Feel like I stole one....

[fitness1]

A couple weeks back, I regretfully sent my Charis "down the road".   One of the big reasons I had it built was to have a cutaway in the arsenal.....my McKnight/Poling is a very fine instrument, but there are some things I need a cutaway for.    I just couldn't justify keeping such an expensive instrument for the 10% of the material I do that I really need it for.

When the Charis went, I started looking around for a sub 1k guitar that I could live with for a good while.   I stumbled upon an Ebay auction that I'm sure some of you saw for an OMV-10 that had a neck repair (cracked at the nut).   The seller's user ID was "international liquidatorz", so that kind of gave me pause.    I asked lots of questions and requested pics of the neck repair.  They also had a 30 day no questions money back guarantee, so it was pretty safe.

It showed up Saturday and had a few more minor cosmetic issues than I was made aware of, as well as a small crack in the back (2") that may be finish only - hard to tell.  There were also some setup issues which I have no problem handling, and unfortunately some "typical" Larrivee high/unseated frets.  

I requested and received a partial refund based on the condition of the instrument, and went to work on it in earnest over the last few days.    I've installed a port, pulled the pickguard, lowered and evened out the nut slots, put a Maddie shim under the saddle, tapped down or filed down the high frets, buffed out the entire body, cleaned and conditioned the fingerboard and bridge, and spent about an hour getting the sticker goo off the case!    

Now, I wouldn't have done all this if I didn't think it was pretty special to start, but this little guy is just crazy good now.   I just put the second fresh set of strings on it after finalizing all the setup work this morning.   I just can't believe what I'm hearing.

Only "problem" is that when I pulled the pickguard, I was surprised to find it "splotchy" underneath - where the lighter parts of the tortoise was, the light got through and darkened it.  Actually looks kind of cool in person, but I've got the template cut to let light only in on the pickguard area - should start darkening pretty quickly once I get some sun on it's buns.

Bottom line - it's just what the doctor ordered!    





This one has some lighter colored EIR, which is nearly always a good thing to my ear....

[Walkerman]

Did the seller mention that big hole in the upper bout?

[fitness1]

Did the seller mention that big hole in the upper bout?

Haha - they probably don't even know what a port is!

[Danny]

     You did a fine job, as usual.  Got  any pics of the neck repair?

[fitness1]

     You did a fine job, as usual.  Got  any pics of the neck repair?

It will be hard to pick up in a pic  -  I'll give it a try later.   Maybe it will show if I use flash.

[Orpheus]

Well done! Did you laminate the side around the soundport to avoid cracking along the grain?

[fitness1]

Well done! Did you laminate the side around the soundport to avoid cracking along the grain?

Nope - no power tools were used, just 100 grit, the 220 grit paper and elbow grease.   I've done about 10 of these on various instruments now with zero incidents.

[Orpheus]

I was more thinking about cracks that might occur over time. I usually use two more layers of wood around the inside of the soudport to reinforce the area. That helps me to sleep better .

[fitness1]

I was more thinking about cracks that might occur over time. I usually use two more layers of wood around the inside of the soudport to reinforce the area. That helps me to sleep better .

I won't leave the wood unfinished on the edges - short term I wiped some Lizard Spit on it - long term I'll put some kind of finish on it.   Larrivee's sides are pretty thick, so I don't foresee a problem at all.

[fitness1]

    You did a fine job, as usual.  Got  any pics of the neck repair?

[Danny]

     Those are nice Gotoh tuners, I have a set of them that I bought several years ago and still havent found the right guitar to put them on.

     As far as the neck repair goes I think it could be made less visible by sanding it down and refinishing it again. But it's easy to be an armchair quarterback

     I do believe you got a really good deal on this one

[fitness1]

     Those are nice Gotoh tuners, I have a set of them that I bought several years ago and still havent found the right guitar to put them on.

     As far as the neck repair goes I think it could be made less visible by sanding it down and refinishing it again. But it's easy to be an armchair quarterback

     I do believe you got a really good deal on this one

I've got a pair of the gold version of the Gotoh's here I think I'm going to swap out.   

That's the way the neck repair came to me (I've not done anything to it) and I'm really not that concerned about it cosmetically.   It's probably stronger than it was before structurally, and that's all that really matters to me.

This may be the best deal I've ever "wandered" into......

[Bas]

Great job! Looks like you've got yourself a beautiful new guitar.

[brandon]

nice find   

[dkwan9]

Are you going to replace the pickguard? Or do you prefer the natural look?

[fitness1]

Are you going to replace the pickguard? Or do you prefer the natural look?

It's not as much about looks as it is NOT having a thick piece of plastic dampening the top's vibrations.

As mentioned above, I have a template cut out that will allow light only where the pickguard was - I'll set it out on the patio with this in place on days that are temp and humidity appropriate and slowly get rid of the tan line.

[Treenewt]

 

I have to ask, did I read the post right?  You got this beauty (I understand the issues, but...) for less than 1k?  Wow!  You got a fine one!

[fitness1]

I have to ask, did I read the post right?  You got this beauty (I understand the issues, but...) for less than 1k?  Wow!  You got a fine one!

Yes, that's correct....

[Treenewt]

Yes, that's correct....

to you my friend!  Well done!!!

[fitness1]

I can hardly put this little guy down - it's one of those rare guitars that gets me up in the middle of the night to pull it out of the closet and play it!

I was noticing a few minutes ago with the morning light coming in that it has one of the most "silked" tops I've ever seen.   Jean really has SOME stash!