Description

Lovely Loar LO-16-BK with an added Trapeze Tailpiece, $449!

The Loar LO-16-BK is an acoustic guitar known for its vintage-inspired design and affordable price point. The LO-16-BK is part of The Loar’s line of guitars that blend classic designs with modern craftsmanship, catering to players who seek the aesthetics and sound of early 20th-century guitars.

Key Specifications and Features:

  • Body Shape: The LO-16-BK features a small body, L-00 style, which is a classic parlor shape popular in the early 1900s. This smaller body size makes the guitar more comfortable to play, especially for fingerstyle players or those who prefer a more intimate sound. The body size also provides a focused, articulate tone.
  • Top: The guitar is equipped with a solid spruce top, which contributes to a bright and responsive sound. Spruce is known for its ability to produce a wide dynamic range, making it a popular choice for guitar tops.
  • Back and Sides: The mahogany back and sides give the LO-16-BK a warm, woody tone with rich midrange frequencies. This combination of spruce and mahogany is a traditional pairing for acoustic guitars, providing both clarity and warmth in the sound.
  • Neck: The neck is made of mahogany, known for its stability and durability. The fingerboard is rosewood, offering a smooth playing experience and a warm tone.
  • Scale Length: The LO-16-BK has a 25.4-inch scale length, which is slightly longer than some parlor-style guitars. This helps maintain string tension and gives the guitar a bit more projection and power, making it suitable for both fingerpicking and light strumming.
  • Nut Width: With a 1-11/16 inch nut width, the neck is comfortable for most players, offering enough room for fingerstyle playing without feeling too wide for those used to standard acoustic guitar necks.
  • Finish: The BK in the model name stands for black, referring to the guitar’s glossy black finish. This finish, combined with the guitar’s vintage-style open-gear tuners and small body, gives the LO-16-BK a timeless, classic appearance.

Aesthetic and Build Quality:

The LO-16-BK is designed to emulate the aesthetics of early blues guitars from the 1930s. The glossy black finish, combined with its small body and white binding, gives it a striking vintage look. The guitar features a mother-of-pearl headstock inlay and a firestripe pickguard, further enhancing its classic visual appeal.

The overall build quality is solid, with attention to detail in both craftsmanship and design. Though it’s an affordable guitar, The Loar is known for producing instruments with quality materials and good construction, making the LO-16-BK a great option for those seeking a vintage-styled guitar without breaking the bank.

Sound Profile:

The Loar LO-16-BK delivers a focused, balanced tone, characteristic of smaller-bodied guitars. The solid spruce topensures that the sound is crisp and articulate, while the mahogany back and sides add warmth and depth, particularly in the midrange. The result is a guitar that excels in fingerstyle playing but can also handle light to moderate strumming.

Its smaller body shape produces a tighter, more intimate sound, which makes it well-suited for genres such as blues, folk, and country. The guitar’s bright, focused sound allows it to cut through in smaller ensembles, while its midrange warmth gives it a pleasing solo tone.

Country of Manufacture:

  • China: The Loar LO-16-BK is manufactured in China. The Loar brand, while based in the U.S., has its instruments built overseas to keep costs affordable while maintaining high standards of quality.