Episode 7: The Beginning Of The End

October 17, 2024

Kalamazoo Gazette, October 19, 1924, page 8. Similar articles appeared in a number of publications. (see below) Thanks to Roger Siminoff for pointing me to The Kalamazoo Gazette.

On October 17, 1924, Lloyd Loar signed an agreement with Gibson General Manager Guy Hart regarding the “final payment on all patent contracts and royalties.” (This document is reprinted in its entirety in Roger Siminoff’s “The Life and Work of Lloyd Allayre Loar” pp. 65 & 66.) Said payment of $550 was “to be absorbed…in instruments, accessories, tools and supplies.” In return, Loar agreed to assign to Gibson, Inc., all right to “patent, manufacture and sell … all instruments and instrument accessories” designed by him, or a design contributed to by him, during his time at Gibson. The document went on to specify a list of items concerned which included instrument models “F-5, H-5, K-5, L-5, UB, Tenor-Lute, Mastertone Banjo” and accessories such as tone-projector and resonator for Gibson banjos; adjustable bridge; narrow (snakehead) peghead; elevated pickguard; mutes, and “tone-tube, head and ball bearing ring” for banjos.

For better understanding of the October 17 agreement, we supplied a copy of the original agreement (kindly copied for us by Mr. Siminoff) to Mr. Trip Savery, President and COO of Curtis Media Group of Raleigh North Carolina. Mr. Savery reviewed the document, went over it with his contract attorney, and wrote this very considered response:

“I read this very simple document carefully. This is an agreement to give him (Lloyd Loar) monetary and final consideration for the patent contracts and royalties related to his work with Gibson from February 1920 until that date (October 17, 1924). This does not suggest that he is no longer an employee of Gibson. A separation and release agreement would be related to his employment, not any rights to patents although that could be incorporated into a release. The fact that it only references payments and obligations related to the patents, and not in his capacity as an employee, indicates that it is a separate and distinct agreement.

The_Brookfield Argus and the Linn County Farmer, October 28, 1924.

On October 18, a news release from Gibson announced Loar’s departure, and almost identical versions of this appeared in numerous newspaper publications that month. Based on our understanding of these documents, we observe that Gibson planned for Loar to “leave early in December” and that he “would continue his relationship with the concern…acting in an advisory capacity.” Although we have never seen an actual termination of employment agreement, we conclude that his departure was agreed upon on October 17, and that he would work for the next two months to facilitate the transition and coordinate the completion of his former projects and duties.

Signatures from the October 17 document, signifying the beginning of Lloyd Loar’s departure from Gibson. (courtesy Roger Siminoff; a copy of the same document was also supplied to us by Joe Spann)

There is much controversy about exactly what Lloyd Loar contributed at Gibson from October through December. In Julius Bellson’s “The Gibson Story,” published in 1973, he indicates that Loar designed an “Electric Double Bass” which Gibson tried unsuccessfully to market to “teacher agents.” While we have documented that Loar’s colleague and friend Lewis Williams was building custom speakers by 1922 in his Kalamazoo business, “Specialty Radio,” it does seem possible that Williams and Loar may have at least discussed the possibility of electric instruments as early as 1924. However, there is no primary source document to confirm that any electric instruments were built until 1933 when Loar, Williams and Buttelman created the “Vivi-Tone Company.”

“The Gibson Story” by Julius Bellson, Chapter XV. While Bellson’s 1973 history of Gibson has been an invaluable source of information and reference for Gibson scholars since its inception, it is not without error. As Roger Siminoff points out in “The Life and Work of Lloyd Allayre Loar,” this instrument has a remarkable similarity to an instrument produced by Vivi-Tone.

We find irony in the fact that the first Gibson patent on an electric instrument was awarded to Guy Hart, who was neither musician, instrument designer nor electrical engineer. This may shed some insight on how patents of work by Gibson engineers were distributed among employees… or perhaps kept by management!

After signing the agreement of October 17, it seems unlikely that Lloyd Loar worked on any new designs during his remaining time at Gibson. Rather, his role may have been to oversee the issuance and promotion of the works that had been in progress for the last few years. In October 1924, The Master Model Tenor Lute, a model designed and stamped in 1923, was released, shipped, promoted… and, by 1925, discontinued.

1924 Gibson Tenor Lute #77282, perhaps the rarest model designed by Loar. (Photo Courtesy Lowell Levinger, Players Vintage Instruments). To the best of our knowledge, the tenor lute never made it into a Gibson catalog.

(Photo Courtesy Lowell Levinger, Players Vintage Instruments). The Tenor Lute was awarded Master Model Status, but did not receive a signature.

Music Trade Report, October 18, 1924. This news release issued by Gibson on October 14, 1924, confirms Lloyd Loar’s role in design and marketing.

Other Master Model instruments known to have been released that month were six H-5 Mandolas and three K-5 Mandocellos. Both these models made their appearance in Gibson Catalog P, circa 1927. By then they were very scarce in production.

Gibson K-5 Mandocello dated October 13, 1924 (on left) and H-5 Mandola dated October 7, 1924.

Gibson K-5 Mandocello # 76981, dated October 13, 1924, which was sold to Conrad Gebelein for the ‘cello voice in his Baltimore Mandolin Orchestra, is the most famous and most played of that model. It is our understanding that it is still in use by that organization in that role to this day.

Baltimore Mandolin Orchestra, Gibson Catalog Q, 1928. Conrad Gebelein stands with baton on right; Gibson K-5 76981 is held by the lady in the center of the photo.

Gibson K-5 76981, (Photo courtesy Darryl Wolfe, The F-5 Journal)

Also, in October of 1924, Gibson announced a new arrangement with Virzi Violins of New York City to produce instruments to be marketed and sold under the Gibson name. As Lloyd Loar had been such an advocate of the Virzi Brothers, it seems possible this might have been another arrangement that he helped negotiate.

Jacobs Orchestra Monthly And The Cadenza, October 1924.

Of course, Loar continued with his series of articles for Jacobs Orchestra Monthly And The Cadenza entitled “Acoustics For The Musician.” His theories on Overtones ran from pages 16 through 19 in the October issue. We find this article extremely interesting considering how this information may have influenced the development of the Master Model instruments.

Jacobs Orchestra Monthly And The Cadenza, pp. 16 & 17.

Jacobs Orchestra Monthly And The Cadenza, pp. 18 & 19.

While Lloyd Loar had been a frequent contributor to The Crescendo Magazines in previous years, the only mention of him in the last three months of 1924 (other than credits for musical arrangements) was a suggestion in the November issue by his friend and colleague William Place, Jr. that Loar be consulted—at Gibson, Inc.—on a matter of string instrument acoustics.

The Crescendo, November 1924, “Mandolinist’s Round Table,” by William Place, Jr. p. 20. A reply to a question from “V.A.H. of Portland Oregon” who asks “what is the proper scale length for a mandolin (distance from nut to bridge).”

Mrs. Shipp-Loar was staying with her mother at the time of the October 17th agreement and did not join her husband in Kalamazoo until the end of October. She continued her practice of traveling between her hometown in Brookfield, Missouri and Kalamazoo through December. It is by following her comings and goings that we were able to understand Lloyd Loar’s whereabouts in late 1924, and confirm that his departure from Kalamazoo to move to Boston did not take place until at least after Christmas of 1924 and more likely in early 1925.

On December 1, 2024, we plan to return with Episode 8: “Signing Off.” Stay tuned!

Episode 6: Best Of Times, Worst Of Times

September 18, 2024

Signature label, Gibson F-5 76790. Photo courtesy Steve Gilchrist.

September 18, 1924: Lloyd Loar returned to the Master Model project for the first time since March 31, signing some of the best and last; on September 8, in an upset that shook the top echelon of Gibson, Inc., General Manager Harry Ferris stalked out the door. Accountant Guy Hart took over as GM and ramped up Ferris’ plan to dismiss “non-essential” personnel. This plan would include Lloyd Loar!

Gibson F-5 76790, one of three signed September 18, 1924. Photos courtesy Steve Gilchrist.

For the first time in almost 6 months, Master Model instruments, which had evidently been stamped in 1923, were once again being signed and dated. (For where Loar was during that lapse of time, see the previous “Episode 5: A Tale Of Two Cities.”) The F-5s, H-5s and K-5s dated from September 13 to December 1 of 1924 would be the last, and in our opinion, among the best to be signed by acoustic engineer, Lloyd Loar.

Three of these were F-5s dated September 18, 1924. Curiously, the serial numbers of these mandolins fit into or immediately after the sequence of those signed on March 31, 1924. Other Gibson mandolin models issued in September had serial numbers at least two hundred units higher. The appointments on all three of the September F-5s were virtually identical to the numerically adjacent F-5s from March. Those appointments which differ from most Loar F-5s made prior to March of 1924 include fern inlay in peghead; white body binding; extremely dark finish, factory installed Virzi Tone Producer and red velour lining in the Geib and Schaefer case.

Gibson F-5 #76553, dated March 31, 1924. Appointments are almost identical to those of F-5 76790, dated September 13, 1924.

As an interesting footnote, September 18, 1924 F-5 76790 was sold by Walter Kaye Bauer in 1932. (Bauer had also acquired a very similar mandolin, F-5 76779, for his student and teaching assistant Ada Merrifield in 1927). Among the items found in the case of 76790 was a letter from Bauer dated January 21, 1932 on “The Crescendo” letterhead, as by then, Bauer had inherited editorship from Walter O’Dell. This mandolin has recently received a brilliant restoration by Australian luthier Steve Gilchrist, and a detailed account of that work, and a copy of the Bauer letter can be found on Mr. Gilchrist’s website.

Gibson F-5 76790 in original case with letter from Walter Kaye Bauer. Photo courtesy Steve Gilchrist.

By the autumn of 1924, many Master Model instruments were appearing in mandolin orchestras in the United States and Canada. While many scholars point out a log-jam of Gibson F-5s at the factory and in music shops across the country caused by over-production and slow sales, photographic evidence shows a healthy interest in the unique sound.

Cover of the September 1924 Crescendo magazine with Herman F. Toro (seated, second fro left) holding his March 31, 1924 F-5.

The March 31, 1924 mandolins were appearing in photos as early as September. For example, it seems reasonable to suspect that the F-5 that appears in this version of the Providence Orchestra is the “Toro,” #75940. After William Place acquired F-5 #73676 (June 13, 1923) during a visited with Loar at the Gibson factory in Kalamazoo on August of 1923, he ordered two more F-5s for the Providence Orchestra, with a request “for a few minor adjustments.”

The Cadenza, October, 1923. Was the Toro F5 was one of those ordered in August of '23?

Despite the musical success of the Master Model program, the problems that confronted Gibson, Inc., were financial.

General Manager Harry Ferris of Gibson, Inc., exploded into the annual meeting of The Board Of Directors on Monday morning, September 8, 1924, blaming President John W. Adams and other members of the board for the financial problems the company had been facing. In short, Ferris was livid that The Board had continued to pay dividends to shareholders (i.e., themselves) while the company was operating at a loss.

Was Mr. Ferris’ presentation an astounding act of bravado or the cry of a man awash in frustration? Evidently that frustration began when he took over the position at the head of Gibson in October of 1923. In his book “Spann’s Guide To Gibson,” author Joe Spann describes Mr. Ferris’ complaint (Mr. Spann kindly provided this author with a copy of his source, a document by Ferris dated September 2, 1924). Walter Carter delves more deeply into the woes of Ferris’ brief tenure at Gibson in his book “Gibson Guitars: 100 Years Of An American Icon.” When Ferris took the job at Gibson, in his first report of November 23, 1923, he requested additional capital to carry the company through 1924. He blamed the financial disaster he had inherited on mismanagement during “the years 1916 to 1920.” On February 18, 1924, Ferris issued a document implementing many changes including reducing the number of models; trimming down the work force and firing “non-essential personnel;” selling to music stores instead of artists/teachers; and stopping all payments of dividends to stockholders. Ferris even changed the name of the Gibson Mandolin and Guitar Company to Gibson, Inc., removing the association with “outdated instruments like mandolins and guitars.” While he felt the banjo was the future of the company, he described the Gibson banjo as “having the worst reputation of any banjo on the market.” To document the finances of the company, Ferris hired Guy Hart as auditor.

