Main Forums => Larrivée Guitars => Topic started by: tricky on January 12, 2009, 10:28:22 PM

Title: Bluegrass guitar???
Post by: tricky on January 12, 2009, 10:28:22 PM
Hey everyone, I'm very new to this form, so hello!  Also, I was curious as to which Larrivee would be a top notch bluegrass guitar...right now I have a D-40 which is doing a pretty great job.  Mostly my style is much like Chet Atkins, Lenny Breau, Doc Watson...that style.  Any suggestions on a great Larrivee?

Thanks

rick
:donut :donut :donut :donut :donut2 :donut2 :coffee :donut2 :donut2 :donut2 :donut :donut :donut :donut
Title: Re: Bluegrass guitar???
Post by: Tycho on January 12, 2009, 10:33:07 PM
A D-40 is going to make a pretty great bluegrass guitar already, so I don't know if there's a lot more you need in that department.

I'm curious though...you mentioned players like Chet Atkins and Lenny Breau.  They're fingerstyle players and I definitely don't think of them as bluegrass.  To me, bluegrass means fast, heavy rhythm flat-picking, and flatpick lead playing in the style of Clarence White or Dan Crary or Tony Rice.  Is that what you mean?  A D-40 will be great for that stuff.  It's also perfectly good for fingerpicking (I love fingerpicking on my D-03), but a lot of people here prefer slightly smaller models like the Ls or OMs for fingerstyle playing.

(Doc Watson both fingerpicks and flatpicks, always on a nice big dreadnought as far as I know.)
Title: Re: Bluegrass guitar???
Post by: tricky on January 12, 2009, 11:11:41 PM
I was mainly thinking of when Chet plays with people like Jerry Reed, his fingerstyle is amazing.  It seems as though the D-40 is working our well.  And Tony Rice is amazing as well.

Btw, this is a great forum.

rick :donut2 :donut2 :donut
Title: Re: Bluegrass guitar???
Post by: Zohn on January 13, 2009, 01:20:48 AM
Quote from: tricky on January 12, 2009, 11:11:41 PM
I was mainly thinking of when Chet plays with people like Jerry Reed, his fingerstyle is amazing.  It seems as though the D-40 is working our well.  And Tony Rice is amazing as well.

Btw, this is a great forum.

rick :donut2 :donut2 :donut
The best bluegrass finger-pickers are no doubt the Traditional 12-fretters made popular by Martin (D-18 VS and D-28 VS), Collings, Santa Cruz, and of course my personal favourite the Larrivee SD-50 (hog B&S). The reason I regard them as "best", is they all feature wider nuts, and string spacing at the saddle. They are also very versatile as finger pickers, with lots of power in reserve for flat picking and rhythm. The D-50 and D-60's are probably best suited for using flat-picks, or as a rhythm guitar. Larrivee dreads are renowned for their good string to string balance.
Welcome to the forum Rick.
Title: Re: Bluegrass guitar???
Post by: ronmac on January 13, 2009, 07:27:24 AM
Quote from: Zohn on January 13, 2009, 01:20:48 AM
The best bluegrass finger-pickers are no doubt the Traditional 12-fretters made popular by Martin (D-18 VS and D-28 VS), Collings, Santa Cruz, and of course my personal favourite the Larrivee SD-50 (hog B&S). The reason I regard them as "best", is they all feature wider nuts, and string spacing at the saddle. They are also very versatile as finger pickers, with lots of power in reserve for flat picking and rhythm. The D-50 and D-60's are probably best suited for using flat-picks, or as a rhythm guitar. Larrivee dreads are renowned for their good string to string balance.
Welcome to the forum Rick.


:+1: These are also the style of guitars I think of for that genre. The Larrivee SD series are very nice! If your budget will allow it, try and play a Bourgeois  short scale Slope D.  :drool:
Title: Re: Bluegrass guitar???
Post by: Tycho on January 13, 2009, 08:53:00 AM
P.S. Rick, as you may know from other threads, your D-40 is basically a D-60 with a bit less bling, so it can do anything a D-60 can  do.
Title: Re: Bluegrass guitar???
Post by: es-335 on January 13, 2009, 10:05:37 AM
D-40 is an amazing guitar.
I've played a D-60 a few times, it is indeed really nice.
My bro in law has a D-28, compare to his guitar; the D60 played very well.

