Been playing a lot of acoustics lately...
The GS Mini is good but I have come across better!
Tried a PRS Angelus which was good (sounded great) but action was a bit high and it felt tough to play. Good sound, though..
Tried a L'arrivee D-02 which sounded AMAZING. Being all-wood the sound was so rich, I couldn't believe it! Going to try an OM-02 model next weekend... £800 and includes hard-case.
Tried Martin GPCPA4 and GPCPA5 guitars... Nice cutaway, looks great... plays VERY well (feels easier to play than the L'arrivee). The "4" sounded better than the "5" due to being all-wood and being made in USA ("5" is made in Mexico and uses HPL). The electronics included seem pretty good but not sure how often I'd use them. I'd go for a "5" but for £800 no hard-case is included which is a bummer. The only thing is, the sound of these guitars wasn't as good as the L'arrivee, but they did play better.
Guitarguitar's own brand, Finlayson, was also surprisingly good. All-wood and they cut out the middle man, so can sell them for a good price. Sounded REALLY good (like the L'arrivee), but perhaps not the same finish as a Martin.
Any thoughts?
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I'm going to try a martin gpcpa5 again tomorrow. Next weekend I will be able to try both an om-02 and om-02e. The main doesn't come with a case at £800 but it's electrics are meant to be great. The 02e has electrics and a case for £950. The larrivee sounded better to me but I think the martin played better.
What do you own?
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If you can get a train down to Runcorn, Frailers have a room full of used upmarket guitars, including many Larrivees and Martins
I think you'll get a better guitar for the same cash from Larrivee, used or new
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About 5 years ago, the Reverb chain sold lots of Larrivees cheap for a few months, some issue with the distributor? Other dealers followed suit, I bought a lovely one from a Scottish shop (Kennys I suspect), plenty were sold up there I think, so keep an eye on local used sales up there, and just check there's still none for sale in any smaller dealers
I had an OM-50, it was lovely, sold it mint for about £1000 in 2012
Also had a D-05, and and LV-05E
The one I kept was an SD-60, Stunning, this is the one that I kept when I went further upmarket
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I suggest a used 312 (which is smaller than an OM) or 314 (which is slightly bigger). These are entry-level US models, with spruce tops and solid Sapele backs and sides. To my ears, they sound better than many of Taylor's higher priced guitars.
Second hand prices (if the classifieds on here are anything to go by) are bargain-basement low for everything at the moment.
If you buy a used one of these and decide to move it on, you shouldn't lose money. A new Larivee would be likely to depreciate more than a comparable Martin or Taylor.
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Martins generally sound VERY different to the Larivee in the clip you posted.
They are characterised by a thicker mid-range and a much less prominent high end - they don't have that 'sparkly' quality to them. In short, they have a much mellower tone.
If you will forgive me for saying this - I mean this in a kindly, not a critical way - you seem quite inexperienced around quality acoustics. Unlike an electric where after-market mods can allow you to adapt it, you are stuck with the sonic characteristics of an acoustic, once you've bought it - different string brands/gauges/types will subtly tweak the sound but not fundamentally alter it.
Again I mean this in a kindly way, you also strike me as very keen to buy. I would slow the process down. Visit more shops, play as many as you can and spend time with each individual instrument. Quickly swapping between guitars can only give you a snap-shot (eg: it is easy to dismiss a Martin as 'dull' sounding, if you play one immediately after a Taylor, yet after 15 minutes you might consider it to be 'balanced' and the Taylor overly bright).
I hope this does not come across as patronising - it is certainly not my intention. A good acoustic should be a life-time purchase, if you get it right.
@ToneControl's suggestion of a trip to Frailers is a very good one. They are happy to let customers spend hours in there....
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Best to buy used as you can then change your mind as you learn
I was silly enough to buy a Taylor 314ce new, and sold it at a loss once I bought some Larrivees.
Cheaper Taylors have a brittle sound, and limited dynamics - they sort of sound distorted. Good pickup sound though.
Larrivees vary from dark to bright, depends which model and which wood. I found that OM size guitars and parlours don't work for me - can I ask what draws you to an OM if you are new to Pro quality acoustics?
What styles do you intend to play in: damping the strings a lot like John Mayer acoustically, strumming, letting lots of strings ring on for ages in a DADGAD style?? Play with nails, skin, pick?
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