In his report to the Board of Directors on September 2, Ferris pointed out that during his year at Gibson, the company had shown a profit, but it was too little too late. The mismanagement of the company prior to his arrival left no choice but to turn over all the directors’ stock “to Kalamazoo City Savings Bank, Herbert N. Parker, trustee” and that the bank be given directorial power over Gibson, Inc. While Ferris took credit for the profit shown in 1923 (he failed to mention that the entire country was experiencing a strong recovery from recession), he blamed the board itself for the losses of previous years which left Gibson still in the red. It seems that Ferris had already made Mr. Parker privy to the company’s problems. President Adams, who was also the Kalamazoo Circuit Court Judge, was not used to being addressed in such a manner. When Ferris handed over a typewritten letter assigning his resignation for January 1, 1925, Adams asked for his resignation to take effect immediately. Ferris scratched a note in ink on a scrap of paper and dated his resignation September 8, 1924. Then, Adams turned to the accountant Guy Hart and promoted him General Manager of Gibson, Inc.

Guy Hart was born September 13, 1888 in Henshaw, Kentucky (northwest Kentucky near the Illinois border) to Geary and Mary Hart. According to the 1900 Census, the Hart family moved across the river to Carrier Mills, Illinois and 11-year old Guy is listed as a student. By 1910, the family moved further west to Poplar Bluff Missouri, where Hart, who evidently had a head for numbers, worked as a bookkeeper in the office for Poplar Bluff Lumber and Manufacturing Co. Later, Hart landed a job as a traveling salesman with Hartwell Brothers Woodworks at 17th and Hanover, Chicago Heights, Chicago, Illinois. By 1917, he was working out their sales office in Denver, Colorado. After a brief stint in the military beginning in December, 1918, he rejoined Hartwell Brothers in their Chicago office. It is unclear exactly how he came to the attention of Ferris, but with his background in sales and bookkeeping, he was an obvious choice.

Unlike Lewis Williams, Hart was neither affable nor well-loved; unlike Lloyd Loar, he was neither brilliant nor respected. In contrast to Ferris, he had a quiet manner which appealed to the Board of Directors. Moreover, he was determined to do whatever it took to increase profits. He was willing to make quick and harsh judgements, especially when he saw a benefit in firing an employee.

In many ways, Hart used Ferris’ report of February 18, 1923 as a blueprint for managing the company. He reduced the number of models in production and focused on just those that he thought would sell, including the banjo. Remember, according to Ferris, Gibson banjos had the “worst reputation of any banjo on the market.” While the Loar-designed trapdoor Gibson TB series had a unique and rather pleasant sound, banjo players across the country were switching to William Lange’s new Paramounts which were advertised as “The Greatest Banjos Ever Produced.” With their heavy metal tone rings, flanges and resonators, they gave the jazz players the volume and projection they needed to be heard among the brass instruments. Even long-time Gibson endorsers like orchestra leaders Paul Whiteman and Isham Jones switched to Paramounts.

Left: Paul Whiteman Orchestra with Paramount banjo (Crescendo, August 1922); Right, Music Trades, May 17, 1924.

Left: Advertisement in Music Trades January 6, 1924; Right, 1924 Paramount style D with flange and resonator.

Compared to Gibson advertisements for the “Gibsonian banjo,” there is little wonder that Paramount was out-selling Gibson in that market.

Gibsonian Banjo The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tennessee, April 6, 1924 · P 47

The Muscatine Journal, Muscatine, Iowa, September 16, 1924, Page 11.

While Gibson clearly needed to develop a new banjo line to become competitive, a flagship instrument was needed sooner rather than later. It was most likely Sales Manager Frank Campbell that moved the L-5 guitar to front and center, replacing the F-5 mandolin in Gibson advertisements. At some point, Hart came to understand that the guitar would be the foundation of the Gibson Company in years to come. It was an uncanny prediction, and the kind of sales savvy that kept Hart at the helm of Gibson for the next 24 years.

While change was erupting at the head of Gibson, Lloyd Loar was back in his acoustic laboratory in Kalamazoo completing his assignments there. During September, Mrs. Shipp Loar stayed with her mother in Brookfield, Missouri, and performed locally without her husband.

The Daily Argus, Brookfield, Missouri, September 3, 1924 · P. 1

As a writer, Lloyd Loar had contributed to “The Crescendo,” “The Cadenza,” and “Music Trades” magazines, submitting articles from his residence in Kalamazoo, Michigan. During this time, many of his writings supported and endorsed the innovations he had brought to Gibson. Since the inaugural edition of “Jacob’s Orchestra Monthly And The Cadenza” in April, Loar had authored prominently placed articles with an appeal to a more general musical audience. In the September issue, he began his most ambition writing project to date, a sixteen part series entitled “Acoustics For The Musician.” These extraordinary articles provide a master class in music as a natural phenomenon and how musical instruments work.

"Jacobs Orchestra Monthly And The Cadenza" September, 1924, p. 4.

Coming In October! “Episode 7: The Beginning Of The End.” Stay tuned.

Episode 5: A Tale Of Two Cities

July 31, 2024

Lloyd Loar as he appeared in the summer of 1924. Photo from “Jacobs Orchestra Monthly And The Cadenza,” September, 1924, p 4.

In the summer of 1924, Lloyd Loar’s title at Gibson, Inc., in Kalamazoo, Michigan, was “Factory Manager.” Concurrently, he supplied lengthy articles each month for a Boston, Massachusetts magazine. For almost four years he had resided in Kalamazoo and created the legend for which he is remembered today. But now, had he turned his focus on his future in Boston?

Pitcairn Allegro Mandolin Sextet was one of the first to embrace Lloyd Loar’s designs, which included F-5 mandolin, H-5 mandola, K-5 mandocello and L-5 guitar. They broadcast the sounds of these instruments internationally on July 23, 1923. **Percy Lichtenfels, standing second from left, led the ensemble with Gibson F-5 #73679.**

Even though the temperature never got above 74 degrees in Kalamazoo during the summer of 1924, we suspect something was about to boil over at Gibson: by January of 1925, Loar had left Kalamazoo for Boston.

Linn County Daily Budget, Brookfield, Missouri. Saturday, Dec 27, 1924 · Page 4

Loar had a myriad of duties at Gibson, but it is unclear how many of his tasks he was able to delegate to the remarkable team of skilled workers employed there. To the best of our knowledge and research, no Master Model labels were signed between March 31 and September 18, 1924. In fact, we have found no documents to prove exactly where Loar was and what he was doing that summer. However, he was clearly present in the pages of the new “Jacobs Orchestra Monthly And The Cadenza” magazine. While his official job was still in Kalamazoo, Michigan, it seems his mind, or at least his pen, was focused on Boston and the publishing enterprises of Walter Jacobs.

Beginning with its inaugural issue, “Jacobs Orchestra Monthly And The Cadenza” featured headline articles by Lloyd Loar.

Back in the first three months of 1924, there was a tremendous production of Loar’s Master Model instruments. In May, he and his Gibsonians left for a concert tour. We have no record of a visit to Boston during that tour, but Loar would most likely have had an opportunity to meet with Walter Jacobs at the American Guild Convention in Pittsburgh (May 11-13) and The National Music Convention in New York City (June 2-7). The 1924 tour ended on June 13, much earlier than previous summer tours.

“Jacobs Orchestra Monthly And The Cadenza,” Boston, Massachusetts, May, 1924, p. 71.

Upon returning to Kalamazoo, the members of the Gibsonian Orchestra went their separate ways. Mandolinist Dorothy Crane came home to her summer solstice wedding: on June 21st, she became Mrs. Herbert Bippes. After her honeymoon, she joined the two other young members of the 1924 Gibsonians, Lucille Campbell and Nell VerCies, back at work in the Gibson offices. They also began preparing for yet another performance tour with The Gibson Melody Maids. James H. Johnstone resumed his duties as foreman of the stringing department and his musical adventures with his jazzy tenor banjo. Fisher Shipp-Loar returned to Lynn, Missouri to spend the summer with her mother. Her visits to Kalamazoo “to visit Mr. Loar” may give insight as to his whereabouts. By scouring the local newspapers in the area of Brookfield, Missouri, we have been able to document Fisher Shipp’s schedule. She visited Kalamazoo from July 19th to the 23rd; again, on August 7th until the 14th; and she returned once again on September 25th and was back in Missouri by October 7.

The Daily Argus, Brookfield, Missouri Saturday, July 19, 1924 p. 4

Linn County Daily Budget, Brookfield, Missouri Thursday, August 14, 1924, p. 1

The Daily Argus, Brookfield, Missouri, Wednesday, September 24, 1924 p. 4

The Daily Argus, Brookfield, Missouri, October 7, 1924, p. 4.

It seems logical to conclude that Loar was in Kalamazoo working at Gibson during the times that he received visits from his wife. Despite the lack of output in the Master Model program that summer, Loar did have many other duties at Gibson, which included supervision of construction, managing Gibson agents and dealers, head of the “Department of Repair,” and the role he was essentially hired for, research and development. Some have theorized that he must have been designing the Gibson Tenor Lute (which debuted in October), but the factory order numbers on the few models we have seen indicate they had begun production in 1923. Whatever his actual output for Gibson was that summer, it is certain that he spent a great deal of his time and energy creating articles for publication in Walter Jacobs’ new magazine in Boston. Did he also manage a trip to Boston that summer to make plans for his future?

The last issue of “The Cadenza” magazine in its original format was mailed out in February of 1924. Boston publisher Walter Jacobs had decided to merge two of his publications into one: “The “Jacobs Orchestra Monthly And The Cadenza” appeared in April of 1924, and with the inaugural issue, the 80-page magazine began monthly feature articles “by Lloyd Loar, Master of Music.” In that first issue, Loar contributed a 2500 word essay presenting a strong case for music education. In the article, entitled “The Advance Guard of a New Epoch,” he wrote:

“Those spiritual activities, usually referred to as the ‘arts,’ develop amazingly; world literature is enriched, paintings, and statuary of inspired beauty and meaning are given us, and music of nothing less than divine loveliness is born, while music of the past period, equally inspired, renews its freshness and re-creates for us the happiness that comes with the knowledge and comprehension of beauty and goodness… It does seem to me as though music is more general in its appeal and in the opportunity everyone has to share its enjoyment; … it uplifts both listener and performer more than any other of the arts.”

Young musicians from the elementary schools of Los Angeles gather in the stadium there. Part of a two page photo accompanying Lloyd Loar’s article “Advance Guard of a New Epoch.” “Jacobs Orchestra Monthly and The Cadenza.” April 1924, p. 3.

Other part of a two page photo accompanying Lloyd Loar’s article “Advance Guard of a New Epoch.” “Jacobs Orchestra Monthly,” April 1924, p4.

In the May issue, Loar tackled what was then a controversial subject: “‘Jazz:’ Is It Constructive Or Destructive.” Many older musicians argued vehemently that Jazz was an awful noise created by unschooled musicians, and that its infiltration into popular music was an abomination. Indeed, many people of the general population believed that jazz music was responsible for a decline in morality, and even debauchery among younger people. Always the innovator and modernist, Loar offered an alternative and optimistic view of the future of music in America:

“While Jazz is a rather indefinite term, we might say it is a more highly seasoned dish than the one we were fed a few years ago. The extra seasoning may consist of more intricate or insistent rhythms, dashes of more brilliant tone color, or greater variety of harmonic material. The constructive effect jazz has had on popular music is decidedly noticeable. The improvement will continue; good taste and a liking for beauty will keep on working their constructive changes and the first thing we know we will have a national music liked and understood by all of us!”

