA.
C.
Northfield F5S Amber #347 - 'Squeeze'
Mann EM-5 Hollow Body - Gimme Moore
Kentucky KM-270 - Not just for whisky
Flatiron 1N Pancake - Not just for breakfast
Epiphone Mandobird IV - Djangly
Cozart 8-string e-mando - El Ch(e)apo
Lanikai LB6-S Banjolele (tuned GDAE) - Plinky and the Brane
'revebond' for the fretboard, whatever laminated stuff that is, don't much matter. it's a knock-about instrument. as to the bridge, the loar site sez ebony ... whatever. the lm-310f is what it is, and is what it ain't.
Mandolins are truly *magic*!
Saw one Sunday at GC. Sounded fine for what it is, and I like the look. If I hadn't just purchased my 220, might have grabbed it.
Looks like they have one in-house at my local GC. Might have to make a stop to check it out for a report to the Cafe.
C.
Northfield F5S Amber #347 - 'Squeeze'
Mann EM-5 Hollow Body - Gimme Moore
Kentucky KM-270 - Not just for whisky
Flatiron 1N Pancake - Not just for breakfast
Epiphone Mandobird IV - Djangly
Cozart 8-string e-mando - El Ch(e)apo
Lanikai LB6-S Banjolele (tuned GDAE) - Plinky and the Brane
as with most solid top stringed instros, it took about 5 hours of total playing time for the lm-310f to open up its top and get my ears in tuned to its nuances. in comparison to the lm-590ms that has many days of playing, the lm-310f lacks that 'resonant depth' that all-solid wood mando can usually exhibit over playing time.
i bought the lm-310f on a lark due to the lowered price of $260/shipped - which didn't last more than a few weeks when GC dropped it to $250/shipped. regardless of what one thinks of the wood (or faux wood) used in its construction, i still think it's the best buy for a beginner - it has good tuners, and a good tweakable truss rod. as with lots of fretted instruments, mine need an obligatory fret level and crown, which now allows a low action for easy and faster fingering mid-board and beyond, and the bridge position set for the best intonation compromise. i'll probably electrify it with my fave k&k transducers.
the lm-310f gets two thumbs up from me as perfect newbie mando, or knock-about for the "pro".
Mandolins are truly *magic*!
I got one of these recently too. I posted elsewhere about it, but figured since it has its own thread, I'd post here as well...since anyone who googles it will find this thread first.
I'm really a guitarist, so I didn't need anything super expensive. Just wanted something to mess around with (I know a couple REM songs and Battle of Evermore, lol) as well as something to record with (so I have an extra texture in the musical toolbox).
I've had it for a few weeks, I really love it. I bought the display model at Guitar Center, and I'm not sure if they set those up special (since it's meant to sell it) or not, but mine plays super well, with a nice low action. Yesterday, I checked every fret for buzzes (even the silly high ones!) and there were none. I don't see any reason to mess with the frets. None are sharp on the sides or anything.
It's super loud....my wife could hear me playing in the basement, and she was on the 3rd floor. I installed JJB pickups in it, which she thought was hilarious, because it's so loud. When I explained to her that it was so I could record direct, suddenly it all made sense to her.
I did notice a slight (slight!) gap under the edge of the foot of the bridge on the treble side, and I'll probably fix that at some point using the frets.com tutorial, but I wouldn't have even known that was a thing until I read it here, so it shouldn't concern any beginner too much (and it may have only been this particular instrument). It doesn't make it sound any less awesome.
For what you pay for it, I consider it to be an incredible value (I think it may even be on sale right now for $250....I paid $300).
I've already made a few YouTube videos with it, the first being sort of "first impressions" review (I'll post another once I've played it for a bit longer) so here it is for anyone who is interested:
I also recorded a sound sample of it with the pickups I installed, which you can find at 10:30 in this video:
I also ordered an Empire viola shoulder rest to use as a Tone-Gard substitute (Hey, it's a $300 mandolin! LOL) and that should be delivered today, so we'll see how much better/louder it sounds without my body dampening the back of the mandolin.
