Feeding and Care of your Larrivee

[doctapayne]

I spoke with Brian at Larrivee today regarding warranty / repair customer service and how they handle things. He said that about 85% of the guitars sent in are covered under warranty and that most of the uncovered guitars are due to dehydration of the instrument. He was kind enough to send me the following information so I want to pass it on to you.
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From the desk of:

Brian Trepanier
Customer Service Representative
Larrivee Guitars Ltd.
604-253-7111

Here is some info everyone can use:

While they initially ship with Gore Elixir Light gauge strings, all Larrivee guitars, including the Parlor, can handle mediums gauge strings (sizes 13-56) at standard A-440 tuning. (The higher the action and the heavier the strings, the more tone and volume you will get from your instrument.) Though in theory a Larrivee 12 String can handle medium strings, we really do not recommend it, as it can pull the neck a little too far forward. If you plan to use Mediums on your 12 string, you do so at your own risk, as we will not warranty damage occurring from using mediums.

Like changing the oil in a car, a set up is a regular necessity. Expect to need a set up once a year, twice if there are severe seasonal climatic changes where you are.

Like the seats in a new car, a guitar needs to be adjusted to the owner's personal preferences once in their possession. We do not set up guitars to a rigid set of specs, rather what the individual guitar requires to be able to leave playable, in tune and without buzzing. As some people like a high action and others a really low action, and other in between somewhere, there is no way for a factory to know what the end user will want. Set ups will be required once or twice a year, as the guitar will adjust to climatic changes with the seasons. All new Larrivee guitars have an adjustable truss rod in them and the guitars are all shipped with the special Larrivee truss wrench to make access to its unique placement easy. The truss rod hex is located between the soundboard and the block of wood inside your guitar where the neck and body join.

Never turn the truss rod more than 1/8th of a turn without checking the results. Never turn it more than one full turn in total. Leave the strings at full tension when adjusting the truss rod, as this is whatyou are adjusting it against.

IF TRAVELLING OR SHIPPING THE GUITAR: Leave the strings at tension and in tune. Pack the guitar's headstock in behind and front with newspaper to hold the headstock tightly in place. The weakest point on the guitar is the headstock bend and the most likely to be damaged if the guitar is dropped in the case or mishandled. Leaving the strings at tension pulls opposite the bend and weight of the headstock and machine heads. If possible, get a guitar shipping box from a local retailer and pack the case tight inside the box with newspaper. If that is not possible, at least be certain to have a proper hard plastic travel case or consider renting a guitar

CLEANING INFO:
For the body:
Glossy finish= A plexiglas cleaner called Plexus. You can get it at Home Depot in the plexiglas section. Use with a micro fiber cloth for great results.

Satin Finish= Slightly damp rag followed by a dry rag.

Ebony fretboard= The oils from your fingers will, more often than not, take care of the fingerboard for life. Some people's chemistry is such that their oils will actually dry out the fingerboard's ebony or they will get an excessive build-up of "whatever" on their fingerboard. This is when you would LIGHTLY clean the fingerboard with OOO steel wool (a very soft steel wool) and then wipe some double-boiled linseed oil on it. The double-boiled linseed oil is purchased as such from any home improvement center. It's a ready-to-use product. This cleaning process should only happen every couple of years, (if ever) unless your body's chemistry makes it more necessary.

HUMIDITY INFO
Please note: This information is provided as a starting point for instrument moisture research only.The information provided here is not an instruction manual, but rather advice. Our lifetime warranty does NOT cover climatic damage of ANY sort so proceed at your own risk.

First and foremost before even looking at adding or removing moisture, you need to be able to spot the changes that will occur with the guitar is dry or damp.

When the Guitar is dry you will notice ONE or More of the following basic symptoms:
- Fret Ends feel sharp
- Action feels lower than before
- A hump seems to be developing in the fretboard around the 14-15 fret.
- The end of the fingerboard seems to sink into the soundboard
- If you sight across the guitar from bass side to treble side (between the soundhole and bridge) the top apears concave (hollow).
- The rings of the rosette feel raised or cracked.
- The guitar has suddenly started buzzing.

When the Guitar is overly damp (Much less likely) you will notice ONE or More of the following basic symptoms:
- Action is higher than normal
- If you sight across the guitar from bass side to treble side (between the soundhole and bridge) the top apears convex (Bellied).
- Guitar is VERY hard to play
- Looking down the fretboard, it apears the fretboard is raised from the 14th fret on
- The braces may be loose - You will audibly hear this by lightly tapping on the back.

If the guitar is exhibiting signs of dryness, the best thing to do is to seek assistance. Since each circumstance is unique (because climate, storage, and usage are all unique to different guitars) we recommend talking to peers about your senario. There are many internet forums out there and many of the people there can walk you through your issue. Mostlikely they will tell you some hydration is in order.

Many people use small in-case humidifiers to add some moisture to thier guitars - This is a good step - but is often not enough in dry enviroments (Such as colorado, new york, or desert enviroments). There are several problems to remember about in-case humidifiers:

- The sponge in the humidifier does NOT have to be dry to stop being effective. Once it loses about 50% of its moisture the sponge is useless.
- You need to reload the sponge VERY regularly. If you live in a dry climate, you may be putting water in even day or two - NOT every two-three weeks.
- The sponge likely only holds a teapspoon or two of water - Think about it - Just how effective is a spoon of water?

