F-IV special order 00-03MT by the forum & Trinity Guitars

[Denis]

I can't wait for these strings to be broken in!!!  I hate brand new strings.  They always have some harshness.  After a few more day, tomorrow especially as my writing partner is coming down for a day of jamming, the E16 will definitely sound nicer.

I'm not 100% but I'm thinking the pins are probably Tusq like the saddles and nuts they use.  They are in the FIII.  If I get new pins for mine, I'll just get some ebony ones.  I don'tsee it making much of adifference in tone.  Aesthetically, I have no problem with the ones they sent with the guitar. 

The FIV was worth the wait.  I can't imagine that they could sound any better but I'm sure 2-3 months of steady playing might loosen it up bit.  I'm so happywith this guitar.

[Danny]

You know, the fingerboard has no streaking so I suspect it has been stained. I believe that most ebony these days looks more like this bridge than the fretboard.
I too, played for about an hour or so this morning before I came into the office. My left hand smells of linseed oil, so it has been treated very recently. I have a bottle of ColorTone Fretboard Finishing Oil which would darken the bridge if I ever decide to do this. I think these white plastic pins will have to go, though.
I honestly wasn't prepared for the clarity and articulation in tone. (Perhaps my other guitars all need a fresh set of strings.)

I don't think they dye their ebony. My F-III has a cool variation of color in the neck and I would never dye it. My F-IV has solid coloring on the neck and bridge though. Both just make it a little bit distinctive.

             Mark the clarity and articulation also caught me by surprise. Having owned a maple/spruce 00 I had experienced that before, but I just didn't think these all mahogany models would be so clear. Happy surprise

I can't wait for these strings to be broken in!!!  I hate brand new strings.  They always have some harshness.  After a few more day, tomorrow especially as my writing partner is coming down for a day of jamming, the E16 will definitely sound nicer.

I'm not 100% but I'm thinking the pins are probably Tusq like the saddles and nuts they use.  They are in the FIII.  If I get new pins for mine, I'll just get some ebony ones.  I don'tsee it making much of adifference in tone.  Aesthetically, I have no problem with the ones they sent with the guitar.  

The FIV was worth the wait.  I can't imagine that they could sound any better but I'm sure 2-3 months of steady playing might loosen it up bit.  I'm so happywith this guitar.

I put a set of plain ole Dean Markley Bronze 12-54's on mine to see what the tone would be like. The harshness is gone and a mellow flavor is coming through. I was going to switch to some other strings but these seem to be a match up for the newness of the wood right now. I'll wait a while and change them when I get to the nut and saddle, set up, etc.
                   My second fret is a bit high and somewhere higher up as well. I began to check last night to get to know this guitar as well as a novice like me can. So I can adjust the action way low and make everyone get that "WOW" look on their face when they play it. (I like to see players react when they play my low action guitars)

    Denis I think you should say to the forum what you told me in the recent emails. I have to be somewhat reserved in my statements because of my over exuberance about the F-III. (though it is a fine player) These are another success story for Larrivee and the Forum.

                   I am so glad Jim stuck with this deal. He is a good man and a good member of this forum. It's also cool to see Bill posting as well, he was extremely upbeat and helpful to me in the end of this process. OK as usual Nuff Said.  

[Denis]

    Denis I think you should say to the forum what you told me in the recent emails. 
                   

quite possibly the most resonant guitar I've ever owned Danny.  A really clean, clear balanced sound and feel...wow and so much volume, all in the right places for the way I pick a guitar.  Boggles the mind.  So much from something so small and light.  I can't imagine better

[photomat]

Congratulations everyone.  Sounds like a great guitar. I have enjoyed being one or two of the over 30,000 thread views!

[Mikeymac]

You know, the fingerboard has no streaking so I suspect it has been stained. I believe that most ebony these days looks more like this bridge than the fretboard.
I too, played for about an hour or so this morning before I came into the office. My left hand smells of linseed oil, so it has been treated very recently. I have a bottle of ColorTone Fretboard Finishing Oil which would darken the bridge if I ever decide to do this. I think these white plastic pins will have to go, though.
I honestly wasn't prepared for the clarity and articulation in tone. (Perhaps my other guitars all need a fresh set of strings.)

My fingerboard has a fair amount of figuring or streaking in it - not as light as #1's bridge, but easily noticeable...so I think it's just 'luck o' the draw' on how much figure or darkness in each piece of ebony.

I've got a set of a new brand of strings on mine (set #3 so far!); they're called Red Brand strings (www.redbrandstrings.com), with higher copper content than 80/20 or phospher bronze. Also, these are their light set, 12, 16, 25, 33, 43, 53. Very warm, but also have punch, clarity and definition.  We'll see how well they hold up; they weren't cheap ($11.50 or something) for strings that don't claim to be coated (like Elixers, etc.)...but I noticed that the plain E and B strings felt almost like they had some kind of coating on them; they weren't as slippery as regular strings (which was nice when putting them on).

