Members Killa J Posted July 8, 2006 Members Posted July 8, 2006 I am in the market right now to buy a high end acoustic, and I would like to buy a guitar that I will never have to replace. I have pretty much decided on a Larrivee L shape, the only question I have is which specific model. Is the 10 series made any better than the 3 series, or is it basically prettier woods, abalone inlays, etc? Basically, I'm wondering if an L-03R would leave me wanting anything other than looking fancy, or should I save up for a while and get the L-10?
Members Sweb Posted July 8, 2006 Members Posted July 8, 2006 Originally posted by Killa J I am in the market right now to buy a high end acoustic, and I would like to buy a guitar that I will never have to replace. I have pretty much decided on a Larrivee L shape, the only question I have is which specific model. Is the 10 series made any better than the 3 series, or is it basically prettier woods, abalone inlays, etc? Basically, I'm wondering if an L-03R would leave me wanting anything other than looking fancy, or should I save up for a while and get the L-10? The 10 series guitars embody the highest grades of tonewoods and get the extra cosmetic attention. Otherwise the quality of workmanship remains the same. Larrivee's website is pretty detailed about the differences.
Members Killa J Posted July 8, 2006 Author Members Posted July 8, 2006 Originally posted by Sweb The 10 series guitars embody the highest grades of tonewoods and get the extra cosmetic attention. Otherwise the quality of workmanship remains the same. Larrivee's website is pretty detailed about the differences. I didn't really find much info about the difference on the website other than that the 10 series says it is mastergrade wood and all the fancy inlays. I was more looking for someone who has played or owns both and whether the 10 sounds or plays any better.
Members Cldplytkmn Posted July 9, 2006 Members Posted July 9, 2006 don't worry everybody the W.T.F.?.C. is on troll patroll tonight... to answer the quesion... the 03 series is an awesome value... the build is exactly the same as the 10 series... differences being the gloss finish and inlays and all that... the wood is VISUALLY graded, so "mastergrade" wood, just means that it will have better looking grain and such... it doesn't necessarily mean it sounds better... if you really want gloss, you don't have to go all the way to 10... the 09s are even more similar to the 03s... i suggest finding a dealer and playing a bunch til you find the one... regardless of series... and if its a more expensive one, save up... if its an 03... snag it...
Members Killa J Posted July 9, 2006 Author Members Posted July 9, 2006 Originally posted by Cldplytkmn to answer the quesion... the 03 series is an awesome value... the build is exactly the same as the 10 series... differences being the gloss finish and inlays and all that... the wood is VISUALLY graded, so "mastergrade" wood, just means that it will have better looking grain and such... it doesn't necessarily mean it sounds better... if you really want gloss, you don't have to go all the way to 10... the 09s are even more similar to the 03s... Thanks, that's what I was looking for.
Members sdelsolray Posted July 9, 2006 Members Posted July 9, 2006 Originally posted by Cldplytkmn don't worry everybody the W.T.F.?.C. is on troll patroll tonight...to answer the quesion... the 03 series is an awesome value... the build is exactly the same as the 10 series... differences being the gloss finish and inlays and all that... the wood is VISUALLY graded, so "mastergrade" wood, just means that it will have better looking grain and such... it doesn't necessarily mean it sounds better... if you really want gloss, you don't have to go all the way to 10... the 09s are even more similar to the 03s... i suggest finding a dealer and playing a bunch til you find the one... regardless of series... and if its a more expensive one, save up... if its an 03... snag it... To many luthiers, "mastergrade" means much more than visual differences - it means sonic superiority too. Don't be so sure in concluding that Larrivee doesn't discriminate, visually and sonically, in which woods it uses at their various price points.
Members bigbob3 Posted July 9, 2006 Members Posted July 9, 2006 Larrivee is a great acoustic maker and I'd bet the difference is mostly cosmetic from price to the next. there may be some small sound difference but it's not by design.
