NGD (again...): OM-05

[StringPicker6]

Good video, thanks for posting that one. I love finding larrivee videos on YouTube!

[markink81]

  I have this same exact model 😍 It's a great sounding guitar if you can get the right string set on it, which is my issue. I'm currently using daddario XS hybrid light 13-53. Some days they sound good and other times it sounds sour generally the D and B strings even when the strings are in tune. It's actually really strange sounding and hard to explain. What strings would you guys suggest,  I'm open to anything at this point.

I purchased this guitar used about 6 months ago and had it professionally setup sounded decent with xs 12s on it but I reached out to Larrivee and they mentioned 13s work best so I switched them over to this hybrid set now I'm having issues. Any help would be appreciated.

[guitarman001]

I wish they did a hybrid 12s set... I used XT 11s on mine but 12s in the bass would be perfect.

I could sell all the rest and rely on my OM05, it is the best guitar I've ever played.

[Myopic Squirrel]

Guys - you might want to try the Martin Retro monels. Have them on my OM-05 (lights) and for my hearing the best I've tried so far. Of course YMMV.

[harrym]

Now thats one great looking guitar, play it.

[StringPicker6]

Congratulation on a great find and interesting story. Your biggest problem in the future will be deciding which guitar to pick up. My suggestion: Keep one of the ones you're not playing on a stand or next to your chair so you can mix and match.

The link below features a 23 minute video made a few years ago with Jason Wilber, sideman for John Prine for 20 years. I posted this on a thread on the Larrivee Facebook page last week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZuCz8ZXduA

Whenever I have seen Jason Wilber playing live or on You Tube, his acoustic guitar has always been a Larrivee Parlor. His skills and the music he generates confirm the fact that a Larrivee parlor guitar is an extremely versatile instrument and a valuable addition to any guitarist's collection. There are plenty of videos out there and Jason is rarely mentioned on this forum.

My 2004 flamed maple parlor was my first Larrivee and is my son's favorite for fingerstyle blues including slide. It also led me to two more Larrivees including a custom mahogany topped 12 string (LV03) and Forum VI, both with a venetian cutaway. On my short list for another guitar is a custom 0040 12 fret, short scale with a mahogany top, back and sides.

Just rewatched the YouTube video from this old thread. Man, he makes that P-03 sing!!! Time for me to play my parlor tonight.

[teh]

One of the advantages of revisiting old threads is to see if your previous comments/impressions/thoughts have changed since you originally posted them. In my case, the only thing that changed was the fact that I ordered a customized short scale 00-24 instead of a 00-40. I switched from the standard Adirondack spruce top to mahogany, added an arch top case and a factory installed Anthem SL pickup. In a perfect world, I would have added a slotted headstock but I didn't want to wait that long so my guitar arrived about 4.5 months after I ordered it. And, Jason Wilber can still make his Larrivee parlor sing.

Over the years I've read comments suggesting that builders should offer more guitars with mahogany tops, cutaways, 12 fret necks and slotted headstocks. The problem I see is that there is not a big enough demand to warrant the effort from the builder's perspective. That's also why they offer customized options. In my case, the only additional expense I incurred when I requested a mahogany top instead of Adirondack was the wait time. On a side note, I only paid about $300 more to add a Venetian cutaway to my Forum VI in 2021. I correctly deduced that adding the cutaway to a 12 fret neck would give me more ease while playing at the upper end of the fretboard. It's also worth noting that I have no difficulty in transitioning from a 24" scale (Sitka/Maple parlor), 25.5" scale (Moonwood/Walnut Forum VI), 24.75" scale (Mahogany 00-24) on my 12 fret Larrivees or my Martin 000 slothead (Sitka/Mahogany with a 24.9" scale).

[John in Charm City]

Nice follow up.  the only thing I can add - I also switch from short scale to standard scale every day on my OM's and its never been an issue.  typically I keep one guitar in standard tuning and the other in some alternate, lately D minor as I've been doing a lot of Skip James stuff.