Loar Picture of the Day

**Glassweb** · Jan-09-2006, 12:26am

Forget the double case... who wants to lug something like that around? I'll gladly take the 2 Ferns however... with a matched pair of Caltons in Vintage Green please!

**GTison** · Jan-09-2006, 12:03pm

I remember we had a discussion about the fret placement on newer MMs and Loars, and now these ferns show up with seemingly the same fret position as modern ones or am I not seeing it right? #

Compare this pic from a previous post to the above pics

**Darryl Wolfe** · Jan-10-2006, 9:27am

Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle. Great catch Bowfinger. We learn something new every day. So, an example of ever changing templates at Gibson during that period

**f5loar** · Jan-10-2006, 11:59am

It's possible that during that time and certainly Loar's time there was at least 3 guys and maybe up to 6 that could build the F5 from start to finish. Would not each guy have their own templete at his own station? Possible guys left or died and templetes got lost and new ones had to be built from the old ones. Wouldn't it be nice for a film to show up showing them making the F5 of the 20's?

**Darryl Wolfe** · Jan-10-2006, 2:22pm

I don't really buy that argument, however two distinctly different templates apparently existed and were interchanged during this period. Here is one just a few numbers off with the Loar style profile. Looking through the archives there are only a few later 20's Ferns with the non-Loar profile

**Charlie Derrington** · Jan-10-2006, 3:38pm

Neither do I, Darryl... there would have been bulk fingerboards available to all builders, and they would have used whatever was available out of the f/b bin.

However, it is interesting to note that the Loar period fingerboards were calculated to the closest 1/64th while the modern boards are calculate to the closest .0001. It might have been that a different engineering calculation was tried, at some point, as an experiment in improving intonation. Who knows?

Still, it's very interesting as I hadn't noticed the modern spacing on any old boards, before.

Charlie

**mandopete** · Jan-10-2006, 3:52pm

Darryl - that picture looks good enough to eat!

**banjo1** · Jan-11-2006, 4:43pm

The luchy owner of these twins has really got something to proud of Darrly
Great pics.

**Darryl Wolfe** · Jan-16-2006, 3:28pm

Here is H5 #76491. Photo courtesy of our own F5JOE

**MML** · Jan-16-2006, 4:38pm

Nothing like a Loar signed mandolin with growth hormonial problem #

**johnwilson** · Jan-17-2006, 11:16am

Sunset Park, PA, 1963 there's a guy trying to sell a Loar from the trunk of his car but there are no takers 'cause it's a mandola and the price is $475!

**Darryl Wolfe** · Jan-17-2006, 3:46pm

Great story John. #It kind of reminds me of some of the A-5 Loar stories. #"where is the scroll, I don't want that", and it also reminds me of how smaller bodied Martins were received (pearl or no pearl)

**Darryl Wolfe** · Jan-18-2006, 3:44pm

Some interesting info is posted in this thread
1923 Service Manual

**f5joe** · Jan-19-2006, 1:04pm

Originally Posted by (f5journl @ Jan. 16 2006, 15:28)

Here is H5 #76491. #Photo courtesy of our own F5JOE

Boy, that mandola smelled jus' right!

**Darryl Wolfe** · Jan-19-2006, 1:10pm

Thanks for the photo Joe, that one had been documented by serial number only previously.

**mandophil(e)** · Jan-26-2006, 12:17pm

Darryl/Dan:

Any news on the "twins"? It seemed like the owners were considering putting them on the market, but no news has come out on that.

**Darryl Wolfe** · Jan-26-2006, 12:19pm

I haven't heard anything. Will check on status

**mandophil(e)** · Jan-27-2006, 10:43am

Thought I'd give everybody something pretty to look at this morning.

**Darryl Wolfe** · Jan-27-2006, 11:54am

Yep..I love those. The later dainty fern and logo, combined with the Loar style reverse tuners. The prettiest in my opinion. Here's 86652 where the inlay is positioned a shade different

**mandophil(e)** · Jan-27-2006, 12:24pm

The two are very close. The one I posted is 86104, FON 9619. I bet they're from the same batch. After a set-up by David Harvey it is a killer mandolin.

**Darryl Wolfe** · Feb-08-2006, 4:27pm

Well, this thread has to have Lloyd's Loar from the Loarfest thread. Of note is gold hardware, apparently original gold F4 style tailpiece. It also has a Virzi, intalled in a serial number batch that usually does not have one.