Why I think the D-03 is the best guitar in the world.

[Silence Dogood]

It's gotta be the mahogany!  Rosewood is more beautiful, but I am learning to love mahogany so much!

Mine is neither but is Blackwood, kind of a best of both worlds. 

[B0WIE]

Mine is neither but is Blackwood, kind of a best of both worlds. 

Is it African or Taz/AU? One is a rosewood and the other Acacia, and very close to koa. In practical terms, pretty much the same thing. Both are great, IMO. I think people will really grow to appreciate Acacia once companies start marketing it better.

[Silence Dogood]

Is it African or Taz/AU? One is a rosewood and the other Acacia, and very close to koa. In practical terms, pretty much the same thing. Both are great, IMO. I think people will really grow to appreciate Acacia once companies start marketing it better.

Mine is Australian.  Looks a lot like Koa.

[William2]

I came across this review of the Larrivee D-03R and it also reviews the 000-40R. I found this to be an excellent review and good playing demonstrations on these instruments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOkKvcAMNZA&list=FLS3tqXJPPAJqoixuwOYW9yg&index=17

[Silence Dogood]

Here is my guitar's back and sides (complete with a bit of buckle-rash):

[guitarman001]

It's gotta be the mahogany!  Rosewood is more beautiful, but I am learning to love mahogany so much!

I love mahogany. Interesting to hear what the new 24 series with adi top sound like though it's 40 series and I do prefer the normal bracing. Can you remind me why your preference is changing from rosewood to mahogany?

Question: are newer Larrivee "better" than older? I have never been into rosewood but heard one on YouTube recently and was wowed. I used to think only mahogany had a growl to it but now I'm thinking that's part of the Larrivee sound because this OM09 has a similar growl. Are the newer ones ALL braced with moon spruce? I don't know how that affects tone.

All mine are 02/03 bar my OM05. I have to say... The OM05 has eventually outshone the rest. It has a very vibrant feel to it and even more growl than my others and it's one of the newest so will sound even better in time. Satin does sound a touch more open but I swear the woods must be better or SOMETHING because the OM05 is glorious.

Anything bigger than an OM hurts my ears. A recent discovery which is prompting my L05 sale (market is dead, though).

So given the 05 is so amazing... I must admit I've been lusting after either a NEW OM09 (newer ones better??) or a used OM10... Hmm.

The best Larrivee is the one in your hand!

[Queequeg]

Here is my guitar's back and sides (complete with a bit of buckle-rash):

That just validates its Texas pedigree. 

[guitarman001]

I'm on phone and can't see pics for some reason but who was it that did the OO demo Sitka Vs Italian top? I would love to hear that again...

[William2]

I'm on phone and can't see pics for some reason but who was it that did the OO demo Sitka Vs Italian top? I would love to hear that again...

I didn't find a 00 demo but found an OM demo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DaVuHswCMM

[guitarman001]

Ah yes I like that one... The moon spruce sounds better to me there.

[Silence Dogood]

We all know Larrivee makes the best guitars in the world, but I have concluded that they in fact make THE best guitar ever designed: the D-03. 

Recently I was thinking about when I first learned about Larrivee.  I guess it was around 1997 when I began seeing these very plain-looking (yet elegant) guitars on the wall of my local Guitar Center.  They were hanging on the wall next to the high-end makers, but priced at something like $450.  I could not then pronounce the name but I was intrigued.  Each time I would pick one up I would be absolutely blown away by the feel and sound.  There were usually two or three on the wall at any given time, and they were always D-03 models (I never saw the other styles till many years later). 

I was very young back then and always broke, so five bills for a guitar was a ton of money for me, plus I was mostly an electric guitarist.  I had an acoustic then, just not a very good one, and went through another lousy one before realizing I really needed something better.  With a young family and bills it was going to be near impossible to get a Taylor, Martin, Gibson, but those plain-Jane Frenchy-sounding guitars at GC were only around $500 and they sounded as good as the Taylors, et al.  I rat-holed and saved up money for a long time till I had about $600 that diapers, baby formula, and bills somehow didn't devour.   I was all set to buy a regular D-03 and finally have my "real" acoustic guitar when I found a blackwood model used for around the money I had saved.  I bought it and that was about twenty years ago now.  I don't have any more electric guitars but I still have my D-03.

So why is the D-03 the best guitar in the world? 

Versatility.  Of course anyone who can play well can play anything on any guitar, but a dread is overall a very versatile guitar.  Some would say the L-body is probably the most versatile (and a Larrivee original design gives it a cool-factor all its own), but the world over recognizes the dread as pretty much the original steel string acoustic guitar. 

Sound.  Come on, just play one. 

Aesthetics.  Being so plain and understated, they just look cool, they age well, and such a classic design will never be hipster or outdated.  They transcend all trends and will stand the test of time. 

Price.  This where the D-03 really makes sense, especially on the used market.  I still look almost daily online and on my local Craig's List at used guitars and routinely see D-03s going for well under $1000.  This makes it the most accessible high-end, small shop-made guitar in the world.  I still see them selling for around $600-$700. 

My D-03 is a lifetime guitar for me.  I love all Larrivees, and maybe some day I'll have the ability to become a collector and get a roomful of them, but I'm pretty sure my old guitar will still be my favorite.  Do you have a D-03?  What do you think?

