John D
Happy birthday indeed!
I have to say, the surprise to a tree geek like me is seeing a copy of Michael Dirr's book in the background on a thread devoted to Loar mandolins . . .
Clark Beavans
I’ve just spent a couple of days reading the long thread and this continuation of it, really enjoying all of the amazing pics!
I had always meant to read both of these but together they’re soooo long - thanks to the year 2020 I have the time. And like others that had climbed the mountain before me I wanted to sign the visitors log at the top....
So thanks for all who’ve made this thread, it’s a great history lesson!
I should be pickin' rather than postin'
Not many people know this or seen it happen but at the last Banjothon/Loarfest I was standing close to the first Loar Fern, and was playing my Loar with another picker "Josh Gooding" who was playing my Fern and there was a photo in a heavy glass frame sitting behind the Loar Fern as the Fern was laying on the table and well the photo slid out and kicked out and hit the Loar Fern and I heard it and grabbed my Loar with my left hand and dove with my right hand and managed to save the Loar Fern from falling off the table to certain doom! So next time I suggest no heavy photos/frames behind any Loars! Josh Gooding seen my save of the Loar Fern!
my ever lasting thanks go to you and your reflexes! that would have been a very sad day if you had bot been William on the spot. thanks again
if you didn't get to play it, that's a shame...i would gladly give you access any time we are in any kind of close proximity... it gets lots of playng time in jam and band settings...well not soooo much at present,,,,, at the moment it sits in Get Up John tuning.... fun sounds and Monroe tribute...
John D
Yeah buddy if I wasn't close it would've been very bad, as I literally had to dive to save it or it would've hit the floor for sure! Net time I highly suggest no photos in heavy frames behind any/all our Loars and Ferns! Nobody was jumping around it was just one of those things where the photo was slipping!
Whew! That sounds like a hair-raising incident. One question: was there a Loar Picture of the Day in the frame.
Jim
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19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
Actually the photo in the heavy frame was an article on that first Loar Fern! Propped behind the Loar! It was just pure luck I dove and saved it as the photo kicked out, hit the Fern Loar and I dove for it and caught the Loar so it wouldn't get pushed 3 feet down of the table! It was some serious dumb/awesome luck I was right there and could get to it in time and hold the Loar till the heavy photo could be moved! Next time I highly recommend nothing propped up behind these instruments! Lucky there wasn't a mark on the Loar from where the frame slid out and tapped it! I guess I was in the right place at the right time! and had a pretty good ear! Joshes eyes said it all man-"The Horror" It could've been devastating!
Here is my new/old December 1st 1924 Loar signed L-5 serial# 80192, The next # after my Loar F-5 of # 80191! It has a 50's Gibson finish and partial neck replacement, but I'm penciled in for a 2022 Steve Gilchrist correct varnish refinish, and correct heel shaping so it will look more of the part and sound much better! Enjoy this eye candy!
This is a very responsive old L-5, loud, great tone and phenomenal string attack! I know Steve will bring this old gal back just like it walked out of 1924 as he's the Loar restoration MAN!
William, was it on this table with the big frames? I was wondering about that when I took the photo last year.
it is indeed in the Photo... the fifth Loar from the front... in front of the framed picture that is mentioned !
John D
Yes 1st Fern Loar is there, boy that would've been pure devastation if I didn't save that one from getting whacked off the table! It was odd as nobody was jumping around, the photo just slid out-kicked out and the bottom hit the Loar, I heard it and dove for it, luckily got a few fingers on the Loars side so the pix could be moved! It would've smoked the floor for sure!
Well I swapped my 26ish-28 F-5 Fern to a friend in Germany and got back a super sweet Feb.18th 1924 Loar from the first highly loved batch! I'll get my own pi soon and perhaps a demo of her along with my Dec.1st 24 Virzi Loar F-5! Both are awesome examples but sound very different! Here is the archive link for now for ya'll who would like to drool a bit?
http://www.mandolinarchive.com/gibson/serial/75319 For some reason I just can't post the complete archive pi so I'll get my own soon! Enjoy!
That instrument has a very interesting scroll.
Not all the clams are at the beach
Arrow Manouche
Arrow Jazzbo
Arrow G
Clark 2 point
Gibson F5L
Gibson A-4
Ratliff CountryBoy A
The image in the archive link shows the scroll directly in plan view, ie, face on, and the openness between the body and scroll looks quite a bit larger than I have typically seen. But.I certainly haven’t seen many Loars up close.
I’ll bet if that open curl was on a non Loar it would generate colorful comments.
Not all the clams are at the beach
Arrow Manouche
Arrow Jazzbo
Arrow G
Clark 2 point
Gibson F5L
Gibson A-4
Ratliff CountryBoy A
Believe me Bill, that scroll is perfectly normal and on par with other Loar scrolls. I owned this mandolin for almost 9 years, was always interested in details and measured/compared the scroll opening to Hogo's drawings and images of other Loars. Funny experience, I had to thin out my strap (a dog leash) considerably, in order to get it through the opening. I found that all those scrolls (concerning the distance from neck) are pretty consistent on Loar F5s, and #75319 fits right in – as opposed to F4 scrolls from the same era. They vary; e. g. on #76599 the "openness" is wider than on other F4s (and F5s for that matter). Hope this helps.
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