1 year review of SD 40r

[Solocin]

Quick 1 year review of my SD 40r.  I love it!  I play solo fingerstyle (flesh no picks) guitar.  Very balanced with EJ16's though every once in awhile I use 80/20s.  I'm 50 and over the years have went through of number of guitars both acoustic and electric.  When I started to focus on instrumental solo guitar 10 years ago I switched from Dread to 00 size, L-00, various electric archtops, Guild M-20 (Oxnard) then to a Telecaster.  Sold the Telecaster and went looking for a Dreadnaught.  Played a 2020 D-18 which sounded good but bridge was lifting so I passed.  Found a shop about hour from me that had a Larrivee D 40.  Drove down played and then tried a SD 40r they also had.  Never thought about the SD 40r because I did not like the body shape.  SD 40r sounded amazing and I bought it.  I installed a K&K pure mini and drilled a strap button on it.  After a year no complaints and not lusting for something else.  This handles drop alternate tunings very well even with EJ16's.  When I got into solo guitar I decided to do the only 1 guitar policy. Played a handful of shows with this guitar and it covers all my bases for the style I play.

[Rockysdad]

  , Congrats on the SD-40R, now check out an L body 

[Solocin]

, Congrats on the SD-40R, now check out an L body 

I have to stay away from guitar stores for I don't think I'll have another financial opportunity to buy another guitar for quite the long time. Very long time. I gotta stay content with what I got.  I am sure that I would like something like a L 03R.

[StringPicker6]

Thanks for that great review, and happy birthday guitar!!  My LV-03R has its one year birthday on June 7th. I played it for an hour this morning.   

[Silence Dogood]

Quick 1 year review of my SD 40r.  I love it!  I play solo fingerstyle (flesh no picks) guitar.  Very balanced with EJ16's though every once in awhile I use 80/20s.  I'm 50 and over the years have went through of number of guitars both acoustic and electric.  When I started to focus on instrumental solo guitar 10 years ago I switched from Dread to 00 size, L-00, various electric archtops, Guild M-20 (Oxnard) then to a Telecaster.  Sold the Telecaster and went looking for a Dreadnaught.  Played a 2020 D-18 which sounded good but bridge was lifting so I passed.  Found a shop about hour from me that had a Larrivee D 40.  Drove down played and then tried a SD 40r they also had.  Never thought about the SD 40r because I did not like the body shape.  SD 40r sounded amazing and I bought it.  I installed a K&K pure mini and drilled a strap button on it.  After a year no complaints and not lusting for something else.  This handles drop alternate tunings very well even with EJ16's.  When I got into solo guitar I decided to do the only 1 guitar policy. Played a handful of shows with this guitar and it covers all my bases for the style I play.

Great review.  We are about the same age (I'm inching up on 49 in a couple months) and I also have a one-guitar policy.  My main issue is that I have a large family in a small-ish house and we are literally out of room.  Some of my kids have instruments and they are tucked away in every possible nook and cranny of our old house.  I do have an electric guitar/amp setup as well, but it was a pain finding a place to store it. 

I sort of envy the folks with music rooms, man caves, etc.  I imagine it would be a lot of fun to have a room with nice acoustics on stands or hanging on the walls.  I've thought how fun it might be someday when my kids are grown up and we have the house to ourselves again to try and do something like that. 

[Solocin]

Great review.  We are about the same age (I'm inching up on 49 in a couple months) and I also have a one-guitar policy.  My main issue is that I have a large family in a small-ish house and we are literally out of room.  Some of my kids have instruments and they are tucked away in every possible nook and cranny of our old house.  I do have an electric guitar/amp setup as well, but it was a pain finding a place to store it. 

I sort of envy the folks with music rooms, man caves, etc.  I imagine it would be a lot of fun to have a room with nice acoustics on stands or hanging on the walls.  I've thought how fun it might be someday when my kids are grown up and we have the house to ourselves again to try and do something like that. 

Same boat. 6 kids, small house.  I play in the laundry room in the basement. 

[Silence Dogood]

Same boat. 6 kids, small house.  I play in the laundry room in the basement. 

Ha!  Much the same here (though four kids, small house)!  The place I play is in our little (and I mean little) space behind the front door.  There is a small tiled floor space there where the door opens, and coupled with the walls that meet there it makes for some good, natural reverb.  I just pull up a chair there and play for hours at a time. I've been doing that for so many years that it honestly bothers me to play anywhere else in the house.  My guitar sounds absolutely huge in that small space, and it always sounds a bit dry and empty elsewhere.  One just makes due with what is there, and in the end it all works out. 

[William2]

Quick 1 year review of my SD 40r.  I love it!  I play solo fingerstyle (flesh no picks) guitar.  Very balanced with EJ16's though every once in awhile I use 80/20s.  I'm 50 and over the years have went through of number of guitars both acoustic and electric.  When I started to focus on instrumental solo guitar 10 years ago I switched from Dread to 00 size, L-00, various electric archtops, Guild M-20 (Oxnard) then to a Telecaster.  Sold the Telecaster and went looking for a Dreadnaught.  Played a 2020 D-18 which sounded good but bridge was lifting so I passed.  Found a shop about hour from me that had a Larrivee D 40.  Drove down played and then tried a SD 40r they also had.  Never thought about the SD 40r because I did not like the body shape.  SD 40r sounded amazing and I bought it.  I installed a K&K pure mini and drilled a strap button on it.  After a year no complaints and not lusting for something else.  This handles drop alternate tunings very well even with EJ16's.  When I got into solo guitar I decided to do the only 1 guitar policy. Played a handful of shows with this guitar and it covers all my bases for the style I play.

This is interesting. I got my SD-40R around a year ago. At first I liked it, but I always seemed to grab my D-40R first.
And I don't know why either. It didn't quite have the punch of the D-40R. Several months in, I took the SD-40R to my luthier to have it set up as there were a couple of areas that I got buzzing too easily. It came back perfect, and I have been playing both instruments equally now. There is such a difference between a 12-fret and 14-fret connection, and I love the contrast the two instruments offer. I don't mind the body shape at all. It is very comfortable to play due to the 15-inch lower bout, and the 12-fret body join. Looks wise, it kind of reminds me of a baroque 5 string guitars of the past. I would like to see this instrument offered with a 16-inch lower bout something like a Roy Smeck style and with a 12-fret connection. I think a lot of players are attracted to tradition or things from the past. Aesthetically, I like the look of a slope shoulder 12-fret guitars. I've heard Larrivee is coming out with a 12-fret version of the D-40 and D-40R. This will be interesting to hear how it sounds, but I don't know if the look will appeal to me as much as a 12-fret slope shoulder dreadnought. Anyway, I love the SD-40R. It is comfortable to hold like a smaller instrument yet has the bigger sound I prefer.

[guitarman001]

What's your take on the 12 Vs 14 frets?

[William2]

What's your take on the 12 Vs 14 frets?

Comparing my two instruments. the D-40R (14-fret) has more punch and a bit more sustain. I can really dig into this instrument and not overplay it. I suspect this has something to do with the bridge placement in relation to the bracing underneath coupled with the 16-inch lower bout. With my SD-40R, I get a more open sound and it seems to require less effort with the plucking hand. I only play fingerstyle and used to only play classical guitar. I think the SD-40R is the sound I relate to more because of this open sound and the 12-fret connection. I really would like to see the SD-40R in a 16-inch lower bout to compare against the D-40R.

[guitarman001]

The only 12 fret I have is my P-03 and it sounds absolutely fantastic hence a constant wondering at a larger bodied 12 fret with cutaway. Interesting to have got your take, thank you.