The Loar LH-309 - Bad Guitar?

**Musgo Real** · 11-26-2018, 06:13 AM

Hi there,

thinking about to buy me a The Loar LH 600, I found this video on youtube.

Its a video about a LH 309 and the guy seems not very satisfied with this guitar. He don´t recommend buying this brand.
What do you think about it and what are your experiences with The Loar guitars? Because this video is from 2013 it would be interesting to get informations of members who bought a guitar of this brand the last two years. Maybe the production has changed in the meantime and the guitars got a better quality control.

**Jonah** · 11-26-2018, 06:18 AM

I tried a few in the different shops on occasions LH -300 and LH 600 .. all acoustic.
They all had flaws - some just cometic, other had more problems.. I think if they were properly set up it would be ok.

As for LH-700 I had a few opinions (on this forum too) that it was reall the one that came without any flaws at all.

Consider V-neck profile on acoustic models! It is really a V!
And it fits well if you play mostly 'thumb over the neck' and does not work well with 'calssical' left hand

**Musgo Real** · 11-26-2018, 06:23 AM

Originally Posted by Jonah

I tried a few in the different shops on occasions LH -300 and LH 600 .. all acoustic.
They all had flaws - some just cometic, other had more problems.. I think if they were properly set up it would be ok.

As for LH-700 I had a few opinions (on this forum too) that it was reall the one that came without any flaws at all.

Consider V-neck profile on acoustic models! It is really a V!
And it fits well if you play mostly 'thumb over the neck' and does not work well with 'calssical' left hand

There is no shop in my area offering The Loar guitars. The only chance to get one is to order it online to test it. Maybe I should buy a used vintage Hofner archtop from the 50 - 60ties with truss rod, for the same or for half the price of a new The Loar. Here in Germany, where I am from, there are lots of this old Hofners on the market.

**Jonah** · 11-26-2018, 06:27 AM

Originally Posted by Musgo Real

There is no shop in my area offering The Loar guitars. The only chance to get one is to order it online to test it. Maybe I should buy a used vintage Hofner archtop from the 50 - 60ties with truss rod, for the same or for half the price of a new The Loar.

I do not think theere aree lots of shops that have them in any area actually.

Depends on what you are looking for?
Acoustic archtop?

Loar 600 and 700 are all solid guitars and I doubt you can buy all solid archtop fro half a price of the new Loars.

If you are looking for elctric archtop there are lots of options better than Loars from amny brands... and many of them can be the same price or cheaper.
It will be all laminated or maybe with solid top...

Depends on your request and money.
What do you need?
How much do you want to pay?

**Musgo Real** · 11-26-2018, 06:31 AM

I am looking for an acoustic archtop. I heard that most of the vintage Hofner guitars got a solid spruce top but laminated back and sides.

**Jonah** · 11-26-2018, 06:37 AM

Originally Posted by Musgo Real

I am looking for an acoustic archtop. I know that most of the vintage Hofner guitars got a solid spruce top but laminated back and sides.

acoustic archtops are strange beasts... strictly speacking acoustic guiatr should be all solid (leaminated back and sides is a compsormise alread) otherwise it does not live and respond.

But archtops are heavy construction and do not have that many nuances as lighly built instruments...

so I came across all-laminated archtops that sounded very well acousticall and often even better than some solid top archtops...

I do not think that a solid top archtop from 60s can be that cheap.. maybe I am wrong of course I dont know.

Guild Savoy is solid top with floating pickup... but you should try it. I did not really like it unplugged.

**Musgo Real** · 11-26-2018, 06:44 AM

Here was an offer of a vintage Hofner with truss rod and it cost 300 Euro basis for negotiation.

The Loar LH-309 - Bad Guitar?-unbenannt-jpg

**voxss** · 11-26-2018, 06:49 AM

i quite liked the playing and the sounds ... had lots character..

**Musgo Real** · 11-26-2018, 06:51 AM

Originally Posted by voxss

i quite liked the playing and the sounds ... had lots character..

What year do you bought your The Loar and which model?

**Jonah** · 11-26-2018, 07:19 AM

Originally Posted by Musgo Real

Here was an offer of a vintage Hofner with truss rod and it cost 300 Euro basis for negotiation.

The Loar LH-309 - Bad Guitar?-unbenannt-jpg

Yes... I saw them a lot on the net. I am not sure about it.
And again: I doubt they are solid top...
I would rather get some decent well-made modern guitar.

And the top Loars - they sound like all-solid...

**Musgo Real** · 11-26-2018, 09:00 AM

Originally Posted by Jonah

Yes... I saw them a lot on the net. I am not sure about it.
And again: I doubt they are solid top...
I would rather get some decent well-made modern guitar.

And the top Loars - they sound like all-solid...

Hi Jonah, first thank you for all your answers.

After your last post I have sent an email to Höfner Guitars, asking if they got more informations of their vintage models and which of them got solid tops or also back and sides.
Got a very fast answer from Höfner, telling me that they are sorry but they don´t follow up with vintage guitars.

I like the look of The Loar LH 300 (not all solid), 600 and 700. Cannot spend the money for a used Gibson or Epi, because here in Germany they are too expensive as import from the States. Also I don´t want to buy a used guitar online without seeing and playing it first.

