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Thread: Blonde Loars ?

  1. #1
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    Default Blonde Loars ?

    I have been looking at all the old F5's during the Loar period and have not seen any finnishes other than sunbursts. So I have a couple of questions - When did other colors come out? does the finnish as far as blonde v.s. sunburst have an effect n the tone or sound? please comment on any particulars on finnish and color v.s sound, tone, value or even if the sunburst is the "standard"
    thanks

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    Default Re: Blonde Loars ?

    If you found a blonde Loar F5 it would be REALLY valuable! As far as I know there weren't any.
    The color doesn't have anything to do with the sound, but varnish or lacquer recipes on top of the color do make a difference. Gibson offered other colors both before & after the Loar era, and even during that era, but in other models than the top of the line F5's.

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    Registered User evanreilly's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blonde Loars ?

    What was the blonde mandolin that Mike Seeger played?

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    Purveyor of Sunshine sgarrity's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blonde Loars ?

    There was a blonde F5 with a larger body shape that the Dawg played on one of the Tone Poems recordings. Then I think Dave Harvey wound up with it? But it definitely was not a Loar.

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    Registered User f5loar's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blonde Loars ?

    Seeger had an early Fern blonde. Harvey's was a mid 30's. The F5 Loar era color was described as "cremona-brown finish, delicately shaded" . There have been variations on that theme from light tobbaco shading in '23 to dark brown/black shading in '24. There were a few special orders that have lighter then normal shading and the one off F4 red sunburst on a Fern Loar.
    If a blonde Loar is out there she is still in hiding.

  6. #6
    Purveyor of Sunshine sgarrity's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blonde Loars ?

    Was Seeger's Fern a blonde from the factory or a later refinish? I'm assuming it's in someone's collection now?

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    Default Re: Blonde Loars ?

    Mike Seeger's '25 F5 was stripped and refinished (lacquer, I believe). I don't know where it is now and I'm sort of curious what has happened to his instrument collection, but it's not really any of my business I guess. I've worked on several instruments for him in the past, he had quite a few.

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    Default Re: Blonde Loars ?

    I believe Dave Harvey's was a 41. He had it for a long time. I always called it "blorty". It was a rare F5 with a larger body than the standard F5. Sounded great, but then nearly anything does in Dave's hands .
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    Registered User Ivan Kelsall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blonde Loars ?

    I saw Mike Seeger's blonde Gibson when he was over here in the late '60's with Alice Gerrard. Here's a clip of John Cohen playing it & a nice info.clip about the 'Ramblers,
    Ivan
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnmdFIeB-L0
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcU0dhw7tJs
    Weber F-5 'Fern'.
    Lebeda F-5 "Special".
    Stelling Bellflower BANJO
    Tokai - 'Tele-alike'.
    Ellis DeLuxe "A" style.

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    Default Re: Blonde Loars ?

    I got interested in Mike Seeger's fern recently. I found this as the above videos are no longer available.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKyZrdQQhiE

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    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blonde Loars ?

    Quote Originally Posted by GTison View Post
    I got interested in Mike Seeger's fern recently. I found this as the above videos are no longer available.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKyZrdQQhiE
    It is cool to see Pete playing mandolin. He and John Cohen lived pretty close to me and I was friends with John and played with Pete a couple of times.
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    Default Re: Blonde Loars ?

    Quote Originally Posted by sunburst View Post
    Mike Seeger's '25 F5 was stripped and refinished (lacquer, I believe). I don't know where it is now and I'm sort of curious what has happened to his instrument collection, but it's not really any of my business I guess. I've worked on several instruments for him in the past, he had quite a few.
    From this article, Tom Rozum has Mike Seeger's 1922 F5:

    https://bluegrasstoday.com/californi...ight-hand-man/

    "The other important mando to me was my 1924 F5; I played it on most of my CDs with Laurie. It really hurt to let that go, but there’s no other way I could have acquired my new main axe, a 1922 F5 I got from Mike Seeger."

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    Default Re: Blonde Loars ?

    Quote Originally Posted by djweiss View Post
    From this article, Tom Rozum has Mike Seeger's 1922 F5:
    ...my new main axe, a 1922 F5 I got from Mike Seeger."
    The '22 is not blonde. Mike Seeger's Blonde F5 was a 1925.
    Here's the '23.
    Click image for larger version. 

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    Default Re: Blonde Loars ?

    Link to previous thread without resurrecting it of same mandolin in question. https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...de-Gibson-Fern

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    Default Re: Blonde Loars ?

    Click image for larger version. 

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    So this Photo posted by SGarrity shows Mike Seegers Fern F5, right. I'm not the authority, But doesn't this faceplate look like a '29 and not a '25. It has the "drilled" fern inlay. Looks like the fingerboard has "diamond" (squares) inlays as well. Perhaps just the fingerboard was replaced instead of the whole neck.

    I have a luthier in mind that may have done all of this. I'm waiting on a confirmation of part of the story.
    Last edited by GTison; Jan-11-2021 at 10:58am. Reason: add sentence

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    Default Re: Blonde Loars ?

    Quote Originally Posted by GTison View Post
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Seeger Blonde F5 2.jpg 
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ID:	191244Click image for larger version. 

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    So this Photo posted by SGarrity shows Mike Seegers Fern F5, right. I'm not the authority, But doesn't this faceplate look like a '29 and not a '25. It has the "drilled" fern inlay. Looks like the fingerboard has "diamond" (squares) inlays as well. Perhaps just the fingerboard was replaced instead of the whole neck.

    I have a luthier in mind that may have done all of this. I'm waiting on a confirmation of part of the story.
    The F5 in question should be ser.-# 81626, shipped in '27 according to Spann. That mandolin has a non-original neck and non-original (worm over) tuners, most likely redrilled. There are no F5s made in 1925, as no F5 with a 1925 FON is known - to my humble knowledge.

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    Mandolin Production Head dhmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blonde Loars ?

    Quote Originally Posted by sgarrity View Post
    There was a blonde F5 with a larger body shape that the Dawg played on one of the Tone Poems recordings. Then I think Dave Harvey wound up with it? But it definitely was not a Loar.
    I got the blonde Wide Body Gibson F-5M, circa 1941 while playing with Larry Sparks and the Lonesome Ramblers around 1985. I used it on the now classic Sparks recordings Gonna' be Movin' and Silver Reflections albums, which include Blue Virginia Blues and TN. 1949! I loaned it to David Grisman for Tone Poems II, he played it on Muskette For A Magpie!
    I let it go to fund my Sept, 18 1924 Loar purchase. The F-5M was a great mandolin!

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    Registered User f5loar's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blonde Loars ?

    You could consider a Loar era Tenor Lute TL as a blonde Loar because it does have the Master Model label.

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    Default Re: Blonde Loars ?

    Quote Originally Posted by f5loar View Post
    You could consider a Loar era Tenor Lute TL as a blonde Loar because it does have the Master Model label.
    Yeah, as a TL owner, I was impressed by the "Master Model" label inside. One reason I resist the temptation to have it converted to a mandola -- want to preserve its originality, even though the mandola conversion might be a better all-around instrument.
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    Default Re: Blonde Loars ?

    Quote Originally Posted by John Adrihan View Post
    I have been looking at all the old F5's during the Loar period and have not seen any finnishes other than sunbursts. So I have a couple of questions - ...... value or even if the sunburst is the "standard"
    thanks
    My goodness, I think you left out Sheraton brown. Very popular.

    Not blonde I admit, but not a burst either.
    A talent for trivializin' the momentous and complicatin' the obvious.

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    funny....

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