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My YouTube Channel
My YouTube Channel
Let's keep this where it belongs
So I recently acquired an OM-05 and L-05. Which means I now have five Larrivee (all of these have maple trim which is nice btw).
From left to right (and pics don't do them justice).
OM-02:
Satin sitka/sapele, 25.5" inch scale. Fitted a K&K myself. This is 20+ years old and has "aged" well. Sapele is a great tonewood imo. Flatter frequency response than mahogany so when you strum, the mids don't overpower as much. It has a top end sparkle that is really nice.
(BTW re scale length, I read the change in tension is < 5% going to a ~24.75" scale length whilst changing strings down from 12s to 11s is more like 10-15%, which is what I do. Higher scale length, easier to detune and play alternate tunings. 25.5" scale length and 14 frets, you can't lose, it's like the standard).
L-05:
Gloss sitka/mahogany, upgraded trim and higher ratio tuners. 25.5" scale. L-body is larger so you get more bass (not sure if more lower pitch or just an increase in the bass volume... I think just an increase in the bass volume). This guitar sounds better strummed, almost like a dreadnought, and still has balance for fingerstyle. This particular one has the Santa Cruz hi-fi thing going on and is really, really lush. The body is a bit deeper than an OM so it's not as comfortable to play as an OM.
OM-03BH:
Satin bhilwara with moon spruce top, 25.5" scale. Vine inlay on headstock is glorious. Bhilwara sounds fantastic. It's a rosewood but the mids are a lot more present than with other rosewoods I've tried. Sustain slightly less than a typical rosewood, deep bass and the moon spruce top definitely colours the sound. It takes the edge of the rosewood metallic twang that you sometimes hear - none of that here. I describe it as "spongey" - I like the moon wood tops and their milky colour.
P-03:
Satin parlour, 24" scale, sitka/mahogany. Most folk say to go with an OO but I specifically wanted the parlour size to lug to my girlfriend's place at the weekend. It has a Santa Cruz hi-fi sort of sound to it. The 12th fret neck join and bridge lower bout placement gives this a really nice sound. I do wonder about a larger 12-fret but would have to be cutaway.
OM-05:
Gloss sitka/mahogany, upgraded trim and higher ratio tuners, 25.5" scale. Mahogany definitely has a different sound to the OM-02's sapele despite folk saying sapele/mahogany sound the same. They 100% do not. Maybe to the average listener. A very rich sound, I call it "syrupy" - I wonder about getting a ToneRite or similar to speed up the ageing on this as I feel it needs to break in.
I like how Larrivee uses good quality materials and builds - you can pay extra £££ for finishes or inlays, custom options etc but the value afforded is unreal. Love every one of these!
My YouTube Channel
My YouTube Channel
Played alongside a very balanced (for a rosewood!) OM44R, the mids projected a bit more and I knew I had to have it.
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(the OM44 that is)
There's an OM40RW for £1k on Marketplace at the moment
just because you do, doesn't mean you should.
What a fantastic collection though! I absolutely love them all! Fine work on assembling a wonderful collection of guitars. I think your comparison between Sapele and Mahogany is spot on, makes perfect sense now I come to think about it. Btw with your collection, you could probably use each guitar for a different set of open tunings. One in Open G, C, D of their variants. Living the dream!
@bertie I'm not usually into rosewood but the OM44R I tried was really nice. Sounded way better than a 2x £££ Breedlove I tried with same woods.
@earwighoney hmm can't say have noticed that. The soundboards definitely have differences, though. It's not some voodoo as I've heard folk say. I think adi tops have more overtones over time but they apparently take ages to break in (10+ years unless torrified) and they seem to highlight treble frequencies (which tbh I'm not keen on, though that works better on Martins which are naturally darker) - adi to me is also like a cannon, you breathe on it and it booms (I prefer softer, more dynamic). Sitka is more mellow and breaks in quicker - I think I prefer sitka. Haven't tried Engelmann and others. Moon wood has this spongey feel to me, I like it and the way it looks. Fundamentals come out more (more direct than sitka - not sure which I prefer - both are great). There is a LArrivee video comparing sitka vs moon spruce and the differences are clear to me, very clear. I would love to hear it on a mahogany back & sides, in person.
Thanks - they really are all subtly different and have their different uses. I would love to lower the nut height on the L-05 a hair but I'm scared it would make it rattle, wouldn't want that. Sapele is massively under-rated and given it's the most balanced tonewood (imo!) and folk say Larrivee have "balance," this makes it the most balanced guitar that ever was!
BTW this is how great Sapele can sound:
(The Guitarist OM-02 video is very accurate re OM-02 sounds)
Re bass response, sometimes more isn't better. It's glorious on the L and the way it's done (bigger body -> natural) is the way I like it done. Scalloping the braces on the Larrivee's I feel you lose some of the fidelity in the sound, not sure why (or maybe the OM40 I sold just wasn't a great one). But yeah, more bass can at times be trying on the ear, lose fidelity and can be muddier when recording (e.g. the age-old D28 vs HD28 argument).
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but I assume you mean complete rows - the one next to it (back) Zircote ? (or cocobolo perhaps ?)
just because you do, doesn't mean you should.