If anybody has any questions or wants to know any specific info about it, let me know and I'll be happy to help!
Thanks,
Bill
Last edited by Billkwando; Jun-07-2017 at 10:12am.
As a follow-up to my post #5 above - over the past 3 months I have continued to play this mandolin, daily; (okay, so I play all of my mandolins daily - but, that's another story.)
The volume has opened up very nicely. The neck on mine is nicely sized and very comfortable to play; (I did try a another 310 the other day, and the neck was a little 'chunkier'). The action is still a bit stiff in some spots, but nothing that a hacker like me can't work around, or couldn't be fixed with a professional set-up. While the mandolin hardly has the 'deep woody' tone of a fine Gibson, the tone is still very respectable for a $200 mandolin - and (in my opinion) MUCH better sounding than my Eastman 415, which was 4-times the cost.
And, did I mention that it's a good-looking instrument, too?
I heartily recommend giving one a try - especially, (as other have also mentioned above) if you need a good knock-around instrument for playing in places where you wouldn't normally dare to bring your $3000 mandolin.
Mine doesn't seem chunky. I don't know what constitutes a true V neck, but mine definitely has some V to it. Maybe it's a cross between a C and a V. Same for you?
Also, what do you mean when you say "stiff action"? High strings, or something else? Asking so I can check on mine.
Oh and I heard my viola shoulder rest was delivered today, so unless it's a total disaster, expect more info and a YouTube video about it before too long.
Hey Bill:
Yes, you are right, the neck looks like it is something between a 'V' and a 'C' . . . maybe a slightly elliptical 'C'? (A little meatier than my Washburn, and less chunky than my Eastman). I am not an authority on instrument construction, so all I can say is that it is very comfortable to play.
The action on my 310 is pretty good all the way up and down the neck, except for the 'D' and 'G' strings - somewhere around the 7th fret, the action seems to be slightly higher than anywhere else . . . and the same is true of the 'A' and 'D' strings, at about the 8th and 9th frets. I am not sure that anybody else would notice the difference too much, but because I have a light touch, it seems more pronounced to me - but like I said above, it's nothing that a hacker like me can't work around. All-in-all, for $200, I am not going to complain!
as with almost all pac rim mandos, the lm-310f could use a full L&C for it to really increase low string action playability. the bone nut relief on the one i had (and just sold) was also a tad too high, and i recut the slots which in turn lowered the action even more. it will need the bridge feet to be top contoured as well. the grover worm under tuners are excellent. this is the absolute best value "f" style mando, bar none.
the most important thing about this mando is the solid wood top, which over time and a buncha playing (and/or vibrating the top with a radio in a closet), will augment the tone to the point that in blind sonic taste test comparison with most pac rim solid wood mandos one might be hard pressed to tell the tonal nuance differences.
"carved top" just means the wood's been relief arched instead of steam press bent. there is a world of difference between most offshore "carved tops" and onshore real tap tuned carved tops (done in violin style build), and add in a few thousand dollars, at least, for that custom built tap tuned mando.
i'll add - i don't consider laminated wood back and sides as a detriment to overall tone. in fact, i find lam wood desirable for a traveling, under hot lights stage, outdoor in the sun stage, and/or knockabout instrument as solid wood will be less stable and more prone to reacting to the environment - the lam wood is actually an asset. the amount of "tone/sound" one hears from a mando or guitar's back and sides is minimal if at all. it's the vibrating top that holds the real signature tone, the rest is there to hold it all together.
but heck, i just used MF backstage dollars to order another one for .... $161/shipped. it'll make a great knock-about instrument.
Mandolins are truly *magic*!
How does the sound compare to a KM150, which would be a reasonable next tier up instrument? I found out with my MK just how nice a cheaper mandolin can be after a fret leveling.
I must admit to liking a scroll. LOL.
Silverangel A
Arches F style kit
1913 Gibson A-1
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