[sniggs]

the streaking on that bridge looks great,if the frettboards were ever dyed to get rid of streaking the same as that ,it would be a shame.

[BluesMan1]

   I was just A/B'ing my F-III (IS/HOG) & this baby. The F-III sounds better, but heck, it's a year old now & played in. Denis, your comments to Dan were right on. Still in awe of the sound from this guitar. And, yes, it was a steal!
   Dan, again, thanks for your idea to get these guitars going & letting us few be blessed. Once I get my guitar from Luca, I think I'm set for life now. Two all HOGS, one F-III (IS/HOG), & my IS/It. Walnut custom. What more could a man ask for?
   Also, thanks to all @ Trinity Guitars & Larrivee that helped make this happen. I'm a little busy to take pics & post them right now, but will come. Got 2 guitars in 2 days, so both are vying for playtime. That OO just sits in your lap sooo well & is a breeze to play.
   Mark, love the streaking on your bridge. Have always liked the fact that Larrivee doesn't dye their ebony, giving some cool results. Nice guitar!
   
     Jeff

[Denis]

The sound seems to go out in all directions with the all mahogany bodies on the 00-03MTs.  I love the way they ring.  Really looking forward to getting in some serious playing time this weekend. 

[jpmist]

Here already? Dang, I was hoping for Saturday, but here it is! Sweet!

With the comment about someone's bridge lifting I was a bit apprehensive opening the box, particularly with the taped up dent in the side, but the guitar is flawless and far nicer in person than pics I've seen show. I really, really like the light reddish shading of the mahogany and the grain and figuring is far nicer than I had hoped for. The figuring is not too aggressive, and just asymmetrical enough to be interesting.

I basically gawked at it for 10 minutes before I dared even playing it. Pics below. The 12 fret neck really threw me at first having never played one, but I'm sure I won't notice after a few days. The quality of manufacture is dang near perfect, sure I can quibble about a binding join with a .005mm glue gap but seriously folks . . . The maple binding was a pleasant surprise because of the mild streaking here and there. There is a slight smidgen of grain in the dark ebony fretboard and much more in the bridge which is fine with me. In short it's a beautiful guitar and I really like it.

As far as sound, the description of "canon" is really spot on. Feeling the whole body resonate is amazing and it has more volume than my 312 which I didn't think was possible considering how broken in the 12 year ol' thing is. The best thing about my new F-IV is simply it's tone. To me it's what a guitar should sound like and what I hoped it would be. I'm very pleased.

Playing it is something else again. I've sensed some hedging here from others on the subject, but let's face it, it's going to feel different and in time I'll be as nimble on it as on my LSV and Taylor. Think it took me about 2 months to get used to the LSV so I imagine it'll be the same for the F-IV. So take theoffered sound file with a gain of salt for the clumsy notes and forgive me being a lousy sound engineer.

In closing, let me echo the many thanks of others to Jim @Trinity, and the movers and shakers here who got the special order going. Being a newbie here it was kind of a flier for me to buy a guitar sight unseen based on the comments on a web site, but honestly, had I seen this on the wall of a dealer I'd have bought it with no qualms. Very pleased! Thanks guys!



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[archilady]

Woo Hoo! #24 just arrived here at my office. 
Beautiful guitar. Not very much streaking in the ebony which is fine by me. I do like the look of the figure in some other bridge and fretboards I've seen so far, but I'm fine without it too. The medium strings have got to go though. 12 frets is a big enough change for me to get used to and I don't think I can make the transition from lights to mediums at the same time. The string change will give me a chance to install the bone pins too.

Unfortunately I don't have a camera here to show you guys yet and I am headed up to Tahoe for the weekend so will be out of touch until Monday. (tuffythepug - I'll be headed through your neck of the woods, but can't stop this time. I'll catch you on the next trip.)

Quick question though....I would love to take the guitar with me a play all weekend, but it's colder and dryer in the mountains than here in SF. Do you think the change in climate would shock the brand new guitar in anyway? 

I know the guitar is so new it's not even used to being a guitar yet, so I'm worried that a road trip might not be the best thing...of course it did get all the way across the country by FEDEX ground so...

I'm taking it with me unless someone here convinces me that the climate change is too much to risk.

[BenF]

These guitars a very pretty.  Loving the stripey bridge Q, that is really interesting, like Danny's fretboard on his Forum III.

Congratulations everyone. I was lucky enough to get a forum III, and know how you are all feeling to be getting your guitars.  It is a rare moment to savour.

For me, my forum III is an amazing guitar, but will always have a bit of the forum in it, and the fine people that make this place so great.  I hope the same os true for all of you guys.

Happy picking!!

