Nancy Blake's Loar F5

Jun-12-2005, 8:32pm

These are from "NORMAN & NANCY BLAKE: THE VIDEO COLLECTION 1980-1995"

Jun-12-2005, 8:33pm

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Jun-12-2005, 8:34pm

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**Scotti Adams** · Jun-12-2005, 8:45pm

..thats just too cool...thanks Greg!

Jun-12-2005, 9:10pm

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**Michael Gowell** · Jun-13-2005, 9:12am

I seem to remember an interview with Norman (in the old Mandolin World News, maybe) that they sold that instrument because it was too valuable. #They always worried about theft and when one of them was away travelling the other had to stay at home to "babysit" the Loar.

**evanreilly** · Jun-13-2005, 9:23am

I also recall that Norman didn't like playing it at all, preferring vintage round-hole A styles.
Nancy's mandolin is a April 25th, 1923.

**jmpullen** · Jun-13-2005, 11:09am

That is a great sounding Loar. I remember some years ago Norman and Red Rector recorded an album, and on 1 or 2 numbers, they both picked mandolin. One of the numbers was
Red Wing. There was a clear difference in their two styles
of picking, and a very distinguished difference in the sound
of the Loar and the '22 A-4 that Red picked for years. Both Red and Norman sure did make them mandolins sound good.

**AlanN** · Jun-13-2005, 11:12am

I know that record, excellent tunes and picking. The cover was a painting of the two, with Red actually depicted playing a "5", with the headstock going beyond the "painting" border.

**Jeff Wheelock** · Jun-13-2005, 11:21am

May be an optical illusion but in the second picture, that fretboard sure looks wide.

**jmpullen** · Jun-13-2005, 11:28am

Yes, Alan, and that cover picture was from an actual
photograph of the two. If I remember correctly, Norman
did a show somewhere around the UT campus, and Red just
'happened by' for a visit. Thus the picture of Red picking
the Loar. When Red would drop in at other peoples shows,
he often left his A-4 at home. And as you might imagine,
Red usually ended up picking, having to borrow someone's
mandolin since his was at home. I think this led up to them
doing an album together. I totally agree, it was a great
album of super picking !!

**AlanN** · Jun-13-2005, 11:50am

Excellent, Jim. Always wondered about that album cover, looked a little too real for it to be a painting. And another trick was the fact that the Loar strap was hanging down, not used, cause we all know Red never did use a strap!

And it is a great record - Cricket on the Hearth, Girl I left Behind Me - need to go back and listen again. There are so many great records that have never made it to CD, a shame that many go un-listened to

**batman** · Jun-14-2005, 11:42am

Norman and Red. wow. I had to dig out my cassette and listen to it again. had'nt thought of it in years. Limehouse Blues, kicks butt. Don

**Brian Aldridge** · Jun-14-2005, 11:54am

I always found it a bit curious that for years and years I have read that the Blakes pissed and moaned about what a burden it was to own that Loar that sounded so bad and had to be watched after so closly, and yet they kept it and kept it. So, is it true that they sold it? I didn't hear about that. Perhaps they are finally free at last.

**Avi Ziv** · Jun-14-2005, 12:12pm

If I remember correctly, on Norman Blake's mandolin instructional video, he talks about the instruments and brings out the Loar for a moment. I think he said that those instruments were particularly good for double stop tremolo work and chopping. However, he felt that the high notes had a 'stinging' or 'biting' sound as opposed to the more mellow and ringing sound that he liked on his oval hole instruments - at least for the kind of music he plays. At least that's the way I remember it from the video. It's all a matter of personal taste, and they way our individual ears' response to sound. It was interesting (refreshing?), however, to see a well-respected musician not gush over a Loar.

Avi

**Ken Waltham** · Jun-14-2005, 1:06pm

Brian... you kill me!!

Well said.

**Dan Cole** · Jun-14-2005, 1:40pm

Sounds like the Blakes forgot that it's just a ####### mandolin! My theory has always been whether its cars, watches, whatever gadget, if you don't use it as intended then you might as well buy stock (or at least a new modern dress if that fits) with the funds. I don't get it; Ferraris that aren't driven, watches not worn, mandolins not p[layed all because they're too expensive? I'd love that problem to deal with. I'd be at the BG festival in my Ferrari DAytona Spyder, sporting my IWC DaVinci Chronograph with the Loar in the passager seat and one really big smile. If ya want to drive it play it I sure would let you if you asked. That would be tooo cool.

**kudzugypsy** · Jun-14-2005, 2:45pm

i love norman blakes music, it is truely his own interpretations of tunes LONG forgotten. in this day when everyone seems to be re-hashing the same old set of standards, he digs a little deeper in the well.

his sound is more old time than bluegrass, and if you know old time players, they rarely will be caught playing and hawking the 'premium" stuff. (although blake owns them all anyway!) many really good old time fiddlers i know wouldnt be caught playing anything more valuable than a $200 fiddle....it just goes with the theory that 'authenic' folk music should be played on instruments that common folks would have owned...not a bunch of high society top of the line models. of course this theory goes out the window in that both of them are probably associated with the pearl 000-45 martins over anything else (which were the best instruments of their day, and hardly within the reach of the common musician)

....can you just imagine the number of GREAT old instruments that were around in Nashville during the late 60's / early 70's that could have been had for a pittance!
i would probably guess that norman didnt pay over $1000 for that loar when he aquired it.

**jmpullen** · Jun-14-2005, 4:17pm

Well, can anyone set the record straight as to whether they
still have the Loar ? I too thought they had parted with it,
but now I'm not so sure about that. I can't imagine anyone - ( especially Norm and Nancy ), who has heard that mandolin,
come away thinking it to be a bad sounding Loar. I certainly
don't have the ear that many would have here on the cafe, but I really thought it was a dang good'un, to say the least. Would Norman and Nancy own anything less ?

Jun-14-2005, 8:12pm

1. The above pictures are from a concert in Iowa in 1995. They are playing "Hangin' Dog" and the mandolin sounds awesome.

2. Here are more snap-shots from the same DVD. These are from a Alabama Public TV program in 1984. They were playing with fiddler James Bryan. Nancy on the Loar and Norman on a black-face A4. They played the following in the set: Within a Mile/The Durham Rangers/Far From Home/Primrose Last.

3. The story that I heard from a fairly-good source was that Norman always said that the Loars were going up in value and he was going to sell theirs when they were selling for $15,000. And that he did when he got offered the $15K. Has anyone else heard this? When were Loars going for $15K? 1995? 1996?

Jun-14-2005, 8:13pm

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Jun-14-2005, 8:14pm

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**evanreilly** · Jun-14-2005, 10:38pm

I was chatting with Ricky Skaggs about 18 months ago, after a "Down From the Mountain' (??, or one of them big tour things) Show and he got talking about Nancy's Loar.
Apparently, she had had it on the show that night. Ricky didn't like it at all, said it needed a good bit of work. He had played it, it sounded like.
My guess is that they still have it.

**goose 2** · Jun-14-2005, 11:16pm

That Norman Blake/Red Rector record is a dandy. I have put it to cd and listen to it a lot. Just yesterday I was listening to it and I think that Nancy's Loar is just great sounding. I saw her playing it on the Down From the Mountain tour in Austin in I believe July, 2002 so I know she had it then.