I really want a Larrivee Parlor. Why do I want this?

[huladude456]

I posted a trade offer on the AGF recently:  My Taylor 314 for your older Larrivee Parlor.  No takers.  But I still have the fever and before I just buy one I thought I'd ask forum members here about their Parlor guitars.  Do you play yours as a number one guitar or as a novelty or when slouching on the couch?  Is the tone much fuller than a Seagull Grand?  Are the new Larrivee Parlors a sonic upgrade over the older ones?  And finally: Why won't you trade yours for my Taylor?

Thanks folks.

[Ted @ LA Guitar Sales]

Fantastic guitars, I play mine al the time and even travel with it.

Ted

[fongie]

Hey Dude, yes indeed, I love my FM-09 Parlour, shes as sweet as they come in sound, size, comfort and looks. Infact, I play mine so much, I bought another one yesterday but in Rosewood. Compairing to a Taylour, I really wouldn't know, but one thing I do know, for a small git, it sure has a loud mouth. see pics of my new parlour under 'signed sealed and deliver'
cheers
fongie

[Danny]

I posted a trade offer on the AGF recently:  My Taylor 314 for your older Larrivee Parlor.  No takers.  But I still have the fever and before I just buy one I thought I'd ask forum members here about their Parlor guitars.  Do you play yours as a number one guitar or as a novelty or when slouching on the couch?  Is the tone much fuller than a Seagull Grand?  Are the new Larrivee Parlors a sonic upgrade over the older ones?  And finally: Why won't you trade yours for my Taylor?

Thanks folks.

Having owned two Larrivee parlors and a Seagull Grand, I have to say the Seagull is much louder. Also the Parlors never did it for me as a main guitar. They were more of a novelty that didn't take long to be disillusioned with.
      My first was a P-09 and then I thought I would try amplified so I got a PV-09E. Neither one did it for me. My 00-09FM was a different story. Loud and a blast to play.
       Different strokes.

[prof_stack]

I've played several Larrivee parlors and they were all tight and boxy sounding.  Main guitar?  No way.  But with a lot of play things would be more open and pleasant. 

If I had a Larrivee parlor, I'd trade for your Taylor in a heartbeat.  Good luck.

[Fingers]

I was looking at Larrivee Parlor's on and off for about 8 months, and likeyou, the itch did not go away.  With the input of the fine folks here on the forum, I finally pulled the trigger.  I purchased mine 3 weeks ago, it is a P-09 Lacewood.  This was a great purchase and is a great guitar.  I play it every day and it is hard to put down.  I initially bought it for travel (size is perfect for this), but have found myself using it every day for at least an hour.  The tone is great, sound projects well, and is very comfortable to hold.  I do not think you will be disappointed if you got one.

Regards,
Brian 

[huladude456]

Thanks for all the thoughts.  I was thinking my Seagull Grand was sounding pretty good today, but I couldn't help but wonder how it would be with all solid woods and wider string spacing at the bridge.  Ugh... When will this madness end?

As for the Taylor 314, it's a lovely guitar but my L-03 has taken it's place.  Time to move along.

oh yeah, I'm a newbie here, so what's with the donuts?

[teh]

My parlor was my first Larrivee. If you can only afford one guitar and the parlor is not your cup of tea, then buying or trading for one would probably be a mistake.

Personally, every one of my guitars have a turn in the rotation at being the number one or main guitar. This week, my parlor made the cut when I was on vacation for the last five days. It doesn't take up much room in the car, is light, easy to carry and sounds great when played down next to the water on Georgian Bay (Ontario). As an added benefit, I was able to sit and drink a beer with my son (who owns a Taylor 214, solid wood version) while he played Rev. Gary Davis and Mississippi John Hurt tunes for an hour.

Does it sound like either of my Martins or my son's Taylor which I play when we swap guitars? No but then if it did, I wouldn't have bought it. Sorry I wouldn't trade mine for anything.

[Danny]

   If I could find an older all hog P-01 I would snap it up. (cost being justified)

[fongie]

   If I could find an older all hog P-01 I would snap it up. (cost being justified)

Absolutely!!
cheers
fongie

[Will Fly]

Parlor guitars (or "parlour" guitars, as we spell it across the water) can hold their own with all but the loudest and biggest of conventional models. You might be interested to see a (very poor quality) clip of a concert I put on with Duck Baker as the main guest in April. My buddy Ian and I opened up the evening with a 25-minute set. I played mainly my Larrivee OM-03RE, and Ian played a parlor guitar he'd finished and strung up for the first time that afternoon! Both mic'ed naturally, by the way.

