My new OM 03 R, will bass/sustain 'open up'?

[flatlander]

Lets post again in 30 years when our Larrys have  matured.

This is where I get to be one of few who can say I have had my Larrivee 30 years. (well 28 years) On the L-10 most of the breaking in accurred over the 1st year or 2. Not tremendous change since then. I do have recordings done when it was young to compare it to now as well. I think different guitars do differently.

[Danny]

This is where I get to be one of few who can say I have had my Larrivee 30 years. (well 28 years) On the L-10 most of the breaking in occurred over the 1st year or 2. Not tremendous change since then. I do have recordings done when it was young to compare it to now as well. I think different guitars do differently.

                                 So did it "open up", or is your 000 on the same basic sonic level?

[kwakatak]

Yes, definitely swap out the saddle with bone and give it at least 6 months to open up. My OM-03R had the same "problem" as yours and the first thing I did was pry out that tone-killing TUSQ saddle and put in a bone saddle from www.guitarsaddles.com. Even with the same strings (I just loosened them so that I could take out the saddle) the change in clarity and sustain was apparent. Experimenting with different brands of strings will also certainly help, but also consider putting medium gauge strings (such as D'Addorio EJ17s) to help drive the top more.

I also have a bone nut waiting to be installed; I'm going to go see a luthier this weekend and have it done. 

[bearsville0]

I wonder if Mr. Colosi ever gets bored  just filing down bone saddles all frikkin day? Doesn't he toss out a dud to the adoring masses once in while just t entertain himself?

[flatlander]

   

                                 So did it "open up", or is your 000 on the same basic sonic level?

The 000-60 has opened up much more quickly and dramatically than L-10. If it keeps it up, I'm gonna have to start putting on a diaper every time I go to pick it up. The grain is pretty wide on it. Does that make it loose up quicker? I dare not guess.

[Danny]

The 000-60 has opened up much more quickly and dramatically than L-10. If it keeps it up, I'm gonna have to start putting on a diaper every time I go to pick it up. The grain is pretty wide on it. Does that make it loose up quicker? I dare not guess.

From what I have read the tighter the grain the longer the cells take to open up. Thanks for the reply,    Danny

[WWJP]

So the tighter the grain, the longer it takes to have it open up... Oh boy am I in for a long wait since my Larri has a nice even (and tight) grain on the top and even irregular bearclaw (which might add to the tightness?)...
I think tight is also the word I would use to describe the tone right now, it just doesn't ring out like I now it can (I've heard and played several Larrivée's among which other OM's). I've read all your comments, I'll keep playing and trying different strings and what have you.

I've got a piece of bone to make into a saddle, safes me about 30 US Dollar I think (I live in The Netherlands). Worth the try though.
Thanks everybode. And oh yeah, I really like this forum, great talking to you guys  there aren't that many people around in The Netherlands who already own a Larrivée like mine and can help me with advice like you do.

[Danny]

So the tighter the grain, the longer it takes to have it open up... Oh boy am I in for a long wait since my Larri has a nice even (and tight) grain on the top and even irregular bearclaw (which might add to the tightness?)...
I think tight is also the word I would use to describe the tone right now, it just doesn't ring out like I now it can (I've heard and played several Larrivée's among which other OM's). I've read all your comments, I'll keep playing and trying different strings and what have you.

I've got a piece of bone to make into a saddle, safes me about 30 US Dollar I think (I live in The Netherlands). Worth the try though.
Thanks everybode. And oh yeah, I really like this forum, great talking to you guys  there aren't that many people around in The Netherlands who already own a Larrivée like mine and can help me with advice like you do.

JCL (Jean Larrivee) said that the grain should be tighter in the middle of the soundboard and get wider as it gets closer to the edge of the top. I think rosewood takes a little longer than hog to open also. But the more you play the better it will get.

[limnephilidae]

Great guitar there, yes it will open up and improve.  You may want to consider having a bone saddle installed.  I had an OM-03R and the sustain noticeably increased when I changed the saddle to bone.

I did the same with my OM-03R. I found the improvement in volume and sustain very significant. I wasn't really eager to do the switch to bone since the TUSQ was working for me, I just needed to replace a defective nut and figured I would upgrade the saddle too. The bone was a terrific decision though I have to admit that it just didn't sound right until about 4-5 days of playing; it took my ear time to get used to the augmented tone. I assume that this adjustment is similar to what we all go through with a new guitar.

Given that our minds take a while to adjust to a tone that is not actually changing, I would imagine that a significant amount of the difference we hear in a guitar that is "opening up" is part of our subjective interpretation. I would not dispute that the wood is changing over time but I wouldn't dismiss the inconsistency in our qualitative judgments. It makes me wonder if I've been passing up guitars I would love down the road because the sound was too different to be palatable to my ears on an initial tasting.

