Another Larrivee in My Future? Help Please.

[Big.Al]

Hey gang.  It's been a couple of years since I parted with my last Larrivee.  I've been getting by with a pretty decent plywood Alvarez jumbo, but I'm hearing the siren song of getting a really decent guitar again, probably a Larrivee.  

I play in church settings, finger picking and strumming and want a guitar that does it all pretty well. I had a 2001 L-03 that was a fantastic guitar. I sold it back in 2011 to buy a Silver Oak D-03 that turned out to be kind of dead . . . and the factory installed Imix pickup never sounded natural to me. I have a budget in the $1200 range plus or minus.  I'm considering another L-03 in mahogany.  The same dealer that sold me the D-03 still has a new-old-stock Silver Oak L-03. It even has a Canadian (not Chinese) case.  I'm tempted to buy that one instead, based on others' reports about them . . . or maybe a D-40 Legacy . . . or maybe even a (gasp) Taylor 324.  I live a few hours away from the nearest stocking Larrivee dealer, so I'd be buying sight unseen.

I play amplified and I have yet to find a pickup I like except for the one in my Alvarez.  It sounds very natural because it has a nice sounding internal mic added.  I'd probably buy the guitar without a pickup and either add a Baggs Lyric internal mic or get a K&K Meridian clip-on.

How about some suggestions from the esteemed forum members?  Thanks in advance.

Al  

[brandon]

If you search the classifieds, ebay, and craigslist, you can get a really nice Larrivee for $1200 bucks!

I play my D-60 and OMV-50 at church quite a bit. The D-60 is better for strumming by far, but the 1 3/4" neck on the OMV-50 is more comfortable to play.

Unfortunately, trying before you buy can be a bit of a problem with Larrivee. If where you live is similar to my neck of the woods, there are very few Larrivee dealers. However, I have not played a "dud" with Larrivee on the headstock as of yet.

I have a Baggs M80 in my OMV and it is the best sounding pickup I've heard. I have the Baggs VTC in my D-60 but it needs to be swapped out for something more current.

[broKen]

From all I've heard of the SO, you would be pleased. A walnut L might suit you well also. My SD walnut is outstanding.

[unclrob]

If you go with Baggs get the Anthem LS I have in 3 of my guitars and run it thru the PARA Direct and am very happy.I have a bought the Lyric and was not happy get my thread in the Technical section.If you search thru the for sale section here you may find something nice used.

[Big.Al]

Thanks for the responses.  I think I've decided on an L-03 . . . still undecided about the wood. The walnut option is interesting, but I'm not sure who has one in stock right now.  The one big dealer I checked with is out.

Maybe I could buy one from a forum sponsor.  Recommendations?

Also, here's a short clip of my current guitar.  The first two times through were recorded with two different external condenser microphones I have and the last time through was the guitar plugged straight into the board. I really like the pickup sound, so I've been using that guitar for my main playing-out instrument.  I'd like a pickup that sounds at least as natural as that one.

Alvrez SYS600 with ACM50 intarnal Microphone

[brandon]

Wildwood has a nice selection with some interesting wood combos.
http://www.wildwoodmusic.com/larrivee-guitars.html?wppa-album=56&wppa-cover=0&wppa-occur=1

[broKen]

Thanks for the responses.  I think I've decided on an L-03 . . . still undecided about the wood. The walnut option is interesting, but I'm not sure who has one in stock right now.  The one big dealer I checked with is out.

Maybe I could buy one from a forum sponsor.  Recommendations?

Notable Guitars has two of them on his website. A cutaway and a full body.

[Big.Al]

Thanks.  I already checked with Jason at Notable and he said that the Peruvian walnut L-03 was no longer available. Another dealer has one in Claro walnut, but based only on things I've read about Claro, I'm going to pass on that one.

I'm going to place the order for the N.O.S. L-03SO today. I like the fact that it comes with the Canadian case and my wife likes the old Canadian "cherub" label better than the new Californian "mermaid" label.  She thinks the mermaid label is better suited for a nightclub guitar than a church guitar.  I'm not going to argue.

OK, time to get ready to call the dealer and start waiting for the big brown truck.

[Mikeymac]

Who's going to see the label at church? Not even the front row.

(I also play for worship...)

[Big.Al]

Who's going to see the label at church? . . .

My wife would know it's there . . . and when momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.

Order placed with Small Town Music. . . . The wait begins. . . .

[broKen]

I was just about to tell you about them when I saw your post. Should be a dandy ax

[Big.Al]

Thanks.  I bought my last Larrivee there too.  They don't have a big selection at STM, but their pricing is good and the owner, Frazier, is a real decent guy.

[Big.Al]

"Have mercy, been waitin' for the box all day . . ." 
. . . and it's only 9:30 in the morning. . . ..

[Bas]

Haha...

If you go with Baggs get the Anthem SL.

[Big.Al]

The guitar showed up mid-morning yesterday in perfect condition, and I managed to give it its first tiny ding already, hitting a latch the second time I took it out of the case.   Oh well, it's now "personalized."

It's everything I hoped for . . . beautiful to look at and great tone . . . with only a couple of minor issues.  First, the action was a little too low for my heavy right hand.  I put a thin veneer shim under the saddle.  That was supposed to be a temporary fix until I could make a new bone saddle.  It didn't seem to hurt the tone at all so I plan to leave it that way, at least for now.  Second, some of the the fret ends are a little sharp.  It doesn't look like a fretboard shrinkage issue . . . more like a sloppy filing job . . . but I can fix that too.

A local shop has a K&K Meridian Pro clip-on microphone they are willing to sell at a nice discount.  It looks a little cheesy but I think it might work OK for amplified settings if I don't install an Anthem.  Anybody have experience with the Meridian?

[broKen]

I wouldn't take any drastic steps for a while till the guitar has had time to adjust to its new environment.

My FIII has the sharp fret ends too. I attribute it to fretboard swell. Others suggest the binding shrinks.

Glad you're happy with it

[Big.Al]

Bought the Meridian microphone last night, so I'm sort-of plug-in-able.

Rain, Rain, Rain here . . . with some water in the basement.  No time for play today. I'll try to follow up with a NG post with a sound clip once I get the time to make one.