Thanks Andrew! These are seriously great guitars for the money - the factory setup isn't perfect, but with a little finesse they become smooth and toneful!
This is a great review - thanks. And totally agree with your observation about how thin hollow body electrics physically resonate in such a way that you feel very connected to the vibration of the instrument & it has a bearing on the way you play, personally it's something I have a whole lot of love for.
I've been looking at these for a while as a gigging replacement for my ES-125. The price and everything else about it make it seem very worthwhile. Thanks for the video!
They are also great when you have the amp turned down, and you get a sympathetic acoustic ring which adds alot of body to the note...which I'm sure you know. I just got two bargin hollows, both surprisingly nice, the thinline Grote, and the "big daddy" 4 inch deep IYV IJZ-500 NA. These are both way under 300, and many reviews on them.
Beautiful guitar and review Have you ever done tone lessons Eric? Would love to see a lesson on creating a blues tone. Absolutely loving your channel and will buy some of your classes.
I think I’m out of character, but I’m really craving for this 302T. It just sound so good and full of personality. This is coming from a guy who plays a 7string Strandberg guitar and plays progressive metal. Very great review man! Too bad Loars don’t sell here in Indonesia :(
Cool! It's always nice to have tonal options! I'm eternally in awe of players like Chris Letchford - I love how clean he plays, and his very creative use of tapping! To bad Loars aren't available in Indonesia! Hopefully there must be some comparable option, though!
Amazing! I live in UK and I'm really thinking to buy one of these, but I was thinking in the LH304 with two humbuckers. Hope you can do a review of the LH304 as well.
Yeah I really like these guitars! The music loft doesn't have the LH304 right now, but judging by my experience with the 302, I'd imagine it's pretty sweet.
Hey Eric...my Loar LH 302T arrived yesterday! I found a "like new" used sunburst w/ Guardian case at Sam Ash for $429. I spent over an hour , right away rocking out. A fun guitar to play!. It is light, but not toyish. Nice finish!..Deluxe Kluson tuners..stays in tune..Tonite ..just played acoustically about 45 min. Really rings out, unplugged. Louder than the Gretsch 5420T I had. I'm really digging . Gonna get some new strings tomorrow. What gauge is on yours? 10 or 11? Ready to do some slide work this weekend! Again thx for the review..really helped me out, to decide to make the purchase!
Eric. I'm over here now. A guy has proposed trading The Loar LH250 SH for one of my dreads (Stanford, exc. Martin copy). He wrote that it's a great all-solid blues box. I really don't play the dread (me and rosewood never got along). What do you know about The Loar? I doubt it's the same company from the old days.
Yeah sadly the Music Loft closed. Maybe try on Loar's website - they have a dealer locator: www.theloar.com/component/customcatalogue/?view=users&Itemid=212
Great review! ive been eyeing this model for months. and months...Bought a Epi Dot..but just way to heavy at 8.9 lbs...this is what I need!..Has that George Thorogood, Nugent vibe...sweet color too. Thanks for showing the clean and dirty. It really growls w/ those P90''s!!...definitely on my list!
I'm curious about the weight...the casinos are in the 6 lb area. Gibson 175's are 6lbs -7lb. I emailed a dealer and he said these are around 5. Is it so light, that it feels toylike? What would you say the pros and cons up against an Epi Casino? thx.
The one in the video is solidly in the 6lbs area, most definitely not toylike! I like casinos too, and if you could find one of the MIK ones I'd say that'd be an even match. The newest MIC Casinos I've played had a weird chunky D neck profile. Additionally, the single florentine cutaway of the Loar doesn't just look cool, it balances on your lap easier than the cutaways on the Casino. Seems minor, but makes a big difference for me!
thanks for quick reply Eric! and your opinion. Yes..i had the newer China Casino, my brother picked it up to play..and said..nice guitar..but that neck!?... I was searching on vintage ES 125's and saw they were in the 5-6 lbs. The florentine cutaway is cool too. Im gonna take the plunge.
Hey Eric, got a Q for you, I've just bought one of these & the finish & setting of the neck joint is shockingly bad & looks like it's been made up of scraps from the factory floor stuck together when they cut the neck too short ! did you notice anything clumsy about the way yours was assembled/finished in that area perchance ? I'm not sure if I've just got a dud. Thanks - Simon.