But the HD-28VS I've played.. was a different story. Much fuller sound.
Title: Re: Bluegrass guitar???
Post by: rhoen on January 13, 2009, 12:26:53 PM
 :welcome:

bought a used kind fo D60 - enlarged soundhole - great sounding guitar for heavy flatpicking
´- tried a few d28'S , lakewood's and and ....
I think the best tonewood for dread's is rosewood

Peter
Title: Re: Bluegrass guitar???
Post by: rate800 on January 15, 2009, 12:00:32 PM
I'm glad he mentioned rosewood.  A lot of bluegrassers play rosewood.
Title: Re: Bluegrass guitar???
Post by: ncognito on January 15, 2009, 02:34:51 PM
tricky--

I also have a Guild D40 built in 1974; at one time I had a Guild D40ce which I bought new and had for maybe three years before I sold it.  I found the quality to be very different between the two.  The ce had much better action, but couldn't compare in tone to my old timer which is a fantastic flatpicking guitar.  Maybe you should keep the Guild, and pick up one of the other dreads in rosewood for variety sake.  Other folks have made some good suggestions along those lines. 

          DAVE
Title: Re: Bluegrass guitar???
Post by: pkaczor on January 15, 2009, 02:49:04 PM
ncognito-

I am pretty sure that the guitar being discussed in this thread is a Larrivee D40 and not the Guild D40 that you mention.  As stated above, it is basically the D50 model, but with less bling.

pmk
Title: Re: Bluegrass guitar???
Post by: ncognito on January 15, 2009, 03:09:37 PM
Quote from: pkaczor on January 15, 2009, 02:49:04 PM
ncognito-

I am pretty sure that the guitar being discussed in this thread is a Larrivee D40 and not the Guild D40 that you mention.  As stated above, it is basically the D50 model, but with less bling.

pmk

pmk--

Thanks for setting me straight.  I didn't see D40 listed on the Larrivee site products page so am I correct in assuming it's a discontinued model?  How does it differ in tone from my Guild?

         DAVE
Title: Re: Bluegrass guitar???
Post by: Tycho on January 15, 2009, 06:31:01 PM
Quote from: ncognito on January 15, 2009, 03:09:37 PM


pmk--

Thanks for setting me straight.  I didn't see D40 listed on the Larrivee site products page so am I correct in assuming it's a discontinued model?  How does it differ in tone from my Guild?

         DAVE

Dave,

The D-40 is (or was) a special edition made only for the Long & McQuade chain in Canada.  It never appeared in the Larrivee catalogue (which is true of most of the special/limited editions they do).  It's basically a D-60 with a satin finish. 

There are a few threads about it around here if you're curious.
Title: Re: Bluegrass guitar???
Post by: GitLav on December 01, 2016, 01:39:07 PM
I would go for Martin 000-15SM...You simply cannot beat fingerstyle playing on this thing...Nice roundup of fingerpicking guitars (http://www.sound-beat.com/best-fingerstyle-fingerpicking-guitars/)...
Title: Re: Bluegrass guitar???
Post by: nctom on December 01, 2016, 02:17:18 PM
GitLav, oddly neither your Martin suggestion nor your cited thread mention Larrivee. I can think of several Larrivees that beat or rival any mentioned.
I didn't catch any mention of the OP looking for a small bodied finger style guitar.
Title: Re: Bluegrass guitar???
Post by: B0WIE on December 01, 2016, 03:43:11 PM
It's been 6 years. I hope they got it figured out by now.   :blush:
Title: Re: Bluegrass guitar???
Post by: nctom on December 01, 2016, 04:57:23 PM
Didn't notice the extreme lapse in dates. WTF?
Title: Re: Bluegrass guitar???
Post by: Mr_LV19E on December 02, 2016, 12:25:59 PM
Quote from: nctom on December 01, 2016, 04:57:23 PM
Didn't notice the extreme lapse in dates. WTF?
Troll


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Title: Re: Bluegrass guitar???
Post by: Walkerman on December 02, 2016, 12:42:41 PM
Hot pick in Nashville is Larry SD 40.