Larrivee vs Martin

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  • ToneControlToneControl Frets: 11788
    edited May 2014

    I think you should visit the acoustic music company in Brighton if you can, that's the place to find out what kind of guitar really works for you (well, it's best to live with a guitar for a bit and see how it develops you, people talk about guitars breaking in, I reckon it's often the players who get broken in by the guitar )

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  • ToneControlToneControl Frets: 11788

    check out these guys http://www.soundpure.com/c/acoustic-guitars-flattops-/38

    they do a test in 3 different ways for each guitar on sale, with really good players - youtube videos on here. They will send hifi recordings on request, but they expect you to be a genuine customer to get those

    These show different styles of playing very nicely

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  • richardhomerrichardhomer Frets: 24793
    ToneControl;230293" said:
    Cheaper Taylors have a brittle sound, and limited dynamics - they sort of sound distorted.
    Not my experience at all. Every 300 Series (Sapele back and sides) Taylor I have played has sounded less bright than the equivalent 700/800 guitars with Indian rosewood backs and sides.

    Dynamically I have never found them wanting either, in fact straight out of the case, they always seem 'looser' than a brand new Martin to me.

    None of this really helps the OP, I suspect. Clearly acoustics polarise opinion!
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  • ToneControlToneControl Frets: 11788
    ToneControl;230293" said:
    Cheaper Taylors have a brittle sound, and limited dynamics - they sort of sound distorted.
    Not my experience at all. Every 300 Series (Sapele back and sides) Taylor I have played has sounded less bright than the equivalent 700/800 guitars with Indian rosewood backs and sides.

    Dynamically I have never found them wanting either, in fact straight out of the case, they always seem 'looser' than a brand new Martin to me.

    None of this really helps the OP, I suspect. Clearly acoustics polarise opinion!

    I have never tried the upmarket Taylors for more than a few minutes

    Certainly acoustics are completely personal, that store in Brighton had £6k guitars that sounded awful to me, and others that were amazing

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  • thomasross20thomasross20 Frets: 4423
    It's amazing how many expensive guitars I've tried (electric or acoustic) that to me just didn't feel as good as cheaper models! Maybe I'm too much of a buffoon to realise the quality lol..
    Thanks again, guys.
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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    edited May 2014
    It's amazing how many expensive guitars I've tried (electric or acoustic) that to me just didn't feel as good as cheaper models! Maybe I'm too much of a buffoon to realise the quality lol..
    Thanks again, guys.
    It all comes down to set up- a lot of factory-made guitars leave without being set up as well as they can be.
    Part of this is how acoustic guitars are made and part of it is to leave final setup to the retailer who can liaise with the buyer and tailor the setup to suit.
    This hardly ever happens today with the box-shifter mentality though, so perhaps it needs to change.
     
    Try ti find a well set up acoustic guitar of each type- not just a straight from the factory new guitar.
    Or try to find a really well-made bespoke instrument- from Eggle, Atkins, Benjamin, Forshage, Somogyi, Sobell and the like.
    You might be surprised how much of a difference there is.
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  • ToneControlToneControl Frets: 11788
    octatonic said:
    It's amazing how many expensive guitars I've tried (electric or acoustic) that to me just didn't feel as good as cheaper models! Maybe I'm too much of a buffoon to realise the quality lol..
    Thanks again, guys.
    It all comes down to set up- a lot of factory-made guitars leave without being setup as well as they can be.
    Part of this is how acoustic guitars are made and part of it is to leave final setup to the retailer who can liaise with the buyer and tailor the setup to suit.
    This hardly ever happens today with the box-shifter mentality though, so perhaps it needs to change.
     
    Try ti find a well set up acoustic guitar of each type- not just a straight from the factory new guitar.
    Or try to find a really well-made bespoke instrument- from Eggle, Atkins, Benjamin, Forshage, Somogyi, Sobell and the like.
    You might be surprised how much of a difference there is.

