So this one has a bit of a convoluted story. Last December, having just bought my first 12 fret acoustic and having found it a revelation, I was on the hunt for another. This was before I knew for sure I would get the Forum VI. I decided that I needed a C-03 TE custom; yes, I can get very specific' comes with the territory of being a scientist. There were none new or used in Canada (I even pinged John at Larrivee and he couldn't find me one, though he did eventually after I found this) so I started looking in the States. I found one out in Washington state. As luck would have it, I was headed to Michigan for the two weeks after Christmas to hang with my kids and see my brothers. Once we made it over the border, I sent the money to have the guitar shipped. There should have been plenty of time to have it arrive. Except for the huge storm that hit the Cascades the day it was supposed to ship. Suffice to say, it did not show up before we came back; it arrived the Wednesday after we left. My brother opened it up and put in the hydro packs I sent until I could get down again.
Fast forward to last week; I was heading down to watch my son graduate from the University of Alabama and stopped by my brothers on the way down to pick up the guitar. Oh man is it a beaut! It's got the typical Larrivee setup out of the factory (sorry, you will never get me to agree that a guitar should leave the factory with the nut height that Larrivee's do; no one wants the action that high! I don't care how hard you pluck your strings ;-)). I've already started tweaking the setup to my liking. I dig Tommy's signature on the label. Also like the intentional close to the edge low E spacing for the thumb hook.
I now have three 12 fret Larrivees. My resolution is to freeze all music purchases for 2022 (OK, will need some K&Ks and I may add a new mic; no guitars); we'll see how that goes.
Thanks,
Jeff
Jeff, that C-03TE looks amazing with it's 2 new brothers, congrats! :donut2 I have been looking at that model for months now just window shopping. I would love to get one some day, would you recommend it as a larger 12 fretter? How does it compare to your two other 12 fretters?
They all sound great but of course slightly different. The Forum VI is the most balanced tonally with more mids and highs then the other two (Walnut vs Rosewood?). The bass is there, but it's balanced without a lot of thump.
The SD40R and TE are similar in sound. I actually think the SD has a slightly more focused mid (it has that big sound hole which can even out bass) though the differences are subtle. There's nothing like that rosewood thump though, you just want to bang out bass note patterns.
The TE might be the best take only one guitar though the SD might be better for un-plugged song circles as I think it's a touch louder. I'll be making some comparison recordings that I'll share soon as I want to hear how they sound from the listener perspective.
Thanks,
Jeff
Congrats, :nice guitar:'S
That must have been a real pain waiting to get your hands on the C-03TE.
Enjoy them all forever.
Really nice trio of 12 fretters. Although I have some very nice 14 fret guitars, I find the 12 fret much more comfortable to play. Enjoy yours to the utmost. :guitar
A beautiful 12 fret family! Congrats.
:nice guitar: :nice guitar: :nice guitar:
Looks like quite the worthy trio! Congratulations on the TE. I'll be eager to hear the comparison recordings. I hope you can always distinguish among the three and can appreciate each. And if not? We'll see you in the marketplace!