Selling a very nice Martin d35 to buy another Larrivee,
I have a D03r right now,and want to get a Hog to go with the rosewood
am I crazy not to be over the top for the Martin?
My larrivee feels better in my hands and I love the balanced sound.
thoughts?
Dave
Go for it. Are you thinking a dread or mix in another body size?
No, you're not crazy. There's nothing wrong with Martins, but I have not found one that would even come close to making me part with any of my Larrivees. And I have played just about all of them. I did play a 1955 D28 that sounded way better than any new D28 I have played. I guess the Brazilian really made a difference. But to my ear, I prefer the balanced tone of my Larrivees. If you like mahogany, you should try to find a hog top Larrivee. My OM05-MT is really sweet.
I dunno. If I sold my D-35 that would be crazy.
D35's are IMO one of the best guitar Martin builds along with there 21 modals.Yes your crazy to sell it and I'm not a Martin fan.
You wouldn't be crazy if you got a fair price for it. But you sure could regret it later. I traded my OM-21 away once and got to missing it a whole lot, so I got it back by trading a Larrivee plus cash. Then I traded it away again for this custom OO-05 SH that I have now. I still miss the OM-21, it just had an excellent tone and was so easy to play. But it was my only way of obtaining the rare little Larrivee at the time.
Go for it as long as the larrivee is a better overall guitar in your opinion.
Quote from: DaveyO on April 19, 2013, 12:19:01 AM
.....feels better in my hands and I love the balanced sound.
Sounds like you hit the nail on the head there dude. Don't let the apparent prestige of any brand unduly affect your perception. If your hands and ears agree then that's probably a good sign.
G :ph34r:
I agree with unclrob - you are crazy!!! :whistling: I'm not especially a fan of Martins either, but if you want that classic dread sound, the D35 is the bomb - not balanced on purpose. If it doesn't feel right - maybe it needs a setup?
go for the sound and playability you want regardless of the brand or size of the guitar.
nothing else really matters. 8=]
One thing I do think is a little crazy is when people own a bunch of guitars but only one brand. To be blunt, it's even crazier with Larrivees considering the bracing is mostly all the same.
I had three Larrivees at one point (L-03,OM-03MT and OM-03R). A few artists I was listening to at the time were playing Martin or Martin style rosewood guitars in an OM or similar size. I played a few Martin style rosewood OMs and really liked that tone, I thought I'd just get a Larrivee OM-03R since they're such a good deal. A couple weeks later I realized the OM-03R was more like the guitars I already had than the sound I was going for.
I don't care what people spend their money on but if you want a different sound get something with different bracing at the very least. Buying the same thing as what you have with different woods sounds more like you want a new guitar just for the heck of it.
Hmm. If money is the issue and you can't afford one without selling the other, then yea sell it. Especially if you dont really play it.
jeremy3220 makes a good point. Larrivees are all similarly balanced. you are getting rid of a very different sounding guitar for one that's gonna sound similar to your D-03r. Not you say you shouldn't, as im sure you'd be super happy with any larrivee you bought!
If you want a really excellent mahogany sound, the martin 00-15M and the very beautiful 000-15SM are exceptional instruments (also the all hog dread). the SM is gonna be the only one with a 1 3/4'' neck, though. they can also be had for a reasonable price.
Although a mahogany guitar would probably have a different tone and balance than a rosewood Larrivee - at least in my experience.
So the OP probably would be getting a different, if related, sound animal...
And the Martin sound ain't for everybody, although it is for me... and so the Larrivee too...
Quote from: nolifebutbmx on April 19, 2013, 07:55:08 PM
Hmm. If money is the issue and you can't afford one without selling the other, then yea sell it. Especially if you dont really play it.
jeremy3220 makes a good point. Larrivees are all similarly balanced. you are getting rid of a very different sounding guitar for one that's gonna sound similar to your D-03r. Not you say you shouldn't, as im sure you'd be super happy with any larrivee you bought!
If you want a really excellent mahogany sound, the martin 00-15M and the very beautiful 000-15SM are exceptional instruments (also the all hog dread). the SM is gonna be the only one with a 1 3/4'' neck, though. they can also be had for a reasonable price.
Multiple guitars is crazy. Multiple guitars from the same maker is even crazier.
Sanity is overrated. :bgrin:
Crazy? The only thing crazy is that you're considering another Dreadnaught. Why not an L or an OM or even a J? As far as not truly bonding with a Martin I had the same problem. I owned a D-18 for quite a few years and, though it was ok, I was just never inspired by it. When I bought my L-03 I wanted a playmate for it and looked for a Martin. Of all that I played there was only one that had the kind of sound that was "of Martin quality". I've since quit looking for Martin's.
f
Quote from: DaveyO on April 19, 2013, 12:19:01 AM
Selling a very nice Martin d35 to buy another Larrivee,
I have a D03r right now,and want to get a Hog to go with the rosewood
am I crazy not to be over the top for the Martin?
My larrivee feels better in my hands and I love the balanced sound.
thoughts?
Dave
Dave,
How old is the Martin and how would you rate it's tone? I'm asking because Martins (like all guitars) open up or mature with age...
If it's an older (but not vintage) one and still isn't impressive in the tone department, you can replace it later if you get the itch. If it sounds exceptional, I'd hang on to it, since - in my experience - some Martins sound great while many sound average or flat...same with Gibsons...and I've not noticed that it correlates directly to their price range.
I say this as someone who thinks D-35's are pretty special - but again, it depends if you got a good one!
