Why would someone choose an 09 over an 03?

[Dotneck]

Swish.
That is the sound of your arm brushing against the satin top

That's pretty much why I gave up on the 03 models. That and the glossy models look so much prettier....

[superdave]

Not to turn this conversation around but I now have only satin 03 Larrivee's. After having very beautiful gloss models I have moved on, and for my personal taste enjoy the functionality of the satin finish guitars.
Thanks, Dave

[Dotneck]

Not to turn this conversation around but I now have only satin 03 Larrivee's. After having very beautiful gloss models I have moved on, and for my personal taste enjoy the functionality of the satin finish guitars.
Thanks, Dave

That's why they make both kinds...differnt strokes and all that...

[AtlasHeating]

I really like the look of the satin finish, and I don't mind the swish, that is why I have two 03 Larrivee guitars.

[MrZamboni]

part of the question is the difference between rosewood and mahogany.....check out episode #2 at http://acousticaddicts.com/. They do a comparison between Martins: a D-18 (mahogany), a D-28 and a D-35--all the same build year. They also include a 1968 Braz D-28, and HD-35 and a cheap yamaha. Fascinating stuff!

[brandon]

I think most everyone has hit the nail on the head. I have both a rosewood and mahogany larrivee and much prefer the sound (and looks) of rosewood to mahogany. I also have a hard time bonding with satin finish acoustic guitars. I can handle satin electrics though.

[ducktrapper]

I think most everyone has hit the nail on the head. I have both a rosewood and mahogany larrivee and much prefer the sound (and looks) of rosewood to mahogany. I also have a hard time bonding with satin finish acoustic guitars. I can handle satin electrics though.

Well, let me hit the head with the nail. Give me the hogs, baby!

[Mr_LV19E]

Hog, Rosewood is for sissies. 

[Danny]

If memory serves correctly, all Larrivee neck blanks are first CNC machined and then hand worked to the final product.  I'm not sure if Oxnard and Vancouver both do the CNC work or they all come from one place, but either way, the rest of the process is done in separate factories for 03s and 05s/09s.  So not the same barrel at least by my definition of barrel.  Same necks?  Generally speaking yes I would say, but subject to variances no doubt due to different factories/workers and possibly QA tolerances for the different series.  It's not a huge difference, but for me - over the years picking up many many 03s, 05s, and 09s in various shops - a surprisingly consistent experience of the 03s being chunkier just a bit when A/Bed with a 05/09.  On at least one occasion I did a 03/05/09 3-way comparison - I could not feel a difference between the 05 and 09 but the 03 felt chunkier.

I have had many levels of Larrivees as well and the necks are mostly the same. One D-09 does stand out as being very thin (2000 model). But the 03's I've had in general are the same, except for grain and color variations, which usually are nicer on the higher end models.

[cke]

Hog, Rosewood is for sissies. 

Well, let me hit the head with the nail. Give me the hogs, baby!

Wow! Imagine that! Both of you mistyped when you meant Rosewood! 

[ducktrapper]

Wow! Imagine that! Both of you mistyped when you meant Rosewood! 

Lemme see. The D-05? Nope. L-01? Nope. OM-01? Nope. OOO-50? Nope. BT-03? Nope. The ukulele? Nope, that's all mahogany. RS-4? Mahogany with maple cap. Oh wait! That leaves my Brazilian rosewood L. When it comes to wood, I make exceptions only for the exceptional.     

[JOYCEfromNS]

That leaves my Brazilian rosewood L. When it comes to wood, I make exceptions only for the exceptional.     

You ought to send that ol thing down here to me NS. Imagine it up there spoilin all your Hogs 

[ducktrapper]

You ought to send that ol thing down here to me NS. Imagine it up there spoilin all your Hogs 

Nice try, Andrew. 

[tuffythepug]

I guess I'm an equal opportunity player.   I enjoy all my variations which include:    Spruce/maple (gloss)   spruce/mahog. (gloss) .... Spruce/rosewood (satin)  Spruce/rosewood (gloss)  Mahog/mahog (satin) and Mahog/mahog (gloss)....... and one brass resonator.   Each is unique and valued for what it brings to the table.

But I have to admit I wouldn't mind adding one of those new Silverwood Anniversary models   

[Walkerman]

My Larrivees
Koa
Flamed Maple
Quilted Maple
Mahogany
Quilted Mahogany
Madagascar Rosewood
Brazillian Rosewood

and waiting on a silverwood

each and every one is unique and very special.

[Strings4Him]

Love them all.

[Koamon]

Buyer's remorse comes to mind in choosing a gloss over satin. Don't get me wrong, 03s are excellent sounding well made utilitarian no-frills workhorses. One might think that the wood choice may be inferior, but I never found that to be true. Satin finishes seem to make the grain look cheaper and two dimensional, but anyone who has buffed out their satin Larivees has seen the grain texture literally come out...buffing it out also helps get rid of the scratchiness. Tonally, there is a small difference between a satin and a gloss Larivee, it's the player that makes the difference. IMHO people prefer the gloss finishes because there's a pride and appreciation in owning one darn good looking and darn good playing guitar. Most are working stiffs like me who have to keep their day jobs, have GAS and want to come home to a piece of paradise...open that guitar case take one gander and all the stresses of the day disappear and ya just play. Who wants to open the case to a satin and lament that they shouldn't have cheaped out and got the gloss one instead? It may sound vain and subjective, but it's true. Economists call this one's maximum propensity to consume...do ya remember Christopher Guest talking about his '59 Les Paul in "Spinal Tap"?  

[crescent]

Hog, Rosewood is for sissies. 

Interesting never thought wood made the man  .

[Mr_LV19E]

Interesting never thought wood made the man  .

Never met a man without wood.

[ducktrapper]

Interesting never thought wood made the man  .

Wood makes the child.