Hi I'm a newbie to guitars but through my research I've decided I want a Larrivee. Now of course the questions are what wood? and what size? Plenty of info on wood and GuitarAdoptions has mp3s of D03, D03R, and D03MT (thanks Dave, that helps with the tone of the wood!!). I have looked and looked but I haven't seen any pictures showing a D, L, OM, and Parlor in the same picture. I'm pretty sure I don't want a D but how different is the L and OM? Would I be happy with a Parlor?? The price is nice but I'm a total newbie so I don't know :huh:
I read about 'upper bout' and 'lower bout' but I just don't know what that means :blink:
Thanks for your time,
Mike
http://www.larriveeforum.com/forums/index....f=2&t=5333&st=0 (http://www.larriveeforum.com/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=2&t=5333&st=0)
this is the thread called "ok what is this??" a few thread down from this on. scroll down it and shadco has a pic of his L-10 and Om-50 side by side.
Upper bout = portion of body of the guitar closest to the fingerboard / neck..
Lower bout = portion of the body furthest from the neck; opposite end from the headstock where tuner buttons are
Hey...we've all been "new"....(for some of us, we always will be :D ) and I are in that group!
Rick
Congrats on a great choice AND on going about this the right way! Maybe this will help:
All pictured are from the 05 series:
L:
(http://www.larrivee.com/data/products/guitars/L-05/images/front_reg.jpg)
D:
(http://www.larrivee.com/data/products/guitars/D-05/images/front_reg.jpg)
OM:
(http://www.larrivee.com/data/products/guitars/OM-05/images/front_reg.jpg)
P:
(http://www.larrivee.com/data/products/guitars/P-05/images/front_reg.jpg)
Maybe this group shot will help - not sure which is the one in the middle back, front looks like an L, OM, L cutaway, and a D. Of course, being closer to the camera, the OM looks bigger. D's are about the largest, followed very closely by L, then OM, then Parlor. The 12 fret D's are the largest, (not pictured). There are some jumbo's out there, but I think not currently made.
(http://rds.yahoo.com/S=96062883/K=larrivee+guitars/v=2/SID=e/l=IVS/SIG=1313ad79f/EXP=1110660053/*-http%3A//www.sunburstguitargallery.com/images/instruments/larivee-groupshot.jpg)
Thanks for all the help and el guitana WOW! That picture helps a lot. So is the main difference the shape of the body and depth? They look to be about the same height (length) to me.
This link may help.
http://randyr.guitarpost.com/LarriveeSpecs.htm (http://randyr.guitarpost.com/LarriveeSpecs.htm)
Buy one of each. We're trying to help the Larrivee family in their quest to sell 100,000 guitars.. :lol:
The width on the L and the D is very close, with the "waist" being the largest difference - the L having a slimmer one - therefore more comfortable to sit with.
The OM is a bit narrower than the D & the L.
The Parlor is quite a bit smaller.
Sound basically changes with each size...as do opinions on the sounds. D's generally are loud and robust with strong bass (Some say too strong - not me!)
L's are about as loud as D's, but more "balanced" sounding than D's. I guess OM's are more balanced than L's but not as loud....and there are a lot of opinions on all of this. I'm not too experienced with OM's in general.
The Larrivée site has very generalized recommendations
on uses of each...but not definitive answers.
You'll also have different nut widths and string spacing. Read the specs on the site, there are exceptions to some of the general specs.
By the way, the guitars pictured ARE NOT mine. I got the individual shots from the larrivée site, and the group shot from some web music store site.
I have just one - a D-03R (R meaning rosewood back and sides, K = koa, BW = Blackwood, MT = mahogany top, does M = maple? And no letter after the numbers generally means mahogany back and sides. The numbers means the level of ornamentation, higher = more, also indicating the selection of woods is higher grade - which may or may not translate to better sound. My D-03R sounds wonderful)
(http://www.cmwebsite.com/images/3Larrivees.jpg)
A little misleading because of the anlge, but you get the idea. For more pics of these, see here (http://www.larriveeforum.com/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=6&t=5259).
A lot of great information :D thanks!
I've read that 000 size guitars are good for beginners. Where would they fit into the Larrivee line?
QuoteA lot of great information :D thanks!
I've read that 000 size guitars are good for beginners. Where would they fit into the Larrivee line?
About the same as an OM.
Larrivée 000's look mighty sweet - but are upper end priced. A big difference is the nut width/string spacing - wider than the others. I don't know how this would feel to a beginner, but I suspect you get used to what you have. The 000 body is comparable to an OM, but the Larrivée 000 is a 12-fret, meaning the neck joins the body at the 12th rather than the 14th fret. This makes the body a little longer, I think. Can't reach as many frets, but the 12 fret sound is sweeter because the bridge position shifts more toward the middle of the lower bout.
There are other makers doing 000's in 14 fret with narrower nut, but there isn't much call for it. Usually a 12 fret 000 is a fingerpickers guitar. I love the sound of them.
No guarantee of accuracy, but how's this?
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v220/ElGuitana/Larrivesidebyside.jpg)
Nice job el guitana! :)
Here is a helpful link for Larrivee body styles and sizes. I hope this helps.
http://www.fredsmusic.com/.larrivee/larriv...vee_bodies.html (http://www.fredsmusic.com/.larrivee/larrivee_bodies.html)
That may actually confuse people because so many of those bodies are discontinued.
QuoteThat may actually confuse people because so many of those bodies are discontinued.
but they are still available as new-old-stock or used.
(http://www.loghomemusic.com/2f325c00.jpg)
Note they don't really make jumbos anymore...
QuoteThat may actually confuse people because so many of those bodies are discontinued.
Plus they have the depth wrong on both the L which is 4.75" and the OM's which are 4.25.
el guitana and larriboy thanks! That is exactly the type of information that I was looking for.
QuotePlus they have the depth wrong on both the L which is 4.75" and the OM's which are 4.25.
depends on when they were made.......