Re: 1924 Lloyd Loar at Elderly Instruments
I think there is quite a lot of conflict between the notions of buying a mandolin as an investment and buying one as a player. It seems like the former would seriously impinge on the latter. One would be rather apprehensive about playing it anywhere where it might get damaged, either by an audience member, some random act such as dropping it, or by the owner, scuffing it up somehow. Would that limit it to being played in a safe environment, such as one's living room? And where's the fun in that? Not that playing for the sake of playing isn't enjoyable in and of itself, but part of the fun of having such a fine instrument would be playing it so others could hear it and go wow, as well as showing it off. I know a lot of F-5 owners tour with them, and it's important for them to have the best instrument so they can sound the best they possibly can. It would make me awfully nervous if that were me. Heck, I have a hard enough time with my 1922 F-4. I would think, though, that for these people, the provenance of them having owned it would offset any damage accrued during that time, if the owner would ever want to sell it. Most of us aren't in that position, though, and it having been owned by someone not immensely famous won't mean doodly come selling time. BUT if you want one of these humdingers, and you've got the wherewithal, go for it. Enjoy it, care for it, and preserve its historical integrity. And if you ever become famous sometime down the road, then it may well turn out to have been a good investment.
But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller
Furthering Mandolin Consciousness
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