OM-O5 - Good Blues Guitar??

[Englishpiper]

I am looking for a good guitar for fingerstyle blues. A couple of friends have recommend the Larrivee 0M-05. Any thoughts on this guitar for my needs??

[lmacmil]

You can play any style music on any guitar.  If you like the sound of the OM-05, then buy it and make great music with it.

[Walkerman]

The blues are in the player, not the guitar.

[HAMFIST]

Folks here are right. You can play the blues on anything.

But for fingerstyle blues, you want something rather balanced, so the OMs would work fine.

The hog tops DO ALSO tend to be a bit more oriented towards the mids, so if that is the sound you want, a hog OM could work.

[cbarclay]

The guys above have good points. 
I have heard guys play my OM-03 that make it sound like a blues machine.  I'm not so good at it though. 
I say yes to your question.

[unclrob]

Yes... 

[Mikeymac]

The OM-05 is a good choice - it's versatile enough to do lots of other stuff, but it will be great for blues.

Here's mine:



[attachment deleted by admin]

[carruth]

My OMO5 is great for playing the blues       , and the neck width is perfect for fingerpicking.

[cbarclay]

Mikeymac,
I love those old rosettes! 

[Dotneck]

After listening to some country blues and trying to emulate that sound on my old Larrivee OM was when I decided to explore the old ladder braced guitars for a blues sound. Sure you CAN play blues on a Larrivee OM but it sounds so pretty....sometimes an old plywood stella or Kay is the ticket.

[ffinke]

After listening to some country blues and trying to emulate that sound on my old Larrivee OM was when I decided to explore the old ladder braced guitars for a blues sound. Sure you CAN play blues on a Larrivee OM but it sounds so pretty....sometimes an old plywood stella or Kay is the ticket.

Like ragtime piano on a Steinway? I get the point!

[leftyvic]

Try to find one with a mahogany top ... that would be a terrific blues guitar.

[cbarclay]

Try to find one with a mahogany top ... that would be a terrific blues guitar.

[Zohn]

Hi Englishpiper and welcome  

I don't think there is a perfectly good blues guitar, rather plenty of good guitars - most of which can handle anything.
As you might know, Clapton plays rosewood backed OM's, Keb Mo plays a Koa backed dread and hog backed 00-Gibbies, others all hogs and some of Darrell Scot's best recordings were made with an all Koa Taylor dread.

Good guitars play true all the way up the neck with well defined fundamental notes and consistent note to note separation.
A good attribute for the blues is a strong mid-range and even balance - that is where OM's and 00's shine, and hog provides that punch in moderate levels in all frequencies.

A most important facet will always be playability - the OM-05 would be a great guitar if you like standard (more than 25") scale lengths.
If you prefer shorter scale for more bend-ability of the strings, look out for the Gibson L-00 models or Martin's 00-18's or their derivatives - and try a Larrivee parlor if you can find one.

The blues are in the player, not the guitar.

I couldn't agree more.

[jeremy3220]

I agree with the you can play blues on anything sentiment but if you're asking if an OM-05 will sound like the guitars played on the early acoustic blues recordings then not so much. Even then there is a good deal a variability between what guitars were used. You had Martins, Gibsons, and ladder braced guitars (and who knows what else); Larrivee's are pretty different from the three I mentioned.

The answer to the question: 'Will this guitar sound good for...?'
is always: 'yeah...if that's the sound you're going for.'

So you really need to figure out what sound you're going for and what the guitars you're looking at sound like... and not necessarily in that order either.

[cbarclay]

I just remembered this.    Last fall, I put some John Pearse 80/20 mediums on my OM-03 and after a few hours of playing those strings it sounded very middy and bluesy.  I tend to prefer PB strings but wanted to try out a different flavor on it.  It didn't project like I wanted it to but it sounded really cool.

[carruth]

Do you play the pipes?

[Danny]

Try to find one with a mahogany top ... that would be a terrific blues guitar.

[gxs3000]

I play an 03 Parlor with Mediums and it is quite barky (maybe that is me) - I like it.  It sounds bluesy and can gets a nice rag whumpha-whumpha sound, too.   Oh, heck it just sounds good.

GS