newbie needs help

[timsgtr]

Can anyone in the forum tell me what the SP means on a LV-03  SP?  I think it means a solid one piece neck but cant be sure.  I would appreciate any help here.  Thank you very much. 

[Daysailer]

   to the Larrivee Guitar Forum.

The  SP probably means Sapele back and side wood.
All Larrivees are Solid top and back and sides.
And until very recently all the Larrivee necks are solid one piece as well
No wings or frankenstien neck splices here.

ds

[BenF]

SP means Sapele.

Larrivee have never proven to be consistent with labels.  It seems logical that the Sapele and Mahogany 03's were defined by MH and SP during the time that they were continuing to produce both, but truth is that the MH and SP labelling has been done fairly randomly.

I had an OM-03 SP, and it was beautiful.  I miss it a lot.

[cke]

Could it be a sapele top?

[Dale_I]

And, just for your info, Sapele is a type of Mahogany. Just not the previously considered typical Mahogany.

[ducktrapper]

Dang and I bought one just to play John Prine's 'Spanish Pipedream'. 

[Michael T]

The botanical name will have two parts - the first part will be the Genus and the second part will be the Species. Mahogany is Swietenia macrophylla. Sapele is Entandrophragma cylindricum. There are two species that are generally recognized as mahogany: Swietenia macrophylla and Swietenia mahogani. As their classification implies, they are from the same genus and are indigenous to the Caribean-Central American region.

Sapele (Entandrophragma cylindricum) is native to the tropical regions of Africa. Incidentally, the term African mahogany is usually applied to trees from the genus, khaya. (Definitions borrowed from another forum).

Sapele is a fine tonewood in it's own right, but is definitely not "Mahogany", however the sound can be somewhat like mahogany but it is a decidedly different tone. 

[BenF]

The botanical name will have two parts - the first part will be the Genus and the second part will be the Species. Mahogany is Swietenia macrophylla. Sapele is Entandrophragma cylindricum. There are two species that are generally recognized as mahogany: Swietenia macrophylla and Swietenia mahogani. As their classification implies, they are from the same genus and are indigenous to the Caribean-Central American region.

Sapele (Entandrophragma cylindricum) is native to the tropical regions of Africa. Incidentally, the term African mahogany is usually applied to trees from the genus, khaya. (Definitions borrowed from another forum).

Sapele is a fine tonewood in it's own right, but is definitely not "Mahogany", however the sound can be somewhat like mahogany but it is a decidedly different tone. 

Thanks for that Michael, I also agree that it is a fine tonewood, and that it being known as the poor mans mahogany is decidedly unfair.  They are both wood, from different trees, that make great soundign guitars.  It doesn't matter how common the tree is, it is how good the guitar sounds. My OM-03 SP remains to my ear better than any mahogany guitar i have played.  I appreciate that sound is a personal preference efore someone has a go.  I know there are sapele cynics on here, but i ain't one.

[DJ in FL]

Could it be a sapele top?

+1 on Sapele top...
Welcome...find out soon about THE DONUTS...

[tubeornot2b]

On the Larrivee site the standard 03 models are described as having Sapele back and sides. That was not the case until a few years ago. The SP was probably used when they first introduced the sapele back and sides back then. As I recall the projected scarcity and price increase of Mahogany, lead them to take a page from the Taylor book and use the cheaper sapele alternative. Taylor has used sapele for some time now.

[kjacinto]

I always thought that sapele was a type of laminate/fusion wood. Is their a big tonal difference or is it just a reliability difference (warping) from regular wood?

[cke]

I always thought that sapele was a type of laminate/fusion wood. Is their a big tonal difference or is it just a reliability difference (warping) from regular wood?

Sapele is a real tree, inaccurately called African mahogany. Nothing artificial about it. It is being used commonly by several top manufacturers. Some prefer it to 'hog;  some hear it as equal if slightly different. To me it resembles 'hog closely enough in look and sound to be a trade off. Probably there will be a great expansion of the use of sapele, as true Honduran mahogany is getting very expensive and harder to find.

[kjacinto]

I see, that makes more sense. Thanks

[timsgtr]

Thank you all very much for the information.  Enjoy reading all your posts,   will try to get to this forum more often.  We are a pretty new Larrivee Dealer and  some older labeling is something that I need to learn more about.  Have a nice day