    All correct of course

    Also remember the old trick - that some shops selling mostly cheaper guitars often keep a badly set up expensive brand guitar on show to make punters the cheap brand is just as good

    An  easy way to avoid the issue is to go to a shop full of used pro-level guitars, they will almost all be setup properly

    Unless you can find a shop that does setup guitars properly - there are a few good acoustic shops around the UK: Frailers, Mairants, Acoustic music co in Brighton, Sounds great and Coda have a few, although picking a quiet moment is hard in Coda. Big box-shifter shops are not the best place to try acoustics. Some classical shops stock a load: Forsyths in Manchester has plenty of Atkins usually, etc 


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  • crunchmancrunchman Frets: 11411
    If you are in Scotland then Moon would be worth a look although they may be outside your budget.
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  • 1nten5e1nten5e Frets: 245
    I agree about the lack of set ups at dealers...I have spent a good chunk on a couple of acoustics over the past 2 years, my Martin was absolutely faultless (for me) right off the rack....conversely the J200 was an absolute dog, how Gibson can send anything out that's set up so badly is beyond me......although I loved the guitar and after a couple of days with my usual tech, it's a dream to play, you shouldn't have to do that though :/
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  • thomasross20thomasross20 Frets: 4423
    Just tried a martin ooo15m..... Wow is all I can say
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  • thomasross20thomasross20 Frets: 4423
    The sigma ooo15m is way cheaper. How is that???
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  • richardhomerrichardhomer Frets: 24793
    Sigmas are very decent low cost Martin-alikes (though the brand is no longer owned by Martin). Check out Recording Kings too, if your looking at lower-priced alternatives.

    I played a used (very pearly) RK OM type a few months ago that was astonishingly good. It's the only one I have ever played, so I can't vouch for the brand beyond that particular guitar - it may just have been one of those rare 'gems'. It was seriously impressive.

    That said, if you can afford it, I'd by a Martin. If you look after it, it will be a companion for life.....
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  • thomasross20thomasross20 Frets: 4423
    Just bought the larrivee om02 for £750... Absolutely amazing guitar. But I also want an ooo15m!!
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  • thomasross20thomasross20 Frets: 4423
    Well... I went back to the original shop and compared my new larrivee with the ooo15m with the intent of biting it but I must say... The larrivee had blown it out of the water completely! VERY happy with the larrivee I have to say. It is phenomenal!
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  • richardhomerrichardhomer Frets: 24793
    thomasross20;235878" said:
    Just bought the larrivee om02 for £750... Absolutely amazing guitar. But I also want an ooo15m!!
    I believe it's customary to say at this point "without pictures it didn't happen"!

    Glad you got sorted out in the end. A good acoustic is a great thing to own - sounds like you've chosen well.

    Hope you really enjoy it.
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  • thomasross20thomasross20 Frets: 4423
    Thank you! It's taken some time but been worth it. Got £50 off the larrivee! It is light and sounds amazing, very loud, I will post pics etc as soon as I can :)
    If I see a second hand ooo15m I'll think about it.. But £1.1k seems too much when looking at what I paid for this beast!
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  • thermionicthermionic Frets: 9498
    That looks very nice indeed. I can see myself going for a Larrivee, if only as a stopgap until I can afford a Martin HD-28.
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  • Dave_McDave_Mc Frets: 2324
    Wowsers :D
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  • thomasross20thomasross20 Frets: 4423
    Honestly, I couldn't be happier... it's strength is blasting out chords and playing with a pick. Fingerstyle is still good but I suspect better sounding on the 000-15m. You barely have to touch the strings and it just blasts out; the entire body resonates and you can literally feel it vibrating - it's like a living thing! The first Larrivee I tried was a dreadnought and it was something special... The second was the version in the photos but with electrics.. it was still good but missing the wow factor. The one I bought had the same magic feel of the first, so maybe I was lucky. 
    There is something special about the B strings on these guitars, likely due to the compensation at the bridge. It almost sounds like a 12-string, it is so rich and full. I am going to put 11 lights on at some point and hopefully that wont affect the sound much. 

    The booklet which accompanies it is great and full of information. It's thorough and a little scary as it basically tells you everything that can go wrong with an all-wood guitar. Seems HPL guitars react better to different climates. Recommended to keep the guitar out of the case in summer and in it in winter (unless I read that wrongly) however I will always keep mine in the case. 

    I have a good microphone so will try and capture some recordings some point soon.. 
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