Danny Roberts of The Grascals fame finally possesses what the mandolin world considers the Holy Grail — a Gibson F5 made by or under the supervision of Lloyd Loar.

But the prized instrument didn’t simply fall into Roberts’ very capable picking hands. In fact, its odyssey and Roberts’ quest to own the Loar make for adventurous tales.

For those living outside the mandolin realm, Lloyd Allayre Loar was a Gibson sound engineer and master luthier in the early part of the 20th century. He is most famous for his refinements of the F5 model mandolin, but also known for his work on other Gibson products, including the L5 guitar, H5 mandola, K5 mandocello and A5 mandolin, according to Wikipedia.org.

While working for Gibson from 1919 to 1924, he designed the F-style mandolin top with F-shaped holes, introduced a longer neck and floated the fingerboard over the top, a change from prior Gibson instruments that had fingerboards fused to the top.

The mandolins made under his supervision — estimated to be around 200 — are highly sought-after possessions that command prices well in the six-figure range.

“My mandolin was originally owned by a nun who played in a mandolin orchestra,” Roberts said in a recent interview in Gibson’s Nashville instrument factory and showroom. “She sold it to a family in Florida. … The cool thing is, I got the letter where she sold it to the family in Florida in 1939. It went down there and the guy that she originally sold it to, he played it but his son or grandsons never played it.”

Danny Roberts said his Loar was made in 1922, and originally contained a Virzi Tone Producer. The Virzi was a spruce disc suspended inside from the instrument top that served as a supplemental soundboard.

Roberts, whose own name appears as the maker of several modern-day Gibson mandolins, said the Virzi gizmo was about six inches in diameter that had two F-holes cut in it.

“It quieted them down some definitely and (gave the instruments) a little different tone,” he said. “They still sound great. I’ve played several Virzi mandolins that sound very good. A lot of people had them taken out.”

Jett’s Creek is an Ohio-based band that apparently enjoys a good deal of regional popularity — and they’re looking to spread their wings into the national bluegrass circuit.

“Supposed to Be,” the group’s first CD, just might prove to be a good ticket for the band to ride — and ride far. I listened to the disc about two and a half spins worth on Saturday night on my way to and from a friend’s house who was throwing one of those freeze-your-butts-off, late October social happenings in my part of the country known as a weinie roast.

Weeks after I returned from that Hoosier holiday, I received a CD in the mail, “The Picture,” by a band named Buckeye Ridge. And there, on the back of the CD is a band photo with Tony, the banjo picker with the group. So yes, Tony, my newfound friend, sure I’ll give this thing a few spins and then let you, your bandmates and BluegrassJournal.com readers know my own spin on your CD.

In that review, I sang the praises of the fiddle work on that fine CD, but I didn’t know for sure which direction that praise should be aimed. Along comes John Titus, co-producer of the CD — which was recorded at Titus’s J & V Studio near Weston, W. Va. — to straighten me out.

I’ve made it a cardinal rule to listen to a new CD at least three times before sitting down at the computer to give my take on it. Even then, I sometimes wonder if that’s enough to pass any kind of judgment, although I fully realize that any review of a CD — no matter who writes it — is only one person’s opinion.

By now I guess I’ve listened to Leavin’ You, a new CD by The Vaughns, the self-required three times — and then some. In fact, I’m having trouble keeping it out of my CD player. The more I listen to this West Virginia-based family band, the more I relish their work.

Franklin, KY — Major changes are in store in 2009 for the Franklin (Ky.) Bluegrass Festival.

Williams & Clark Expedition, which has been the festival’s host band and co-producer since the event’s debut event in 2004, is now the sole producer of the festival.

And the festival is headed to a new, permanent home — the Bluegrass Music RV Park, just off Interstate 55 in Franklin.

Wilkesboro, NC — The box office will open for MerleFest 2009 ticket sales on Tuesday, November 11, at 2:00 p.m. EST. Ticket purchases can be made on the web at www.merlefest.org or by calling 1-800-343-7857. MerleFest, celebrating its 22nd year from April 23-26, 2009, will feature over 90 acts performing on 15 stages. A complete list of confirmed performers is available at http://www.merlefest.org/. Ticket prices for 2009 remain the same as for 2008.

Willmington, Ohio — In two weeks, award-winning Bluegrass acts take the stage at The Southern Ohio Indoor Music Festival, November 14 and 15, 2008, at the Roberts Convention Centre in Wilmington. This is one of southwest Ohio’s most entertaining acoustic music events, occurring twice a year, in March and November.

With the 2008 Uncle Pen Days Bluegrass Festival at Bean Blossom now just a memory, our good friends and faithful readers, Steve and Sue Mobley sent us some images they took during the 2008 festival.

In the near future we’ll also have the lineup for the 43rd annual Bill Monroe Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival that is scheduled for June 13-20, 2009. Bluegrass acts currently booked for the festival include: The Dan Tyminski Band, The Dixie Bee-liners, Steep Canyon Rangers, Longview and many more.