Using a cool mist room humidifier (not evaporative) will really help to bring up the moisture. You want the type that actually sprays mist. You can find this as low as $25 at your Local Target Store. I've seen very good quality ones for $50 at the same store. The best ones have a digital gauge that you can set-and-forget. Set it to 45-50 percent and check the water level daily. This level of moisture will not damage ANYTHING else you own. Believe it or not, childrens humidifiers work very well. Evaporative cooler humidifiers use a fan to blow air through a soaked filter, they are loud and not accurate. Avoid them.

It takes as little as 3 days - Yes 3 days - for an acoustic guitar to become so dry that it can crack. So if you go away on vacation, think of your instrument as a pet. You need to have someone come by and feed it. If you are traveling with your guitar, that is a good time to use an in-case humidifer.

If you instruments has gotten over hydrated, you really have only two options:

- Remove the source of moisture.
- Decrease the moisture by using a desicant or a dehumidifer.

There is one other note of importance - The optiminal range for a guitar is between 45% and 50% humidity. At this range the guitar will neither shrink or expand. This means that if your guitar is dry, and you bring the moisture back up to 45%, the instrument will not return to normal - it will simply not shrink any further. If you wish to swell the guitar, you need to take the moisture beyond 50% for a duration of time.
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I hope everyone finds this as informative as I have.......

Dr. P

-- Always Listening --

[Peter Cree]

Some of that advice is making me crazy ................A set-up twice a year?  Change in weather will make guitars change their top heights and relief.  Sometimes.  A set-up 2x a year seems excessive.

Never use the cool mist type of humidifier.

I can go on here.  Some info is good but I'm surprised at some of the other stuff.

A second opinion is necessary here.  The difference between Canadas climate or Californias for that matter and the rest of the world requires much different info.

[unclrob]

Dam Peter that advice would of made me Rich.....



I also find that if loving and attentive and don't let it too much tjat most guitars are happy. :GRN>

[doctapayne]

Peter,

Thanks for the insight. I too live in a fairly dry area (AZ) and since I am looking to purchase a Larrivee I thought I would find out as much information as possible directly from them. We have a 45 Gallon aquarium that assists us in keeping the RH in our home at about 36 - 40% year round. I believe the area and climate that the instrument "lives" in makes a big difference and that Larrivee is trying to provide some guidelines. It sounds like you disagree, based on experience in your area with some of their recommendations. I am interested in finding out what you recommend for someone in my area.....since our climates are similar.

Thanks

[Peter Cree]

Buddy, I hear ya.  Man I'd love to charge for set-ups 2x a year!!!!!  We could retire to Vancouver!!!

Cool mist = fret ends protruding and the end of the fretboard nosediving into the soundhole.

[New Jersey Mike]

I've been gathering info on humidifying for guitars. Check out this link on the topic from Taylor Guitars - some good advice. Pictures on first page explain why action can change depending on humidty. I'm been leaving my "dampit" sit inside sound hole with cover on for my D-03, probably laying flat inside guitar - a no-no according to Taylor. In addition, I've been using a second dampit inside case. Now wondering if I should get a room humidifier or an aquarium for my guitars ;-), especially since I  picked up a D-03 12 string.

http://www.taylorguitars.com/global/pdfs/guitar_humidifier.pdf

[Ratishna]

The other bit of info there that will be questioned by more than a few pertains to shipping: Larrivee says ship guitars with full tension on the strings.  I think this is bad advice, though I have heard their argument for their position.  I simply don't agree.  I always take tension off the strings when I ship a guitar.  A few years ago I received a nice LS-10 from someone in Denver who had shipped with tension on the strings.  Bad news when I opened the case, and the seller took the guitar back.  Somewhere out there is a nice Larrivee with a broken headstock repair. 

E. Shoaf

[jmhyer]

Concerning shipping, here are two of my recent experiences:

When my D-09 was shipped from CA, I requested that the seller take most of the tension off the strings.  It was then shipped in the HSC without padding for the headstock and arrived safely (via UPS, I think).

I recently assisted in the purchase of a Taylor 410.  The guitar was shipped with what appeared to be full tension on the strings and no padding for the headstock.  It arrived via FedEx with a brocken-off headstock.

The take-home for me (based on my experience where n=2)...     loosen the strings and pad the headstock.  If you're going to ship with full string tension, you darn-well better pad the headstock securely.

[Ratishna]

Regardless of the Larrivee claim, I see nothing to gain by putting extra tension on the headstock when shipping.  During the inevitable banging a box will take from shippers, forces will cause the headstock, which is already weighted down by the tuners, to pitch back and forth.  I simply don't see the reasoning behind putting even more tension on the headstock underthose circumstances.  I've shipped over 100 guitars around the country in the past decade and haven't had a crack or break yet.  Its bound to happen sometime so I am now knocking wood.

E. Shoaf

[billchivers]

Peter or unclrob or others,

This may be a dumb question, but what exactly is involved in a "setup"? How often should a setup be done in your opinion?

Also, how effective is a large aquarium in the room for keeping humidity levels up?

Cheers,
Bill

[unclrob]

Bill
a guitar set intails making the guitar yours,ie:action height,string guage,neck relief.This should be a one shot thing unless you change your mind about the first set up.After that its maintanance,which is just  having your guitar checked out by a good tech,he should at the very least clean the fingerboard check the neck relief,this should happen twice a year.

[Caleb]

ive never owned and never will own a humidifier. i dont get "set ups" either. i use good common sense by not leaving the guitar in extreme temps and not tossing it around the room. the day i have to start using humidifiers and paying for maintenance is the day i go back to playing lam guitars.

[parsky1]

My local shop setups are good for one year... within that year you can take it in as much as you want with and get charged nothing extra.