I keep running into great Larrivee's with real distinct striped tops (like JohnM's L-01 in another post here.
ran into another one last week - a D-03 that just knocked my socks off...
Anyones Larrivee real boldly sriped like this? Hows it sound and play?
Anyone know of any like this as dealer stock?
(http://pic7.picturetrail.com/VOL208/996154/6491361/85529916.jpg)
Heres the L-01. I haven't seen many Larrys with prominent stripes, and don't know if that would be any indicator of good tone, but this one sure sounds great. I've always thought that very tight grain sitka with lots of silking was the best tonewood for guitar tops, but after this very wide grained L-01 and a totally killer wide grain 20's Gibson mando that I owned, I'm not so sure on the tight grain theory. Also, most of the ad tops that everyone raves about seem to be wide grained too. Below is what it looked like in the pic that the shop in Georgia sent me.
(http://pic7.picturetrail.com/VOL208/996154/4030609/82988215.jpg)
I was told by a builder a long time ago that conceptually (on paper) the best tops would be tight grained around the middle/bridge area and getting wider grained as it went out (I also heard Peter Rowan speak on this subject once at the Watson Festival) I have owned a couple of really good instruments that had tops like this, but after owning so many different ones, I can honestly say I don't think there is ANY rhyme or reason why one guitar sounds good and the next doesn't.......my conclusion is that it is a total crapshoot :lol: :lol:
I don't have any good pictures, but my D-09 has some nice stripes. I have noticed that in certain lights and at certain angles, the stripes are more prominent than in others. As far as sound goes, I don't know that there is any difference. I just know I love the sound of mine. :D
(http://www.mapleleafmusic.com/photos/ins0814_1.jpg)
Anoter one I saw, now at Maple Leaf Music in VT.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v614/HanSoo417/stripedsitkatop.jpg)
how's this?
(http://www.tomyoungguitar.com/pix/P4031675web.jpg)
My experience at live shows is that before a show audience members often comment on the instruments that they see on stage, after the show they are talking about the performance and the quality of the sound.
The exceptions are a few geeky, guitar gear, Gasoholics... You know who you are! :lol:
My D-03R has a lot of striping, very tight grain across the whole top and some heavy silking. Gotta borrow a digital camera and get some pictures up!
Mark
My D-03R has a lot of striping, very tight grain across the whole top and some heavy silking. Gotta borrow a digital camera and get some pictures up!
Mark
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v631/ronmac/Guitars/Bourgeois%20JOMC%20DLX/c4beb583.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v631/ronmac/Guitars/Larrivee%20L10%20Custom/8d089b8a.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v631/ronmac/Guitars/Larrivee%20OM-03R%20SH/BodyFront.jpg)
(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y210/NRGD/Temp/000-502.jpg)
Heres my stripes
http://photobucket.com/albums/y249/dennq/l...t=P10101302.jpg (http://photobucket.com/albums/y249/dennq/larrivee/?action=view¤t=P10101302.jpg)
Quote(http://www.mapleleafmusic.com/photos/ins0814_1.jpg)
Anoter one I saw, now at Maple Leaf Music in VT.
THAT looks like the D-03 I played last week...
blew everything else in the store away
QuoteMy experience at live shows is that before a show audience members often comment on the instruments that they see on stage, after the show they are talking about the performance and the quality of the sound.
The exceptions are a few geeky, guitar gear, Gasoholics... You know who you are! :lol:
Yes we DO know who WE are!!
:o
Actually I am referring to the sound
More Stripes
(http://www.pbase.com/shadco/image/40613959.jpg)
The stripes are a reminder that you are dealing with real wood, not some composite that you can color or manufacture to your own specifications.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v497/dbirchett/MyLV-03BWFront.jpg)
Personally, I love 'em.
My OM-01
(http://heartoftexasconcerts.com/myPictures/om-01-2.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y6/jimmi_thing/scenic%20pics/LarriveeD-060.jpg)
tight stripes!
don't MOST guitars have these stripes. at least Larrivees.
Yeah, but it is another chance to talk about our Larrivees :D
Coming up next, "How the colour of the lining in your guitar case affects the tone". ;)
I'm waiting for the "How the String Swing enabled me to learn Django licks" thread.
The striping I am talking about is like that pictured in JohnM's photo of his L01.
The D-03 pictured above is also what I refer to as boldly distinct striping.
The difference between this and other spruce is that
1 - the lines are incredibly straight,
2 - have a lot of visual contrast between the "grain" lines (which, by the way are NOT really grain lines but annular rings, I believe), and lastly,
3 - have very little, none really, of the medullary "silking".
Two of the best sounding Larrivees I have ever heard had this kind of top...
Now before you guys beging insisting again that the Larrivees begin using Micarta fretboards, YES, I do find a sonic differences in the way different guitars sound...
:D
Could one of the Larrivee's respond here before the MICARTA IS COOL crowd takes over
someone please explain what silking means.
Quotesomeone please explain what silking means.
the major "grain" of a spruce guitar top runs in one direction, generally parallel with the strings.
silking refers to mostly small veins in the wood that run perpendicular to the "grain". If you research this, it is usually referred to medullary rays. In guitars they show up sporadically because of the random irregularities in tree growth.
Not a tonewood site but shows where in a tree these occur:
http://www.nccpg.com/Default.Aspx?Page.Aspx?Page=120 (http://www.nccpg.com/Default.Aspx?Page.Aspx?Page=120)
and from Dana Bourgeois at http://www.bourgeoisguitars.com/voicing.htm (http://www.bourgeoisguitars.com/voicing.htm) :
"So, I flex the top, listen to it and check the grain for directionality. The last thing I consider when buying top wood is the appearance of the wood. Obviously, I try get a pretty piece of wood on a special guitar, but only if it is going to make it sound good! I try not to be seduced by appearance, so I make that my last criterion. Having said that, there's probably a 75% correlation between the appearance of a top and the way that it sounds. I mean , if the color is even , the grain spacing is even, the grain is straight, and there's lots of medullary ray, chances are the top's going to be a killer. But not necessarily. The trick is not to take that for granted. Conversely, a funky looking top can sound spectacular. "
and from James Goodall (who wouldn't consider putting a micarta fretboard on a guitar - maybe knows something about tone quality?):
http://www.goodallguitars.com/woods.htm (http://www.goodallguitars.com/woods.htm)
and by the way what most refer to as grain are annukar rings - from LMI site:
"Grain: Some people refer to the annular rings as the Grain. Straight grain in this case refers to the lines of the annular rings being straight and parallel to each other. Fine grain is when the annual rings are close together or are seen as fine lines. Course grain is farther apart or the lines are wider and more visible."
Quotesomeone please explain what silking means.
As mentioned in the above post, if you look at the top of my OM-03R, you can make out some horizontal lines in the wood. That would be silking.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v243/dturbide/pickguard2.jpg)
(http://heartoftexasconcerts.com/myPictures/om-01-1.jpg)
Saw this OM-01 pic over on the Pictures forum, it belongs to Whitey Johnson. Looks like the wood on my L-01, but has a bit more silking. Nice! :D
Mine that I just received a week ago, has a very pale grain right where the two top halves meet. It looks like one centrally located white stripe.
I didn't like it at first, and I kept staring at it. It immediately produced two songs just from fiddling around with it, and it sounds awesome, so it earned its home.
I love the feel of the neck. Still haven't decided to go for a colored picguard or leave it clear....
pics:
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jwilson223/a...lbum?.dir=/f218 (http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jwilson223/album?.dir=/f218)