[ukeforever]

I'm wondering if Jason over at Notable put a bone saddle in my OM-03RE, because from day 1 it has been an awesome sounding instrument. He had a few to choose from, so I described what I expected sound-wise, and boy did it deliver. Over the past few months, and destroying a set of strings every week and a half (yes, I think I have already put thousands of hours on this instrument), it has opened me up. The volume, tone, and bass response are all balanced, and it has made it possible to learn more guitar tricks over a few months than I got over 20 years with an average guitar. I would say that has to do a lot with how it feels in my hands, how it is built, and mostly, how it sounds. If it gets better over time, great. But, the number 1 comment I get at the dinky open mikes I go to is how great the guitar sounds (never mind my playing...kind of a pride buster).

Of course, I still have a buddy with a very expensive Taylor who says he likes his Taylor sound more than the Larrivee: that's because the Taylor is a deeper-bodied guitar. It's all about the bass. An OM is NOT a dreadnaught sound, no matter how big the sound gets. The body is thinner, and the notes are more defined for fingerpicking styles. Most dreads now sound muddy to me. Ugly, even. Part of that undesirable sound (for me) is because the bass overpowers the rest of the strings. The cool thing about Larrivee is that he uses symmetrical bracing. At first, I thought that was a bad idea. But now that I own one, I see it as a different way to present the sound.

Do I still love the twangy treble and "bassy" Martin OMs? You bet. But I am learning to appreciate how wonderful the Larrivee sound is. I think what I'm trying to say here is to let the sound grow on you. Maybe you'll love it eventually. If not, enjoy some donuts in the mean time (as if any of us need them): 

[WWJP]

Thanks for the donuts! I could offer you a Frisian speciality like Dûmkes but I don't see a smiley for that 

Anyhow, I already loved the Larrivée sound and didn't want another dreadnought or similar (like the Larrivée L model) so yeah I made a calculated decision to buy myself an OM instead of a boomier dreadnought or 'L'.
No regrets, but like I said before, this is my first all solid guitar which I hope to keep for a looooong time (I'm not sure it will be with me for 28 years though  . I heard the sound clips for the KOA versions, my goodness, what can I say; you have to have something to keep dreaming about right?)

I'll try the bone saddle though, seems like a good experiment. And of course I'll keep playing, and playing, and playing...

[Edwardtang]

HI,
I have a stupid theory. When I got my first OM guitar, ever, (A Dreadnaught being my first). This occured to me too. I found the bass being weaker. As my experience improved, I have found that this is the characteristic you would find on an OM sized guitar. The "balanced" tone makes you think you got less bass when you actually got more even highs. So , to your ears, the bass is weaker especially if your previous guitar was a Dreadnaught . The highs are louder so, to your ears, the bass isn't that loud. Bright high tones can trick your ears into thinking it is louder too!  An example would be : mahogany guitars would be loud but when compared to a ..let's say..koa, koa would sound louder due to the clear highs. But if you have someone play both together you would find mahogany rings louder. This theory would depend on the guitar maker and various woods , hence..it might be a stupid theory.
The guitar would open up in due time , for sure.

[WWJP]

Not a stupid theory at all. Makes me think how much of what we think is a 'problem' with our guitars, is actually between our ears ... I do know that my old Cort did have a lot more bass than my new Larri, but then again, this Larri is much more balanced. The sound is just soooo much 'richer'. I'm getting to like my new Larri more each day, as I play it, try new strings and as my ears adjust to the different sound than that of my old dread.
I've put in a bone saddle and bronze strings, which does something to my ears too 
Anyway, thank for the input, have one on me
A friend of mine, with a lot more guitar playing experience than I have, has just played it, and he really liked it. In fact, he told me he was going to take a look at the Larrivée's himself, he liked it that much. Being a fingerpicker, he really said my OM started singing the moment he touched the strings, no need to work hard there (allthough it doesn't mind a bit of strumming either, it just is a great allrounder as far as I'm concerned.)

[bluesman67]

HI,
I have a stupid theory. When I got my first OM guitar, ever, (A Dreadnaught being my first). This occured to me too. I found the bass being weaker. As my experience improved, I have found that this is the characteristic you would find on an OM sized guitar. The "balanced" tone makes you think you got less bass when you actually got more even highs. So , to your ears, the bass is weaker especially if your previous guitar was a Dreadnaught . The highs are louder so, to your ears, the bass isn't that loud. Bright high tones can trick your ears into thinking it is louder too!  An example would be : mahogany guitars would be loud but when compared to a ..let's say..koa, koa would sound louder due to the clear highs. But if you have someone play both together you would find mahogany rings louder. This theory would depend on the guitar maker and various woods , hence..it might be a stupid theory.
The guitar would open up in due time , for sure.

I like your stupid theory. 

[tuffythepug]

Great guitar there, yes it will open up and improve.  You may want to consider having a bone saddle installed.  I had an OM-03R and the sustain noticeably increased when I changed the saddle to bone.

Same here.    My OM-03R is about 2 years old now.   Changing to EJ-17's and installing a bone saddle created the bass and sustain I thought was a bit lacking before.    I never really gave a lot of thought to a guitar "opening up" before but this one has iimproved dramatically in the last 6 months or so.