My next guitar

[fantex]

I've been enjoying my 00-40 since the end of October. I also have a Gibson Les Paul Junior Single Coil Limited and a Taylor 214ce Plus. Both have been recently put up for sale at a friend's guitar shop.

I'm now looking for a new guitar for strumming/rhythm playing. My 00 is for fingerpicking. My top 2 are the classic workhorse Gibson J-45 and a Larrivée SD. I'm not in a rush but I know if I go with the Larrivée I'll want a burst and gloss so I'll be waiting a while. My 00-40 took about 8 months.

If you own both or have owned both, please share your thoughts on tone, playability/comfort and anything else you feel is relevant.

[B0WIE]

 I've owned a SD50 and SD60, and I've played plenty of J45s. I'm not a Gibson hater (sad that one needs to declare that online) and I really respect what the J45 is as a guitar. I'd initially say it's a toss-up as they're of equal quality, both build and sound, but if I remember back to when I owned the SDs, there was a time when I was thinking of adding a J45 and chose not to because I was happy with the SDs.

 Both (the J45 and the SD as a whole) are articulate guitars that favor the player. They aren't bass heavy or projecting like a Martin, but that's a good thing if you prefer clarity and balance. I was actually very surprised at how similar they are relative to other brands. But, I feel the J45 is a bit more midrange focused while the mahogany SD50 has more brilliant highs and the Rosewood SD60 has a darker, warmer tone. The SDs also sound a touch "bigger" and deeper. I think this may be down to scale length as shorter scale guitars tend to favor the mids more while the extra tension of full scale gives a deeper voice (which is countered slightly by the large soundholes of the 50 and 60, which makes them more diffuse and "wide" in the way the sound projects off the guitar).

 I assume neck size/nut width is irrelevant here since you seem to be talking about a custom. As far as comfort goes, nothing sticks out to me other than short scales are slightly easier on the fingers (at a cost).

-J45; Sweet, familiar sound that has a nice mid-forwardness and sparkle.
-SD50; Big and bold sounding guitar that can get LOUD while never losing clarity or balance. Even though it's bright, the high notes are still full thanks to being a 12 fretter. The rawness and articulation require good technique to control.
-SD60; A cozy, best-friend guitar that feels like you're playing a piano because of the complex overtones and mellow nature. It lacks the high frequency clarity of the other two, but I played this one for hours on-end because it was fairly loud (meaning it took little effort to play) while also being non-fatiguing on the ears. While I felt the 50 was more balanced and better for recording (and maybe better overall) the 60 was like wearing soft pajamas in the winter. I just loved it.

I was both flat and finger picking when I owned those. As I got more into just fingerstyle I moved to more fingerstyle oriented guitars but there was no issue of disliking the 50 and 60 when I sold them. If I could only own just one factory-made guitar it would probably be an SD50 or 60.

 By the way, the 60 had a tobacco-burst finish and I cannot express enough the positive mental effects I felt from that finish. It was dark and beautiful, just like the sound coming out of the guitar, and helped put me in a peaceful mental state when playing. Not everyone is affected by color and light the same so YMMV. But, since owning that one I've sought out instruments with darker looking woods and tops.

[fantex]

Wow, thanks for that write up. My 00-40 is a vintage tobacco burst, love it. If I go with the SD I want the rarely seen Iced Tea burst with rosewood b&s.

[BlueBowman]

I have owned both, and there's not much that Bowie left unsaid. Very informative words, so I'll try not to repeat him. The J45 (a good one) is iconic for a reason. Emphasized mids and great for strumming (and fingerpicking styles like the blues or country). They can sometimes have that "thunky rubbery" thing going on in the bass though. Some people love it, others not so much.

I think the SD line from Larrivee is one of their best. Balanced 12-fretters with wonderful sustain and presence. In my mind, it's a fingerstyle guitar. Pretty good power in these guitars, as well as excellent clarity. They do sound good strummed too.

RE: comfort

I think 12-fretters are always more comfortable, because the fingerboard is moved inward towards the body, so it's a little closer to the player. There's something I've noticed about 12-fretters over the years. If I've been playing a 14-fret guitar of any size for a bit and then switch to one of my 12-fret guitars, there's an instance relaxing "ah" feeling, almost like any stress I was experiencing suddenly dropped by about 20% 

As ever, best to get out and play as many examples of each as you can. I will say this, the most recent J45s I've sampled have been among the best I've played from Gibson in a long while. If you can swing it, maybe also check out the Keb Mo 3.0 J-45. It's a 12-fret guitar, and many people seem to love them.

