Hey everyone, i am a current Martin DC-16gte owner. I have come to realize im in need of a rosewood for my style and to accompany my voice. i love my mahogany but i just dont like the tinny highs that it yields. I have always been a martin guy and have been gassin for a D-28 or HD-28 but i think im fallin for the L-09. I like the simple appointments thta are found on the Larrivee like the maple binding and the 1 3/4 instead of the typical dread. im not a fan of small bodies b/c i like the sound of a dread but that L sure comes close. to get to my question i have no way to A/B the L-09 and a 28 in the same shop, for thoes of you who have had the chance, what can you tell me sound wise is the difference, I mainly strum.
Greg :huh:
I have played all (3) hd28,d28 and Lv09 and the biggest difference oustide of body size and nut size is the hd28 and d28 have alot more bottom and volume.Don't get me wrong the Lv-09 is not quiet by no means, but I think what you will find real nice about the L-09 is tonal balance and nice projection.To me playing the d28 and hd28 which are great guitars but lacked the tonal balance you get with a L09 or Larrivee for that matter.Happy Hunting!Btw if you are interested in a larrivee can't go wrong with notableguitars.com ask for Jason
Already having a Brazilian rosewood L09 (which I love) and looking for a dread, I liked the HD28 but ended up with a mahogany Larrivée D05 with electronics for nearly a grand less. The D09 and D03R might be of interest, as well. I totally disgree about mahogany, especially Larrivée mahogany, btw.
Greg,seeing you are looking for a dred, the D-03R and D-03 are great guitars.The biggest difference I find between Larrive and Martin besides the price,the Larrive's are very balanced sounding guitars, Imo Larrivee's have the quality and craftsmanship of a Martin at 1/2 the cost
A Larrivee L-09 isn't a Martin... but that can be good. The L-09 is a great guitar in its own right.. for all the reasons already mentioned.
I like the Larrivee tone.. thats what its all about. Plus playability and looks that make music making fun.
I think the L09 is a dandy choice for accompanying a singer like yourself. Larrivees have a well deserved reputation for good balance and don't have to be pushed hard to sound good. Too bad you can't do a hands on A/B test. I've played some Martins that really didn't do too well in the upper register and on the high B and E strings in first position. Several of these that had thin sounding highs were using light guage strings and had some setup issues. On some I've guessed that a very low action robbed a lot of the potential tone and power. In your case maybe the bass heavy balance of Martins is swamping the highs on you. I've always thought that in general mahogany has more appealing sweeter highs than rosewood. But thats just my very subjective opinion.
Both Kickbutt geetars.
The L09 is better value for the trim though. So if I had to get one, I'd probalby get the L (actually I like the L05 better). The D28 is another beast, only thing I dont like about it is the fact that it's plain for what you are paying (yes trims do matter).
thanks for all the replies. i love the maple binding of the larrivees i hate the white boltron plastic on the 28s. when i bought mine (dc-16gte) i had just started playing and i bought half for the look (black binding)and the other half b/c it sounded so much better than the g series tak i was playing. i went today with a friend to the only larrivee dealer around and he picked up his brand spankin new LV-09E. wow what a great guitar. i do like the umph of the martin bass but i think i will be getting the next L-09 he has on the way, although i will play my friends a few more times just to make sure. Thanks guys (and gals) also a selling point was the 1 3/4 and the attention to detail that Larrivee has where as its harder and harder to find a Martin that is flawless. (i played one today that from the factory had absoutly no saddle left to adjust). So it looks like i will become a member of your larrivee family soon.
Greg
I think I'd check out the D-60 if you want a sound similar to a D-28. I played a new Sunburst D-60 tonight at my local Sam Ash that had some major mojo coming out of it! Sweet guitar. Better sounding that the D-28 and D-35 they had in the store.
Jeff