New info on the High Bridge saga.

[ibisimon]

How long should I wait for Larrivee Customer Service to contact me before I turn up the volume on the anoying machine? I contacted Larrivee about my non existent bridge (Its lowwww) on my brand new OMV60SD. It is nil at High e and the string hieght is perfect so it needs some serious adjustment. I emailed photos. Did not hear from them. I called and spoke to Brian of CS. He pretty much told me 95% of the calls he gets for neck adj. leads to no where. A day after my call he saw the photos and emailed that I did indead have a need for service. He said service thinks my bridge plate is too thick?  Told me the criteria for shipping it to the Factory for service. That I had to have a return # for them to accept it. I submitted the information 4 days ago and have heard nothing. Between initial contact, delay in response and such it has been 3-4 weeks of playing around to get the guitar to them. Then my baby will be gone how long?
I don't like to be a pest but I want my guitar right. What would you do?

[imwjl]

I contacted Larrivee about my non existent bridge (Its lowwww) on my brand new OMV60SD.

Brand new? It sounds like you have a poor dealer if nothing else. My Larrivee dealer (below) has all of their wares in super shape, and they act as agent for their manufacturers. It seems absolutely the same for my local Taylor, Martin and Fender dealers too.

http://sprucetreemusic.com/settingup.html

Did you not play it before you took it home? I'm not saying don't send it to Larrivee, but it would seem easiest to not have to do that of if defective just return the new purchase.

Good luck.

[ibisimon]

Brand new? It sounds like you have a poor dealer if nothing else. My Larrivee dealer (below) has all of their wares in super shape, and they act as agent for their manufacturers. It seems absolutely the same for my local Taylor, Martin and Fender dealers too.

http://sprucetreemusic.com/settingup.html

Did you not play it before you took it home? I'm not saying don't send it to Larrivee, but it would seem easiest to not have to do that of if defective just return the new purchase.

Good luck.

Hi, It was literally the last cutaway Sunburst Larrivee 60 in the world that was available. I have been searching for the 50 (If you find one in Mahogany I will buy it on the spot) I got it from Buffalo Bros in Calf., I'm in the Pgh Pa area. So, no I didn't test drive it. She sounds great and for how little I know it took a dealer I was showing her to to point out my bridge had nowhere to go. But you are right. Before shipping me the guitar I wish they had taken a moment to look it over. I still would have bought it. I just would of had them ship it directly to Larrivee. Why they discontinued thier (IMO) prettiest guitar I don't understand.

[Mr_LV19E]

ibisimon,
You don't mention what the string height is at the twelfth fret, but here are the figures for both my Larrivees.
They measure 4/64" at the twelfth fret, the string height off the soundboard where you are measuring is between 23/64" and 24/64" for both guitars and the saddle height off the bridge at the high E string is about the thickness of a penny which by my measurements is between 3/64" and 4/64" erring closer to 3/64". Thats sliding the penny under the high E string, the actual height of the saddle off the bridge at the high E end is less than that. My string angle from the saddle going into the bridge looks about the same as yours, my guitars are both well balanced across all strings and have lots of sustain.

Do I think there is room to lower the saddle anymore without having to possibly put slots in the bridge pin holes? No

I can't imagine having my string action any lower than where it is right now, I fingerpick but sometimes if I get too aggressive I will get a slight buzzing, so the only way I would likely move my saddle is up.

It is my understanding that Larrivee builds their guitars solidly and that I don't have to concern myself with worrying about the sound board bellying which, correct me if I'm wrong, is the main reason for a neck reset.

I had to send my LV-19 back to Larrivee for some polishing of the finish on the back and I'm sure they looked at the guitar very closely while they had it, so I'm pretty sure they would consider my saddle height normal for what I consider very low action.

If you do need to send your guitar back to the factory, here are some things to consider.
You need to return your guitar to the dealer (if you purchased it on-line this means shipping it back at your expense) because they are the only ones authorized to request a return number. At this point you may need to give the dealer the shipping costs to get the guitar from there to Larrivee. This is what I was told when I needed to send mine. The dealer requests the number and receives paper work that they fill out describing the problem. The dealer then sends the guitar to the factory, they promptly look it over and repair it if they think it is necessary. They then send it back to the dealer, they will not send it to the customer directly, this shipping is covered by Larrivee but if you bought it online, again you will have to pay shipping to get it from there to your home. The turn around time will probably be less than a month if you have to do all that extra shipping and you live across the country. The factory is very quick to repair your guitar and get it back to you.

