Loar Picture of the Day

[Darryl Wolfe]

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[Darryl Wolfe]

The twisted neck syndrome that I have mentioned before. They all have it

[Darryl Wolfe]

Bridge. #That's a Daniel Smith bridge top (how weird is that when I make bridges) #Actually I learned from him. #He supplied the first ones for me in 1982, when I got this mando.

You can see the neck twist from this end too

[Darryl Wolfe]

Darryl, those are great thanks for sharing. #Now for the stupid question, "hopefully I have captured something we do not normally see", what do you mean??

I took many of this batch of pictures from "stupid angles" to hopefully get something I've never snapped a picture of

[Darryl Wolfe]

Like, under the pickguard

[Darryl Wolfe]

and tailpiece angle

[Darryl Wolfe]

There's those higher on the treble side tuners again

[Chris Baird]

Darryl, thanks! Those are the kind of pics I like.

[Darryl Wolfe]

last for now

[RichieK]

Thanks for all of these great pictures Darryl...it makes us feel like we're right there looking at a Loar in person!
Richie

[ronlane3]

I see all of that now. Question about the neck twist. Does this cause problems with playing? Do you think that it could add to the different tone that the Loar has? You say that they all have them???

[danb]

my snakehead has that too

[Darryl Wolfe]

It causes no problem. I think it's just a jig thing. I guess there is some possibility it was intentional, but probably not. It causes the bridges to be consistently thinner on one side, and I used to think the top was carved that way, but it's just a function of the neck.

[ronlane3]

It causes no problem. #I think it's just a jig thing. #I guess there is some possibility it was intentional, but probably not. #It causes the bridges to be consistently thinner on one side, and I used to think the top was carved that way, but it's just a function of the neck.

I can see that it could be a jig thing, but could all of this work in connection to give the Loar it's unique sound?

Are the new DMM's being built to replicate this? If not, how can it be stated that they are replicas of the Loar?

Please, don't anyone think I am trying to cause a stir with these questions. I am truely interested in what gives the Loar it's sound. I have only played 1 for a breif 4-5 minutes, but I was hooked on this sound. If the neck has something to do with that sound, I am interesting in knowing this.

[danb]

Ron, I think there are a lot of little minutae you can look at.. Charlie came up with a list of 30-odd little details that still vary from example to example.

Well I was chatting with a builder friend about this earlier tonight- his comment was that it's nearly impossible to get it dead straight, and it's probably just a building artifact. Do it intentionally vs just let it happen? Interesting question.

I think there's enough variety in the Loars out there that you can only go so far with this line of "how can it be stated that they are replicas of the Loar". There isn't just one design, or just one variation..

[carleshicks]

My '02 Gibson Master Model has the twisted neck syndrome Just like Daryls Loar. It is not quite as sever as the picture shows 73992 but it is deffintly twisted toward the treble side.

[Big Joe]

To a certain degree it is an optical illusion (or dilusion, depending upon one's version). The headstock is not cut exactly straight to the neck itself. This gives the impression of a twist that does not really exist. It appears greater in some more than others, but it not unusual to the Loars or the MM's. Check your mandolins and see what I mean.

[danb]

Thanks to Scott for posting the audio of the loarfest panel discussion. I'd Forgotten some of the interesting subjects raised there

[Darryl Wolfe]

Well, 74012, September 27, 1923 just popped out of it's closet where it has been unknown of since it was made. More info to follow.

[danb]

Hooray, I was starting to think it had been a while. More new perhaps in the works!

Since Darryl & I collaborated to get the F5 Journal and mandolin archive up on the web, we've added 15 Lloyd Loar signed instruments to the total known! It's a very fun case of "information loves company"

[bgmando]

The suspense is killing me.

[Troy Harris]

When you say, “twisted neck”, do you mean that the neck is tilted to the treble side, so that the measurement/depth of the riser block/fingerboard extension at the 15th fret is lower on the treble side than the bass side? #Similar to the way a neck is set in a violin.

[Darryl Wolfe]

When you say, “twisted neck”, do you mean that the neck is tilted to the treble side, so that the measurement/depth of the riser block/fingerboard extension at the 15th fret is lower on the treble side than the bass side? #Similar to the way a neck is set in a violin.

That is correct, However BigJoe makes accurate note that some of the twist is in the headstock itself, so not all of it is at the riser block

[Kirk Albrecht]

Loar pics on the Folkway Music site - apparently someone brought in a one-owner Loar for inspection there. Great looking, appears to be all original, neck has ivoroid binding worn off in the first position from playing!

Darryl - do you know what serial number this is?

Here's the link -

www.folkwaymusic.com

[Darryl Wolfe]

Thanks for the link Kirkola. I do not have dig pics of that mando. It is a Feb 18 24, and likely from the 753xx batch. I'll compare some of my film pics to narrow it down.