**Jonah** · 11-26-2018, 09:16 AM

If you are in Germany you could try thomann - they had Loars and they have a good return policy if you do not like it.

You can also search for Swedish Levin Archtops - they are good... I tried one in shop in Helsinki... but they will more expensive.

Vintage Guitars, SWEDEN - Levin guitars.

**Musgo Real** · 11-26-2018, 09:21 AM

Originally Posted by Jonah

If you are in Germany you could try thomann - they had Loars and they have a good return policy if you do not like it.

You can also search for Swedish Levin Archtops - they are good... I tried one in shop in Helsinki... but they will more expensive.

Vintage Guitars, SWEDEN - Levin guitars.

I know thomann, that´s the place I bought my D`Angelico EXL 1 and monthly new strings for my guitars. Their return policy is realy great. In the last two years I saw some Levin archtops on German ebay, but they all cost over 2000 Euro. At the moment there are a few models there.

**christianm77** · 11-26-2018, 10:24 AM

I like my Loar LH600

These guitars are pretty specific.

Don’t get one if you want a modern jazz tone.

The 309 I tried was good.

**christianm77** · 11-26-2018, 10:25 AM

Wouldn’t bother with an old Hofner. I have one, trust me.

**Jonah** · 11-26-2018, 10:32 AM

Originally Posted by christianm77

I like my Loar LH600

These guitars are pretty specific.

Don’t get one if you want a modern jazz tone.

The 309 I tried was good.

i have been tempted to order LH600 from thomann for a few years already...

**Musgo Real** · 11-26-2018, 10:32 AM

Originally Posted by christianm77

I like my Loar LH600

These guitars are pretty specific.

Don’t get one if you want a modern jazz tone.

The 309 I tried was good.

I saw this video on youtube and felt in love with the sound of the guitar. A LH 700.

The LH700 is too expensive for me (new 1300 Euro here in Germany) and the LH600 will cost 800 Euro. There is no big used marked for this brand here. The LH 600 is also full solid. Will there be a big sound difference to the LH700?
Which Hofner model do you own?

**Jonah** · 11-26-2018, 10:36 AM

Originally Posted by Musgo Real

I saw this video on youtube and felt in love with the sound of the guitar. A LH 700.

The LH700 is too expensive for me (new 1300 Euro here in Germany) and the LH600 will cost 800 Euro. There is no big used marked for this brand here. The LH 600 is also full solid. Will there be a big sound difference to the LH700?
Which Hofner model do you own?

Rob is an active member of this forum.
As far as I remember he mentioned that he sold it to this guy

**Musgo Real** · 11-26-2018, 10:47 AM

Originally Posted by Jonah

Rob is an active member of this forum.
As far as I remember he mentioned that he sold it to this guy

Rob is an amazing guitarist. If he sold it to this guy...same guitar, but the sound is very different.

**christianm77** · 11-26-2018, 10:47 AM

Originally Posted by Musgo Real

I saw this video on youtube and felt in love with the sound of the guitar. A LH 700.

The LH700 is too expensive for me (new 1300 Euro here in Germany) and the LH600 will cost 800 Euro. There is no big used marked for this brand here. The LH 600 is also full solid. Will there be a big sound difference to the LH700?
Which Hofner model do you own?

Hofner Senator, don’t rate it really. I think most of the readily available models are laminates, and tbh I’d much rather get a Godin 5th Avenue

No idea re lh700 and lh600 - only played the latter, and I don’t know the 300 or 309 well enough to recommend. You’ll have to try them.

They have gone up a lot in price.

But if you want an old school plectrum guitar Eddie Lang type sound none of the other guitars of mentioned here will cut it apart from the Levin.

However. Amplifying that sound is an issue. I’ve not found a practical solution to that.

**Jonah** · 11-26-2018, 10:53 AM

Rob is an amazing guitarist. If he sold it to this guy...same guitar, but the sound is very different.

Rob is much focused on the tone colour production, always. I would say the mellowness of tone is most of what he is doing on any instrument.

But the music is not only nice and mellow tone, I like the other guy to... the stule he plays he should not sound that polished and mellow and I like that he has quite lively phrasing actually.

**blille** · 11-26-2018, 11:04 AM

I had a Loar 309. I had read the horror stories. Mine was flawless. Love the tone but the neck was too thick for me.

**coryB** · 11-26-2018, 12:05 PM

I had a LH-309 for a while.

It was a decent guitar but not inspiring to me at all. With roundwound strings it sounded okay but it was sonically dead (to my, admittedly sound-challenged, ears) with flatwounds on it. I tended to play it acoustically more than amplified.

The appearance was nice - it was cosmetically gorgeous but I can't help but think that it would have sounded much better without the extremely thick poly covering on it.

I ended up trading it towards a Gibson Les Paul...

YMMV.

**voxss** · 11-26-2018, 12:17 PM

both Rob and the other guy played music suited to that LOAR....no idea why Rob sold it maybe needed some dimes to finance the other one he bought..

**mr. beaumont** · 11-26-2018, 12:27 PM

The 600/700 series are great. Might need a setup, a little fretwork. The one I had had a nut cut too shallow for one string. But other than that, great "raw materials" guitar.

The 300 series Loars I've encountered have been categorically awful. Big jump in quality when you go up to the 600.