Herschel and his wife , Joyce, have been dear friends for many years. Of course, he was one of the finest mandolin players and his style set the stage for many of the good ones to follow. He was the king of clean, and every note had a purpose. He never seemed to overplay a tune. He also was one of the finest men I have ever known. His character was impeccable and he was always a joy to be around. About 17-18 years ago he brought one of his Loars to me. It wasn’t working right and he wanted to know what the problem was. It didn’t take long to find the problem and get it fixed, and that mandolin is the best Loar I have ever played in my opinion. I called to tell him it was ready. He said he could not get there to pick it up for awhile, and wanted me to take it home and play it for him and get it broke in (not up) so it would be ready to use. I tried to explain I was pretty uncomfortable with that idea. After his continued insistence, I agreed to do that. I had it for about 3 months before he got back to pick it up. I don’t think any mandolin had such close care as that one did in my possession. I have numerous memories, and that is one I won’t forget. I knew he was very sick but when I got the call that he passed, it really hurt. I love living, but the hard part about being old is losing those we really care about are leaving way too fast. His status as a legend should last a very long time.o
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