Paul Ash and His Granada Orchestra of San Francisco used Gibson Instruments, including Lloyd Loar signed F-5s, to play popular music infused with Jazz improvisations and rhythms. “Jacobs Orchestra Monthly, and The Cadenza August 1924, p13.

Who are these two jazz mandolin players with those new F-5? Paul Ash’s Granada Orchestra, San Francisco, California, 1924. Detail from photo above.

From the beginning, in addition to articles authored by Loar, “Jacobs Orchestra Monthly And The Cadenza” devoted pages to Lloyd Loar’s musical adventures. We understand that it was the first to publish the now relatively famous photograph of the 1924 Gibsonians (it also appeared in The Lima News, Lima, Ohio, later that month).

The earliest appearance of this photo was in “Jacobs Orchestra Monthly and The Cadenza” May, 1924, p. 71. We first saw it in the February, 1975, issue of Rolling Stone magazine. L to R: Lloyd Loar with F-5 mandolin; Dorothy Crane, F-5; Fisher Shipp, reader and vocalist; James H. Johnstone, mandobass; Nell VerCies, 10-string mando-viola and Lucille Campbell, K-4 mandocello.. Loar scholar Roger Siminoff, who has reproduced this photo in “The Life and Work of Lloyd Allayre Loar,” has identified the photographer as Ward C. Morgan, who did many photos for Gibson during his career.

The August, 1924 issue offered a report on where Mss. Crane, Campbell and VerCies would be in the autumn of 1924. Based on this photo of the Gibson Melody Maids, it appears that Dorothy Crane Bippes (standing behind the pianist) has returned from her honeymoon. Why is this young woman smiling? Is it because she is holding a new Loar-signed Master Model F-5?! Was it the same one she played on the tour? Was it a wedding present?

“Jacobs Orchestra Monthly and Cadenza,” August, 1924, p. 71.

While a rival magazine “The Crescendo” also published a full convention report of the 1924 meeting of the American Guild of Banjo, Mandolin and Guitar in Pittsburgh, “Jacobs Orchestra Monthly And The Cadenza” gave inside details that readers of “The Crescendo” would have missed. One interesting item concerns the “Effete Orchestra,” an event organized by Loar wherein each musical instrument manufacturer played one of their competitor’s instruments. General Manager of Gibson, Harry L. Ferris—Loar’s boss—, who was not a gifted musician, was invited to join the orchestra. He was presented with a ukulele banjo…only it was missing the bridge! It also seems Loar and Johnstone absconded with at least the Gibson instruments before the “Effete Orchestra” got very far at all. They scurried away to catch a train to the next stop on their tour.

“Jacobs Orchestra Monthly and Cadenza,” May, 1924. pp. 64 & 65.

Both magazines also covered Loar’s concert at the National Music Convention in New York City; compare the report from “The Crescendo” to the one in “Jacobs Orchestra Monthly.” Both versions describe a reunion between Loar and Johnstone with their bandmates of 1922, Walter K. Bauer and Arthur Crookes. Bauer and Crookes continued to represent Gibson in Hartford, Connecticut, until at least 1928.

“Jacobs Orchestra Monthly and Cadenza,” July, 1924.

“Jacobs Orchestra Monthly and The Cadenza,” May, 1924. It appears that Bauer-Crookes Banjo Orchestra made a big splash at the National Music Convention playing Gibson banjos.

From the beginning of the “Breaking News” series, we have consistently referenced the two early twentieth century journals dedicated to fretted instruments: Walter Jacobs’ “The Cadenza” and Herbert F. Odell’s “The Crescendo.” Both were published in Boston, Massachusetts, and both were owned by enigmatic banjo and mandolin enthusiasts who were fixtures at the Guild Conventions. Both Odell and Jacobs were musicians who began their careers selling sheet music and song folios; the magazines that they published always included selections of music and arrangements. Both Lloyd Loar and Walter K. Bauer were familiar with the two publishers. We find it interesting to note that in the convention photos, Bauer and Crookes were pictured next to Jacobs; while Loar and his partner at Gibson, Clifford V. Buttelman, were beside Odell. As it turned out, both Loar and Buttelman left Gibson to work for Jacobs, and Bauer left Gibson for Vega and inherited editorship of Odell’s “Crescendo.”

From L to R, Arthur Crookes, Walter K. Bauer, Walter Jacobs; Lloyd Loar, Clifford V. Buttelman and Herbert F. Odell. Details from group photos of the American Guild of Banjo, Mandolin and Guitar, 1922 (left) and 1923 (right).

Now, we find it useful to take a closer look at the backgrounds of Jacobs and Odell, these two musicians turned publishers. We are also curious about what attracted Loar to Jacobs’ enterprises, and consider what may have awaited him once he moved to Boston.

Herbert Forest Odell was born in 1872 in New England; as a young man he studied violin, piano and voice. In 1895 he went to Paris to study mandolin with virtuoso and composer Jean Pietrapertosa. When he arrived back in American, his enthusiasm for mandolin ignited a career of teaching and writing music for that instrument. Around the same time, he started what later became the Odell Mandolin Orchestra. In 1905 the H. F. Odell Company of Boston not only began publishing music, but was the Boston agency for the sale of Gibson instruments. Also in 1905, Odell began publishing “The Crescendo” as a newsletter/magazine to promote his enterprises. It was soon dubbed “The Official Organ of the American Guild of Banjo, Mandolin and Guitar,” and an important aspect of each issue was to offer interesting arrangements of classical and popular music arranged and/or composed for mandolin and banjo family instruments.

“The Crescendo” July, 1908, Boston, Mass. Compare the same month of “The Cadenza,” below.

“The Cadenza,” July 1908, Boston, Mass. USA. One of Jacobs’ first issues: with the identical photo as “The Crescendo” of that month.

Robert Walter Jacobs could not have been more different from Herbert Foster Odell. Jacobs was born in 1868 to a dry goods merchant in Oberlin, Ohio. By the age of 10, he became mesmerized with a troupe of African American guitar and banjo players who busked on the streets of Oberlin. By spending his days with those street musicians, Jacobs was able to teach himself guitar and banjo. By all accounts, he became a highly skilled player. He also began to formulate his own teaching method. He left Oberlin around 1890 and by 1891 is listed in the Boston City Directory as a “teacher of plucked stringed instruments” giving lessons at “297 Tremont St., Suite One.”

In 1895, Jacobs issued a folio of his own compositions based on the music he had learned from the African American players in Ohio and transcribed into standard notation. Jacobs next publication was his teaching method, “Jacobs Banjo Studies for Beginners, 25 cents.” Successful sales attracted the attention of other composers, and Jacobs began acquiring rights to an ever-growing catalog of music. Much of his early focus was music in the minstrel style, and while the melodies were often lively and infectious, the lyrics of such pieces as “Pickaninny Pranks” and “Ole Sambo” relied on derogatory depictions of African American culture designed to amuse white audiences.

In 1906, Jacobs acquired rights to Thomas Allen’s “Goodbye Mr. Greenback.” To advertise this song, Jacobs circulated fake five dollar bills with the lyric “Goodbye Mr. Greenback, I hate to see you go” printed on them. The publicity stunt got Jacobs arrested for counterfeiting. By the time the case was heard in Boston Municipal Court, it had became a bit of a local sensation and the cause of some hilarity in the Boston pubs. In addition to a reprimand and an order to never try such a stunt again, the judge ordered Jacobs to pay a fine of “three authentic five dollar bills.” It seems Jacobs felt there was no such thing as bad publicity, which proved true for him, as “Goodbye Mr. Greenback” became a best seller.

As the new century progressed, Jacobs moved toward a more general audience and selections and instrumentation became more mainstream. Titles like Charles Dorn’s “Faded Flowers” and Albert J. Weidt’s “Autumn Days” and “A Trip To Coney” became popular parlor entertainment. In 1911, he acquired the publishing rights to Edwin Eugene Bagley’s “National Emblem” and published an arrangement for military band. This became his all-time best seller and helped legitimate his business.

Written in by Edwin Bagley in 1902, “National Emblem March” became a best seller after Walter Jacobs attained the publishing rights in 1911.

Just as Jacobs’ path to publishing differed from Odell’s, the story of “The Cadenza” was different from “The Crescendo.” “The Cadenza” was the brainchild of Mr. and Mrs. Clarence L. Partee of Kansas City, Missouri. They put out their first issue of “A Magazine for Banjo, Mandolin and Guitar Players” in 1894. It was a collection of amusing stories, letters, and advertisements for instrument makers such as Washburn, Fairbanks and Cole. Each issue included music arranged for fretted instruments, with titles like “Endearing Young Charms,” (for banjo) “Chickasaw Jig” (banjo duet), and Paganini’s “Le Carnival de Venice” (for mandolin and guitar). Actually, just the first page of each arrangement was offered, but with a note at the bottom: “price complete, 40cents…for sale at all Music Stores.” In 1900, the Partees moved their business from Kansas City to New York City, and in 1908, they sold the entire franchise to Walter Jacobs, who immediately moved “The Cadenza” to Boston.

By 1913, “The Cadenza” was “The Official Organ of the American Guild of Banjo, Mandolin and Guitar.” Somehow Jacobs had negotiated that honor away from Odell. And, like the earlier (and later) Odell publications, The Cadenza devoted a full page to Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Company. In fact, in page 3 of the January 1913 issue, Lloyd Loar is included in a group of photos of “Men of Reputation” who played and endorsed Gibson mandolins.

In yet another pattern borrowed from “The Crescendo,” “The Cadenza” often profiled an ensemble from the mandolin, banjo and guitar community.

March, 1922, The Cadenza profiled Arthur Crookes and Walter Kaye Bauer, two young musicians from Hartford, Connecticut, who would soon tour with Lloyd Loar,

In April of 1924, Jacobs absorbed “The Cadenza” into his other publication, “Jacobs Orchestra Monthly.” In doing so, he also contemporized the subject matter and offered material of interest to the music community as a whole. For insight and copy, Jacobs often turned to Lloyd Loar. “Music Publishers and Radio Broadcasting,” for example, was the feature topic of an article by Loar in the August issue of that year. The question at hand was, should broadcasters be required to pay publishers for the compositions used on their shows? Back in 1909, U.S. Congress had enacted a law compelling music companies to pay royalties to publishers who represented the composers for each records sold. Enrico Caruso, for example, made $5,000,000 from the sale of his records. By 1922, the rise of radio had actually caused a decline in record sales, and artists felt they should be compensated for broadcast the same as for sale of recordings. The broadcasters put forth many arguments for not paying royalties, such as “starving artists create brilliant work;” Another was that the radio gave unknown artists exposure, and that alone should be payment enough... Tackling this complex subject by explaining the view of both sides, Lloyd Loar concluded in favor of composers. By the end of the decade, the payment of radio royalties began to help artists from Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong to Jimmie Rodgers and The Carter Family accumulate the kind of income that allowed them to flourish and create music genres that we cherish today. If only Mr. Loar were here to tell us what to do about Spotify…

—Lloyd Loar, “Music Publishers and Radio Broadcasters,” Jacobs Orchestra Monthly, August, 1924, pp. 3-4.

Next month, be sure to look for the September episode of “Breaking News” when Lloyd Loar returns to the Master Model project, and “Jacobs Orchestra Monthly And The Cadenza” publishes the first installment of Loar’s groundbreaking treatise, “Acoustics For Musicians.”

