Has your Larrivee significantly improved with age?

[Silence Dogood]

I'm not sure how long you've owned your Larrivee but I've had mine for 23 years (it's my only acoustic guitar). It has been played a lot, probably 10,000 hours at least.  I needed a refret about ten years ago and will probably need another one before I'm done. Definitely not a wall-hanger. 

My Larrivee has always sounded great (it's a D-03BW, and as noted here on the forum many times, the D-03 is the best guitar in the world), but lately I've noticed that it has improved. 

In the past few weeks it's as if it flipped a switch and went up to another level in tone.  It's a joy to just listen to it.  Everything seems just a bit enhanced or upgraded, tone-wise.  Hard to explain tone but the change is real and it's very noticeable to me.  I love it!

How has your Larrivee improved or changed over the years? 

[StringPicker6]

It amazes me that even after 23 years you are noticing improvements! The only long term experience that I can offer is for my parlor P-03. In November I will hit my 5 year mark with it. Initially, I was a bit underwhelmed and didn't play it much. But lately, I've noticed that when I play it softly and pay attention, it sounds very full and lush, so definitely an improvement to my ears.  The improvement has kept up my excitement about it!

[teh]

Congratulations on finding yourself a keeper. 10,000 hours of playing time is definitely noteworthy (A bad pun but accurate) and conservatively equates to about 8.3 hours per week. It's nice to see that this guitar sounds better than ever to you after 23 years of playing. I'm sure that Willie Nelson feels the same way about Trigger.

My experience has been similar. When I bought my Martin D-35 new in early 1977, it was my primary guitar until I bought my first Larrivee in 2004. All of my Larrivee guitars (4 acoustic, 1 electric), were purchased new and sounded great right out of the gate. My two oldest are the 2004 parlor and a 2005 12 string built in Vancouver, BC. The next three came from Oxnard and were built in 2021 and two were built in 2024. I followed John Jr.'s advice and played my Forum VI and 00 for 90 days before changing strings and tweaking the set-ups. Interestingly enough, I never laid hands on my 12 string, FVI or 00 until I took them out of their cases. My dealer made a compensated bone saddle for the 12 string in early 2006 while the other two were shipped directly from CA.

The D-35 turns 50 this year and my first two Larrivees and my 2006 Martin OM-35 are all in their early 20s now. All of my guitars get played regularly and two are out on loan right now. I think the tone and the playability of my guitars has improved over time. I also had Anthem pickups installed at the factory in my Forum VI and 00 which both really sound good when plugged into my Fishman Loudbox Mini amplifier.

[BlueBowman]

I think all guitars improve with age, but my Larrivee OM sure seems to have improved more than any other I've owned. Just shy of a decade since I bought it new, it has hit more new gears than maybe all my other guitars combined. An astonishing thing to witness. I notice more clarity, resonance, and volume.*

The "opening up" thing is sometimes controversial on forums, but too many people I respect (including many luthiers) also hear it in aging guitars. Some of the naysayers attribute it to psychoacoustics, and I do think that it plays a part in our guitar experiences. But that string tension pulling the guitar into a new shape surely has some effect on the sound, generally believed to be a positive one. 

Silence, I'm curious what it is you hear that's different? More of everything, I'd guess?

*Anyone in the east TN area is free to PM me, if they'd like to play it (or any other of my guitars). I'd love to have a Larrivee members meet up. Not sure if there's enough of us in my general area, but I'll put out there in case there's any interest. Nothing like a good afternoon of playing and talking guitars.

[William2]

I think there is some truth to improvement over time. My longest owned Larrivee is my D-40R. I think I got it in late 2020. I thought it had something special when I got it. I play it daily and after 6 years I feel the sustain has definitely improved.

[Riverbend]

I believe there is much to be said for aging guitars and their improving sound quality. As the individual parts of an instrument come together, I feel that that transformation is consequential in the sense that what was once parts and pieces becomes something entirely new and different. And as time goes on, those parts and pieces settle into their new role. Without sounding too whimsical (or crazy here    ), remember that most of the parts of our treasured guitars started out as seedlings that grew into mighty trees scattered across the earth. Add time and weather/humidity to the equation and it feels obvious that there would be change. And sometimes that change isn't necessarily for the better. I've seen some pretty bad examples on both ends of the dried-out/over humidified spectrum. Mostly very subtle but change all the same, I've noticed it in my three Larrivee's. Adding new strings always seems to bring about new enthusiasm, and my ten-year-old OM-40M is a great example. It's gotten to be third in line lately behind the Forum VI and VII, which both are aging nicely, but a recent music festival with lots of jamming with the OM gave me a new appreciation for how it's voice aging.     