I can tell you that I had peace of mind after the whole thing was over and was glad I sent it back but I don't know if I would do it again before having a local luthier check it out.
I wish you the best of luck and if you have any more questions about my experience I would be pleased to share them. Here are a few photos of mine, hope this helps.


Roger

[ibisimon]

Is lower than yours by far. I hope you are wrong about having to go through the dealer. That would be a pain.  It states (If I am reading it right) that I can send it back myself. Maybe because of the detail in the photo's they tell enough of the story.


Here is a copy of the last letter I received from Larrivee Customer service...........................................

Hi John,

Repairs say it is likely the bridge is too think, but they cannot tell for sure without seeing the guitar.

A Return Authorization Number is issued that allows your guitar to be received by our repair department. Once in their possession, they will perform the assessment and you will be notified of the results. If you would like to send in your guitar for an assessment, and would like to send in the guitar yourself, then we require:

Your name

Shipping address

Model type

Serial number

Fax number or Email address
Phone number

Detailed description of problem

With this, we will fax/email you the necessary paperwork to include with your guitar, along with the Return Authorization Number. Do not ship your guitar to Larrivee without the RA# written on the box, or receiving will refuse it and it will be returned COD.

If you want to ship it through your retailer, simply return it to them with instructions that it needs to be sent in to Larrivee. Shipping to Larrivee for assessment will be your expense (or the dealer's, if they wish to absorb it). If the guitar is assessed as a non-warranty matter, return shipping costs will be your expense. If the guitar is assessed as a warranty issue, Larrivee will perform the necessary repairs or exchange, and the guitar will be shipped back free of charge.

Brian Trepanier
Customer Service Representative
Larrivee Guitars Ltd.
604-253-7111

[Mr_LV19E]

It looks like from the letter you received from Brian that you won't have a problem sending it yourself, I wish I had been given that option. Maybe this is a new policy. I think it is a change for the good on their part, with all the internet sales. They probably sell more guitars on line than in stores. Be sure to update us on the progress and good luck.

[jeremy3220]

my brand new OMV60SD.

Don't you mean OMV-60SB? The SB would of course be for sun burst. SD usually is short for Slope shoulder Dreadnaught.

[ibisimon]

Don't you mean OMV-60SB? The SB would of course be for sun burst. SD usually is short for Slope shoulder Dreadnaught.

You'd think it would be SB. The Mahogany Cutaway Total Sunburst is OMV50TSB. But my Rosewood Cutaway Top only on the Sunburst is clearly marked OMV60SD.  A slope Shoulder Dred would be tough on a Cutaway OM huh? Its the only one I ever saw so I guess it could be missmarked. Maybe the person that did my bridge did my label?

[David Rubenstein]

I had a very bad experience with their Customer Service (ignoring emails and not keeping me in the loop as to the status of my repair).  It was a pretty unpleasant experience.  My advce would be to keep in touch with them via phone instead of email once the guitar is sent to them.

[tikabear]

The saddles in both of my Larrivees are about the same height as the one in Roger's picture.  However, the action on the low "e" of mine is 5/64" with 4/64" on the high "e."  For what it's worth, I've never had the priviledge of seeing a Larrivee, and I've owned a few , that could be set up to have low action and a high bridge saddle for optimum string break angle.
From what I've learned from reading posts here and other webpages on guitar building, I have simply concluded that Larrivees are built with shallow neck angles.  Unfortunately, John seems to have bought one with a neck set shallower than most.  The "perfect" or preferred set up seems to be low action 4-5/64" at the 12 fret and about 3/8" of saddle showing above the bridge. My SD 50 was the closest to this.  It had 6/64" on the low "e" at the 12th fret and 4/64" on the low "e."  I'd love to see pics or hear from others who have been able to get this "preferred" setup.