Oh No! I'm so sorry to hear that! The one I used in the video had a good looking neck joint. Cosmetic flaws I noticed: The frets were a bit rough and the edges do stick out a bit - could definitely use a fret polish. The underside of the end of the fretboard - the part that floats above the archtop - certainly quite clumsy looking. Doesn't affect the playability so I don't mind too much. Is this what you're noticing on yours? You might have gotten a dud - which is unfortunate :( Where'd you get it from? Hopefully they've got a gracious return policy!
Yeah that bit - where the neck itself hits the body it seems to have been sawn off at right angles to that, (which seems odd - you can clearly see the cut line) but the fretboard carries on (& because of the style of the guitars construction quite raised from the body top, as you say 'floating') so then there's just this lump of badly hewn wood shoved in there to fill the gap in between, which just looks a bit like it was an afterthought & doesn't appear to have been at all carefully measured or cut well. It doesn't even reach the edges of the fretboard it's supporting (by quite some way). You're right it doesn't affect the playability as such, but it sure looks crap ! I don't know if that's actually how these guitars were originally constructed by Gibson way back, but to my eye it kind of smacks of a 'chinese approximation'. I guess it is a relatively cheap instrument, & maybe I'm being too fussy, but I'll prob send mine back. I loved the sound of the pickups, but also I found the neck was pretty chunky for my small hands too. Much fatter than say a Les Paul, hey ho, think I'll stick to my Guild T-100D.
Yeah if you've got a Guild T100 that's a definitely a nicer guitar! I agree - that underside fretboard business is sloppy. So sorry my video steered you wrong!
When I was a kid back in the 60's, you couldn't give one of those away, now they're fetching a good price. I had a 60's VOX Jaguar, complete with leg case and vinyl covers in mint condition. Let it go back in the mid 70's for $200. Now look at the prices on those things.
I love those old electric organs! Yeah, all the electric piano stuff is 10 times more expensive than it used to be. I'd love to own a wurly, but they're too expensive now. Some company would make a killing if they figured out a way to make affordable replicas.
Hi Eric,Unfortunately it is far more costly to develop mechanical instruments as opposed to digital. Vintage Vibe makes some nice Rhodes and Whirly style keyboards. They're good ,but can be a bit pricy. I repair and restore Rhodes pianos. New parts from Vintage Vibe are outrageous in price, and parts on eBay are ridiculous. Sometimes I'll find a Rhodes in terrible condition and use it for parts. If you're interested in a Rhodes, I have a 1977, 73 note Suitcase that I've restored. Peterson preamp, and updated speaker mounting in the speaker cab. Give me your email and I can send some pictures.
Yeah my friend has a Vintage Vibe Rhodes and it's gorgeous (and costly)! That '77 suitcase is tempting, but I'm much too crummy of a keys player to justify the expense :-)
That would be cool! Usually at this price point, it's laminate pieces glued together. That's not necessarily a bad thing either - it helps reduce feedback :-)
it sucks, the inntonation is too far off for jazz, the neck is thin and feels like a cheap chinese plastic chew toy, like most inexpensive asian made guitars, green wood is used so you get a harshness and a harsh resonates to the tone, so each note is undermined, it sounds good and is playable, but isn't worth more than 50$ new. everytime i see or touch it, i want to smash it, i honestly think these guitars are horrible. when you sit down with it, it has this awful chemical glue like stench that makes me feel like i am getting alzhiemers everytime i play, none of the notes are in tune unless its open string or first fret. i am extremely disappointing with this guitar, its like china is culturally apporpiating american culture, it is funny but not if you are stuck playing a Fake guitar. Its not a real instrument and its not real music, its worse to play a instrument that is not hand made than to make music with samples that are not yours. but the synthetic mind numbing smell makes it far worse. it makes me feel like i am burning when i play this guitar, the world would be a better place without this company.
Legitimately the best video review of this guitar on the net. One of the primary reasons I picked up a 302. And I haven't been disappointed.
Thanks Andrew! These are seriously great guitars for the money - the factory setup isn't perfect, but with a little finesse they become smooth and toneful!
Does anyone know if these Loar p90s are alnico or ceramic?
