Forum VII guitar based on Larrivee -01 or -03

[jazzereh]

Magical indeed.  I really believe that Larrivee build great guitars and my Forum VI is just that.  I have no qualms thinking that this redwood FVII will be also.

In addition to the FVI, I have 3 other guitars that are custom builds.  I believed in the luthier and they delivered.  In this case I'm really looking forward to the redwood top and don't really care what videos I've seen or not seen at this point.  Do I NEED another guitar?  No.  Do I think this will be an outstanding guitar?  Yes.  Have I considered not going in on this build?  Seriously yes. 

I read lots of 'concern' about the sound of the woods or size of this guitar maybe being wrong for folks and all that is fine.  Your opinion.  What I see here is a chance to get a unique build from Larrivee that would not be available otherwise. 

[guitarman001]

Mike seems a cool guy - the thread was a great read.

[mike in lytle]

    
At the start, I thought the recently reborn -01 series would be a good forum guitar. Since the group wasn't going to go there, we worked on the -03 instead. But when John called for the deposit, I changed my order to a 000-01 redwood/mahogany because it felt right for me. It won't be a F-VII, just a straight -01 spec. I feel comfortable with that.
I'll still be the contact for the build, I just won't be getting the same guitar.
Mike

[Rockysdad]

   
At the start, I thought the recently reborn -01 series would be a good forum guitar. Since the group wasn't going to go there, we worked on the -03 instead. But when John called for the deposit, I changed my order to a 000-01 redwood/mahogany because it felt right for me. It won't be a F-VII, just a straight -01 spec. I feel comfortable with that.
I'll still be the contact for the build, I just won't be getting the same guitar.
Mike

Forum VI&1/2?

[mike in lytle]

Forum VI&1/2?

Ha, that would make an interesting 12th fret inlay.
Maybe Matt will carve that into mine for free.

[mike in lytle]

Mike seems a cool guy - the thread was a great read.

Who are you talking about?

[StringPicker6]

Who are you talking about?

He meant Mark

[Riverbend]

He meant Mark

Mike's a really cool guy, as well...I met him this spring at Guitar Tex's in San Antonio. 

[guitarman001]

Sorry and yes, I did mean Mark - heat getting to me (or perhaps the horrid cold that I've developed during the holiday I've waited for, for 9 months uuugghhhhh).

[guitarman001]

Does anybody else here have an OO and if so, what wood combo?

The attraction of the OO for me is the 25.5" scale Vs the 24" of the parlour (which btw, I love... It irks me when I read that the OO is "better" - by that logic, only a super massive jumbo is a good guitar).

[B0WIE]

Does anybody else here have an OO and if so, what wood combo?

The attraction of the OO for me is the 25.5" scale Vs the 24" of the parlour (which btw, I love... It irks me when I read that the OO is "better" - by that logic, only a super massive jumbo is a good guitar).

I have a few, various woods. The woods have less influence than the overall build and size. 3 are from the same builder and they have completely different top and back woods, but they sound more like each other than a 000 made of the same wood.

 A standard scale 00 is a completely different beast than a parlor. Parlors sound and behave like small guitars. Nice, small guitars. But, an unmistakably small sound none the less. 00s also have a solo-type voicing (a more vocal quality with nuance in the midrange) but they behave more like mid-sized guitars than a parlor. The extra tension from the scale gives the bass, treble, sustain and overall volume a boost. The physical volume of the resonator is going to limit the depth of the bass in any guitar, but you can work around that. One thing that smaller guitars do well is allow you control the tone. I mostly play my 00s these days because I like the expressiveness I just can't get from larger guitars.

[guitarman001]

That's interesting about "controlling the tone" - what do you mean by that?

I really like the compressed and characterful sound of smaller guitars.

I think the lower bridge placement really brings the bass out on the symmetrically braced guitars - it's way better imo to a 14 fretter with scalloped bracing / shaved top. I'm with you on the full 25.5" scale on an OO, it's why I've wanted a Larrivee OO for some time.

My Northwood OO is 24.9" iirc but has incredible bass (light build + deep body). I've tried other 24.9/24.75" scale OOs and the bass can be a bit floppy (surprisingly, I don't find it floppy on 24" Larrivee parlours) so for another build I'm sticking with full scale for that "full drive"

Often I've thought a regular OO-03 might just be the best guitar ever :)


Does the EQ curve on your redwood guitars lean more towards the trebles than bass? The bass sounds subdued on most demos I've listened to, relative to the trebles (whereas with Sitka, I can hear more bass and it's punchier).

I assume the other top options are out now - tbh even if they weren't I'd probably still want something special like that new Bois de Rose back and sides.

[B0WIE]

Woods don't create the EQ curve, they create overtones and response changes. The overtones flavor what we hear to sound either warm, sparkly, etc but they don't change EQ balance like bracing and thicknessing do.

IMO, 00s don't sound compressed unless you're banging away on them and hit the volume ceiling. They actually sound really dynamic. The small top means there's an immediacy to the response since it doesn't have to move across a big surface. You can control the dynamics a lot. And, because the sound isn't traveling through so much wood and space, a lot of it is in the strings, your right hand, and the top. It's far easier to control the brightness, bass, etc. On a dread, I don't feel that same level of control. I'm not great, but the better I get, the more I like 00s and classicals because it's like driving a manual transmission. You really have to nail it, and you're rewarded for doing so.

[StringPicker6]

I find that my P-03 doesn't strum well. The Larrivee 00-40r is a great strummer and has more bass than the parlor and it's also fantastic for fingerpicking.

[StringPicker6]

I've been scouring the internets trying to find reviews or sound samples of the 000-03. I'll just have to wait and be pleasantly surprised.

[B0WIE]

I've been scouring the internets trying to find reviews or sound samples of the 000-03. I'll just have to wait and be pleasantly surprised.

The 000 is in the same neighborhood as the OM and L. The OM has a little more midrange while the 000 is slightly mid scooped (like a smaller dread) with more emphasis on thebass and highs. The bridge placement gives a more rich and relaxed sound while an OM and L have a little more bite and energy. Each maker has an influence but that's what the general differences in body and bridge placement do.

I am very much a 000 guy in the same way I prefer 12 fret dreads to 14 fret.

[StringPicker6]

Tbis helps a lot, thanks!! Makes me even more excited for its eventual arrival!

[William2]

The main reason I didn't go with this instrument is because I don't think redwood is compatible with my technique based on comments by Michael Watts. My last instrument will be a 12-fret guitar. My question that was never answered concerns the bracing. I find my SD-40R so easily responsive to my touch and wonder if this is due to the bridge placement or the type of bracing. Once I one this I can decide whether to get a 000 or have a 12-fret dreadnought built which for me will be a Sitka and Rosewood instrument.

[guitarman001]

William, I was wondering if you'd go for this or not. Which comment in the Watts video? Just out of curiosity..
 

Great info above re the sound of each body shape!

[William2]

William, I was wondering if you'd go for this or not. Which comment in the Watts video? Just out of curiosity..
 

Great info above re the sound of each body shape!

It sounds like redwood has an easy response, but redwood has its limitations on how hard you can play it like support strokes and various finger movements that can cause noise. He did a video on is a dreadnought good for fingerstyle. Not with the way he plays, but that gentle attack he has works well for 12-fret instruments.