If you want to lose the D35, you should look at a different maker to help keep your guitar collection better diversified. If you are planning for the long haul, keep in mind that preferences and hearing usually change over time.
Quote from: prof_stack on April 20, 2013, 10:51:54 AM
If you want to lose the D35, you should look at a different maker to help keep your guitar collection better diversified. If you are planning for the long haul, keep in mind that preferences and hearing usually change over time.
How true, thats why so many of us have bought so many guitars. GAS can be relieved but never cured.
Why did you buy two rosewood dreads and which one did you buy first?
If you bought the D-35 first and then the Larrivee, you pretty much answered your own question. Sounds like the D-35 may not float your boat anymore. Just don't give it away.
As you can see from my list of guitars, I have two rosewood Martins (D-35 and OM-35) and they are two completely different guitars. I cant think of a reason I would ever part with either of them.
If I was buying a mahogany Larrivee, I would try a dread, jumbo, L and an OM. Then I would try an Martin (OM-18 or 000-18 or 15 series). I have always thought the Martin mahogany guitars sound a shade better but like the appointments on the Larrivees more.
As one who owns an all mahogany LV-03MT 12 string, it's an unbelievable guitar too.
Rule #1...If you belong to this Forum, You're crazy. It's a fact.
Rule #2, all purchase & sales agreements are you're responsibility...100%.
Sorry, but that's a forum fact.
:humour:
Crazy? Depends...i always wanted a D-35 and was a Martin wannabe. I got the cash but no D-35 so I settled for a HD-28. A great guitar, but I never really took to it. Then i read a Gruhn article about tone woods and realized that I should be a Hog Guy. So I went looking for a D-18 and Elderly was selling a Martin GOTM D3-18, a custom three piece back Hog so I got it. That was 1991. I had known UnclRob for about 6 years. The whole time he thought i was crazy but was one special guitar. Then he started telling me about the Larrivees. @ the shop where he used to work and got me hooked and got a LV-05. Was fine until some NAMM Koas from Larrivee came in. Did a lot of test driving and soul searching, changed out my Martins to those Larrivees and never looked back. Koa to me is a Hog whose tone is more complexL
So I guess my point is that I made the switch from Martin to Larrivee based upon playing the the actual instruments i was going to get. Don't just cash out on the D-35 until you have played the specific Larry you want to get. Better yet, play as many Larrys in diffent woods and body styles and get exactly what you are looking for. If you don't you will probably regret it in the long run.
Btw, I never got a D-35 but recently went into GC saw one and went into sticker shock...unless you are wealthy, chances are that once you part with the Martin you may never be able to go back. Oh yeah Unclrob still thinks I amm crazy.
If I had a NICE Martin as you say, I'd keep it. Good to have different sounding instruments.
In 1977 I sold a Martin D-35 (#295342 why do I remember the serial #? :rolleye:) after I got tired of the bassy nature of the sound. I'd like to hear that guitar today.
I had purchased a 1974 LoPrinzi LR-20 (similar to a D-28 in build) which was balanced in tone and sweeter sounding, thus making the Martin expendable.
Not only was the LoPrinzi much less expensive (like 40%) less, but I STILL HAVE IT TODAY.
So get what your heart and ears tell you.
Hi,
I had a 00015SM all mahogany custom built from the Martin Factory it was really nice and an all mahogany Taylor GS mini I have sold the Martin to get a Larrivee 00 series with appointments from the 10 series. I couldnt fault the Martin but I sold it I had a Larrivee Parlor and that was also very sweet. I think you are right in what you are doing as long as you can replace the guitar you sold. Hope my 00 is worth the wait I know the build quality is really good with Larrivee :guitar :donut :donut :donut
Since the four best guitars I own include 2 Larrivees (both 03 Series) and 2 Martins (both 35 series including a D-35) this has been an interesting thread for me to follow.
While I have shared this before, my D-35 (purchased new in 1977 when I was single) was my primary guitar for 27 years (1997 to 2004). Once my three sons were through college and they were gainfully employed, I saw an increase in cash flow that I hadn't seen in years. This enabled me to purchase my first Larrivee (Flamed Maple Parlor in 2004) and with the help of my wife and kids a special order 12 string in 2007).
As a result of those purchases and a lot of time spent at Trinity Guitars, I discovered that the 03 series is one of the best values in the acoustic guitar market place. Two years later, I had enough money left to put a sizable hole in the cost of my OM-35 and got to play lots of OMs before making my final decision. I plan to keep all four of these guitars and leave them to my kids. My son already has joint custody of the Parlor and I have visitation rights when watching my grandchildren).
Just for fun, I went to the websites of what I consider to be the big 3 guitar manufacturers (Larrivee, Martin and Taylor) and checked the differnence in list prices for comparable guitars. I limited myself to one body size (Dreadnaught) and using Larrivee as the benchmark, here is what I found. All of these manufacturers offer competitively priced guitars that makes comparison both fun and realistic:
Compared with the Larrivee Rosewood D-09;
Martin Standard D-28 price was $52 lower (Martin Standard D-35 list price was $48 higher) -(Rosewood and Sitka)
Taylor 710 list price was $23 lower (Rosewood and Englemen Spruce Top) Bolt on neck
Compared with the Larrivee Mahogany D-05;
Martin Standard D-18 list price was $191 higher (Mahogany and Sitka)
Taylor 410 was $50 lower (Tropical Mahogany and Sitka) - Bolt on neck
P.S Even though I only know him from reading his posts on this forum, the fact that Ducktrapper owns the same Martin D-35 (Shade top) from the same era as mine and he admitted that he would be crazy to sell his validates my sanity (or craziness).