[ibisimon]

Hi Folks,
Well I got an RA # from Larrivee. I spoke with a Tech to figure out how to get the battery out of the pick up. BY the way you loosen the strings and reach in). He said Larrivee had a run of aprox 100 guitars that had abnormally high bridges. It sounds like they have to remove my bridge, shave it down and re attach it. Which scares the heck out of me but I sure they know what they are doing. So, I figured I would take my guitar over to a store that carries Larrivee and ask the Luthier for his opinon. He said it was up to me since I liked the sound and there is a lifetime warrantee. And since Larrivee has a record of the pre existing problem they would likely take that into account for any  possible future work needed that might be borderline warranttee such as neck reset because of humidity.
I talked myself out of it since it is my favorite sounding guitar.....then while at the store I played a couple entry level  Canadian Larrivees (D-03, D03R...) IT'S GOING BACK! They have twice the volume of my OMV60. And the sound on the top and bootom range carried much further. I can only believe there will be a vast difference once I get some angle on the strings at the saddle.

Question; I'm thinking of having them put a Pyramid bridge on when they remove my bridge. I just love the look of that bridge on the 50. Is there a reason not to?   

BTW those 03's are fantastic guitars. Especially for the dough!

[jeremy3220]

I talked myself out of it since it is my favorite sounding guitar.....then while at the store I played a couple entry level  Canadian Larrivees (D-03, D03R...) IT'S GOING BACK! They have twice the volume of my OMV60. And the sound on the top and bootom range carried much further. I can only believe there will be a vast difference once I get some angle on the strings at the saddle.

Realize those dreads should have more volume than your OMV-60. Don't expect to get it back sounding like a dreadnaught.

[ibisimon]

Ya, but it's a huge diffference.

[jimmyd]

From the picture that bridge looks to be 3/8 thick. I'd be suprised if is considered too tall by their standards. If the neck angle is too shallow, which the picture suggests, then there are several ways to go about correcting it. Shaving the bridge is considered a least desireable method by most repair persons. Pulling the frets and planing the fretboard is a second alternative. Resetting the neck to the correct angle is considered by many to be the best way to properly fix the problem. Some manufactures will routinely do neck resets under warranty. Others will use alternative methods. I'm not sure how Larrivee deals with these issues. They do have a very good reputation for backing up their product.

[GA-ME]

ibisimon, I am very interested in your results as I have a 000-60 with a shallow neck angle as well. Mine is as bad as yours so I am likely to have to go through this mess as well. I hope Larrivee lives up to the reputation for customer service they have on this site. This is one of those issues that makes or breaks a company for me.

[bluesman67]

If anyone is going to take a bridge off, resize it, and put it back on, Larrivee is the best place to do it.  Did they say about how long it will take to get it back to you?

[jimmyd]

If anyone is going to take a bridge off, resize it, and put it back on, Larrivee is the best place to do it.  Did they say about how long it will take to get it back to you?

I don't think you would expect to see a bridge removed to shave it. It's a shortcut repair usually done to address a symptom rather than the cause of the problem.

[unclrob]

I have shaved many a bridge bottom too solve the problem.Its much cheaper for the client and in a lot of cases a neck reset isn't called for.This isn't just a Larrivee problem I've done this too Taylors,Gibsons,Guilds and many an Epiphone.Most times the neck angle is correct but the bridge was cut to thick.I've taken off as much as a 32nd off the bottom,reglued the bridge and its perfect.

[tuffythepug]

I have shaved many a bridge bottom too solve the problem.Its much cheaper for the client and in a lot of cases a neck reset isn't called for.This isn't just a Larrivee problem I've done this too Taylors,Gibsons,Guilds and many an Epiphone.Most times the neck angle is correct but the bridge was cut to thick.I've taken off as much as a 32nd off the bottom,reglued the bridge and its perfect.

Once again the voice of experience and reason shines through to make sense of it all.
Get 'er fixed.

[LvGod]

It is my understanding that Larrivee builds their guitars solidly and that I don't have to concern myself with worrying about the sound board bellying which, correct me if I'm wrong, is the main reason for a neck reset.

With all due respect, you are wrong - the major reason is movement of the neck. If you sight the neck from the headstock, I'm betting you'll see a bend at the neck/body joint. Shaving the bridge is NOT the solution. Please visit Frank Ford's site; he can explain it much better than I can:

http://tinyurl.com/u6iy