SD-50 Review

[mazareth]

This is a little overdue, but you'll see why in another post I'll make soon in the "Non-guitar Discussion" section...

First, thanks again to wordlesschorus/Mark for disclosing all the dings and wear that he knew about! As I a may have mentioned elsewhere. I've seen "new" guitars in shops that had more shop wear than this used guitar.

Now to workmanship and feel. Nearly flawless aside from a slightly misaligned seam on the 2 ply strip where the binding ends meet at the neck heel on the back of the guitar. The mahogany used on the back and sides is of the high quality we've all come to take for granted. The sitka used for the top of the guitar shows very even grain lines that I would call medium-narrow based on the other guitars I own. The grain is more more even than on my D-09. There is also very heavy silking and no run out. I've seen tops on D41s that weren't this nice! (Really!)

Feel and sound. From the specs below, you will see that the SDs are slightly smaller all the way around than a standard dread:

Lower Bout: 15.375"
Upper Bout: 11.375"
Waist: 10.5"
Depth: 4.875

BTW, the waist on a standard L body is 10 3/8" with a 16" lower bout. With the narrower waist, the SD sits substantially lower on the lap than my D-09. This may make the SD a good alternative from someone looking for dreadnought sound with more comfort. As far as the 1 7/8" neck width goes, if you can comfortably play a 1 3/4" neck, you should be able to make the jump to wider SD style neck (YMMV).

The 12 fret neck makes a huge difference in the sound and volume. With the bridge more centered in the lower bout, the top is responsive to both fingers and flatpicking. Even though this SD can get very loud, the overall sound doesn't degrade when the guitar is played hard. The string to string separation is excellent. Open chords show great balance across the frequency spectrum. Single string leads really leap out of the soundhole. Compared to other mahogany bodied guitars I've owned or played, this particular SD sounds a little sweeter and more complex without losing the typical woodiness of mahogany. Perhaps due to the placement of the bridge?

The SD-50 makes a great accompaniment to singing. Again comparing the SD-50 to my D-09, I noticed that I need to lay back a little, otherwise I find my voice having to strain to balance out the extra volume coming out of the guitar.

Based on some the other reviews here on the Forum, I think it's a good idea for anyone considering an SD to first play one. I base this mostly on the comments about the neck width from some players.

I can't wait to play this guitar out live, which I will do on April 18th (2 days after my birthday!!) with an acoustic/drummerless version of my current band. If you're anywhere near the Stevens Point, Wis. area, PM me and I'll give you the details...

Link to "For Sale" thread for pictures: http://www.larriveeforum.com/smf/index.php?topic=25754.0

[Johnny M]

Nice review Maz!  I was seriously considering this guitar when it listed, but didn't jump on it soon enough.  The SD-50 and 000-50 are the 2 Larrivees that really have peaked my attention and after reading this review I can see it happening some day down the road. I'm really happy with the D-18 I got and don't see it going anywhere.  Another cool thing is that it is a birth year guitar for my youngest son (2005).  Do you by any chance have any recordings of you and the guitar yet?  I know that you linked pictures, but how about some of your own!  You can't get enough of a good thing 

Congrats and enjoy it in good health.
John

[mazareth]

I don't currently have way to record, but I plan to do something at a bandmate's house soon. I'll post something as soon as I have it.

The folks who are getting Forum III guitars are going to be very surprised if they haven't played a 12 fretter up to now!!

[ryler]

Sounds like you're happy.  Thanks for a good, detailed review.  I like your advice about considering the SD if the dread size is a little daunting but the sound is to your taste.  Congratulations, and I'll be listening if you ever do post a soundclip.