The Glory Of Love

The sound came off the mixer desk into a minidisc recorder, and the video was just my old DVD camcorder at the back of the theatre - so the overall recording is really pretty sh*tty - but you can hear that the little guitar more than holds its own. The guitar has now reached its purchaser - in Montreal!

I've never tried a Larrivee parlor model but - if they sound anything like Ian's - then I might start investigating. Mind you, having heard Ian's guitars, I might just have to whisper in his ear...

[Queequeg]

A Larrivee parlor was my first Larrivee (far from my first guitar). I now have several Larrivees, including 3 parlors.
They don't strum so well, but they are lovely to play fingerstyle. They don't work well in a band scenario but they're great solo.
I don't play out with them, but they get a lot of play at home.
Whenever I am learning a new piece I almost always choose a parlor.
And with all due respect, I wouldn't trade one of my Larrivee parlors for a Taylor 314.

[Ponte]

Why do you want a Larrivee Parlor?
They are cute, they are cool, they are fun to play, they sound well ( I don`t agree they sound boxy ), they are easy to carry, they are well made real guitars ( not just travel guitars )......Get one.
You will not regret it

[eded]

Hmmm...  lots of opinions here.  Some are right... the ones I agree with, that is.        (PS:  I AM JOKING!!!)

I have 2 (one is on the block), and have had another.  The one I have and am going to keep is one of the orig. issue unbound satin mahogany models.  I'd call it my "main" guitar.  I play it most anywhere.  It won't keep up with a room full of D-28's but I tend to not play in that setting.  I've had a P-09...  not my sound.  I'm definitely a mahogany over rosewood guy.  The PV-09 I have is for sale for the same reason.  I've said it before, I think if I could find a mahogany parlor with a cutaway, I'd be near my acoustic guitar nirvana.

Based on a sample of one (the one I have), I'm of the opinion that the new ones offer no sonic benefit over the older satin models.  I have tried others but not as extensively as the one I play every day.  I disagree with the notion that they sound boxy.  It takes some work to coax out the bass but not very different that the way it takes some restraint to keep a dread from being nothing but bass...  both take some technique control.  I also don't agree that they don't strum well.  I think they do fine for either strumming or fingerstyle...  but I think they (like any guitar) need to be setup for the way they will be played.

I wouldn't trade for a 314 but that's because as I age and seem to be shrinking (50+ and 5'5"), I'm getting along less and less with 14 fret 25.5" scale guitars.  Which is another thing I like about the parlor (and the Larrivee take on parlor especially)...  the scale length (at 24"), the 12 fret neck, and the bridge where it is, which makes the farthest reaches of the neck still comfortable for any length of time.

In short, I think Larrivee just "gets" parlors and has perfected the formula for turning out exellent examples.

Ed

[tadol]

You really want a Parlor because you have not seen or played a 00 - the little larger soundbox makes a ton of difference to me, especially on the low end.  They should call it a PJ, or Parlor Jumbo. Because Larrivee stopped making the 00, the parlor is going to be much more available and affordable - and they are just so darn cute, I don't think anyone would pass one up at a good price -

Tad

[JayMack]

Thanks for all the thoughts.  I was thinking my Seagull Grand was sounding pretty good today, but I couldn't help but wonder how it would be with all solid woods and wider string spacing at the bridge.

The spacing at the bridge on the Grand is difficult for me, too. I can't seem to get fully comfortable with it.

...sigh...

j

[fongie]

Hmmm...  lots of opinions here.  Some are right... the ones I agree with, that is.        (PS:  I AM JOKING!!!)

I have 2 (one is on the block), and have had another.  The one I have and am going to keep is one of the orig. issue unbound satin mahogany models.  I'd call it my "main" guitar.  I play it most anywhere.  It won't keep up with a room full of D-28's but I tend to not play in that setting.  I've had a P-09...  not my sound.  I'm definitely a mahogany over rosewood guy.  The PV-09 I have is for sale for the same reason.  I've said it before, I think if I could find a mahogany parlor with a cutaway, I'd be near my acoustic guitar nirvana.

Based on a sample of one (the one I have), I'm of the opinion that the new ones offer no sonic benefit over the older satin models.  I have tried others but not as extensively as the one I play every day.  I disagree with the notion that they sound boxy.  It takes some work to coax out the bass but not very different that the way it takes some restraint to keep a dread from being nothing but bass...  both take some technique control.  I also don't agree that they don't strum well.  I think they do fine for either strumming or fingerstyle...  but I think they (like any guitar) need to be setup for the way they will be played.