Episode 4: On The Road Again

May 15, 2024

The 1924 edition of the Gibsonian concert Orchestra. L to R: Dorothy Crane, Fisher Shipp, Lloyd Loar, James H. Johnstone, Lucille Campbell and Nell VerCies. The Lima News and Times_Democrat. May, 28 1924

In May of 1924, Lloyd Loar left his acoustic laboratory in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to embark on a multi-city performance tour, just as he had done every summer for almost 20 years. It would be his last.

Lloyd Loar and a few of the instruments he put to great use. L to R: 1878 August Diehl Viola Alta; circa 1915 Gibson F-4 (photos from Fisher Shipp Concert Company brochure); 1922 Gibson H-4 (1922 tour poster); 1923 Gibson F-5, and 1922 MV-5 held by Marguerite Lichti (1923 Gibson promotional photo).

Back in 1906, Lloyd Loar dropped out of Oberlin College to join Fisher Shipp, a star of the Chautauqua circuit, on a musical adventure that took their ensemble from the Atlantic Coast throughout the mid-west and into Canada. They entertained countless thousands in auditoriums, amphitheaters, tent shows, churches and schools during the next two decades. His wife since 1916, Mrs. Shipp-Loar’s style of performance had become dated by the mid-twenties. She struggled to remain relevant in the jazz age by adjusting her costume, but not her repertoire. There would be no more Chautauqua; instead, the 1924 tour was sponsored by Gibson, Inc. Lloyd Loar was now front and center, showcasing his skill on mandolin, mandola and mandolin-banjo. He once again collaborated with the founder of the Gibsonian Concert Orchestra, the indefatigable James H. “Jazz” Johnstone, who performed on mando-bass and tenor banjo. That year, to fill out the ensemble, they engaged three talented members borrowed from the popular Gibson Melody Maids, a musical group started by high school girls, many of whom later became Gibson employees. Dorothy Crane was featured on first mandolin and mandolin-banjo; Nellie VerCies on mandola and tenor banjo; and Lucille Campbell on mando-cello, cello-banjo and piano.

L to R: Lloyd Loar with F-5 mandolin; Dorothy Crane, F-5; Fisher Shipp, reader and vocalist; James H. Johnstone, mandobass; Nell VerCies, 10-string mando-viola and Lucille Campbell, K-4 mandocello. Photo from The Rolling Stone magazine, February 1975. Loar biographer Roger Siminoff has identified the photographer as Ward C. Morgan, who did many photos for Gibson during his career.

The itinerary for 1924 included two national conventions, several school and church programs, and an exhaustive schedule of concerts and demonstrations organized by Gibson agents, teachers and/or orchestra leaders.

Tour dates we have documented from newspaper articles, The Crescendo and Music Trade Report Magazines, May through July of 1924.

While the ensemble may have rehearsed as early as late January (based on Fisher Shipp’s well-documented visits to Kalamazoo), it is more likely that they delved deeply into the repertoire in April, after the major production schedule of February and March was completed (over 100 Master Models produced in the first months of 1924 bear Lloyd Loar’s signature). While the first stop was for Gibson day at “Don John’s Music Company” on May 7 in Lima, Ohio (more on this later in this episode), there was significant energy put toward the Gibson showcase for the convention of the American Guild of Banjos, Mandolins and Guitars to be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, May 11-13. As fate would have it, Pittsburgh was hit by heavy rains as the banjoists and mandolinists arrived for that annual convention. Fortunately, upon arrival at the train station, they were able to avail themselves upon the automobiles of the modern taxi services of Pittsburgh. The convention was held at Hotel Schenley and the festival concert at Carnegie Music Hall.

The American Guild Convention Report in The Gazette Times, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, May 12, 1924, p. 7.

During the business meeting at the 1923 convention in Washington, D.C., Russell Truit and Percy V. Lichtenfels had offered to host the ’24 convention in their city. A remarkable photo appeared on the cover of the June 1924 Crescendo magazine that might give some indication as to the tenor of the program.

Of course, there was more to the convention than banjos. Lloyd Loar once again received accolades for his solos on the 10-string MV-5 mando-viola, although all reports, including those from Gibson, now simply call it a “mandola.” The Gibson display in the trade show was of special interest to many in the Pittsburgh area, based on sales in Western Pennsylvania. The “‘Mastertone’ mandolins with the Virzi Tone Producers and ‘Mastertone’ banjos with Tone Projectors” (Crescendo, June, 1924) were the centerpieces of that display. It is quite likely that the fabulous fern-inlaid F-5s from the March 31 batch were revealed to the public at this event. At the Gibson booth, General Manager Harry Ferris held court while Acoustic Engineer Lloyd Loar and James H. Johnstone demonstrated instruments, and sales manager Frank Campbell (older brother of Lucille Campbell) took orders and made contact with dealers. Of course the trade show also featured other instrument manufacturers including Vega and Bacon. During the finale of the banquet concert, Lloyd Loar led the “Trade Members Effete Ensemble,” demonstrating a unique affability among the musical instrument makers at the trade show.

After leaving Pittsburgh, Loar and Company made appearances at various Gibson outlets in Pennsylvania including Callahan’s Music in Newcastle and Roy Veiock’s Music in New Brighton. The next well documented event took place on May 28 in Lima, Ohio. There, they performed at Central High School in the afternoon and, in the evening, at Memorial Hall where they shared the bill with 145 singers of the Kiwanis Youth Orchestra.

The Lima News and Times-Democrat, Lima, Ohio, May, 25 1924, p. 2.

The next day, they most likely traveled on the New York Central Railway the 600 miles to the National Music Convention at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City. Delegates from all over the United States gathered on June 1st to discuss the future of the retail music business and to showcase new products. Opening remarks were given by Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Theodore Roosevelt III (son of the 26th President), and Senator Royal S. Copeland. The evening progressed with brilliant performances by Lisa Roma, soprano, and Armand Tokatyan, tenor, stars of the Metropolitan Opera Company, after which Vincent Lopez’s Orchestra took the bandstand. Into the evening, there was dancing and some rather odd after-dinner “coffee” (it was still the era of Prohibition). The Gibsonians performed later in the event and the Gibson booth at the trade show brought the new Master Models and Mastertones to the Big Apple. (Information from various sources including the Music Trade Report, June, 1924, and The La Crosse Tribune, La Crosse, Wisconsin, May 31, 1924, P. 6)

New York, 1924! What a thrill for the three musicians barely out of their teens, Mss. Campbell, Crane and VerCies, who had travelled away from their homes in Kalamazoo for the first time!

Public Opinion, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, Jun 3, 1924, P. 3

On June 7, as the convention wrapped up, Loar and Company had only to travel as far as Queens for their next engagement at Forest Park Church in Woodhaven.

Leaving the City on June 8, the Gibsonians embarked on an exhausting schedule of in-store demonstrations. In New York State, they appeared at Dunlap Music Company in Peekskill and Clark Music in Syracuse; in New Jersey, at McPhail and Fino in Jersey City and with the Kola Mandolin Ensemble in Rutherford; and they managed a southern leg of the tour, to Cumberland Music Center in Cumberland, Maryland, and points in between. Finally, in New Hampton, Laconia and Bristol, New Hampshire, they provided three different demonstrations and concerts, all organized through the tireless efforts of Ina Bickford: teacher, Gibson agent, concert organizer and founding member of the New Hampshire Historical Society.

Heading west, the troupe were welcomed back to Ohio, where they made a splash at the Memorial Hall in Wauseon on June 13.

Fulton County Tribune, June 6, 1924, Wauseon, Ohio, p. 1.

While the three veteran performers were used to exhaustive travel and twice-daily performance, we can only imagine the thrills and challenges for the younger members and what they may have shared with their band-mates—the Gibson Melody Maids—once they returned home.

The Gibson Melody Maids. Nell VerCies, standing on left; Lucille Campbell, standing on right with K-4 mandocello; Dorothy Crane, seated on front row, second from right. Eleanor Camp can be seen playing mando-bass in nearly all the Melody Maid Photos. Photo from Gibson Catalog “P,” 1927, p. 17, scanned courtesy Roger Siminoff. The same photo appeared in the Music Trade Report, May, 1925.

In 1920, The Kalamazoo Central High School Mandolin Club admitted boys only. A group of girls at that high school, many of whom had started piano lessons by the age of ten, were eager to prove that they were just as adept, if not even more proficient than the boys. As it turned out, by incorporating singing and dancing to what became excellent musical skills, they were able to create an entertainment that captured the imagination of the Gibson Company. Gibson began supplying instruments, and by 1921, “The Gibson Melody Maids” was born. With the power of Gibson advertising behind them, and with language that not only extolled their mandolin skills but their “fetching costumes…(and) maidenly charmes,” they became beloved of the press and in demand for concerts. They even gained national attention in October of 1922 with a broadcast and concert hosted by Grinnell’s Music in Detroit.

Nellie K VerCies was one of those Kalamazoo High School students that formed the “Maids.” She was born in Kalamazoo in 1904 to John VerCies and Grace Van Der Phoeg (her mother and paternal grandparents were Dutch immigrants). Lloyd Loar found the girls quite talented and took part in training and mentoring VerCies and the other Gibson Melody Maids. When VerCies graduated from High School, she was also offered a job as a stenographer at Gibson. In 1924, she showed so much promise as a musician, she was invited to play the tenor parts in the Gibsonian Concert Orchestra and was an essential member of the summer tour. She was even featured on Loar’s favorite creation, the MV-5. Toward the end of 1924 she married Cornelius J. Vandelaare. In 1925, she left Gibson in a factory-wide exodus that seemed to follow Lloyd Loar out the door. In 1926, after giving birth to her son, Nelson, she took a job as a stenographer with Doubleday-Hunt-Dolan Company in Kalamazoo and worked there for the rest of her career. We have found nothing to indicate she continued to perform music in public. She was widowed in 1932, but lived and worked in Kalamazoo until her death in 1977.

Dorothy Ann Crane was born August 29, 1902, to English immigrants Frank Byron Crane and Minnie Giles. Unlike Campbell and VerCies, she was homeschooled. Despite not being enrolled in the High School, her skill on mandolin landed her a spot with the Melody Maids. At 21, she was the oldest of the three Maids who joined the Gibsonians in 1924. Like VerCies and Campbell, she also became an employee in the Gibson office. On June 21, 1924, upon returning from the ’24 tour, she married Herbert Eichhorn Bippes. She continued to work at Gibson as Mrs. Bippes, and during World War II, she was in charge of the service department.

Battle Creek Enquirer, Battle Creek Michigan. April 3, 1922, p. 6.

Eva Lucille Campbell, born October 1903 to Scottish immigrant Robert Hamilton Campbell and Michigan-born Eva P. Briggs, grew up at 123 Parsons St. next to the site that would later host the Gibson factory. Her father, Robert Hamilton Campbell, was a molder at Kalamazoo Foundry which made metal parts (later, he was also an auto license collector for the city). Her family was shocked at the sudden death of her father on October 29, 1923, and for Lucille, her solace was the K-4 mandocello. In fact, her preference for the K-4 may have led to the use of that instrument in the 1924 Gibsonians. (The K-5 that had been so ably played by Arthur Crookes in the summer of 1922 and C. A. Templeman in 1923—which is now on display at the Musical Instrument Museum of Phoenix—was repurposed, labeled February 18, 1924, and sold as a guitar). Lucille Campbell married Hezakiah Wilson Howard in 1927 and had two sons; she divorced Howard in 1937, but continued, as Mrs. Howard, to be a faithful Gibson employee for a long career and, like Mrs. Bippes, was another of the “Kalamazoo Gals” that carried Gibson through World War II. She died in Kalamazoo in 1989.

