Ouch! Larrivees 0-for6?

[jwieties]

I am guessing this guy had his mind made up before he even had the guitars in his hand.  Thats cool though, lots of guitars out there for all of us.

As far as the frets go... My L-09 needs some minor filing but I got it used.  In shops I have never seen anything that caused me any concern, unless it was just a a mistreated guitar.
-josh

[kwakatak]

I forgot to mention that I had a similar experience of protruding fretends with a few Taylors (214 and 314) at the local Guitar Center last year. I still really like Taylor Grand Auditorium guitars, but I have to say that that experience really soured the milk for me. It sounds like this guy had the same thing happen for him.

Pity!  <_<  

[Roy Munson]

I hate to add to this, but....

I was recently at The Podium in St. Paul, MN.  I went there specifically to play a D-60.  I was looking for a great rosewood bluegrass dread.  Well, I played about 10-12 guitars and the D-60 was the worst, IMO.  Everything I read on this forum and others said that the D-60 had a nice, lively tone with a bit more bass than a "regular" Larrivee.  This one sounded like "cardboard".  I was shocked, actually.  Every other guitar I played sounded better..Collings D-2, Bourgeois D, Martin HD28V, Santa Cruz D-PW, Santa Cruz Podium D, Huss & Dalton T-DR, and various others.  The Santa Cruz D-PW was the best I played that day.  

Could it have been that I had played a "dud"?

The up-side to the story is that I did find my perfect bluegrass guitar: A 2001 Gibson AJ.  A sonic beast!  I had heard so many horror stories about Gibson but this one was a "good one" as they say.  Even Marty at The Podium was envious.  

I should also add that I have played many other Larrivee's that were great, mostly OM's.

Greg

[mdrulez]

De gustibus non disputandum est.

practicing the latin ey?  (beauty is in the eye of the beholder)

You're right, you win some, and you lose some.  I'm just trying my darn near best trying to convince my friends to get Larrivee over Taylor...and they won't budge.  Well? what are you going to do?

[davidsowk]

Hi,

I auditioned many acoustic guitars just before Christmas in a variety of guitar stores.  At one time during my search I might have agreed with the statements in the original post on this thread, the Larrivee's sounded thin with no bottom and often the Taylors sounded great.  After a while I realized that I was playing these guitars in a very poor environment, that is, small airless rooms or large busy showrooms.  I had the opportunity to be alone in a medium sized, well ventilated room of Larrivees and soon began to appreciate their sound.  I then tried the Taylors, Martins, Guilds and Gibsons in the same environment and found that the Larrivee's did not sound thin at all, they had sparkle and responsiveness that the others lacked.  Most of the other brands were very bottom heavy and boxy sounding.

I urge anyone looking for a new guitar to listen to them in an appropriate room, it makes all the difference.

[ducktrapper]

Actually translates as, in matters of taste...there is no dispute.
I detected an anti-L agenda but gave the guy the BOTD. Although it's not likely that all the other guitars in those conditions would be fine and dandy. I would question anyone who out of nowhere announces that ALL of one make of guitar sucked. Whether Seagull or Goodall. I think the guy just got tired of all the good news and happy-happy about Larrivées. Like I said if everyone was praising the Beatles, this guy (or someone like him) would say, they sucked. So 99 people like it and one doesn't. Is this a useful piece of info? If you're shopping at the Guitar Superstore, I guess.  

[GIGGLER]

I'd rather rag on Sam Ashe than on any particular brand of guitar. Last time (and it ought to be the LAST time, if you catch my drift) I played a cheapie that sounded pretty good...even with the 5 or 6 kids obscuring my hearing - trying to out do each other in the room, and lo and behold, a hole had been punched in the lower bout half the size of a penny. My son picked up another and says "Here...try this." It had cracked top - right down the middle. Hey....I was 2 for 2. Does this reflect on the guitar companies, or their product? Or on the store? Well....I have my opinion.

[Peter Cree]

EVERY time i'm in town, Santa Fe, i stop into my fav. guitar store (High Desert).

EVERY time the guitars sound a bit different.   I've come to the conclusion that I can only figure out how a guitar really sounds by playing it in my l-room for a month.

Kind of a problem.  When I first played my parlour it had a very boxy tone and a buzz.  got a good deal on it and brought it home and did a set-up.

One of the best buys I ever made.   go figure.