Ditto.
This is a great review - thanks. And totally agree with your observation about how thin hollow body electrics physically resonate in such a way that you feel very connected to the vibration of the instrument & it has a bearing on the way you play, personally it's something I have a whole lot of love for.
Great minds think alike! Yup, thinline hollbodies just feel so good to play!
ヾ(⌐■_■)ノ♪
A Very Nice Test ! Thank you for your ideas with this guitar, good feelings ! Thank you for your generosity on your channel too
+Howard Carter It's my pleasure, Howard! That guitar is really fun to play, and not too much $$$ at all! I even like the stock p90s just fine!
Thanks , you help me To discover the great quality of my Loar, through your remarkable knowledge as gitarist and above all as musicians
Aw shucks thanks so much Charles! My main recommendation would be to have a good tech set it up properly - it makes all the difference!
@@EricHaugenGuitar Thanks i did so.
I've been looking at these for a while as a gigging replacement for my ES-125. The price and everything else about it make it seem very worthwhile. Thanks for the video!
I'd agree with that!
I'm jealous of your ES 125! I always wanted one :-D
They are also great when you have the amp turned down, and you get a sympathetic acoustic ring which adds alot of body to the note...which I'm sure you know. I just got two bargin hollows, both surprisingly nice, the thinline Grote, and the "big daddy" 4 inch deep IYV IJZ-500 NA. These are both way under 300, and many reviews on them.
Beautiful guitar and review
Have you ever done tone lessons Eric? Would love to see a lesson on creating a blues tone.
Absolutely loving your channel and will buy some of your classes.
I think I’m out of character, but I’m really craving for this 302T. It just sound so good and full of personality. This is coming from a guy who plays a 7string Strandberg guitar and plays progressive metal. Very great review man! Too bad Loars don’t sell here in Indonesia :(
Cool! It's always nice to have tonal options!
I'm eternally in awe of players like Chris Letchford - I love how clean he plays, and his very creative use of tapping!
To bad Loars aren't available in Indonesia! Hopefully there must be some comparable option, though!
Ooh, is that a bit of Steve Howe's "Clap" at 0:40?
Sorta!
I think it's closer to a messy version of James Burton's playing on "Mystery Train" :-)
Amazing! I live in UK and I'm really thinking to buy one of these, but I was thinking in the LH304 with two humbuckers. Hope you can do a review of the LH304 as well.
Yeah I really like these guitars! The music loft doesn't have the LH304 right now, but judging by my experience with the 302, I'd imagine it's pretty sweet.
Thank you! Hope your channel go big, really good reviews and recording quality.
+Hugo Gabriel Thanks Hugo! I'm having a lot of fun doing this and it's nice to hear such positive feedback!
Hey Eric , Great Demo , Love the jazz sound and the Latin sounds you create !What Amp are you using ?
Thanks Vincent! I'm using my Mojotone Tweed Pro amp in this vid - great amp, very classic sounding.
I believe the LH-300 and above are all hand-carved solid spruce top. The LH-280 has the laminated top.
Yeah I'm not sure. On the Loar website is just says "Maple." ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Yeah, sorry, solid _maple_ top. Handcarved! Why does no-one make a foot carved? Great playing by the way.
Aha! It certainly sounds like a solid top! Thanks!
Hey Eric...my Loar LH 302T arrived yesterday! I found a "like new" used sunburst w/ Guardian case at Sam Ash for $429. I spent over an hour , right away rocking out. A fun guitar to play!. It is light, but not toyish. Nice finish!..Deluxe Kluson tuners..stays in tune..Tonite ..just played acoustically about 45 min. Really rings out, unplugged. Louder than the Gretsch 5420T I had. I'm really digging . Gonna get some new strings tomorrow. What gauge is on yours? 10 or 11? Ready to do some slide work this weekend! Again thx for the review..really helped me out, to decide to make the purchase!
Awesome! What a great deal too! I think I had 10s on the one in the video. Congrats, man!
I love the design, but I just wish it came with a thicker body and a Trem.
I hear ya!
Perhaps you'd like the Guild CE 100 D, or an older Epiphone ES 295. Both of those are similar, but with a thicker body and bigsby!
Nice, Thanks for the great review.
