This is a 1924 Gibson F-5 Master Model, signed by Lloyd Loar on February 18, 1924 (the same day as both Chris Thile's and Loar's mandolins). This mandolin has a "VIRZI" Tone Producer ("U.S. and Foreign Pats.") inside the mandolin. The mandolin was originally owned by an orchestra player named Walter Kaye Bauer who apparently was no fan either of Loar or his products, and didn't keep it long. But that was in 1924, and things have changed since then.

This isn't a particularly loud mandolin, but it has that special "woody" tonal quality that I've rarely, if ever, heard from any mandolins other than Loars. Virzi or no, this is a very fine mandolin with a special voice.

The tunes are both from Bill Monroe's Master of Bluegrass album. The first is "Old Ebenezer Scrooge," followed by "Old Danger Field," then I return to "Ebenezer" to finish. Nothing very technical about these tunes — I just think they bring out the tone of the instrument very well, as do many of Monroe's instrumentals.

Many thanks to my friend here in central Arkansas who let me borrow the mandolin to make this video. Hope you enjoy hearing it as much as I did playing it.

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