[Silence Dogood]

All great replies and thoughts. 

As far as what exactly changed about my guitar... it just seems like it has gotten warmer, more focused and more refined overall.  All the tones seemed to have been "tighter" in the past but have now loosened up.  It's like the guitar loosened its tie and unbuttoned its collar at some point.  It was always good but now it's truly great. 

I feel like I've had it long enough, and played it enough, to begin to know what it's like to have an "old guitar" with lots of play-time having gone through it. 

Riverbend's poetic musings above are correct: our guitars are made of living things that had a long life before they came into their current and final form.  Our guitars are made of parts that once grew and moved and endured the elements.  It's all very mysterious.  When the various parts are joined together into a guitar, maybe there is some kind of memory buried within the wood that wants to move and live again? 

It's sad that we can feel silly speaking of such things when all the ancients viewed the world and all its parts as living things to interact with.  I don't claim to understand it but there is likely something to it all.  Wood is mysterious, like water or fire.  Who can really understand it or say just WHAT it is?  Not me.

I've talked a lot on the forum about lower tuning and frequency.  I've not gone down any rabbit-holes as far as what's behind it all and the possible meanings, but I have thoroughly enjoyed experimenting with 432Hz.  A while back I went back to Lights instead of the Mediums I've used for years.  The guitar is tighter and boomier with mediums but seems to just relax and breathe more with the Lights on. 

I've also been nerding out over picks for a long time.  A while back I bought a pick made out of a coin.  When I use this pick with the Lights I get this insane sound: way bigger than before, and with all kinds of nuanced tones. Sometimes with strings you only hear the strings, but sometimes it seems like the strings are just a microphone to hear the wood. That's what I'm getting lately when using SIT Lights.

These additions, along with the lower tuning (whole step) and into 432Hz from there, seems to create some kind of secret sauce.

All said, my guitar went from sounding like a very good guitar to sounding like a great vintage acoustic.  And yet still it retains the clarity and modern characteristics that are unique to Larrivee. 

I don't want an old booming Martin, or a dry Gibson: yes, they are great and have their place, and are fun to demo at guitar shops. But I prefer the clarity and brilliance of the Larrivee sound. 

[Gar_206]

I hope this isn't viewed as hijacking this thread, but I'm going to go in the other direction. A year or so ago I bought a used 2019 OM-02 with scalloped hybrid bracing, maple bindings, African mahogany back and sides, etc. The guitar does not have a scratch on it. It likely hadn't been played much when I bought it.

The staff at the shop where I had some work done on it (I didn't buy it from them) likes it a lot. I, on the hand, can't seem to connect with it. The guitar sounds stiff and muted/muffled. I know the "Larrivee sound" is different than other makers, but I don't hear much of anything from this guitar. It does have fairly prominent bass response due to the bracing.

In your opinion, am I missing something here? Am I just experiencing playing an almost 8-year-old guitar that has never really opened up due to it not being played much? If so, why might the folks at the shop like it as much as they do? (They are even willing to buy it from me.)

Any thoughts about this, please, based on your own history with Larrivees would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[Silence Dogood]

I hope this isn't viewed as hijacking this thread, but I'm going to go in the other direction. A year or so ago I bought a used 2019 OM-02 with scalloped hybrid bracing, maple bindings, African mahogany back and sides, etc. The guitar does not have a scratch on it. It likely hadn't been played much when I bought it.

The staff at the shop where I had some work done on it (I didn't buy it from them) likes it a lot. I, on the hand, can't seem to connect with it. The guitar sounds stiff and muted/muffled. I know the "Larrivee sound" is different than other makers, but I don't hear much of anything from this guitar. It does have fairly prominent bass response due to the bracing.

