Members kazoou Posted June 2, 2005 Members Share Posted June 2, 2005 Your right Nate, I don't know what I was thinking.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lawton Posted June 3, 2005 Members Share Posted June 3, 2005 Originally posted by babybatter If you ask anyone from Larrivee, theyll tell you something from the L series, not D. The L series is their 'design improvement' on the standard martin drednaught. I've owned three Larrivee L series guitars, and they were all outstanding. I prefered them over the D series Larrivees I've played, but I've never owned a D so I couldn't say how they'd compare after a longer period of actually playing both. What's funny to me is that the older L-03E I owned compared best to my J-45. The older L models had the 1 & 11/16" nut (same width as the J-45, I think), which just feels better to me than the 1 & 3/4" nut. I didn't like the L-05 and the L-09 as well as the L-03E (which was lighter than the other two, and a touch brighter as well). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GN-Nick Posted June 3, 2005 Members Share Posted June 3, 2005 "insert brand name of guitar here" are great guitars, but they'll never be a "insert brand name of guitar here" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pewtergod Posted March 17, 2017 Members Share Posted March 17, 2017 Aren't all dreads Martin copies? Doesn't mean they are worse or better No. First, Martin wasn't really the first company to make a dread-shaped guitar. Washburn was, but they called them their Lakeside models. The Martin name was the one that caught on, though. And while Larrivee guitars share many elements with other dreadnought style guitars, Jean Larrivee apprenticed with a German classical guitar luthier, and when he started developing his own designs, he incorporated elements of both and his own bracing pattern, which made for a more balanced sound than Martin, which is heavy on the bass end, or Taylor, which is heavy on the treble. I've always been a big fan of Guilds and Blueridges, but when I heard a Larrivee D-03, I thought, "That has to be my next guitar!" Unfortunately, I'd just bought a Blueridge BR-140, so it's going to have to wait a bit. I agree, though, they are the best guitars I've ever heard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pewtergod Posted March 17, 2017 Members Share Posted March 17, 2017 Isn't it funny how often guitars are being compared to Martin? There's a reason for that....Martin has always been top notch. These days I hear them compared more often to Taylors, though I think Taylors are overpriced and a bit bright for my tastes. That's what they were just comparing Larrivees with on the Guitar Adventures blog, and they actually seem to have stolen much of Martin's cachet these days. I really like the upper end Martins, but have been really disappointed with the lower end offerings they have been putting out these days. And the high end Martins have gotten ridiculously expensive. My best friend's Martin D-18 doesn't sound better than my Guilds or my Blueridge, in fact, my Guild D-40 sounds better, in my opinion. Not that his D-18 isn't pretty awesome. For years, every guitar I got I had to listen to my girlfriend say "That almost sounds as good as John's Martin!". And that almost grated on me. She hasn't said that about my last couple of guitars though. And if I get the Larrivee, I expect she will be just as impressed as me. The only guitar to be broadcast live, from outer space!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FretFiend. Posted March 17, 2017 Members Share Posted March 17, 2017 You might ought to take a look at the date of the last post in this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted March 18, 2017 Members Share Posted March 18, 2017 Yeah, twelve years since the OP but still nice to chat about. I chose my Martin D-16GT over a Larrivee D-03 about 8 years ago. I'd give Larrivee the nod for workmanship and quality of materials but I chose the Martin for tone. I attribute that to Martin having a really good recipe for bracing dreadnoughts to get that bass but I have to hand it to Larrivee though; they make a great all around finger style guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted March 18, 2017 Members Share Posted March 18, 2017 You might ought to take a look at the date of the last post in this thread. And did you notice his only two posts are back to back in this thread? Anyway, to answer the question, no, they're probably not. It stands to reason that, if they were the best on the planet, Larrivée wouldn't make the D-05, the D-09, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members garthman Posted March 18, 2017 Members Share Posted March 18, 2017 The best guitar on the planet is the one that you like best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Glenn F Posted March 18, 2017 Members Share Posted March 18, 2017 I've played 3 Larrivees. The one I bought I sent back. The frets were like speed bumps, and the A string was completely lifeless. On all 3. YMMV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tony Burns Posted March 18, 2017 Members Share Posted March 18, 2017 I just tried one of these out yesterday . . . and I am totally convinced it is the guitar I want. I will not be buying a new guitar for a little while' date=' but I'm SURE this will be the one. After looking at the reviews around here, it seems I was very late finding Larrivee (give me a break, I live in a VERY rural area).I'm a little interested in finding some more information on the D-03 Koa and Blackwood models. Larrivee's site doesn't mention them (just the Rosewood model). Can anybody help me out on this?[/quote']Not sure if thats a regular model or something limited - might be best to get it sooner than latter .Larrivee does stuff like that - to spice stuff up - i like that but sometimes not good for someone who can't buy it right away - honestly larrivees are very good guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted March 18, 2017 Members Share Posted March 18, 2017 They aren't perfect but it sounds like an issue with the nut and string selection. Did you have any of them set up to your specifications? Over the course of a few years I replaced the saddle with one from Bob Colosi, had my friend and luthier Tim McKnight install a new bone nut and had it set up for mediums. Light gauge strings may be comfortable but sound anemic to formerly aviation addled ears. That being said, it did take a good year before it didn't sound "tight" anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Glenn F Posted March 18, 2017 Members Share Posted March 18, 2017 No. I brought it home, played it a bit, and took it back to the shop where I got it. Exchanged it for my Lakewood M-18, which I absolutely do not regret to this day. I've read about dead open A strings on other Larrivees, as well, so it wasn't just me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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