Lucille’s brother Frank Briggs Campbell, born 1896, also figured prominently at Gibson. In WW I, he was a gunner’s mate in the US Navy. In late 1918, he was mustered out of the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment at Camp Peekskill in New York State. He returned to Kalamazoo and began work as a clerk at Gibson Mandolin and Guitar Company in 1919. In 1922, Campbell was sent out to work in sales at stores that were prominent Gibson dealers. He became familiar with musical instrument sales in the retail market, thus learning the business from the ground up. While sales director at Grinnell’s Music in Detroit, Michigan, he helped organize the Gibsonians’ concert and broadcast of September 1, 1922, which was the first national showcase of the Master Model instruments. On April 28, 1924, he was appointed sales manager back at Gibson, just in time for the Guild Convention in Pittsburgh in May.

Before embarking on the ‘24 tour, Lloyd Loar announced the release of models UB-1, UB-2 and UB-3, the new line of Gibson Ukelele-Banjo. In all likelihood, this was intended to coincide with the 1924 tour and sales campaign, and was a nod to the lifestyle of the “Flapper” generation.

Gibson model UB-2, ukelele banjo, 1926 Banjo Catalog, p 17.

Now, we return to the first stop of the 1924 tour at Don John’s Music Store in Lima, Ohio, on May 7th, an event quite different from the rest. “Gibson Day” had been organized and orchestrated by James H. Johnstone.

Lima Republican, Lima, Ohio, Sunday, May 4, 1924, P. 10

“Johnstone’s Musical Entertainers,” a traveling circus of musical performance that could fill the entire day at Don John’s Music Company. The Crescendo, July 1924, p. 28.

Johnstone was clearly experimenting with ensembles other than the Gibsonians. Notice that in this program, the Gibsonians are renamed the “Gibson Plectral Sextet.” In addition to the “Johnstone Musical Entertainers,” there were other side projects for him. For example, Johnstone’s tenor banjo led a group that included a whistler, Clarence Crow; two 19-year old talents from Fredericktown, Missouri, Mss. Geraldine Bess, dramatic reader and saxophonist, and Lucille Hoskins, piano; and (possibly) Bess’s classmate, Mildred Marie, from Shipp’s hometown of Linn, Missouri. Geraldine Bess had graduated from Ward-Belmont Academy in Nashville, Tennessee, and was set to study dramatic arts at Chicago Music College later in 1924. We suspect Johnstone, in looking to the future, may have had a plan to replace Fisher Shipp with a young dramatic reader who could double on saxophone. This group performed for a broadcast on KSD in St. Louis, and the program was syndicated nationally during the last two weeks of May. Since Johnstone was on the road with the Gibsonians during that time, it must have been pre-recorded.

New Castle Herald (New Castle, Pennsylvania) · Wednesday, May 21, 1924, p. 12. The same program was broadcast from St. Louis, May 20 through May 28.

Around this same time ads throughout the country used “Gibsonian” as the name of the tenor banjo, which was Lloyd Loar’s design. The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tennessee, April 6, 1924, P 47.

“Jumping Jazz Jimmy” Johnstone played many musical roles for Gibson: Left to right, with 1920 K-4 mandocello; circa 1910 three-point F-4; circa 1924 TB-1 and 1922 J Mando-bass. Later, he also formed the”Kazoo Banjo Bugs.” He was the founder of the Gibsonians in 1921 and took over leadership of the ensemble again in 1925 after Loar left Gibson.

Episode 3: March Mando-Madness

March 30, 2024

During the first months of 1924, there must have been quite a roar of activity in the Gibson workshops. By March 31, 1924, they had produced the largest number of Gibson Master Model instruments ever assigned to a single date; and of course each label was signed by acoustic engineer Lloyd Loar. Thanks to Dan Beimborn’s Mandolin Archive and Darryl Wolfe’s F-5 Journal, as well as our own studies, we can report at least 64 Master Model instruments: 36 F-5 mandolins, 3 K-5 MandoCellos, 11 L-5 Guitars and 14 H-5 Mandolas. Of the known F-5 mandolins, 20 had flowerpot peghead inlays and 16 had the non-typical fern inlay pattern (see photo above); all but one Mandola had the fern inlay peghead. We find that a significant number of these instruments left the factory with a Virzi Tone Producer installed. Approximately half way through the sequential order of these mandolins, and possibly associated with the fern inlay, the previously specified grained ivoroid body binding was replaced with white plastic and the finish was scraped off the binding. This resulted in an improved visual contrast. Today we can recognize the distinctive outline that makes these instrument stand out, even in the old photos. The caps of the body points remained grained ivoroid. This protocol continued on F-5s through the “fern” (post-Loar) era. Additionally, most of the Fern-Loars we have seen came with the silk-plush green lined Geib and Schaefer case (see margin scroll), while many of the flowerpot models from 1924 were shipped in the G & S case with red velour. Quite clearly, the Fern-Loars were meant to be something new, different and spectacular.

Gibson F-5 76553, March 31, 1924. Fern inlay, white body binding. A pristine, completely original example.

Gibson F-5 75950, March 31, 1924: flower-pot inlay, ivoroid body binding and red-lined G & S case.

Left: floor inlay design in the Baptistery of the Cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence, Italy, 1029. Middle, flower-pot inlay F-5 75950, right fern inlay, 76553, both dated March 31, 1924. The decorative genius of the old world often shows up on Gibson instruments.

Labels in the Gibson F-5 75947, dated March 31, 1924. Notice the serial number label is in the distinctive hand that we have seen since the beginning of our examination of the F-5. “Lloyd Loar” is signed and dated in the very familiar style throughout this signature date.

Labels in Gibson F-5 75941. The serial number label is written in a different, much cruder style. We begin seeing this more in the F-5s in 1924.

Despite the frenzy of production in early 1924, creativity was at its peak. From woodworkers to finishers, they focused on the highest quality. The team under Loar at Gibson was making magic with materials at hand, and innovation was part of that mindset, not just with the Fern-Loar. For example, throughout the entire production of the Master Model project, finishes were darker and richer, and in a curious parallel to the color, the sound of these instruments is darker and richer. Within that general assessment of tonality, we have observed an endless variety of tone color, complexity and nuance. The installation of the Virzi Tone Producer had become more refined and tonal results in some the Virzi mandolins, such as 76553, the Ada Merrifield F-5, are quite stunning.

Perhaps Lloyd Loar was focussed on the Gibson showcase at the upcoming Guild Convention in Pittsburgh in April and was responding to some of the feedback from the two previous conventions. Ostensibly, there would be a huge opportunity to present these instruments, and additional acceptance and sales would support Loar’s financial relevance to Gibson, Inc. Judging by the subsequent appearances of style 5 instruments in the mandolin organizations of western Pennsylvania after 1924, and the number of F-5s from that area that surfaced during the Bluegrass revival of the 1960s-90s, one might conclude that this plan was well conceived and productive.

Music Trade Report, March 8, 1924: Harry Ferris’ new promotion campaign.

However, at the same time that the workshop was outputting more Master Model instruments than ever, General Manager Harry Ferris’ plan to create Gibson Franchises focused on anything but the F-5. Ferris wanted to authorize exclusive Gibson dealerships and phase out the teacher/student/agent system that had been a hallmark of Gibson’s sales strategy from the beginning. Most of the newly ordained franchise music stores catered to a more general audience who would be more likely to purchase much less expensive models than the F-5. Only the Gibson catalog still promoted Loar’s efforts. The only Gibson advertisement in a music magazine in 1924 that we have been able to locate was in the “page 19” articles in The Crescendo, but even there, there was no mention of the F-5. It seems Ferris put responsibility for advertisement in the hands of the new Gibson dealers, many of whom placed ads at their own expense in local newspapers. The media blitz that had heralded “The World Hears A New Tone” in 1923 disappeared completely in 1924. Consequently, the March F-5s were slow to find homes. We have no sales records to confirm when each of these Loar signed instruments was shipped, but we have evidence that some did not find homes until years later. In a March madness where the head doesn’t talk to the hands, the front office and the factory seem to have been woefully out of touch.

Ironically, at the same time that C.V. Buttelman, the former advertising executive at Gibson, was receiving accolades for putting together the Gibson catalog “N,” he left the company for Boston and began his new job with Melody magazine, officially beginning on February 1, 1924.

At the same time the front office began turning its back on Lloyd Loar, mandolin organizations across the country began to feature more and more Master Models in their enembles.

Cox’s Serenaders, the cover photo of The Crescendo, March, 1924.

Gene Rodemich and The Brunswick Recording Orchestra included two F-5s and an H-4. Crescendo, April 1924.

Original owners of March 31st, 1924 F-5s: left, Mrs. Ada Merrifield, Gibson Catalog Q, p. 18. Paul Lieber, Crescendo, August, 1926; T. A. Miles, Knoxville, Tennessee, with F-5 #75947.

Mrs. Ada Merrifield, Paul Lieber, Herman F. Torro, T. A. Miles, Adolph Regnald, Vladimir Lukashuk, Charles Carter, Eugene Claycomb, Hermon Von Bernewitz and Conrad Gebelein were among the first generation of owners of Loar-signed instruments with the date of March 31, 1924. We have no records as to when they all acquired these mandolins, but for example, Mrs. Ada Merrifield from Willimantic, Connecticut, bought her “new” March 31st, 1924 F-5 from her teacher, Walter K Bauer, in 1927. By 1928, Mrs. Merrifield had an F-5 and H-5; Paul Lieber of Bloomington, Illinois had a full set of Master Models: two F-5s, an H5, L5 and a K5. He was quoted: “music will once again turn to mandolin and guitar. ” It was Mr. Gebelein, however, that single-handedly populated the Chesapeake Bay State with F-5s, H-5s and K-5s.

Conrad Gebelein with his Loar era F-4. Although he was responsible for putting many Master Model instruments into the hands of players, he was more likely to be seen with a conductor’s baton.

Conrad Gebelein, born in Fuerth, Germany on December 7, 1884, had begun working in a musical instrument repair shop near Nürnberg at the age of nine in order to earn money for music lessons. He and his sister left for the United States in 1910, landing in Baltimore, Maryland on the ship “Nectar” on November 9. Working as a musician for hire, he managed to finance his education at the Peabody Conservatory. He attended classes by day, played banjo in speakeasies at night and piano at weddings and churches on weekends. An enterprising young man with an entrepreneurial spirit, he gave private and group mandolin lessons and soon became a Gibson Teacher-Agent. By 1920, he was distributing a significant number of Gibson mandolin family instruments, tenor banjos and Hawaiian instruments in the Baltimore area. In 1921 he became music director at Johns Hopkins University and founded the Johns Hopkins Marching Band, which he directed until his retirement in 1971. “Gebby” was a much loved figure at that University: he not only led the band at sporting events but was often seen arguing heatedly with referees at the LaCrosse games.

The Silvertone Serenaders, The Crescendo, June, 1926. Front row seated, left to right: Mrs. Anna Smallwood, John Hayes, Elizabeth Hubbel. Standing left to right: George Sandlars, Henry Dall, Joseph Ruppel, Duane Hayes, Joseph Rupplein, Charles Wolf, Henry Kaiser, Conrad Gebelein, director.

Gebelein organized several different musical aggregations including the Silvertone Mandolin Club, The Hawaiian Troupe and the Johns Hopkins Banjo Club. On November 12, 1925, his newly created Baltimore Mandolin Orchestra performed a live concert broadcast on WBAL radio, led by Gebelein’s baton and mandolin solos.

After 1924, aside from his commitment to Johns Hopkins University, Mr. Gebelein focused his efforts on the Baltimore Mandolin Orchestra. He also worked to fill the chairs with Gibson instruments; some were purchased for the orchestra and some were sold to members of the orchestra through “Gebelein Music.” In photos on the Baltimore Mandolin Orchestra website as well as in the Gibson catalogs and Crescendo magazines, we see many different Loars, and a few can be identified: From the March 31st group, F-5 #76780 & F-5 75941 mandolins, H-5 Mandola 76498; and K-5 MandoCello 76981 (which was signed October 13, 1924).

