NAGD - Canadian lovliness

McToot

I've been without an acoustic for a while now and while I'm a confirmed electric-head I've felt that I need to get an acoustic in me life.  In summer I stayed at my bezzer's holiday cottage where he leaves his 'custom shop' Larrivee (California made not Vancouver) and I was smitten with it. 

Long story short a Vancouver made D-03 came up on Scumtree locally and I popped up to play it.  Only went and came back with the damn thing.  It's great. 

I'll try and quantify that later but for now, just a crappy pic of it...

You can't see from this pic but it's got this crazy 'bear claw' pattern on the Sitka top, which is quite unusual and funky.  Big, bold, plenty of thump and with a new set of wires and a wash n brush up it'll be grand. 

richardhomer

That's a lovely looking guitar - really 'classic'.

EricTheWeary

Very nice. Obviously needs a strum through of this

BigMonka

Looks lovely, in my mind that is exactly what an acoustic should look like!

McToot

BigMonka said:

Looks lovely, in my mind that is exactly what an acoustic should look like!

Yep. While I suspect I'd like the ergonomics of some of the smaller bodied OMs and the like, I'm a sucker for a dread (sure there's a reggae love song in that).

So,  a couple of hours in on it and I really know that I made the right choice: it wasn't cheap, but as far as I can tell the best price for them new in the UK is well over £1k so I did OK.  It's articulate, but loud and has a great thump of bottom end.  I'm no fingerstylist so can't comment on it from that angle. 

On the downside, one of the tuners seems to be a bit faulty (requires quite a bit of turning to change pitch much: maybe the gear is warn??) and the satin neck has been worn to a gloss and I really prefer satin... 

But apart from that it's the Spaniels' swingers...

paultje

I love my little L' Arrivee. I have an old SC09, made in Canada in 1981. The top has turned to a lovely mellow Amber colour and the neck is the best, most comfortable, I have played on any guitar, including my electrics. The only drawback is the battery replacement for the Fishman electrics which is inside the body on the neck joint, which means slackening all the strings and digging inside! A sweet little guitar roughly OM size. [IMG]http://i68.tinypic.com/f1a2qq.jpg[/IMG] Paultje.

strtdv

Regarding the tuning issue, it's worth checking the string isn't binding at the nut.
If it is I use some graphite in the nut slot to lubricate it when I change strings

McToot

strtdv said:

Regarding the tuning issue, it's worth checking the string isn't binding at the nut.
If it is I use some graphite in the nut slot to lubricate it when I change strings

I've checked that. I think the gearing on the tuner is just a bit worn or badly formed.  I've put new strings on it and once I'd worn them in a bit it hardly ever needs tuning anyway so I'm just living with it. 

It is such a bloody gorgeous sounding instrument. I'm playing it loads more than any of my electrics and even considering looking for someone to give a dozen fingerstyle lessons to give me a bit of a leg up. 

earwighoney

McToot said:

strtdv said:

Regarding the tuning issue, it's worth checking the string isn't binding at the nut.
If it is I use some graphite in the nut slot to lubricate it when I change strings

I've checked that. I think the gearing on the tuner is just a bit worn or badly formed.  I've put new strings on it and once I'd worn them in a bit it hardly ever needs tuning anyway so I'm just living with it. 

It is such a bloody gorgeous sounding instrument. I'm playing it loads more than any of my electrics and even considering looking for someone to give a dozen fingerstyle lessons to give me a bit of a leg up. 

Congrats on your Larry, they are fine guitars.  

They have Ping tuners, which most Larry's, Martins and many other guitars send out with, and some do upgrade, I'm planning to upgrade mine at sometime soon. I think the bushing size matches up for Gotoh's of a similar nature, I'd recommend taking out the tuner to try to measure the tuner size before buying replacements, give me a PM if you need some info.  

Be wary about the fingerstyle thing, I started doing that a while back and pretty much didn't pick up an electric guitar for almost 7 years afterwards!  

McToot

earwighoney said:

McToot said:

strtdv said:

Regarding the tuning issue, it's worth checking the string isn't binding at the nut.
If it is I use some graphite in the nut slot to lubricate it when I change strings

I've checked that. I think the gearing on the tuner is just a bit worn or badly formed.  I've put new strings on it and once I'd worn them in a bit it hardly ever needs tuning anyway so I'm just living with it. 

It is such a bloody gorgeous sounding instrument. I'm playing it loads more than any of my electrics and even considering looking for someone to give a dozen fingerstyle lessons to give me a bit of a leg up. 

Congrats on your Larry, they are fine guitars.  

They have Ping tuners, which most Larry's, Martins and many other guitars send out with, and some do upgrade, I'm planning to upgrade mine at sometime soon. I think the bushing size matches up for Gotoh's of a similar nature, I'd recommend taking out the tuner to try to measure the tuner size before buying replacements, give me a PM if you need some info.  

Be wary about the fingerstyle thing, I started doing that a while back and pretty much didn't pick up an electric guitar for almost 7 years afterwards!  

Thanks for the intel feller.  I actually joined the Larrivee forum and there's plenty of chatter about the tuners there.  I found that the exact replacement sets are pretty bloody expensive, so I'm making do for the moment. 

Wis for the last bit.  I'm already looking at my electrics and amp with that 'I should sell you' glint in my eye. I mean a Larrivee OM won't buy itself, now will it...?

earwighoney

If you look at this thread on the Larry forum, there are pictures of different Gotoh's that can be used, and 510's can be bought for around £50, which isn't cheap but they well worth it.  

If you're looking for a budget version, you can get some Der Jung tuners which match the same specs and I'm fairly sure are made in the same factory as the Pings which you can get for about £15 or so which are alright for all things considered. 

If you have a chance to play the Walnut OM-03's they are really wonderful versatile guitars.  When you get a bit more into fingerpicking, there's the Larry 12's which are superb as well.... 

Welcome to acoustic GAS btw! 

AuldReekie

I have 3 Larrys - C09, OM09 and a TSB SD50; whils all have that Larrivee tone, the last named both looks and sounds like a Gibson and surprisingly for a dreadnought, is happy in both open turnings and also being fingerpicked; the OM09 is the expensive acoustic I own but it gets as much play as my Forster and MciLroy hig end acoustics; it's just such an easy guitar to play and fantastic in dropped turnings, great finger picker; the C09 is just a great all rounder and like all Larrivees I've tried, so easy to play. Give lattices over Martins or Taylor's any day and having visited their factory when it was in Vancouver, I have never been in such a happy working environment where you could tell people really took a pride in their job, which tells you about the attitude they take to their products

thomasross20

I've got an OM-02 - great guitars! Nice one, OP!

paultje

I've just checked and my CS09 was made in Victoria BC, so before the move to the later North Vancouver factory in 1983. Who knows perhaps it was touched by the man himself? I do know that they only made 4 guitars a day! Paul.

thomasross20

Does it matter if it was made in Canada or California? 

Mine was in Canada and it rocks!

paultje

thomasross20 said:

Does it matter if it was made in Canada or California? 

Mine was in Canada and it rocks!

I would think that the quality of manufacturing will be equal. The wood from 1981 would not have been 'restricted' as they are now and my guitar has 34 years of being 'played-in', so is probably a bit more mellowed than modern ones. If I ever 'lost' it, I would have no hesitation in buying a new one. Paul.

Wazmeister

@mctoot - congrats mate... They are great guitars.