Molly Tuttle Playing a 1924 Loar-signed Gibson L-5
MORE LOAR Akin to today ’ s YouTube influencers , Lloyd Loar was a member of the Gibsonians , a traveling outfit made up of Gibson-toting musicians created to boost awareness of , and sales for the brand . At the request of founding partner and primary shareholder Lewis Williams , Loar came to work at Gibson Kalamzoo , MI plant in 1919 , shortly after the departure of Orville Gibson , the company ’ s namesake .
Loar ’ s skill as a multi-instrumentalist was reflected in the breadth and depth of his designs . His registered patents include innovations for pianos , soundboard and pickup designs for guitars , mandolins , violins , and keyboards , as well as a solid-body electric viola or violin with a volume pedal ! During his tenure at Gibson he was responsible for developing Gibson ’ s ‘ Master Model ’ instruments which were handtuned to produce a specific resonant frequency . I ’ ve seen Steve Vai speak to the fact that when struck with the knuckles , the body and neck on his favorite guitars they ring to the same frequency . With the advent of CNC machines , this is considerably less difficult to attain today than in Loar ’ s pre-depression years at Gibson .
Gibson ES-150
THE ES-150 While Gibson was already dabbling with aftermarket sound hole pickups , the 1936 release of the ES-150 marked the beginning of a new era for the company . This instrument utilized the electro-magnetic pickup from the EH-150 which came out the year before . It also featured a tone control which was the brainchild of Hawaiian Electric whiz Alvino Rey who was part of the EH-150 design team . While visually it might look more like an acoustic guitar with a pickup , in terms of features , the ES-150 paved