Baltimore Mandolin Orchestra, ca. 1928. At least two F-5s, 1 H-5 and 2 K-5s! Mr. Gebelein, standing, back row right;

Gibson F-5 76780, Photo by Phil Cooley. This mandolin occupied the first chair with the Baltimore Mandolin Orchestra for 98 years, often seen in the hands of soloist Joyce Adams. Today, it is in the very capable hands of Michael Schroeder of the Louisville Mandolin Orchestra.

Gibson F-5 75941, signed by Lloyd Loar and dated March 31st, 1924, one of the darkest in tone and color.

We have no record of exactly when Gibson F-5 #75941 left the factory, but we know it was purchased through Gebelein Music and was in use in the orchestra; when the orchestra was forced into hiatus during World War II, it was purchased by one of the orchestra members, Joe Murphy, from Washington, D. C. In the 1960s, Murphy traded it to Charles Barnes of Vermont. Courtesy of George Gruhn and Harry Sparks, Barnes passed it on to Tony Williamson in December, 1977. It has been played by Williamson as his primary mandolin since that time and has made appearances in each of the continental United States, Hawaii, Japan, Taiwan, Italy, France, Spain, Germany and England. Since 1977, maintenance has been performed by either Randy Wood, Steve Gilchrist or Lynn Dudenbostel. During Williamson’s long tenure with the mandolin there have been occasions when 75941 was played by Bill Monroe, Jethro Burns and David Grisman.

Bill Monroe plays Gibson F-5 75941, circa 1985. Photo by Mike Mendenhall.

Did David Apollon, the “mad maestro of the mandolin,” also play 76780 and 75941? He was one of the stars of a musical show in Washington, D.C. for the entire week leading up to December 7, 1941. Gebelein and Murphy were undoubtedly in the audience, for Apollon’s dedication to them on two promotional photos are dated from that time. We cannot help but wonder if some of the Baltimore instruments may have actually found their way into the hands of that master at some point during that week. It must have been a tremendously exciting week, and, in retrospect, a poignant prelude to the disaster and ensuing war that would change life dramatically for these musicians.

Evening Star, Washington, D. C., December 6, 1941_

Dave Apollon autographed photos to both Conrad Gebelein and Joe Murphy. Photo, left, “to Gebby-” Baltimore Mandolin Orchestra website gallery; photo on right, “to Joe Murphy,” courtesy Tom Isenhour collection.

Prior to World War II, and resuming afterwards, Gebelein and members of the orchestra put their instruments to constant use, and they all bear the strong voice associated with much playing time. When repair became necessary, Gebelein relied on the Gibson factory. Thanks to curator and appraiser Joe Spann of Gruhn Guitars and author of “Spann’s Guide to Gibson,” we have received the following notes from Gibson shipping ledgers (it is our understanding that such records prior to 1935 are not extant):

“1924 Gibson F-5 (serial number 75941)-factory repaired. Returned to C. Geberlein (sic) Music on 15 June 1936.”

“1924 Gibson F-5 (serial number 76780)-factory repaired. Returned on February 27th 1942 to Conrad Geiblen (sic)”

We do not know if Mr. Gebelein ordered the Virzi Tone Producer removed, but in both mandolins there is clear evidence of factory installation and removal. Aside from that, the primary matters of concern were wear on frets and function of tuners. At the time, Gibson’s protocol for fret wear was to replace the entire fingerboard. Whereas 75941 currently has a fingerboard with dot inlay and binding consistent with factory specification for 1936, we can suspect that installed during the repair documented above; Similarly, since pearl block position markers were factory specifications on style 5 models by 1942, we can also assumes that the war-time female staff, the “Kalamazoo Gals,” was responsible for that installation. (That fingerboard has since been replaced yet again).

March 31 F-5 Pegheads: Left F-5 75941, middle 76780, both with 1930s tuners installed by the factory. Right, 75950 with factory original tuners. Notice that in the repair on the left, the original peghead was redrilled; there are no drill holes visible on the peghead in the middle, yet it does have 1930s tuners. Also, notice that the string post on the original is mounted above the turning gear and that is reversed in the 1930s tuners.

As was the case with frets, Gibson did not repair worn tuners, but replaced them with current models. At some point in the 1930s, the tuners used by Gibson had a different configuration: the position of the tuner post and the round gear was reversed so that the string tension pulled the gears together instead of apart. Consequently, the new tuners would have to be mounted in a different position. To do this to a 1924 instrument, the old tuner post holes had to be plugged and new holes drilled to position the tuners on the peghead.

Comparison of tuners: Left to right, Gibson F5 75941 and 76780 with 19340s tuners and 75940 with 1924 models.

Since the peghead had to be redrilled to accommodate the replacement of tuners, it is our understanding that earlier versions of this repair would include a replacement of the peghead overlay to hide the work, as is the case on F-5 76780. How do we know this? In the photo below, compare the fern inlay on 76780 to the original from 1924 and to one from the mid-30s. It is definitely the later fern. This would not have been consistent with factory specification for peghead overlay in 1942, so that repair must have been earlier, in a time preceding current records. On the other hand, the peghead repair on 75941 could have been performed during the repair documented, as the tuners were consistent with factory specification and the original overlay was preserved: they simply plugged and redrilled and covered with finish, leaving the tell-tale marks of the process. (Note on tuners: All these original F-5 tuners were open back, and often suffered from build-up of dust, dirt, etc. If cleaned with a vibratory tumbler with fine walnut shells for 4-5 hours, they can often work as well as new [tip from Randy Wood; this works beautifully on any of the open back Waverly or Grover tuners made prior to World War II that have grown too stiff to turn]).

Left: Gibson F-5 76553 from March 31, 1924, showing Loar style fern inlay. Middle, 76780, March 31, 1924, with 1930s tuners and replaced peghead overlay; Right: 1934 F-5 94448 showing the redesigned inlay; notice the finer tendrils of the fern which is a match to the peghead of 76780. However since the type finish used in the repair of 76780 was discontinued around the same time that Gibson began to employ the new tuners, we deduce that this repair would most likely have performed earlier than the one listed in the 1942 document.

At this point, by far the majority of the Lloyd Loar F-5s have reached 100 years of age. There are still many more interesting mandolins and developments at Gibson to come throughout the rest of this year, but why not ramp up the celebration now? As the Gibson Lloyd Loar F-5 has played such an important role his career, we close with Tony Williamson leading an all-star cast with F-5 #75941 in a classic Charlie Parker composition, “Now’s The Time.” It’s a “Call To Jam,” so wherever you are, and whatever instrument you play, we invite you to get it out and and celebrate with us!

Episode 2: Enduring Beauty

February 18, 2024

Rybka’s Orchestra, circa 1924, with Gibson F5 75709, the last instrument of the legendary February 18, 1924 batch. L to R seated: Joseph F. Rybka; Raymond Day(?); Charles Kreger. Standing, unidentified, O.H. Andreson and Rudy Cipolla.

Monday, February 18, 1924 was an auspicious day for the Gibson F-5 mandolin. Many of the F-5s that have the magic label signed by Lloyd Loar and inscribed with that date are still making music in the hands of brilliant players one hundred years later: Mike Marshall, Chris Thile, John Paul Jones, John Reischman, Gene Johnson, Andrew Marlin, Steve Smith, Bob Knysz and others all appear regularly with February 18, 1924 F-5s. Musicians tuned into the power of the dark tone that characterize these beautiful instruments find it difficult to hit the stage with anything else.

The serial numbers themselves are interesting. Thanks to the work of Darryl Wolfe and Tom Isenhour creating the “F5 Journal” and Dan Beimborn for the searchable website, “mandolin archive,” we can more easily study these mandolins now than we could 50 years ago when we first embarked on this search. Of those Feb 18, 1924 mandolins extant, most appear to be in two distinct sequences: from 75305 to 75329 and 75686 to 75709. Most of the last block of these mandolins have the Virzi Tone Producer installed, a secondary vibrating surface attached to the underside of the top (See Breaking News 1923, Episode 1: The Most Momentous Development). If one accepts the sequential nature of these numbers, F-5s 75308, 75312, 75688, 75705 and 75708 are still missing. In the last few years, recent discoveries have filled in missing numbers, for example 75323 appeared just last year. One hopes that still more may surface. Is there one in your grandmother’s attic?

A century ago, the first to play these mandolins ranged from well known performers like Walter Kaye Bauer and Lloyd Loar himself to hometown heroes like Melvin Deets and Virgil Basagno. For today’s celebration, we begin with the last one known to have been signed that day, 75709, which began its journey with a shipment to Portland, Oregon, where it became the centerpiece of the “Rybka Plectral Orchestra.” Appearing under various names like Rybka’s Orchestra, The Rybka Plectral Orchestra, Rybka’s High Class Orchestra and even The Rybka Imperial Plectral Orchestra, this dedicated musical aggregation began with Professor James Rybka, who was listed as a music teacher at 483 Washington St., Portland, Oregon. He attracted members into the orchestra with ads in the local papers, and had already established the group as a traveling ensemble as early as 1900.

The Wahpeton Times, Wahpetan, North Dakota, July 26, 1900.

The Oregon Daily Journal, Portland, Oregon; June 21, 1922

We are unclear as to exactly how the transition occurred, but by 1922 the organization came under the auspices of twenty-six year-old Joseph F. Rybka. With his modern-thinking approach, he embraced Gibson instruments heartily. Consequently, he attracted players in his ads: if you were an accomplished stringed instrument player with a desire to travel and perform, you could leave your old bowl-back at home. Once accepted as a member of the Rybka Orchestra, you would be provided with formal wear and a new Gibson instrument!

The Oregon Daily Journal, Portland, Oregon, July 9, 1922.

The Rybka High Class Plectral Orchestra, circa 1921. Members included O. H. Anderson, F4 mandolin; Joseph F. Rybka, K-4 Mandocello; Charles Kreger, harp-guitar; C. Des Georges, H-2 mandola; Thomas Ambrose, A-2 mandolin; and Rudy Cipolla, A mandolin. (Photo appears in many publications including Gibson Catalog N, p. 36)

The mandolin movement in the Northwestern United States had been ignited by African-American virtuoso Silas Seth Weeks when he formed the Tacoma Mandolin Orchestra around 1890 (see Breaking News 1922, Episode 13: “The Spice of Life”). By 1920, the Rybka Orchestra had captured the mandolin audience of the west coast and commanded wide-spread attention with their live radio concerts. Many performances originated on KGW, “The Oregonian,” and were broadcast nationally as part of “Radio Doings” out of Los Angeles. (Cadenza, July, 1923). Articles in Music Reports, Cadenza and Crescendo magazines extolled their accomplishments. Unlike many other mandolin ensembles of the middle to late 1920s, they did not double on banjos or play popular jazz selections. Their public appearances throughout the west coast area specialized in “High Class” venues like Hotel Richelieu in San Francisco (The San Francisco Examiner, September 11, 1921); The Grand Theatre in Salem Oregon (The Capital Journal, May 30, 1924), and The Hotel Carlton, Portland, Oregon, on November 8, 1922 (see concert program, below).

While the Rybka Orchestra was professional in the sense that they took their music very seriously and required remuneration for their performances, all the members were either immigrants or sons of immigrants, and were remarkably industrious. Joesph Rybka himself was a highly sought after sausage maker in Portland; Charles Kreger, a tinsmith; Carmine Tomasso D’Ambrosio (Thomas Ambrose) was at various times a photographer, a ship worker, and finally by 1930 a full time musician; and young Rudolpho Vincenzo “Rudy” Cipolla worked in his father’s barber shop while living in Portland. (Mr. Cipolla deserves a full biography of his own. A much-loved mainstay of the the Bay Area mandolin scene in the 1960s and ‘70s, his unique performance and compositions were recorded by his friend David Grisman on Acoustic Disc: https://acousticdisc.com/product/rudy-cipolla-portrait-of-an-american-original/).