I referenced this thread in the recent D03 swamp ash thread and went ahead and reread the entire thing.  I want to add another point to my list of reasons the D03 is the best guitar in the world:

EBONY.  This should have been in my original post but somehow slipped my mind.  Of course, you get ebony with every Larrivee guitar, but you don't automatically get ebony with every other maker.  I remember 20-some years ago when I got my Larrivee and was looking around at all the other options in my price range.  I found a Martin D16GT that I really liked, but the FB material was "micarta."  That was honestly the main factor that turned me off from an otherwise really wonderful guitar.  I mean, do you really want a guitar whose FB is made out of the same wood used for molding and other "wooden" accessories in an RV?

 

I knew I was going to keep my guitar for the rest of my life, and I seriously wondered if that micarata "wood" would end up crumbling to bits someday? 

Even with many "high-end" Gibsons you end up with a chalky and cheap-looking rosewood board and bridge rather than ebony.  Ebony looks better and feels so much better under the fingers than any other FB wood. 

[William2]

"EBONY.  This should have been in my original post but somehow slipped my mind.  Of course, you get ebony with every Larrivee guitar, but you don't automatically get ebony with every other maker.  I remember 20-some years ago when I got my Larrivee and was looking around at all the other options in my price range.  I found a Martin D16GT that I really liked, but the FB material was "micarata."  That was honestly the main factor that turned me off from an otherwise really wonderful guitar.  I mean, do you really want a guitar whose FB is made out of the same wood used for molding and other "wooden" accessories in an RV?"

I totally agree with what you are saying. I would only buy an instrument that had the woods I wanted. I almost bought an Iris recently. I wanted the Roy Schmeck 12-fret model. But I just couldn't get past the alternative wood offerings, 2-piece neck, and the bolt on neck.

[Silence Dogood]

"EBONY.  This should have been in my original post but somehow slipped my mind.  Of course, you get ebony with every Larrivee guitar, but you don't automatically get ebony with every other maker.  I remember 20-some years ago when I got my Larrivee and was looking around at all the other options in my price range.  I found a Martin D16GT that I really liked, but the FB material was "micarata."  That was honestly the main factor that turned me off from an otherwise really wonderful guitar.  I mean, do you really want a guitar whose FB is made out of the same wood used for molding and other "wooden" accessories in an RV?"

I totally agree with what you are saying. I would only buy an instrument that had the woods I wanted. I almost bought an Iris recently. I wanted the Roy Schmeck 12-fret model. But I just couldn't get past the alternative wood offerings, 2-piece neck, and the bolt on neck.

Plus IRIS has the worst (to my eye) headstock design/font I've seen.  They should go back to the drawing board with that one. 

[William2]

I've been listening to these sound comparisons of the D-03 and the D-03R. I'd have to say in this simple format of just single notes, I prefer the sound of the rosewood over the mahogany. I'd say the D-03R is the best guitar in the world LOL. I'm seriously thinking of getting one of these as the last instrument. Do you think the 03 series is too close sounding to a D-40? Should I just get something different? Is there more clarity in the lower register of the instrument compared with a 40 series?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4aJexKxe9w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k7aHg7JeZU

[Silence Dogood]

A D03R would be a great lifetime keeper.  I've never played one but have played several regular mahogany D03 models.  I've liked them all.  Mine has Blackwood backs and sides and is a bit muddier than a mahogany model, but I'm used to it. No one guitar does everything perfectly but once you bond with one the strengths stand out more than anything else IMO.

[William2]

A D03R would be a great lifetime keeper.  I've never played one but have played several regular mahogany D03 models.  I've liked them all.  Mine has Blackwood backs and sides and is a bit muddier than a mahogany model, but I'm used to it. No one guitar does everything perfectly but once you bond with one the strengths stand out more than anything else IMO.

Well, here is the instrument I am considering and here is my D-40R I bought in 2021. Are they too much the same? I do want a Larrivee with the non-scalloped bracing and the only other I am thinking about is ordering a D-03 all mahogany. Several months ago, I bought a Martin 000-15SM. I really like it but wish I had waited and got the D-15. Oh well, at least I have a 000 instrument.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr7hW4fsPl4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5F3XtqHtqI

[Silence Dogood]

I don't know anything about bracing (scalloped or otherwise).  I never have fussed over that stuff.  I just believe the D03 is an amazing, basic guitar that can do pretty much anything. 

[teh]

Interesting that the list price for a Larrivee D03 and Martin D18 with a satin finish are within $50 of each other. Pretty much the same list price difference between a D03R and a D28 with satin finish. I have not played a satin finish Martin but my Larrivees each have a satin finish. The Larrivees all have wood binding and the Martins have plastic binding and I'm cool with both.

Different strokes for different folks.

[William2]

Interesting that the list price for a Larrivee D03 and Martin D18 with a satin finish are within $50 of each other. Pretty much the same list price difference between a D03R and a D28 with satin finish. I have not played a satin finish Martin but my Larrivees each have a satin finish. The Larrivees all have wood binding and the Martins have plastic binding and I'm cool with both.

Different strokes for different folks.

One of the other differences between the Larrivee's and the Martins is the Larrivee 03 instruments are non-scalloped (a reason I'm considering owning one). I believe all the versions of the Martin D-18 have scalloped bracing now. And the bracing on the Martin D-28 Satin and gloss standard are also non-scalloped.

[Silence Dogood]

My D03 was made back in the day when they were using white plastic binding.  My son's has black plastic binding. I don't care for the black at all.  Wood binding looks great to my eye though.  YMMV.