Can the Larrivee L Body handle strumming?

[steelfuzz]

These days i'm noticing that my Taylor Grand Auditorium 8 really cannot handle the strumming I do while playing. I find it gets very distorted. I am looking for a guitar that will handle strumming better and am looking towards Larrivee.

My question is can the L body handle strumming or will I be running into the same problem I have now. Should I be going for a dread body that I know will be able to handle the strumming?

Thanks!

[unclrob]

I have never had a problem stumming any L or for that matter any Larrivee.

[steelfuzz]

And you don't find any kind of distortion when strumming?

[sayheyjeff]

I don't find a problem strumming my L either, but but I have never played one of those Taylors to really know the level of concern.  Might be best trying an L 1st.  You won't have a problem with a D.

jeff

[ncognito]

steelfuzz--

I guess you'd call Taylor's Grand Auditorium a mid size guitar; if I'm wrong, somebody set me straight.  I owned a 514ce for a while which is their GA, cedar over mahogany with cutaway and expression system (Taylor's proprietary pickup).  It could sort of handle moderate strumming, but with the cedar you couldn't dig in too much.  Your model has sitka and rosewood and is likely a better strummer than mine had been, but if you're the kind of player who really likes to dig in real hard go for the Larrivee dread, and if you exercise just a bit of restraint, the L would probably be fine.  Here's a dumb question, but I'll ask anyway-- might your guitar benefit from a set up?  I've heard some folks strum maple Taylor GAs pretty hard.  They didn't break up or buzz that I could tell. 

          DAVE 

[Denis]

I find mahogany guitars like the L-03 I had, are great strummers.  I've come to realize that I prefer mahogany but I had an L-03R that was every bit as good.   

[steelfuzz]

So do you guys think that the L03 Sapele would be better to handle strumming than the L03R

[ncognito]

Fuzz (I hope it's okay to call you Fuzz?)--

What about a Larrivee jumbo.  I'll bet they really put out.  I wish I knew from first hand experience.  My Taylor 12 Jumbo (which is not for sale) is very loud if that's what you're looking for.  If a large body guitar is not a comfort issue for you-- jumbos are notoriously great strummers. 

          DAVE

[Larrivee4me]

These days i'm noticing that my Taylor Grand Auditorium 8 really cannot handle the strumming I do while playing. I find it gets very distorted. I am looking for a guitar that will handle strumming better and am looking towards Larrivee.

My question is can the L body handle strumming or will I be running into the same problem I have now. Should I be going for a dread body that I know will be able to handle the strumming?

Thanks!

 Sounds like you are a fairly aggressive strummer.  I could overdrive the top on my 514 Taylor but I had to wail on it.   Though the Larrivee L body is a very versatile guitar, maybe a dread with medium strings would be a better choice for you.   How heavy is your favorite flat pick?  John Doyle is one of my favorite percussive strummers and he uses a .60mm nylon pick on his dread.  Having seen him play many times I was surprised his pick was that light.  

[petevee]

All day long 

[teh]

Based on your original post, you need to go try a few out and see for yourself in both D and L body sizes but if you are primarily going to be a strummer, the D might be a better bet.

I opted for an L body when I ordered my 12 string and in my opinion, it is the perfect body size for my style of playing which includes finger picking and strumming (i.e. Early Morning Rain). My son's brother-in-law has an L-03R and his buddy has a D-05 Mahogany (both 6 strings) and they easily handle strumming.

[carruth]

Yes.

[Dale_I]

steelfuzz -- While most don't have any problem, including myself... Every one is different. Besides defining your style and personal attributes, as previously mentioned (how heavy of a pick, how hard you play, what strings you want to use, etc, etc), what you call distortion would need to be quantified as well. Definitely the easiest way to find out will be to play them.

That said, I have an L-10, which is rosewood, and I can get pretty aggressive at times and I have not had issue with it. I use a thinner pick when I really get aggressive, but usually play with a light medium pick and both strum and pick. The only reason I move to a thinner pick when I get very aggressive is because I like the "click" sound and use it almost as an added percussion sound. I've strummed aggressively with the light medium pick and I have not found it to overdrive the top.

Rosewood (L-03R, L-09, L-10) will tend to have a stronger bottom and top, while Mahogany (L-03, L05) will tend to push the mid a bit more, but (again) a lot of this is personal preference. Since you have a Rosewood, you might choose to have a Mahogany in your arsenal. Or, (like me) you might be partial to Rosewood and may just need a larger body for fullness.

If you have a dealer near, I would go play a few.

[Wannabee]

   Yes,L body guitars will handle strumming.I have a L-03SP ,L-03R,and L-03K.They all do well at strumming.In my  humble opinion,as well as a Dreadnaught,plus I have the advantage of the 1-3/4" nut.I love all my L's.

[ffinke]

A friend of mine plays an L-09 with mediums and he drives it hard!!! I can't compete with the same sonic space finger picking an L-03 with light ga. but his L-09 doesn't take prisoners and I've never heard it break.

Dreads are powerful but Ls (IMO) just have better balance.

f

[L1D1]

I have an L03 and while it will "handle" strumming, I do find the tone compressed when compared to a good dread. Note separation is not there the way it should  be. I think the L series is a good fingerstyle and does most jobs well but it is a compromise build. It has pretty good balance but so do many dreads particularly tapered braced builds.

[flatlander]

yes, very much so.

[tadol]

Handle it? It's like they were built for it -

Tad

[Danny]

Handle it? It's like they were built for it -

Tad

I agree, it just depends on the setup and strings used. I could strum as hard as I wanted on my LV-03R and it was quite a player.
  I'm playing my LS-03 F-III right now and have it set real low, but I used a pick for a while and it is doing just fine. I'm sure it would have some fret rattle if I cut loose on it too hard, but it is very low.

[hadden]

Best to audition. I am not strong enough to hit the limit on my LV-03r with mediums. You however might be a real punisher.