New -the loars

[Mikey G]

"The Loar" Ho Hum.

[Kbone]

"The Loar" # Ho Hum.

Come on, you can do better than that - expound a litle.

[moledalin]

I had one played and sounded excellant. High flame back, sides, and neck. It was cool enough to trade for a Godin A8 even up. I'm a electric freak (hope I'm not to loud for some of you!)The Loar is worth the money they're asking. I compared it with a Eastman. Bought the Loar and had a little change in my pocket.

[mrkrgr]

I traded the Godin A8 and I'm quite happy with "The Loar". I don't play electric and I wanted another acoustic. It does play well and it has a nice solid woody chop. Not the loudest , but it can be heard very well. If you want to hear it or play it I'll be at the Appling Opry, Appling GA on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays @ 7 pm and it can speak for itself.

[clarksavage]

mrkrgr - Are you talking about a 600 series "The Loar"? Curious about them, they are the new, just arrived and I'm waiting to try one when it shows up in town here.

Clark

[Banjo Stan]

Hey Mando Guys,
I'm new to mandolin. Been playing guitar for 42 years and banjo for 4 1/2. I'm really getting into my used MM50 Epiphone but wanted to upgrade. I figured it would be a few years before I'd buy a higher end mandolin, but with the price of the 600's, this seems like a modest step up.

This will give me time to develope my chops before moving to the big leagues.

[mrkrgr]

Its a LM-500 and I think that the top is pressed instead of carved. I have an Ibanez from the early 80's that is pressed, solid but pressed, and its a good sounding mandolin in great shape. I know that pressed tops aren't looked upon as great but they are still solid wood. I like the mandolin and I don't get all up in arms about specs they are all about the same. They have to play in tune, play easy and sound good. I realize its a 500 dollar mandolin and its sounds excellent considering the facts. It did need to be set up the bridge was out of place and the action was high, but with a little tweaking it plays in tune, easy, and sounds good.

[moledalin]

mrkrgr thanks for Godin. I love this little thing, it's all I've used since you sent it to me. Mole

[mrkrgr]

Your welcome Mole. You have renewed my interest in the mandolin again. I think what I have noticed about "The Loar" is its harder to play well than my Weber. The smaller frets make me be more precise. Sometimes when I Chop it barks nice and loud and other times it whimpers. I pretty sure its me, I've been playing way too much guitar.

[Folkmusician.com]

Of note: #The new LM-600 uses larger fret wire. #It also has a thicker neck with a V to it.

Dave,

I really like the new Loar. These will be a serious contender in the price range. #A lot of new models come out, fall short of the hype and then fade away. I predict that this one is going to do well. #While the LM-600 has some big shoes to fill with that name on the headstock, if you put it up against sub $1000 mandos, it does more than just hold its own. #

Anyone who has played a LM-500, needs to erase that out of their mind when considering the 600. They have nothing in common. #The 600 even has an above average tailpiece. #It is a stamped two piece, but quite a bit nicer than what you typically see on imports.

Did I mention that I really like this model? hehe

[clarksavage]

Well, darn. My local dealer had said he was getting a 600 series in, I flew down when he told me he had it setup, I played it for a few minutes, it was OK, not a big deal, but then I noticed the inside tag said it was a 500 series. He says he'll try to get the newer series with his next order. Well, I don't really need another mandolin (famous last words.)

Clark

[Kbone]

Of note: #The new LM-600 uses larger fret wire. #It also has a thicker neck with a V to it.

Dave,

I really like the new Loar. These will be a serious contender in the price range. #A lot of new models come out, fall short of the hype and then fade away. I predict that this one is going to do well. #While the LM-600 has some big shoes to fill with that name on the headstock, if you put it up against sub $1000 mandos, it does more than just hold its own. #

Anyone who has played a LM-500, needs to erase that out of their mind when considering the 600. They have nothing in common. #The 600 even has an above average tailpiece. #It is a stamped two piece, but quite a bit nicer than what you typically see on imports.

Did I mention that I really like this model? # #hehe

How do these compare to the new KM 1000' Kentucky' ?

[TomTyrrell]

How do these compare to the new KM 1000' Kentucky' ?

No comparison at all. The KM1000 costs twice as much as the LM600.

[Kbone]

How do these compare to the new KM 1000' Kentucky' ?

No comparison at all. The KM1000 costs twice as much as the LM600.

In tone and playability ?

[dkinyon31]

I have a new LM-600-VS coming Wednesday from Robert at Folkmusician. It looks like a beautiful instrument and I feel some of you have given it good marks. I play a Martin HD-28 as my primary instrument, so I feel this will do me just fine as I tackle learning the mandolin in my free time now that I am retired. Thanks for all your comments and imput on this new mandolin and for directing me towards Robert at Folkmusician.
David

[Folkmusician.com]

The two LM-600s have been sold off. One of them went to David here. Hope you enjoy! Looking forward to hearing your opinion.

Hi Keith. I believe we spoke on the phone today.
KM-1000 vs LM-600-vs...

This will be from memory as it has been a couple of months since I have had a KM-1000.

Playability:

This is mostly about the setup, which will vary depending on who you buy it from.