It's my pleasure!
This guitar is a fun and affordable hollowbody!
very nice guitar review, thanks for posting. Really fancy them Loar guitars;)
+coupe662 Yeah buddy! They're great guitars for the $$$!
ヾ(⌐■_■)ノ♪
intelligent review
Thanks Mark!
Eric. I'm over here now. A guy has proposed trading The Loar LH250 SH for one of my dreads (Stanford, exc. Martin copy). He wrote that it's a great all-solid blues box. I really don't play the dread (me and rosewood never got along). What do you know about The Loar? I doubt it's the same company from the old days.
+B.J. Thomas Yeah, there made in China like everything else. Expect to spend a little on a setup 😎
Eric , Where are the Loar Guitars sold , I looked up the Music Lofts and it seems that they have closed their doors for good ! help ?
Yeah sadly the Music Loft closed.
Maybe try on Loar's website - they have a dealer locator: www.theloar.com/component/customcatalogue/?view=users&Itemid=212
Great review! ive been eyeing this model for months. and months...Bought a Epi Dot..but just way to heavy at 8.9 lbs...this is what I need!..Has that George Thorogood, Nugent vibe...sweet color too. Thanks for showing the clean and dirty. It really growls w/ those P90''s!!...definitely on my list!
+RICKY DEAN Yeah I like dots too but they are a bit heavy! Gotta love that florentine cutaway and sunburst finish on the Loar !
I'm curious about the weight...the casinos are in the 6 lb area. Gibson 175's are 6lbs -7lb. I emailed a dealer and he said these are around 5. Is it so light, that it feels toylike? What would you say the pros and cons up against an Epi Casino? thx.
The one in the video is solidly in the 6lbs area, most definitely not toylike! I like casinos too, and if you could find one of the MIK ones I'd say that'd be an even match. The newest MIC Casinos I've played had a weird chunky D neck profile.
Additionally, the single florentine cutaway of the Loar doesn't just look cool, it balances on your lap easier than the cutaways on the Casino. Seems minor, but makes a big difference for me!
thanks for quick reply Eric! and your opinion. Yes..i had the newer China Casino, my brother picked it up to play..and said..nice guitar..but that neck!?... I was searching on vintage ES 125's and saw they were in the 5-6 lbs. The florentine cutaway is cool too. Im gonna take the plunge.
I wholeheartedly support this endeavor! Once you get the Loar set up it'll smoke any other hollowbody under $1000!
Just thought I'd ask how you got those mellow bluesy sounds. What AMP are you using there, TWEED??
Thanks Jim!
I'm using my Mojotone Tweed Pro clone with a 15" Weber Alnico speaker. It's my favorite amp - robust and full of detail and character!
Sounds amazing. Good fingers man!
+# ROOT Thanks!
YW! Keep up the great vids.
This guitar needs an adjustment. I can here some buzzing. Action too low? The guitar looks nice.
Hey Eric, got a Q for you, I've just bought one of these & the finish & setting of the neck joint is shockingly bad & looks like it's been made up of scraps from the factory floor stuck together when they cut the neck too short ! did you notice anything clumsy about the way yours was assembled/finished in that area perchance ? I'm not sure if I've just got a dud. Thanks - Simon.
Oh No! I'm so sorry to hear that! The one I used in the video had a good looking neck joint. Cosmetic flaws I noticed:
The frets were a bit rough and the edges do stick out a bit - could definitely use a fret polish.
The underside of the end of the fretboard - the part that floats above the archtop - certainly quite clumsy looking. Doesn't affect the playability so I don't mind too much. Is this what you're noticing on yours?
You might have gotten a dud - which is unfortunate :( Where'd you get it from? Hopefully they've got a gracious return policy!
Yeah that bit - where the neck itself hits the body it seems to have been sawn off at right angles to that, (which seems odd - you can clearly see the cut line) but the fretboard carries on (& because of the style of the guitars construction quite raised from the body top, as you say 'floating') so then there's just this lump of badly hewn wood shoved in there to fill the gap in between, which just looks a bit like it was an afterthought & doesn't appear to have been at all carefully measured or cut well. It doesn't even reach the edges of the fretboard it's supporting (by quite some way). You're right it doesn't affect the playability as such, but it sure looks crap ! I don't know if that's actually how these guitars were originally constructed by Gibson way back, but to my eye it kind of smacks of a 'chinese approximation'. I guess it is a relatively cheap instrument, & maybe I'm being too fussy, but I'll prob send mine back. I loved the sound of the pickups, but also I found the neck was pretty chunky for my small hands too. Much fatter than say a Les Paul, hey ho, think I'll stick to my Guild T-100D.
