Members JoeJazz Posted September 28, 2013 Members Share Posted September 28, 2013 A few years ago I purchased a Larrivee PV-09 from Notable Guitars. I should have gone back to Dave at Guitar Adoptions but anyway after I received the guitar the sound was great and I was initially very pleased with the purchase. However, I soon noticed the frets came too close to the edges of the neck for my comfort. It was hardly noticeable but if you ran the tip of your thumb and index finger up and down the neck you could definitely feel the frets. Since I knew Dave and I had bought a G&L electric & THD amp from him I had the nerve to call him about the Larrivee. He said that Larrivee had the least fret taper of any of the acoustics he sold. Dave said he was sure the issue probably wasn't neck shrinkage. Although the guitar sounded great It just really bothered me to the degree I traded it and I'm sure I lost money. I might also add that the PV-09 I bought had been built for a well known classical guitar player and the nut and string spacing were slightly wider than standard. I have very large hands so I didn't think it would bother me. Because the guitar wasn't a stock PV-09, I saved $200.00 off the asking price. I was so close to trying to file the edges myself. I had the tape in place and the whole Stew-Mac accessories on the ready but I just couldn't bear taking a file to such a beautiful guitar. Besides, I'm sure I would've screwed it up.My reason for the post is to find out if anyone else has ever had a Larrivee where you could just slightly feel the frets close to the neck and do you think the shortest angle idea has any merit? I understand the logic but I would take a wider taper any day rather than feel the frets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted September 28, 2013 Members Share Posted September 28, 2013 Sharp fret ends is usually a sign that the fretboard has dried and shrunk slightly - its usually the first indicator that the guitar needs humidification. Any good tech can file the fret ends and put a little radius on the sharp edge, and can change the angle if it is not to your liking. I normaly file the ends at about 35 degrees, but if you want them a little more angled that is pretty easy.I haven't played very many Larrivees but I've never noticed the ends of the frets feeling particularly sharp.btw - if the cause is low humidity normally rehumidifying the guitar won't totally correct the problem - you'll probably have the have them filed.edit to add - ironically, Jean Larrivee has written one of the best on line articles about the effects of humidity on guitars. I point to this all the time when people start having these problemshttp://www.larrivee.com/features/humidity.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members katopp Posted September 28, 2013 Members Share Posted September 28, 2013 according to jean larrivee all my guitars must have suffered from decomposition already. There wasn't a single day below 70% rh in the past 9 months oever here.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JoeJazz Posted September 28, 2013 Author Members Share Posted September 28, 2013 Freeman Keller wrote: Sharp fret ends is usually a sign that the fretboard has dried and shrunk slightly - its usually the first indicator that the guitar needs humidification. Any good tech can file the fret ends and put a little radius on the sharp edge, and can change the angle if it is not to your liking. I normaly file the ends at about 35 degrees, but if you want them a little more angled that is pretty easy. I haven't played very many Larrivees but I've never noticed the ends of the frets feeling particularly sharp. btw - if the cause is low humidity normally rehumidifying the guitar won't totally correct the problem - you'll probably have the have them filed. edit to add - ironically, Jean Larrivee has written one of the best on line articles about the effects of humidity on guitars. I point to this all the time when people start having these problemshttp://www.larrivee.com/features/humidity.php Thanks Freeman,The first thing one always thinks about is low humidity and shrinkage. Thank you for the 35 degree angle info, I didn't know what the average would be. I could see too much of a fret angle would make the high E string tougher to nail when playing fast single lines. I remember a cheap Strat knock-off I had that was very generous on the angle but I don't remember it being a problem. On the other hand that was back in the 3 chord song days of mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sdelsolray Posted September 28, 2013 Members Share Posted September 28, 2013 JoeJazz wrote: A few years ago I purchased a Larrivee PV-09 from Notable Guitars. I should have gone back to Dave at Guitar Adoptions but anyway after I received the guitar the sound was great and I was initially very pleased with the purchase. However, I soon noticed the frets came too close to the edges of the neck for my comfort. It was hardly noticeable but if you ran the tip of your thumb and index finger up and down the neck you could definitely feel the frets. Since I knew Dave and I had bought a G&L electric & THD amp from him I had the nerve to call him about the Larrivee. He said that Larrivee had the least fret taper of any of the acoustics he sold. Dave said he was sure the issue probably wasn't neck shrinkage. Although the guitar sounded great It just really bothered me to the degree I traded it and I'm sure I lost money. I might also add that the PV-09 I bought had been built for a well known classical guitar player and the nut and string spacing were slightly wider than standard. I have very large hands so I didn't think it would bother me. Because the guitar wasn't a stock PV-09, I saved $200.00 off the asking price. I was so close to trying to file the edges myself. I had the tape in place and the whole Stew-Mac accessories on the ready but I just couldn't bear taking a file to such a beautiful guitar. Besides, I'm sure I would've screwed it up. My reason for the post is to find out if anyone else has ever had a Larrivee where you could just slightly feel the frets close to the neck and do you think the shortest angle idea has any merit? I understand the logic but I would take a wider taper any day rather than feel the frets. Larrivee has had some issue with their frets over the years. Leaving aside neck shrinkage dues to lack of humidity, they can come loose and, as you observed, can be too close to the edge of the neck or not tapered at the edge enough. Nevertheless, fret work is easily done and not too expensive to make it the way you like it best. The most recent Larrivee I bought (used) needed fretwork similar to this. Once done, it plays great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted September 28, 2013 Members Share Posted September 28, 2013 It's how they do them. The ivoroid fretboard binding doesn't help either. All year round my OM-03R has been like that and I'm diligent regarding humidity. I even had the frets dressed. They just project over the softer binding and aren't rounded off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lz4005 Posted September 28, 2013 Members Share Posted September 28, 2013 JoeJazz wrote: I was so close to trying to file the edges myself. I had the tape in place and the whole Stew-Mac accessories on the ready but I just couldn't bear taking a file to such a beautiful guitar. I don't understand. You sold a guitar instead of doing a minor repair that you had the tools for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted September 28, 2013 Members Share Posted September 28, 2013 *guffaw!* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rainrainwash3 Posted September 29, 2013 Members Share Posted September 29, 2013 Filing down the fret ends is simple. If they really stuck out of the board that much then its kind of hard to screw up filing down the frets to fit the board.Also, if the guitar was made for a well known classical player, I'm sure he would've noticed this before it even got into your hands. This story just doesn't add up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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