Of note. The KM-1000 mandolins have had tighter spacing on the courses than the two LM-600s I received.
I should have taken measurements of the LM-600 neck. Anyway, it is a much thicker neck. Both have a nice V to them, but the KM-1000 does not have as much depth. The Frets on the LM-600 are larger.

The LM-600-VS responded well to action that is slightly higher than I tend to set them up. As I was bringing it down I noticed the tone
thinning out, so I raised it back up a hair and made sure the nut came down as low as possible.

I didn't get much time with The Loar's and they were nowhere close to opening up. With just the little bit of playing while setting these up and testing I could hear them improving. The Loar's have great tone for this price point. Is it as good as the KM-1000? No. It may well be a better value though. I really think Greg and crew are on to something.

I plan to spend more time with one when the next batch comes in.

[TomTyrrell]

How do these compare to the new KM 1000' Kentucky' ?

No comparison at all. The KM1000 costs twice as much as the LM600.

In tone and playability ?

It would be an interesting comparison...

KM1000 out of the box with a "normal" store setup compared to an LM600 with $750 worth of upgrades (bridge? tailpiece? nut?) and special setup/treatment (Voodoo and such things).

[steelblue]

I'd been eye-balling these things from afar - magazines mostly - and wanted to get my hands on one to see if I liked it. Lo and behold, a friend bought himself one - and I was actually able to see it up close - and even pick it (..it gets even better - my friend had to do a bit of traveling over a couple of weeks and I jokingly offered to babysit it - and he left it with me!)

My impression: I'm sure there are differences between each individual instruments, but this one is well worth the $750 that bought it! As someone who, along with my dear old Dad, actually built a couple of F-5 style mandolins, I can appreciate the craftsmanship I see in this instrument. Though it may not be "perfect," the finish is far beyond what you'd expect from a mandolin in this price range - in fact, I've seen mandolins selling at four times this amount that didn't look as good. (This being said, the SOUND is where it's at anyway - minor imperfections simply give the instrument character...)

And speaking of the sound - at this price there is simply no competition. There are better instruments out there - just not at this price. It has a nice bark, it plays true, and it has good sustain. (Again, if I were to play another one it might not cut it for me - but this one does!)

I prefer to play before I buy. But, if I can't find one in a store that I can put my hands on, I just may order one on-line. I guess I need to get to looking - my friend's due back any day now...

Robert aka "SteelBlue"
(...not "Robert" from previous post... )

[BSHARP]

I am a bass player (1st) and guitarist (2nd) who last month finally decided to tackle the mandolin. I live in northern N.J. and went to several places including mandolin brothers and larkstreetmusic to start the shopping experience. For a variety of reasons I settled on The Loar 500. I searched the web and the best deal I found was at Mandolin Hut. Their service was great as was the setup on the mandolin. I have several very nice archtop guitars and martins and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the 500. I has nice warm sound and can bark went asked. I like the action. I did consistently read and hear the 600 was a better instrument, and in fact, there were several available on the web with some minor finish issues that were being sold for less than the going rate. After a month of only playing the mandolin, I picked up one of my guitars and man oh man did that fretboard feel like an upside down super highway. Good luck.

[Big Joe]

<Comment removed by moderator, please limit items for sale to the classifieds>

[Paul Hostetter]

Whew.

[Mike Bunting]

I can't comment on the instrument itself, but I still have trouble with the name, even now I read posts here with some folk talking about their Loar. I remember that there was a fad a long time ago of some violins with Stradivarius on the label ( I think the small print said something like "in the style of" or some such). People would come into the music store with grandpa's Strad and be disappointed to be offered a $100 for it. I know The Loar is legit and all, but it just rubs me the wrong way. Not that it matters one way or the other, it's just me.

[Soupy1957]

Well, my name's not "Robert" but I'll put in my two cents, since I bought the 600 a couple of months ago or so..........

Sound: Great and will get better
Construction: Sound
Workmanship: I'm seeing some very thin lines developing at the neck joint. scares me. Also
don't like the poor job they did on the binding, in the scroll.

-Soupy1957

[billkilpatrick]

i got my LM600 not long ago as well. i've not played a kentucky or an eastman, so i can't compare them ... but i'm delighted with the loar.

positive points:

- the sound keeps getting better: woody and resonate.

- large, deep "v" neck - very comfortable. tapered just enough at the sides to fit perfectly between thumb and forefinger and rest comfortably in the palm. necks on my other mandolins seem spindly by comparison.

- big, beefy scroll - grrr ... - looks terrific.

- gotoh tuners - standard issue with LM600 - seem to stay in tune longer than those on my other mandolins.

- surprise feature is the wider strap button - feels more secure.

negative points:

... when i find one, i'll let you know.

[Charley wild]

I can't comment on the instrument itself, but I still have trouble with the name, even now I read posts here with some folk talking about their Loar. I remember that there was a fad a long time ago of some violins with Stradivarius on the label ( I think the small print said something like "in the style of" or some such). People would come into the music store with grandpa's Strad and be disappointed to be offered a $100 for it. I know The Loar is legit and all, but it just rubs me the wrong way. Not that it matters one way or the other, it's just me.

I agree, Mike. I'm not a raging tradionalist by any means and never payed much attention what was on the peghead of any instrument I've played or bought but it bothers me too for some reason.