[William2]

You mention you are going to use the instrument primarily for strumming. I'd go with the J-45. I own a SD-40R limited run and love. But to me the instrument is a fingerstyle instrument. I love Larrivee 12-fret guitars. If only they would add that 19th fret. I also think people should consider what they play as far as repertoire and the sound they like. I like mahogany but love rosewood and that's why I have 3 rosewood Larrivee's and one mahogany. I had the Gibson fever last year before I ended up buying a Larrivee D-40. You just get more with a Larrivee. Here is a link to the Gibson Fades series I was considering. I like the J-35 much more than the J-45 and it is less expensive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPAudx04zQI

[teh]

Great observations from Bowie and BlueBowman. Either of those guitars would be a good choice and adding a burst finish would be a nice touch. A slope shouldered, 12 fret dread is on my short list but I'm running out of closet space. The new SD-24 would be a good place to start.

My first and only good guitar from early 1977 to 2004 was a 1976 Martin D-35 with a shaded top. I learned to fingerpick on that guitar and it would be the last one to go. Since 2004 with no more kids in college and more disposable income, I've gravitated toward smaller bodies, 12 fret necks, scalloped bracing and satin finishes.

A personal observation about finishes: I have three gloss finish guitars with a sunburst top and they are fingerprint magnets that show the playing wear. My two satin finish Larrivees purchased in 2004 and 2005 get a lot of playing time and show little wear. I also have a 2021 Forum VI (Moonwood/Walnut) and a 2024 mahogany topped 00-24 both with satin finishes. I think Larrivee has nailed both the satin finish and scalloped bracing.

The D-35 and LV-03 12 string cover the strumming/rhythm space.

[Rockysdad]

Have you tried an L body????  

[StringPicker6]

L bodies ROCK.

[fantex]

Thanks for all the input. My apologies to the fans of the L body but although I've never played one the shape just doesn't do it for me.

Another guitar that could squeak in is an Atkin 43, if I find a used one at the right price. Trying out an Atkin or Larrivée SD may be tough. I will be trying out a friend's 2004 J-45 in the next week or so.

[B0WIE]

Thanks for all the input. My apologies to the fans of the L body but although I've never played one the shape just doesn't do it for me.

Another guitar that could squeak in is an Atkin 43, if I find a used one at the right price. Trying out an Atkin or Larrivée SD may be tough. I will be trying out a friend's 2004 J-45 in the next week or so.

Although I respect the L, it won't satisfy if you're looking for a dread. I feel like my SDs were literally twice as loud as an L, and the bass difference was even bigger. I haven't tried an Atkin, though I've heard a lot of clips and they sound like a pretty dry, fundamental focused guitar (which isn't necessarily a bad thing at all).

 As huge as the SDs seem, they really don't feel big to me because the left arm doesn't need to reach. The left hand stays in such a comfortable place. More comfortable than a regular dread to me.

[fantex]

Full disclosure ... I had a Martin HD-28 for about year and sold it to fund the Larrivée 00-40 and because I thought my right arm was uncomfortable. The sound was great though, so was the smell. Maybe I should have kept it but hey, you win some, you lose some.

[teh]

In addition to my two (non-Larrivee) dreadnoughts, I have an LV and an LSV and find both of them comfortable to hold and play. When I had rotator cuff surgery on my right shoulder two years ago, playing guitar and working my way up to the larger bodied guitars was good therapy.

As I stated in an earlier post, I am intrigued by the slope shouldered dread body. I'd also like to try one of the new satin finish J-45 models listed for $1,995. You may want to consider that too.

[StringPicker6]

The L body does look a little "different", I will agree with that. Somehow, for me, the LV body shape with it's cutaway looks perfect.

[teh]

This post veers away from the original discussion about a J-45 or an SD guitar. Sorry about that. However, I was surfing around and found this page on Shoreline Guitar's website highlighting Larrivee Guitars that gave a brief description of the L body.

https://shorelinemusic.com/collections/larrivee-guitars?page=2&sort_by=

I agree that geometrically, the Venetian cutaway pairs well with both the L and OM body shapes. That's why I added the cutaway to both my LV and LSV guitars. It's also pretty cool to know that Jean, John Jr. and Matt travel the world to find the best wood supplies available for their guitars.

When I ordered my 12 string in 2005, I originally thought I'd get a Taylor or a Guild until I tried a couple of Larrivees including all mahogany 6 strings. I decided to gamble and added a mahogany top and Venetian cutaway to the base model (L-03 12 string) and ended up with a rare gem.

[fantex]

Well, I played and have in my possession (to use in the studio Wednesday) my friend's 2004 Gibson J-45 5 Star LTD. This is a custom release with about 50 made per year, not sure how many years Gibson made them.

It has rosewood back and sides, an abalone rosette and he had a local shop put in a bone nut, saddle and bridge pins.

I like the look and sound but I think I prefer a 1 3/4 nut. The lower bout is 16 inches which is a little uncomfortable like my Martin HD-28 was.

The Larrivee SD has the 1 3/4 nut I like and a 15" lower bout which should be a little more comfortable for my right arm. Now if I could just find one to play...