Members kwakatak Posted July 9, 2006 Members Posted July 9, 2006 This question has been asked many times over at the Larrivee forum (www.larriveeforum.com) and it's been established that there's really no difference in construction between the Larriv
Members Cldplytkmn Posted July 9, 2006 Members Posted July 9, 2006 Originally posted by sdelsolray To many luthiers, "mastergrade" means much more than visual differences - it means sonic superiority too. Don't be so sure in concluding that Larrivee doesn't discriminate, visually and sonically, in which woods it uses at their various price points. "many luthiers" does not include larrivee... they don't 'tap' the tops or any of that... they pick the nicest looking wood for the most expensive guitars... thats not my opinion either, its straight from larrivee.
Members sdelsolray Posted July 9, 2006 Members Posted July 9, 2006 Originally posted by kwakatak This question has been asked many times over at the Larrivee forum (www.larriveeforum.com) and it's been established that there's really no difference in construction between the Larriv
Members sdelsolray Posted July 9, 2006 Members Posted July 9, 2006 Originally posted by Cldplytkmn "many luthiers" does not include larrivee... they don't 'tap' the tops or any of that... they pick the nicest looking wood for the most expensive guitars... thats not my opinion either, its straight from larrivee. See my post to Kwak. If you could find Larrivee sayng that, I would stand corrected. Of course Larrivee employees (some of them at least) tap the tops. They may not tune them much, or at all.
Members kwakatak Posted July 10, 2006 Members Posted July 10, 2006 Originally posted by sdelsolray Kwak,That's certainly true, but I don't remember anyone from Larrivee itself saying the difference was only cosmetic. Seems that statement came from dealers and/or users and has now become urban myth. Hmmm, you seem to be right. I know that Matthew Larriv
Members sdelsolray Posted July 10, 2006 Members Posted July 10, 2006 With Jean at the helm of the selection process, I have little doubt that his criteria for selection is multi-faceted. Plus, all the wood destined for the -03 Series remains in (or is shipped to) Canada with the woods for the -05, -09, -010, etc. Series destined for California.
Members Cldplytkmn Posted July 10, 2006 Members Posted July 10, 2006 "Woods are graded based on visuals like grain straightness and color matching." Brian Trepanier of Larrivee Cust. Serv.
Members Magpel Posted July 10, 2006 Members Posted July 10, 2006 Anecdotal offering: I tried a L-03 electric, and OM-03 and an L-05. The L-05 was easily the best sounding, and the one I bought, but again this is a sample of three and thus does not at all contradict the notion that cosmetics are the only difference. I would have loved to have saved a couple of hundred bucks, but I bought what was clearly, to my ears, the best Larrivee guitar in the room.
Members Kap'n Posted July 10, 2006 Members Posted July 10, 2006 Originally posted by Magpel Anecdotal offering: I tried a L-03 electric, and OM-03 and an L-05. The L-05 was easily the best sounding, and the one I bought, but again this is a sample of three and thus does not at all contradict the notion that cosmetics are the only difference. I would have loved to have saved a couple of hundred bucks, but I bought what was clearly, to my ears, the best Larrivee guitar in the room. Sure. Individual variability in wood will make that possible.
Members JasmineTea Posted July 10, 2006 Members Posted July 10, 2006 I'll chime in as a Larrivee owner. OM-03R. Judging by the looks of the neck I'd say it's not a premium piece of wood. There's actualy a small knot between the 6th and 7th frets near the side markers. It's not a bump but it's visable. There's also a discoloration by the low E tuner. But the grain is still that of a quality piece of wood, it just has a couple blems. The top is not especialy attractive either. The grain width varies and it has discolorations/stripes. The back is bookmatched but you have to stand back to see it. Up close it looks like a single piece. The matching of the sides is also off a bit, but close enough. I don't have a problem with any of that though, because it plays great and has a lot of tonal character. It's a solid, sturdy guitar. My only complaint with this guitar was the depth of the nut grooves, they should've been deeper. They were also too narrow to accomodate larger strings.
Members bringbckclinton Posted July 10, 2006 Members Posted July 10, 2006 GREAT guitars. I will own one soon. I think the biggest difference is between the 03 and 05 series, i.e. gloss finish versus satin. I think the stuff added above the 05 series is mostly fluff. (not that they aren't pretty.)
Members Osmosis Posted July 12, 2006 Members Posted July 12, 2006 Originally posted by SE1081 I've always found that when you rub your nut sack on the strings it gives the guitar a far better tone. seriously, try it. Who the hell trolls the acoustic guitar forum, seriously?
