New RS-4 question;

[jojo123]

Greetings.  I am new RS-4 owner.  I am very impressed and I will have more detail later.  For now, I am "dialing in" tones and all that fun stuff. 

My question for RS-4 owners: was your guitar shipped with manual or instructions??  Mine was not; it also did not have a warranty card.  Advised by dealer that manual was not available, and that the controls are just like a Les Paul.  I have email in to Larrivee customer service about getting warranty card and seeing if manual is available.

I am a mere hobbyist so don't have experience with LP's.  All my electric friends play strats or Tele's.  I can figure out the controls I'm sure, but it seems silly having to look up LP manuals on the internet to know exactly what does what.  BTW, Gibson has great manual online in PDF form.  Regardless it would be nice to know how the tress adjustment mechanism works and such. 

Other than this minor annoyance it was a very good transaction with the dealer though.           

Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks. 

[Mikeymac]

Congrats on a great guitar, and welcome to the RS-4 club!  You'll have to tell us which finish you have (and post pics when possible).

I don't believe there's an operator's/owner's manual for the RS-4; but I'm not at home where I can double check what's in my case.

The truss rod adjusts at the end of the fingerboard where the little square is at: you pull out the rubber spacer that's there to reveal a "wheel" that's attached to the truss rod. There are holes in the wheel where you can insert an allan wrench to turn the wheel. With the guitar body in your lap (neck facing away from you) turning the wheel clockwise should straighten the neck, while turning the wheel counter-clockwise will put more relief in the neck (I think I've got this right - someone correct me if I'm wrong - and being a lefty, I could have it wrong for righty players).

The volume and tone controls work just like on a Les Paul, and there are more interesting tones to be found by putting the switch in the middle for both pickups and then rolling the volume controls off ever so slightly (one at a time)...giving you tones similar to the single bridge and neck pickups, but subtly different and useful for different situations.

I sometimes think you could leave the pickup selector in the middle position and just roll off the volume controls a little and get enough sounds for most tunes.

[jojo123]

Mikeymac -

Thanks very much for the information and for the welcome!

I can get an amazing amount of different tones even though I am a newbie to LP controls and just spinning the knobs around       

Actually I ended up getting the all-mahogany RS-4 that you highlighted in a post w/pics a couple months ago!!  I can't do better then the professional pics in your post but I will post some later of the RS-4 in its new home.  It is a real beaut and has awesome tone.  I will post a fuller report after I have more time to assess it. 

[Mikeymac]

Actually I ended up getting the all-mahogany RS-4 that you highlighted in a post w/pics a couple months ago!! 

WOW! 

You got a VERY UNIQUE guitar there!  Congrats again, and welcome to the prestigious club!

[macsmojado]

Yes! That was a very "COOL SLAB OF MAHOG" on that RS-4!
The gold hardware was pretty "CLASSY" looking for sure!

Rev is right about the middle position with both NECK and BRIDGE
pickups! Just the slightest roll up or down on either volume control
gives you a different tone! I had a LES PAUL STANDARD and it
couldn't even get remotely close to giving up the tones that the
RS-4 does in any of the pickup positions! Burstbucker PRO's were
the most "COMPRESSED" overly MIDRANGEY Humbucker's that I
have ever heard on any LES PAUL style guitar! I absolutely hated
the "NECK PICKUP" on my LES PAUL! The Larrivee HB's sound as
good as any of the "BOUTIQUE BUILT HB's" available to my ears!

Mac

[JOYCEfromNS]

Hey JoJo  to Club Electric

I would suggest you download the Gibson manual online in PDF form.

I have 3 modern RS 4's and an RS 2 I don't think I ever did get a warranty card or a manual - tho never gave it much thought.

The RS 4 is still to my amazement relatively unknown in the Electric world. Yo got a real beauty there friend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Cybercanyon]

Hello JoJo and welcome,

I also have several RS4's, my favorite being my quilted mahogany with gold hardware.  It is a sibling to yours.  I love it.  None of my RS4's came with a warranty card or manual.  Mine came with a small allen wrench (for the truss rod), and 2 gold or chrome  Schaller strap locks.

Mike

[jojo123]

Macsmojado - thanks.  Larrivee certainly does mahogany right.  Actually I had initially purchased a LV-09, wanting to upgrade my acoustic line-up.  It was great guitar but it just didn't feel right for me.  Dave at Guitar Adoptions was great to work with (buying guitars on-line can be nerve wracking) and I swapped it out for the RS-4 since I had been looking for a new solid body as well.  So it all worked out in the end! 

JoycefromNS - thanks for the suggestion.  It was pretty easy to find a Gibson LP catalog PDF.  It is mostly fluff about their illustrious history and a few pages of instruction.  I think it would be pretty easy for Larrivee to put something together in order to enhance the experience for end users.  It is possible, but highly unlikely, that I am the only guitar player who hasn't played LP's.  Especially since an obvious target market is the Larrivee acoustic users, who may want to get RS-2 or RS-4 as their entry into electric world!  Also, people always like "case candy".  Presumably I am covered on the warranty with my receipt.

Cybercanyon - Thanks for the welcome.  Well I think my question has been answered that they don't ship with warranty cards or instructions!  Mine did ship with the tiny allen wrench, the gold schaller strap locks and two picks.  That is really cool to know that you have a solid mahogany with gold hardware as well.  I bet the quilted looks awesome.  My guitar no longer feels alone in the universe!

Thanks all for the welcome.   

       

[teacycle]

Damn, I didn't get the allen wrench, but no worrys, I have an ex-Larrivee employee as a tech person to take care of my guitars. As far as warrenty goes, I called Larrivee, which is located a few blocks from my home, and gave them the info needed. I think you can also do it online.
Enjoy the guitar. I do daily.

[JOYCEfromNS]

I called Larrivee, which is located a few blocks from my home, Enjoy the guitar. I do daily.

Man that's gotta be tough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[teacycle]

It's the head office in Vancouver not the solid body plant in CA. Lots of 2nd hand acoustic Larrivees in town but never rs4's.