I wouldn't trade for a 314 but that's because as I age and seem to be shrinking (50+ and 5'5"), I'm getting along less and less with 14 fret 25.5" scale guitars.  Which is another thing I like about the parlor (and the Larrivee take on parlor especially)...  the scale length (at 24"), the 12 fret neck, and the bridge where it is, which makes the farthest reaches of the neck still comfortable for any length of time.

In short, I think Larrivee just "gets" parlors and has perfected the formula for turning out exellent examples.

Ed

Ed, saw your PV-09 for sale, 'Beautiful', if I hadn't purchased my P-09 the other day, I would have gone for yours. Now, like you, I'm a 'Hog man', but I puschased this P-09, not because it's rosewood, but because it projects well over my FM-09. Now, a PV is still on my hit list, like you I'd prefer a PV hog model, but if I have no choice, a PV-09 would do me just fine. Can I ask you this? About your PV-09, what do you find that a hog model have, that yours don't? And do you think that a 'cutaway' on a small guitar, affects it's performance compare to a non-cutaway? Do they make PV models in hog?
cheers
fongie

[eded]

Ed, saw your PV-09 for sale, 'Beautiful', if I hadn't purchased my P-09 the other day, I would have gone for yours. Now, like you, I'm a 'Hog man', but I puschased this P-09, not because it's rosewood, but because it projects well over my FM-09. Now, a PV is still on my hit list, like you I'd prefer a PV hog model, but if I have no choice, a PV-09 would do me just fine. Can I ask you this? About your PV-09, what do you find that a hog model have, that yours don't? And do you think that a 'cutaway' on a small guitar, affects it's performance compare to a non-cutaway? Do they make PV models in hog?
cheers
fongie

Hmmm...   how to describe tone...  how about we dance about architecture?  (grin)

Mahogany vs. rosewood parlor, warmer but more defined.  It's the same thing that always made a Martin D-18 preferrable to a D-28 to me.  Not so many overtones but a mix  of notes.  I guess that doesn't make any sense either.  Brash is too strong of a word but I'm very tempted to describe rosewood as brash compared to mahogany. 

I think (and this (whole reply) is worth what that you are paying), there is minimal difference tonewise or volumewise in a cutaway, if any.  The difference is (duh), access to a few more frets.  It's not often I play up there, but on those rare occasions, it's more than noticable.  It's play that song or not.  Soundwise, I think switching between PB or 80/20 strings can have more effect. 

I've contacted Larrivee about a custom PV and they don't.

Ed

ps:  I can't believe I misspelled "excellent" in that last post.

[fongie]

Hmmm...   how to describe tone...  how about we dance about architecture?  (grin)

Mahogany vs. rosewood parlor, warmer but more defined.  It's the same thing that always made a Martin D-18 preferrable to a D-28 to me.  Not so many overtones but a mix  of notes.  I guess that doesn't make any sense either.  Brash is too strong of a word but I'm very tempted to describe rosewood as brash compared to mahogany. 

I think (and this (whole reply) is worth what that you are paying), there is minimal difference tonewise or volumewise in a cutaway, if any.  The difference is (duh), access to a few more frets.  It's not often I play up there, but on those rare occasions, it's more than noticable.  It's play that song or not.  Soundwise, I think switching between PB or 80/20 strings can have more effect. 

I've contacted Larrivee about a custom PV and they don't.

Ed

ps:  I can't believe I misspelled "excellent" in that last post.

Thanks for that ED, I've got a few hog's, and I prefer playing them over my rosewoods. I suppose this applies with P's as well, huh? Shame about the hog cutaway, looks like yours may just be back on my hit list, but you don't like to send, especially overseas  . Thats another problem. Thanks for your reply
cheers
fongie

[Parlor Picker]

I have to admit that my Larrivée Rosewood Parlor is the guitar I play most.  I pick it up for noodling around whilst watching TV (mostly fingerpicking raggy blues stuff) and take it to a weekly folk music session, where it holds its own fine. I play rhythm with my fingernail and it seems to cut through all the fiddles, penny whistles, mandolins, guitars, etc.  A friend wiith a big Fylde Falstaff jumbo always comments on how loud my little guitar is.

The Larris have a very solid construction, which is particularly apparent in the Parlors, so they take a long time to play in. It can take 3 or 4 years before they really open up. Following threads on this forum, I did get my luthier friend to sand down half of the X-bracing (the half in the lower bout, not the upper bout near the soundhole) and that has improved the sound a bit as well.  Obviously such actions will make your warranty null and void.

As with all Larrivées, the workmanship is impeccable - not always the case with certain other makers, both big-name and lesser known.