Yeah if you've got a Guild T100 that's a definitely a nicer guitar! I agree - that underside fretboard business is sloppy. So sorry my video steered you wrong!
Silvertone Amp??
Yup! An old 1484!
@@EricHaugenGuitar A friend has one he still uses in his band. Sounds good, looks very rough. Still going strong with minimal or no servicing.
Cissy Strut! Any chance of a lesson ...?
+koho ooooh that's a good one!
Can't really tell - is the back carved also, or is it flat?
Indeed it is!
Yes, it's a laminate maple top.
Aha thanks for confirming!
My 302T weighs in a almost exactly 5lbs. Post-Covid, The Loar no longer make this style of guitar and focus on the full-bodied archtops.
Is that an old Silvertone amp in the back?
Sure is! It's a 1964 Silvertone 1484.
When I was a kid back in the 60's, you couldn't give one of those away, now they're fetching a good price. I had a 60's VOX Jaguar, complete with leg case and vinyl covers in mint condition. Let it go back in the mid 70's for $200. Now look at the prices on those things.
I love those old electric organs! Yeah, all the electric piano stuff is 10 times more expensive than it used to be. I'd love to own a wurly, but they're too expensive now. Some company would make a killing if they figured out a way to make affordable replicas.
Hi Eric,Unfortunately it is far more costly to develop mechanical instruments as opposed to digital. Vintage Vibe makes some nice Rhodes and Whirly style keyboards. They're good ,but can be a bit pricy. I repair and restore Rhodes pianos. New parts from Vintage Vibe are outrageous in price, and parts on eBay are ridiculous. Sometimes I'll find a Rhodes in terrible condition and use it for parts. If you're interested in a Rhodes, I have a 1977, 73 note Suitcase that I've restored. Peterson preamp, and updated speaker mounting in the speaker cab. Give me your email and I can send some pictures.
Yeah my friend has a Vintage Vibe Rhodes and it's gorgeous (and costly)! That '77 suitcase is tempting, but I'm much too crummy of a keys player to justify the expense :-)
what is the riff @ 1:42
Ah yes, that's one of my favorite little Spanish Classical pieces: "Ejercicio in Em."
Awesome, thanks!
good review
Thanks so much! It's a really good affordable guitar - with a proper setup it outshines guitars 3X it's price!
Now that’s a nice guitar right there 👌
Yeah! Especially for the cash!
Once you spend a little more to get a pro setup on these, they're totally solid!
What's the riff at 2:00?
+A Nonymous Why that would be "Cissy Strut" by The Meters! Cool band! ☜(˚▽˚)☞
For cripes sakes that guitar screams out to play a few George Thorogood or Bo Diddley riffs !
Totally!
It's solid wood, I heard.
That would be cool!
Usually at this price point, it's laminate pieces glued together. That's not necessarily a bad thing either - it helps reduce feedback :-)
Too bad they discontinued this whole electric line.
it sucks, the inntonation is too far off for jazz, the neck is thin and feels like a cheap chinese plastic chew toy, like most inexpensive asian made guitars, green wood is used so you get a harshness and a harsh resonates to the tone, so each note is undermined, it sounds good and is playable, but isn't worth more than 50$ new. everytime i see or touch it, i want to smash it, i honestly think these guitars are horrible. when you sit down with it, it has this awful chemical glue like stench that makes me feel like i am getting alzhiemers everytime i play, none of the notes are in tune unless its open string or first fret. i am extremely disappointing with this guitar, its like china is culturally apporpiating american culture, it is funny but not if you are stuck playing a Fake guitar. Its not a real instrument and its not real music, its worse to play a instrument that is not hand made than to make music with samples that are not yours. but the synthetic mind numbing smell makes it far worse. it makes me feel like i am burning when i play this guitar, the world would be a better place without this company.