[Queequeg]

Woo Hoo! #24 just arrived here at my office. 
Beautiful guitar. Not very much streaking in the ebony which is fine by me. I do like the look of the figure in some other bridge and fretboards I've seen so far, but I'm fine without it too. The medium strings have got to go though. 12 frets is a big enough change for me to get used to and I don't think I can make the transition from lights to mediums at the same time. The string change will give me a chance to install the bone pins too.

Unfortunately I don't have a camera here to show you guys yet and I am headed up to Tahoe for the weekend so will be out of touch until Monday. (tuffythepug - I'll be headed through your neck of the woods, but can't stop this time. I'll catch you on the next trip.)

Quick question though....I would love to take the guitar with me a play all weekend, but it's colder and dryer in the mountains than here in SF. Do you think the change in climate would shock the brand new guitar in anyway? 

I know the guitar is so new it's not even used to being a guitar yet, so I'm worried that a road trip might not be the best thing...of course it did get all the way across the country by FEDEX ground so...

I'm taking it with me unless someone here convinces me that the climate change is too much to risk.

Sure take it with you, archilady. Enjoy it. If you're concerned about the humidity, put a damp (not wet) sponge in a ziplock baggie and punch some holes in it, then put it in the case and keep your guitar in the case when you're not playing it.
Safe travels!

[Frank_S]

One thing I forgot to mention was that the fret ends are much smoother than my L-03R. I've heard some folks complain about the sharp Larrivée fret ends in the past so I just noticed how smooth the fret are on this guy. BTW, did I say how beautiful this guitar is, and the amazing tone right out of the box?

Congrats to all who bought into the forum IV build and of course Danny and those at Trinity for making it happen. 
A special shout out to the Larrivée factory for taking the order and actually making it a reality.

[archilady]

Sorry if this posts twice. I think the pics in my first attempt were too large.
So I snuck home from the office the change strings before my trip and I snapped a few pics. As those of you who already have one know, these guitars look even better in person...and smell great too!   

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[Danny]

Woo Hoo! #24 just arrived here at my office. 
Beautiful guitar. Not very much streaking in the ebony which is fine by me. I do like the look of the figure in some other bridge and fretboards I've seen so far, but I'm fine without it too. The medium strings have got to go though. 12 frets is a big enough change for me to get used to and I don't think I can make the transition from lights to mediums at the same time. The string change will give me a chance to install the bone pins too.

Unfortunately I don't have a camera here to show you guys yet and I am headed up to Tahoe for the weekend so will be out of touch until Monday. (tuffythepug - I'll be headed through your neck of the woods, but can't stop this time. I'll catch you on the next trip.)

Quick question though....I would love to take the guitar with me a play all weekend, but it's colder and dryer in the mountains than here in SF. Do you think the change in climate would shock the brand new guitar in anyway? 

I know the guitar is so new it's not even used to being a guitar yet, so I'm worried that a road trip might not be the best thing...of course it did get all the way across the country by FEDEX ground so...

I'm taking it with me unless someone here convinces me that the climate change is too much to risk.

Your guitar looks great. I have already traveled by plane and car with mine. Just take care of humidity and if the temperature is comfortable to you then the guitar is happy as well.

[fongie]

Here's the MT family: P-05MT, 00-03MT @ Center Stage & L-05 @ right

What a sight! Nice to see the differences in the sizes when compared to each other  You should be a proud dad Queequeg, just looks fantastic. Boy, never realised the size difference of the 00 to a parlor  Enjoy
cheers
fongie

[Mikeymac]

Sorry if this posts twice. I think the pics in my first attempt were too large.
So I snuck home from the office the change strings before my trip and I snapped a few pics. As those of you who already have one know, these guitars look even better in person...and smell great too!   

Another beautiful lefty!  Glad you decided to take it with you - that's what it's for, after all.  Look forward to more of your impressions when you get back (along with what strings you're using - you said you were switching to lights; I've done that for now as well, and don't think the tone is suffering any). I know the more I play mine, the more I'm so glad I didn't sit this build out - the F-IV is a winner all the way around!

[tuffythepug]

These satin finished hog guitars are photographing great.   No unwanted reflections,  good, even and consistent coloring with nice grainage in the bridge and fretboards.   I think it's safe to say that there might be a future GOTM in the bunch.   

 

[PCT57]

I have been following this thread with much anticipation for you guys and my laptop died just at the moment of deliveries      but got a new one now   

These guitars really look great. I am interested in the 'streaking of ebony' topic since my P-03 Special Edition has some and I was wondering if it was possibly stained but apparently not? would be interested in any more info.

Once again - well done, you all have got great guitars with these F-IV's   

[pehabe]

exactly the same as I got with my forum III coming to the uk. Do you know who USPS will pass it to in Germany to take over delivery? When mine came to the uk, I tried the same tracking no. With parcelforce and it reappeared at UK customs. I think it is because USPS pass the buck, and their standard tracking reports don't cope.

Hi Ben, thanks for information.
How did you know the next transporter?