Members kwakatak Posted July 12, 2006 Members Posted July 12, 2006 Originally posted by SE1081 I've always found that when you rub your nut sack on the strings it gives the guitar a far better tone. seriously, try it. I'd suggest you try that with Elixirs in a really light gauge. You may not even have to wax your bikini area afterwards. Just watch out for bumps and ingrowns. A little aftershave down there should do the trick though!Give it a try. Off you go now!
Members kwakatak Posted July 12, 2006 Members Posted July 12, 2006 Originally posted by JasmineTea I'll chime in as a Larrivee owner. OM-03R. Judging by the looks of the neck I'd say it's not a premium piece of wood. There's actualy a small knot between the 6th and 7th frets near the side markers. It's not a bump but it's visable. There's also a discoloration by the low E tuner. But the grain is still that of a quality piece of wood, it just has a couple blems. The top is not especialy attractive either. The grain width varies and it has discolorations/stripes. The back is bookmatched but you have to stand back to see it. Up close it looks like a single piece. The matching of the sides is also off a bit, but close enough. I don't have a problem with any of that though, because it plays great and has a lot of tonal character. It's a solid, sturdy guitar. My only complaint with this guitar was the depth of the nut grooves, they should've been deeper. They were also too narrow to accomodate larger strings. Yeah, I'll have to say that visually I don't think that my OM-03R would be able to compete with the higher-end OM-09 or OM-10. Like JT's, while my OM-03R's top has a nice quartersawn pattern, from a distance all you really notice is the grain which varies from areas of wide grains to narrow ones. In some spots it almost looks dirty but upon closer inspection it's just a lighting trick. Now as for the back and sides, the bookmatching seems to be pretty good especially considering that there's decorative no central strip. Now as for the neck, I dunno. I don't have any physical defects and frankly love the lighter natural color of the single-piece mahogany. I know it's not perfect either because I can see that they used some sort of filler along the length of the neck (which I cannot get a good shot of unfortunately): What's most important to me though is the workmanship really, especially after having owned a guitar that isn't aging gracefully but still has plenty of "pluck"! (sorry, couldn't resist! ) Since my Larrivee is a brand new guitar I don't expect to see any humps, but I have checked countless times to see if the top is developing one and that the neck joint is nice and tight: So, in summary I know that my OM-03R won't be winning any beauty awards. What really attracted me to them in the first place was that they had that nice "balanced" tone (that falls somewhere between Martin and Taylor) and the fit of the neck/fingerboard/body dimensions made playing enjoyable and with not as much effort. Still and all, as you can tell I do like the "understated" beauty of my guitar!
Members t60 fan Posted July 12, 2006 Members Posted July 12, 2006 Neil, I'm sure I speak for many when I say your OM is beautiful, one of my favorite guitars for multiple reasons.
Members JasmineTea Posted July 12, 2006 Members Posted July 12, 2006 Understated? I don't know...I think the 03 series has just the right amount of bling, maybe even a tad over the top because of the f/b binding. Someone should notify CFM, send him a D-03R. Wake up call.
Members Queequeg Posted July 12, 2006 Members Posted July 12, 2006 Originally posted by JasmineTea Understated? I don't know...I think the 03 series has just the right amount of bling, maybe even a tad over the top because of the f/b binding.Someone should notify CFM, send him a D-03R. Wake up call. could easily be toned down a notch with a can of Rustoleum Flat BBQ Black aerosol, then "reliced" to taste.Besides, CFM IV has a GONE FISHIN' sign hanging on the office door. He's actually in SE Asia hiring bling kings for his new sweat shop. they don't take vacations and they don't ask about 401Ks.
Members t60 fan Posted July 12, 2006 Members Posted July 12, 2006 Originally posted by JasmineTea Understated? I don't know...I think the 03 series has just the right amount of bling, maybe even a tad over the top because of the f/b binding.Someone should notify CFM, send him a D-03R. Wake up call. All things considered (and that most assuredly includes $), the L-03 is my favorite Larri. However, if I were CFM, the D-03R is the one that would make me squirm...
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