My The Loar LH300 Experience
 

I traded for this about a year ago. The set up and intonation was not ideal and I fiddled around until I got it where I like. I am generally a finger picker and have had a devil of a time getting the tone I wanted. String changes have been frequent. Popular belief here is medium nickel steel strings; tried-did not like. As a fingerstyle player I don’t care for medium strings at all. So, I decided the other day, I would give Elixer PB nanoweb lights a try and if still not happy with the sound I’d trade it for something better suited to what I play. I wanted this to work because I’m a fan of Roberto Menescal who sometimes plays an arch top. All I can say is the Elixers have done it!! (Ymmv).

I don’t know the age of this guitar. It has been upgraded with a cast tailpiece, floating pick guard and an armrest by a prior owner. It’s earned a place in the rotation for now with these strings on it.

I know these get mixed reviews, but for now at least I’m good with this one. I hope this may be of use to someone also struggling with one of these.

Mike

Check the bridge fit, Mike, especially if you moved it from its its original location; FYI a poorly-fitted bridge base is probably the biggest tone-sucker in the archtop world, and while it sounds like the previous owner put a lot of bucks into meaningless bling I'm willing to bet that he/she overlooked the one detail that would make the guitar sound as good as it looks. Do a check by sliding the corner of a piece of looseleaf paper around the edges of the bridge base, and if you can get 1/32" or more underneath at any point you need to bring it to an experienced archtop tech (many guys who know their stuff when it comes to flattops/electrics don't know what makes an archtop tick) or a violin luthier (the procedure for fitting a violin-family bridge is virtually identical) - I think you'll notice a major improvement in tone...

Bridge is well fit. I also play mandolin so I’m familiar with the importance of a properly fit bridge. I insured a good fit when I adjusted for intonation. Thanks for the suggestion-that’s an important point!

Congratulations on finding the tone you were looking for in your Loar LH300. Beautiful guitar. Thanks for posting how you got there...I'm sure others will benefit from your tonal success.