At the close of his short reign, Lloyd Loar's
1924 Gibson H-5 Mandola
© Frank Ford, 2002; Photos by FF

One of only a couple dozen extant examples, this mandola represents the final phase of Gibson's refinement of the mandolin choir. With Lloyd Loar at the helm, the R&D department at the Gibson factory attempted to regain a sagging mandolin market by innovating and making the best instruments they could. So, what once was considered a business failure is now looked upon as the formation of a classic style of instrument. It's another lesson that designing a better mousetrap doesn't assure you of actually selling lots of mousetraps.

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