This may not be the best place to talk about 'other' parlor guitars, seeing that Larrivee specializes in them. However, this last week I took advantage of a pretty good deal on an all-solid wood - spruce and rosewood with ebony fretboard - Washburn 319 Parlor from World Music Supply. I'd had the laminated version a few years ago and been quite impressed, so when an all-solid wood version came up for sale at less than 400 bucks, I took a chance on it. It's certainly an excellent-sounding guitar, with plenty of volume and a great bluesy chime to it. It looks great, too. If you haven't seen one, their appearance is designed to look old-timey and even a little roadworn. The nut width and the neck would not be to everyone's taste. The first is 1 7/8" and the second has a sharp V, which can make the thumb-wrap less comfortable. The tuners also do not seem to be very high quality. Still, it does sound great and will certainly have a place in my stable for old blues/ragtime and altered tunings. I may even look into upgrading the tuners. The sound of the guitar and its construction may make this worthwhile.
Does anyone like these guitars?
I have a friend that bought a maple Washburn all solid woods a few years back and it was a wonderful guitar.The wood was cut kinda thin as you could see the light of a flashlite thru it.
Yes, it's probably not the most robust construction in the world. I'll certainly need to be careful when I take it across the pond this summer!