The year 1924 was a fabulous year for Rybka’s Orchestra. Not only were they riding high on the response to their performances, they were affluent enough to make two large purchases. In May, Joseph Rybka, for the staggering sum of $1485, became the proud owner of a 1924 Studebaker Special Six touring car. The Oregon Daily Journal published an article entitled “Gives Up Pullman for Motor Car.”

The Rybka Orchestra poses in the showroom of John K. Leander Automobiles at Broad North and Everett St in Portland Oregon on May 6, 1924 with their brand new Studebaker Special Six touring car. Rybka himself sits behind the steering wheel, and Charles Kreger and Raymond Day are on the Running Board.

Of course, for our purposes, an even more important acquisition for Rybka’s Orchestra was also made in 1924: a new Gibson F-5, signed by Lloyd Loar and dated February 18, 1924!

Gibson F-5 75709 (Virzi Tone Producer 10022 has been removed): unique figure in the back, extraordinary sound, remarkable condition.

A similar mandolin, and probably the most famous of all the February 18, 1924 F-5s, began life as part of Howard Fisher’s Gibson Orchestra of Eldorado, Kansas in the hands of 18-year-old Virgil Augustino Basagno. Today, that mandolin has had more Carnegie Hall appearances than any other in the hands of modern mandolin master Chris Thile. The story is beautifully profiled in a Mandolin Cafe interview by Dan Beimborn: https://www.mandolincafe.com/news/publish/mandolins_001436.shtml

Virgil Basagno, standing, third from left with F5 75316; leader, Howard D. Fisher, standing left with H5 mandola. (Gibson catalog P, p 8)

An extremely interesting F-5 for the purposes of our study is Lloyd Loar’s personal instrument, 75315. It is currently on display as part of the “Acoustic America” exhibit in the Musical Instrument Museum of Phoenix and can be heard on occasion in their concert hall played by a master musician.

Gibson F-5 75315, formerly owned by Lloyd Loar.

We feel that this mandolin holds many clues that may shed light on Lloyd Loar himself. One observation we have made, based on interior examination with an endoscope, is that the Virzi Tone Producer, #10310, was added later by removal of the back. If the numbers are even remotely sequential, Virzi 10310 was most likely added toward the end of 1924.

Photo (view from back of the mandolin) showing the placement of the Virzi Tone Producer by three feet to the underside of the top.

In addition, we have also found a very curious “doodle” in ink on the foot of the Virzi 10301 installed in 75315. What, if anything, does this mean?!!

A lesser known but equally great sounding F-5, 75329, was purchased by Melvin William Deets (formerly Deeto) while he was employed by the Hershey Chocolate Company in Hershey, Pennsylvania. He, on mandolin, and his brother Ray W. Deets, a printer for Lebanon Offset Press who was profiled in the 1921 Gibson banjo catalog, played with the Phil Fisher Orchestra in Hershey.

Gibson F5 75329 (Virzi # 10165). Today, it can be heard in the hands of Bob Knysz of the Atlanta Mandolin Orchestra. (1990 Mandolin Central catalog; Photo by Trip Savery)

Gibson F-5 75696 (Virzi 10150 removed) can now be heard on stage and recordings as Andrew Marlin, of WatchHouse and Mighty Poplar, forges a new tradition of soulful mandolin music.

Pittsburg Mandolin Orchestra, William Hanna Sweeney; Based on the information we have, the lady in the center directly behind Mr. Sweeney may well have been the orignal owner of Gibson F5 75696. The Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. June 27, 1924.

Another favorite February F-5, Gibson 75702 (Virzi 10167) surfaced in Michigan with a one-of-a kind blue-lined Geib and Schaefer case.

Emily Unkle plays Gibson F-5 75702 at Merlefest in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, 2010. Photo by Tim Timberlake.

These last two mandolins make for an interesting comparison concerning the Virzi Tone Producer. Following, here are two studio recordings featuring solo performances by Tony Williamson on two F-5s just a few numbers apart, one with Virzi and one without. First, “All Of Me” on 75696, with Virzi removed; and second, “What Is This Thing Called Love” on 75702, Virzi intact.

Another comparison with which we are deeply involved is a study of the labels. Readers of Breaking News will recall that we did a study of the handwriting of Gibson employees in an effort to theorize who might have been the author of the serial numbers (Breaking News 1923, Episode 6: “Darkening Tones.”) In February 18, 1924, we see many examples of a familiar cursive in pencil, but on a few labels, a new author appears. We will report on this in greater detail as more examples appear and our research continues. For now, here are some samples.

On left, Gibson 75315; on right 75323. Both have the familiar penmanship of Lloyd Loar and the flowing pencil that we have ascribed to woodworker Gene Weed.

On left Gibson F5 75694; on right 75699. 75694 has a new author. Who could that be?

There are certainly many more mandolins from the February 18, 1924 batch that deserve celebration on this centennial anniversary, and we hope to hear from our many friends and colleagues about their instruments.

There is no greater joy than actually playing one of these great mandolins. As a parting shot, here is one of our favorites, Gibson F-5 #75309 and Tony Williamson having just that great joy!

Episode 1: Lloyd Loar in '24

January 23, 2024

The 1924 Gibsonian Concert Orchestra. L to R: Lloyd Allayre Loar; Dorothy Ann Crane; Sallie Fisher Shipp-Loar; James Hart “Jazz” Johnstone; Nellie K VerCies; Eva Lucille Campbell. Instruments, L to R: F-5 mandolin, H-5 mandola, J Mandobass, 10-string MV-5, and K-4 mandocello. Photo from The Rolling Stone, February, 1975.

Welcome to “Breaking News: 1924,” a collection of primary source documents concerning the many facets of the work of Lloyd Loar in 1924, with a focus on the F-5 mandolins, H-5 Mandolas, K-5 Mandocellos and L-5 Guitars, now one hundred years of age.

Gibson F5 75696, signed Lloyd Loar, dated February 18, 1924.

At the dawn of 1924, the entire world took a deep breath to drink in the exuberance that the promise of prosperity brought. In the United States, the deflationary recession that had fueled the labor riots from 1920 to 1922 was almost as far in the rear view mirror as the pandemic and World War I. More and more people had left the rural communities for towns and cities to work in factories where wages were at an all-time high. Free time was a completely new idea for many Americans, but most embraced it completely. Automobiles crowded the woefully inadequate highways and city streets: over 20 million automobiles were on the road by the end of the decade. In the White House, Calvin Coolidge and his secretary of commerce Herbert Hoover led a Republican administration that championed big business and cultivated captains of industry, while turning a blind eye to wild speculation by investors who bought on margins in a stock market on a collision course toward disaster. It was election year, and even though Coolidge had inherited the stigma of the Teapot Dome scandal from the Harding administration, the Democratic party was split apart on issues like immigration and prohibition and offered no challenge to the Republican ticket. The so-called “Flaming Youth” crowded the speakeasies at night, dancing the Charleston to Jazz music. Young men were often seen driving wildly in convertible automobiles with a flasks of gin in their pockets and short haired, short skirted “Flappers” squeezed in around them. The musical instrument of choice to bring along for such outings? As was the case for P. G. Wodehouse’s Bertie Wooster, there was nothing more appropriate than a banjolele.

Stylish ladies out on the town in 1924 carrying washboard for percussion (left), “jaw” harp and banjolele (middle) and concertina (on right)

Many homes now had radio sets (sales of radios went from 60 million in 1922 to 850 million by the end of the decade), and the phonograph had found a significant place in many lives. “Popular music” was now a commodity rated by airplay and record sales, and, at a precedent that followed popular music thoughout the rest of the century, the raucous, raw music of artists who had abandoned convention gave way to smoother melodies and harmonies and rhythms more palatable to the general public. There were rare exceptions, such as Bessie Smith’s “Downhearted Blues,” which hit number one in 1923. In 1924, the Isham Jones Orchestra featuring Al Jolson (on vocals) held the number two spot with “California Here I Come” and “It Had To Be You” at number four. In addition to Jones’ big-band instrumentation that included a full complement of brass, strings and rhythm sections, the Orchestra carried a mandolin and banjo string section which was featured on some of the repertoire including “The One I Love.” Isham Jones was a Gibson endorser, and the talented multi-instrumentalists he employed were among the best paid side-men of that era; Charles McNeil, the banjoist, for example, reported an income of $150 per week during 1924. The music for the mandolin quartet was arranged by Lloyd Loar, and we have included that entire arrangement at the end of this episode.

The Isham Jones Orchestra performed on Master Model Instruments as part of their repertoire. Despite the poor quality of this magazine photo, we make out an F5, H5, TB-5 and possibly an MB-5. Later, the L-4 guitar was replaced with an L5. Cadenza, February, 1924.

For Lloyd Loar, this was a year of significant transition. By January of 1924, his title at Gibson had been increased to “Superintendent and Acoustic Engineer,” and later, “Factory Manager and Acoustic Engineer,” with managerial and sales responsibilities added to the duties agreed upon in 1921. Loar was tasked with research and development, supervision of construction, travel and performance, mentoring Gibson agents, head of the Department of Repair and, as we have seen, arranging and publishing music to promote Gibson instruments. Another of his efforts came to national attention when both the Music Trade Review and The Cadenza magazines published articles about the new Gibson catalog “N,” with color illustrations of the Master Models. Advertising manager Clifford V. Buttelman (who was leaving Gibson for Melody magazine), Loar and production manager D. C. Mafit prepared this 60-page masterpiece of Gibson advertisement a few months before (See Breaking News: 1923, Money Over Melody).

In January of 1924, the Gibson factory was in full swing with the Master Model project. Was there a mandate for production, to move all unfinished instruments on through? We have identified three batches of style 5 that were stamped in the last few months of 1923, over 100 of which were signed and dated February 18th and March 31st of 1924. Those were the largest number of instruments ever assigned to a given day. Then, after a lapse in Master Model production that continued until October, most of the remainder of those batches were signed in the last three months of the year. A few from the last batch did not receive signature labels, but in all other aspects, they clearly exhibit the features and appointments of the Loar signed instruments. All those instruments signed from 1922 through the end of 1924 are unique in appointments, features and sound, and are quite different from later models.

Factory Order Number from Gibson F-5 81290, the last stamp number of the Loar F5. On this mandolin, all appointments are identical to the the F-5s dated December 1, 1924, but there was no signature label affixed over the stamp number We know this was stamped at the end of 1923 because beginning in 1924, an “A” suffix appeared on the stamp numbers.

By March of 1924, Harry Ferris, the General Manager of Gibson announced a new nationwide campaign to promote Gibson instruments in magazines and newspapers across the country. However, in a curious move that we find unfathomable considering the number of F5s being built, references to the Master Model line and the F5 disappeared everywhere except in the Gibson catalog. Clearly, competing in the booming banjo market was an important consideration, but even beyond that, the heavy push in advertising was geared toward everything except the Master Model. In some instances, some of the language associated with Loar’s efforts was repeated, such as Stradivarius graduations, but the accompanying illustrations depicted the F-4 or even the style O guitar.

Vernon Parish Democrat, Leesville, Louisiana, January 10, 1924

Despite leaving behind the Master Models in magazine ads, Gibson continued to promote the Virzi Tone Producer, and even began a line of Gibson violins, actually made by the Virzi Brothers in New York. Cadenza, January 1924.

