Members onetubetone Posted January 11, 2006 Members Posted January 11, 2006 I posted this on the Larrivee forum but I thought you guys would be interested too. Getting into some home recording, I decided to record a little cd for myself of some stuff I've been working on. I wasn't sure quite what to expect with the recorded sound of my larrivee LV-03K (koa back/sides) because I've never recorded with it seriously before, and I was planning on playing a couple different styles. Long story short, I was again pleasantly surprised by my Larrivee. It sounded so good (to me!) on all the different styles I played that I left all the guitar tracks dry... no compression, EQ, or reverb. Also, I really think these clips capture what a Larrivee L series w/ koa sounds like in person. Take a listen to a few short examples: The first is strumming, the second is flatpicking, and the last is fingerpicking: http://www.broadjam.com/transmit/transmit.asp?txygnbz=26005&chkldsxv1=195889&chkldsxv2=195999&chkldsxv3=196003&yhgbndsq=3 of course, these are small mp3s, so the quality is a bit compromised. AND i can't sing
Members t60 fan Posted January 11, 2006 Members Posted January 11, 2006 L-series are definitely my favorite Larrivee's. I've never played a Koa, but I'll bet its great. I wonder if they made any Blackwood L's, I've seen D-series before. I would love to play either a Koa or a Blackwood LV-03.
Members onetubetone Posted January 11, 2006 Author Members Posted January 11, 2006 I'm sure they made Blackwood L's. Perhaps not as many as koa though.
Members Cldplytkmn Posted January 11, 2006 Members Posted January 11, 2006 jean larrivee was born to make his L guitars... for a while it was their only shape... THE larrivee shape... OMs and Ds came later... i love the Ls... when (not for a long time) i get another guitar, i can see some head to head matchups with J45s, AJs, and L09s in my future... not any time soon though... shucks.
Members t60 fan Posted January 12, 2006 Members Posted January 12, 2006 Originally posted by Cldplytkmn jean larrivee was born to make his L guitars... for a while it was their only shape... THE larrivee shape... OMs and Ds came later... I didn't know that, but it certainly adds up. For me, when I think Larrivee, I think L (or LV). That's not taking anything away from OM's or D's, they're awesome too. Just I identify Larrivee with the L's. I feel similarly about Tacoma and their Chiefs and Road Kings. If money were no object I'd own a Chief just cause they're unique and to me cool.
Members Cldplytkmn Posted January 12, 2006 Members Posted January 12, 2006 Jean was and still is a classical guitar guy... all of the high end larrivee classicals are still made by him personally. He essentially just sized up his classical guitars to make steel string versions that'd have the volume and tone to stand up to steel string style playing.
Members onetubetone Posted January 12, 2006 Author Members Posted January 12, 2006 All I'll say is that the L series, more than any other IMO, has that larrivee sound
Members Filibuster Posted January 19, 2006 Members Posted January 19, 2006 Wow - that sounds GREAT! YESTERDAY I was ready to pull the trigger on an L-03 online, but went to local dealer to see if they could come close and they did a very good job of upselling me toward a L-05 or a Morgan Concert -- citing "B" quality wood on the L-03... Was settling on the Morgan (double the $$$ of the L-03)... but after listening to your clip I am once again CONFUSED! UNFORTUNATELY I am in a small town and it will be a case of ordering/paying prior to hearing... Worth the extra for an L-05 or Morgan Concert???
Members onetubetone Posted January 19, 2006 Author Members Posted January 19, 2006 Glad you liked the clips!! Hmm good question. On the larrivee forum, the say the only benefits of the higher series Larrivee's are cosmetic. You should play them side be side and see which you like better. My only advice is, try and find a store and play a bunch, see if any model reeally strikes you as excellent. And if you get a Larry (or any guitar) I highly recommend Pyramid strings. Love them, theyre what I used in the recordings, and theyre about 3 months old at the time of recording! Also, I tune everything down half a step.
Members kwakatak Posted January 19, 2006 Members Posted January 19, 2006 Filibuster: I'd take the salesperson's comments with a grain of salt. There's nothing "B" grade about the 03s. The 05s are called "select mahogany" for visual characteristics only. Other than the 03s having satin finish, they're still constructed exactly the same. BTW - I don't know anything about Morgans. FWIW, I would try and find a L-03 and reserve judgement until then. I'm also in a town where Larrivee "dealers" only carry a handful, but in my case they're mostly 03 series. I've played a couple that didn't speak to me, but I've also played a bunch that were very nice and IMO they were still every bit as nice as the 05 or 09 hanging next to them. OTOH If you can't wait, then I would also say that a reputable online dealer should offer and honor at least a 2 day full-refund/return window, though you'd have to pay return shipping. As long as you're able to make up your mind you should be safe.
Members Cldplytkmn Posted January 19, 2006 Members Posted January 19, 2006 one of the best larrivee's i've ever played was an L03... i think the 03s sound VERY good... the L05s are prettier, but thats all that eye of the beholder stuff...
Members t60 fan Posted January 19, 2006 Members Posted January 19, 2006 I'd be very surprised if there is anything "B" about an 03. Contact Larrivee yourself to find out. That dealer is trying to sell you out of HIS stock.
Members Cldplytkmn Posted January 19, 2006 Members Posted January 19, 2006 its been confirmed, Filibuster, from a company man that the woods are graded only visually. So while it could be said that the 03s get the "B" stock visually, it would have no impact on tone. Its possible to fine 03s that sound as good as or better than 05s, 09s, etc.
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