In your opinion, am I missing something here? Am I just experiencing playing an almost 8-year-old guitar that has never really opened up due to it not being played much? If so, why might the folks at the shop like it as much as they do? (They are even willing to buy it from me.)

Any thoughts about this, please, based on your own history with Larrivees would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Hello, and thanks for chiming in.  My sincere question would be: Why on earth would you buy a guitar you don't like the sound of? 

If it were me, I'd tune it down and explore other tones.  If it did nothing for me, I'd move it along.  YMMV. 

[BlueBowman]

In your opinion, am I missing something here? Am I just experiencing playing an almost 8-year-old guitar that has never really opened up due to it not being played much? If so, why might the folks at the shop like it as much as they do? (They are even willing to buy it from me.)

Any thoughts about this, please, based on your own history with Larrivees would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

How new is to you? How much play time is on it? If it doesn't warm up after a half hour of playing, then it might not be the guitar for you. OM's tend to be focused and forward projecting; maybe you'd like a guitar with more depth of sound, like a 000-12 fret or even a dread (or a 12-fret dread...about as deep as guitar sounds go!).

Hello, and thanks for chiming in.  My sincere question would be: Why on earth would you buy a guitar you don't like the sound of? 

If it were me, I'd tune it down and explore other tones.  If it did nothing for me, I'd move it along.  YMMV. 

That's good advice. I tune all my Larrivee's down, from Eb standard on down. I think that's where they shine (not that standard is bad!).

[BlueBowman]

As far as what exactly changed about my guitar... it just seems like it has gotten warmer, more focused and more refined overall.  All the tones seemed to have been "tighter" in the past but have now loosened up.  It's like the guitar loosened its tie and unbuttoned its collar at some point.  It was always good but now it's truly great. 

All said, my guitar went from sounding like a very good guitar to sounding like a great vintage acoustic.  And yet still it retains the clarity and modern characteristics that are unique to Larrivee. 

That sounds great!

Curious if this is the first tonal change you've noticed since owning the guitar? 

[StringPicker6]

Regarding your OM-02, can you get someone to play it for you while you sit in front of it?

[Riverbend]

"Riverbend's poetic musings above are correct"
Stringpicker, that's the gosh darn nicest thing anybody has said to me all day!

[StringPicker6]

Sorry, wasn't me. The compliment came from Silence Do good. I guess you could say he's Dun good today.

[Gar_206]

Hello, and thanks for chiming in.  My sincere question would be: Why on earth would you buy a guitar you don't like the sound of? 

If it were me, I'd tune it down and explore other tones.  If it did nothing for me, I'd move it along.  YMMV. 

I hear you. I guess I was enticed by its looks! The price was another factor. I had only purchased 2 acoustics prior to the OM-02 and both were new and fairly tight also. Both opened up eventually. The OM-02 hasn't opened up since I've had it or opened up any more, imo.

I will try tuning down. Thanks for that tip.

[Gar_206]

How new is to you? How much play time is on it? If it doesn't warm up after a half hour of playing, then it might not be the guitar for you. OM's tend to be focused and forward projecting; maybe you'd like a guitar with more depth of sound, like a 000-12 fret or even a dread (or a 12-fret dread...about as deep as guitar sounds go!).

I would definitely like a 12-fret OOO or dread!

Edit: I have had it for almost 1.5 years.

[Gar_206]

Regarding your OM-02, can you get someone to play it for you while you sit in front of it?

That is a good idea. Thanks!

[StringPicker6]

I once had a stellar Larrivee LV-03r with a vine inlay on the fretboard, and like an idiot I sold it...
When I handed it to the buyer, he strummed a few chords in front of me, and when hearing that guitar played at me, I realized right then that I had made a huge mistake.

 What we hear and what a person hears in front of your guitar can be very different.

[Silence Dogood]

That sounds great!

Curious if this is the first tonal change you've noticed since owning the guitar? 

The guitar has always sounded great to me, but only recently has it seemed to change drastically.  It's always been very "sparkly" but now it's got a deeper and more seasoned sound overall.  But who can describe sound. 

Sitting in front of the guitar rather than behind it has been mentioned.  This really does make a big difference.  Also, today's smartphones have amazing recording capabilities.   Here is a simple recoding of my guitar from about a year ago.   It's captured with the phone sitting on a table in front of me.