Loar’s personal relationship with Sallie Fisher Shipp-Loar, his wife since 1916 and musical partner since 1906, suffered a serious strain during his time at Gibson. They had had not lived together full-time since leaving the boarding house at 1522 53rd Street in Chicago, Illinois, where they had moved when Loar returned from Europe in 1919. They left Chicago in 1920, and from 1920 through much of 1923, Loar lived in two rooms at a boarding house on 216 South Park Street in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Shipp lived with her mother in Brookfield, Missouri. She traveled to meet him for rehearsals in Kalamazoo and to join the entourage en route for performance tours, and he made occasional trips to Brookfield. During the summer of 1923, the offers of Lyceum work that had made Shipp a star on the Chautauqua circuit had dwindled dramatically. Many venues now featured camp meetings with fire-and-brimstone preachers like Billy Sunday, a former baseball star whose ecstatic remonstrations from the pulpit whipped his crowd into a frenzy. Some Chautauqua arenas were even usurped by the Ku Klux Klan (see Breaking News 1923, Episode 9). In her effort to rekindle her stardom, in 1923 Shipp had insisted on returning to her instrumentation (piano, violin and mandolin instead of full mandolin quintet) of the previous decade. That year, Lyceum concert bills advertised her group as “The Fisher Shipp Orchestra,” even though Loar performed with her. Conversely, the Gibson concerts advertised “The Gibsonian Concert Orchestra with Lloyd Loar” and did not mention or show photographs of Shipp in their advertisements. Even though Lloyd Loar’s uncle, James Loar of Bloomington, Illinois, continued to be “General Manager, International Chautauquas,” Loar and Shipp were booked on less than a dozen of those venues in 1923 and none in 1924. Compared to 105 performances in 1922, this must have been alarming for her. In 1924, Loar welcomed Shipp back to the bill with the Gibsonians. In addition, and for the first time, she posed in a group photo to promote their performances. In late 1923, Lloyd Loar moved into the house at 720 Kalamazoo Ave, Kalamazoo, Michigan, where his teaching studios were located, and perhaps engaged his wife as teacher of piano and voice. For the first time since 1920, the couple was sharing an address. Shipp still spent much time traveling to visit her mother, but the language in newspaper accounts began to refer to “her home in Kalamazoo.” We are able to track their movements thanks to frequent notices in the society pages of the Linn County Missouri newspapers; we do not feel we are straying too far into conjecture to assume those movements gave insight as to when Loar focused on Gibson work, performance duties and personal matters.

Fisher Shipp-Loar and Lloyd Loar. The Lima News and Times Democrat, May 25, 1924

During the course of this year, we look forward to publishing many of the documents we have collected. For now, here is an outline, with quotations from primary sources, that answers the question we posed at the end of Breaking News 1923: “Where was Loar in ‘24?”

October, 1923: Loar moves out of the boarding house at 216 S Park Street to a house at 720 Kalamazoo Ave, Kalamazoo. Downstairs, Loar led a team of teachers providing lessons as the “National Music Studio.” (Kalamazoo City Directory, 1924; Daily News, New York City, October 20, 1921)

January 7, 1924: One H-5 Mandola receives Master Model Label signed Lloyd Loar, dated January 7, 1924.

January 25, 1924. “Gibson, Inc., issues new catalog.” “Lloyd Loar, superintendent and acoustical engineer, and D. C. Mafitt, former advertising manager…(prepared the) technical copy…” Music Trade Review, February 2, 1924. Cadenza, January, m1924.

Feb 1, 1924: “Mrs. A. D. Shipp entertained the Better Yet Class of the Christian Church…assisted by (her daughter) Mrs. Fisher Shipp-Loar.” Linn County Daily Budget, Brookfield, Missouri, Feb 1, 1924.

Feb. 2 & 3: Loar invites Gibson stenographers Nell VerCies, Dorothy Crane and Lucille Campbell, all in their early 20s and members of The Gibson Melody Maids, to join the 1924 edition of the The Gibsonian Concert Orchestra. Fisher Shipp-Loar attends rehearsals in Kalamazoo, and the group posed for photos at James H. Johnstone studio.

Feb 4: “Mrs. Fisher Shipp-Loar has returned from Kalamazoo, Michigan after visiting her husband.” The Daily Argus, Brookfield, Missouri, Feb 4, 1924

February 11: One K-5 mando-cello receives Master Model Label signed Lloyd Loar, dated February 11, 1924.

February 13: One L-5 guitar receives Master Model Label signed Lloyd Loar, dated February 11, 1924.

February 18: At least Forty-six F-5 mandolins receive Master Model Labels signed Lloyd Loar, dated February 18, 1924.

February 19: Lloyd Loar receives 94 shares of Gibson stock dated February 18, 1924.

March 24, 1924: At least three F-5s receive Master Model Labels signed Lloyd Loar, dated March 31, 1924.

March 31, 1924: The largest signature date with at least 64 instruments (36 F-5 mandolins, 14 H-5 mandolas, three K-5 mando-cellos and 11 L-5 guitars) known to have received Master Model Labels signed Lloyd Loar, dated March 31, 1924.

April 3: “Mrs. Fisher Shipp-Loar has returned from from Kalamazoo and is visiting her mother, Mrs. A. D. Shipp.” Daily Argus, April 3, 1924.

April 12: “Mrs. Fisher Shipp Loar returned from Linneus.” Linn County Daily Budget, April 12, 1924

May through June, 1924, The Gibsonian Orchestra tours Northeast and Midwest.

May 11, 12 & 13: Fisher Shipp, Lloyd Loar and the Gibsonian Orchestra perform at the American Guild Convention. The grand finale concert held at Carnegie Music Hall…in Pittsburg, PA. Various sources including The Gazette Times, Lima, Ohio. May 12, 1924

May 22, 1924: “Fisher Shipp and the Gibsonian Concert Orchestra to perform at Memorial Hall in Lima, Ohio, on May 28.” Lima Republican Gazette, May 22, 1924; The Lima News and Times, Democrat, May 25, 1924

June 7, 1924: Fisher Shipp and the Gibsonian Concert Orchestra to perform at Woodhaven Church, The Chat, Brooklyn, New York, June 7, 1924

July 19: Mrs. Fisher Shipp-Loar and her mother, Mrs. A. D. Shipp leave for Kalamazoo to spend two weeks with the former’s husband, Mr. Loar.” The Daily Argus, July 19, 1924.

August 7, 1924 “Lloyd Loar, Factory Mgr., Gibson, Inc.” endorses Grover. Music Trade, August 7, 1924.

August 14: “Mrs. Fisher Shipp-Loar has returned from Kalamazoo, Michigan.” Linn County Daily Budget, Aug 14, 1924

Sept 3: “Mrs. Fisher Shipp-Loar performs at Rotary Club Banquet.” The Daily Argus, Sept 3, 1924

Sept 17, 1924: Hart replaces Ferris as General Manager at Gibson, Inc., Advertising Manager Stewart resigns. Music Trade, September 20, 1924.

September 18: At least three F-5 mandolins signed Lloyd Loar, dated September 18, 1924.

September 22: At least two F-5 mandolins signed Lloyd Loar, dated September 22, 1924.

Sept 24: “Mrs. Fisher Shipp-Loar will leave today for her home in Kalamazoo, Michigan, after spending the summer with her mother, Mrs. A. D. Shipp.” The Daily Argus, Sept 24, 1924

October 7, 1924: Mrs. Fisher Shipp Loar is visiting her mother, Mrs. A. D. Shipp. The Daily Argus, Oct 7, 1924

October 7, 1924: At least six H-5 mandolas signed Lloyd Loar, dated October 7, 1924.

October 10: “Fisher Shipp travels from Kalamazoo to Brookfield to visit her mother” Brookfield Gazette, Brookfield, Missouri, October 10, 1924

October 13, 1924: At least three K-5 mando-cellos signed Lloyd Loar, dated September 18, 1924.

October 14: “Lloyd Loar, acoustical engineer for Gibson, Inc., … designer of the Tenor Lute” Music Trade Report, October 19, 1924.

October 17, 1924: Loar signs an agreement with Guy Hart receiving “final payment on all patent contracts and royalties.” (Roger Siminoff, “The Life and work of Lloyd Allayre Loar” p. 65 & 66.)

Oct 18: Mrs. Fisher Shipp-Loar performed at Christian church. The Daily Argus, October 18, 1924

Oct 19: Article appears in the Kalamazoo Gazette: “Lloyd Loar Accepts Musical Post / … will leave early in December for Boston where he will be associated with Walter Jacobs (Melody Magazine)…in his association with the Gibson Company he has been factory manager and acoustic engineer. He will continue his association with that concern after he leaves for Boston in an advisory capacity.” The Kalamazoo Gazette, Kalamazoo, Michigan, published October 19 and 25th.

October 28. An article similar to the Kalamazoo article of Nov. 19 & 25:: “Accepts Musical Post / Lloyd Loar and wife, Mrs. Fisher Shipp-Loar to Boston” The text includes “will leave early in December.” The Daily Argus, Brookfield, Missouri, October 28, 1924.

November issue of Crescendo: Lloyd Loar’s close friend William Place, Jr., encourages students to write to “Lloyd Loar, c/o Gibson, Inc., Kalamazoo, Michigan.”

November 15, 1924 “Lloyd Loar, Factory Mgr., Gibson, Inc.” endorses Grover. Music Trade, November 15, 1924.

November 13: Lloyd Loar performs a duet with Mrs. Ivan Rasmussen, First Presbyterian church, Kalamazoo, Michigan (Rally for Charity Drive) Kalamazoo Gazette, Nov 11, 1924.

November 17, 1924. At least one F-5 mandolin and one L-5 guitar signed Lloyd Loar, dated November 17, 1924.

November 24, 1924 “Mr. Lloyd Loar, M. M. Engineer” (Master of Music) named as one of the judges for Crescendo’s musical composition contest. The Crescendo, November, 1924.

December 1, 1924. At least 11 F-5s and 11 L-5s known to have Master Model Labels signed Lloyd Loar, dated December 1, 1924. At least 30 instruments were finished from the 11985 FON batch, the last stamp date in late 1923; some did not receive a signature label.

Dec 20 (Saturday) “Mr and Mrs. Loar will provide special music for the Christmas sermon 6:30-7:30.” (Christian Church, Brookfield) Linn County Daily Budget, Dec 20, 1924.

December 22, 1924 (Monday): “George Altermatt made factory manager of Gibson, Inc., Kalamazoo, Michigan” replacing Lloyd Loar. Music Trade, Dec 27, 1924.

Dec 23 (Tuesday) “The musical program was put on by Mr. and Mrs. Loar.” (Brookfield Rotary) Linn County Daily Budget, Dec 24 1924

December 23: Mr. and Mrs. Loar perform for the Rotary Club luncheon. The Daily Argus, Dec 23, 1924

December 23: Mr. and Mrs. Loar perform 6:30-7:30 pm in Linneus, Missouri. Linn County News, Dec 23, 1924.

December 25, 1924: “Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Loar are enjoying a Christmas dinner and family reunion at the home of Mrs. A. D. Shipp.” The Bulletin, Linneus, Missouri. Dec 25, 1924

December 26, 1924: Loar returns to Kalamazoo.

December 27, 1924: “Mrs Fisher Shipp-Loar left today for Kalamazoo, Michigan to join Mr. Loar. From there, they will go to their new home in Boston, Massachusetts. Linn County Budget, December 27, 1924

December 27-31, 1924: Loar moves out of the house at Kalamazoo Ave.

January, 1925: Mr. and Mrs. Loar move into the house at 88 Corey Ave, WR, Boston, Mass.

As a bonus: Lloyd Loar’s mandolin quintet arrangement of Isham Jones’ popular song, “The One I Love.”

Isham Jones’ Brunswick recording of “The One I Love,” featuring Al Jolson. Due to the recording techniques of the time, the mandolin ensemble is virtually inaudible, lost to the brass and rhythm instruments.

Stay tuned for our next episode, the biggest day yet of the F5: February 18, 1924!!