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Gibson H5 Mandola #76966 Signed by Lloyd Loar October 7, 1924

Summary

Signed by Lloyd Loar October 7, 1924 manufacture date (traditional estimates)
1924 shipment date, according to Spann's Guide to Gibson
Mandola, Style H5
Serial 76966
Factory Order number: 11058
there is no Virzi in this instrument

Description

F5 Jornal: No virzi

Frank Ford: - Brown Sunburst. No Loar Label, order number stamped where signature label may have been removed. Refinished and reworked by Gibson 1930s

Mandolin Bros: This, the illustrious also voice of the mandolin family, tuned CGDA, has a typical F-model hairline crack on the bass body area near the scroll, and it is presently missing its tailpiece cover. This lovely and venerated 15” wide, nominally 16” scale length big mama-dola shows normal light signs of playing time, including fewer than typical dings and insignificant scratches and finish checking. Purists will note that one original screw is missing from the treble tuner but we prefer to think this an omen. Did you know that only 17 H-5 Loar period mandolas are listed in the F-5 Journal? In the area inside the treble f-hole where you would normally see the signed and dated Lloyd Loar label is just a sticky, dried mess (Harriet! What did you do with that label!!?) and the stamped factory order number #11058, which is not something you normally see in a Lloyd Loar instrument unless you’re into mutilating your signed label (yeah, right). Or perhaps Lord Lear, while walking the manufacturing positions, came upon this mandola, examined it and said “Zut alors! I can’t approve these tone bars! My gold plated tweezers, now! I’m stripping it of its label! Let this be a lesson!” It is our belief that the mandolin went back to the factory in the early ‘30s for refinishing and new tuners. The tuners are early ‘30s style with the engraved floral pattern on the back bearing actual pearl buttons with the rusty old screw at the end of each button. The pickguard bears its “’09” patent stamp, the pickguard clamp is the screw-in side-mount type, and the ebony bridge base displays its Jan. ’21 stamp. The sound of this mandola is sweeter than wine, deliciously dark and irrepressibly euphonic

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Source

From Darryl Wolfe.
Darryl Wolfe's F5 Journal is the authoritative work on the subject of Loar-signed and later Gibson mandolins

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