Forum III impressions and discussion

[pennerblue]

...there are easier ways to make the chords. For that shape you put up, it does help for bluegrass type chop, but the 4th string doesn't have to be played. You can let it ring open for a G chord or easily mute it for a chop and when shape is used up neck. There are really easy open chords you can make with 2 fingers. If you don't know those and want me to put shapes down (new thread) I'd be glad too. Also how easy it is to change chords since all strings are same interval apart, and in doing see relationships. Just let me know! matt

Yep...you got it, I'm trying to do the dreaded bluegrass chop. (Holly, try that chord sometime on a mandolin...unless you are one of the scientifically proven 8.39%, it is darned near impossible).  That's why I do the two fingered version, but it doesn't have "the sound".

Thanks for your offer Matt.  If I ever get back into the mandolin, I'll take you up on some advice!

[pennerblue]

Are there any other All Hog owners out there who have experimented with changing out the bone for Tusq, or found different strings tonally more pleasing?

Hey Ray-
#58 Hog top here.  I found the guitar too bright with the stock strings.  Went to the extreme and put JP Bronze and silks on it and really like them.  Out of curiosity, with all the tusq saddle hysteria going on, I swapped the bone nut for the original tusq.  I prefer the bone.  Maybe with straight PB stings I would prefer tusq, we'll have to wait and see...

[Danny]

I'm know I'm not the first to remark on this but it just rings on and on and on.....  I can just imagine what the RW sounds like if the Mahogany keeps this kind of sustain. It's the only Mahogany backed guitar I've played. The other is all Mahogany. The difference between the two is remarkable. Neither better or worse, but very different.

If it ever gets sunny here I'll take some pictures.

holly

I have noticed the MH/IS seems to have more sustain than the RW. At least with clarity. The RW has warmth and more overtones. The MH/IS "rings". This will not be everyones cup of tea. But it is a quality I enjoy very much.
             All these things are subjective for sure.

[bluesman67]

All the talk about saddles so I played around with mine a bit on my rw.

Tusq - nice tone all around.  Less volume.  Less sustain.  Warmer sounding. 
Tusq = 1. nice tone all around, 2. warmer tone

Bone - nice tone all around.  Like the added volume and sustain.  Adds the benefit of sounding really nice with bare finger picking.  stonger bass.
Bone = 1. nice tone all around, 2. more volume, 3. more sustain, 4. excels bare fingers.  5. bigger bass.

Bone 5, Tusq 2  Game Over

[strawintogold]

I have to say that I am now an official Larrivee geek. I realised this when I got way too excited because Drake (of Drake and Josh, famous kids show here in the USA) was playing a Larrivee with that pointy cutaway. Older one because the rosette was a mosaic.

Sometime today i am going to switch the string to Thomastiks, bought a box in the B.B. (before broke) Era. I'll also put in bone bridge pins.

I don't know what it is but I just don't feel like the current strings are the right fit. They sound good, but I have a feeling a change will sound, to my ear, even better. I'd wager so much of the string issue hinges on just what one plays in the first place.

holly

[Danny]

   I watched some live venues in Austin recently. Just a few players, two gits, one on lead and the rhythm/singer. But one of the acts had a really good player. His git was black, but looked like a Martin so I talked to him between songs a few times. It was a composite Martin btw.
   My comments to him were basically.
           1 he was a very good player
           2 I said, that's not your normal git is it? he said that I was right.
           3 I said, I imagine you could play just about any ole git and make it sound good.
                   Without any false humility he agreed.

[Randy_R]

My Forum III #15 arrived on Friday (May 1st).  I'm not sure how many are left to be distributed, it can't be too many. I'll check with Jim and get a status on where he is in that regard.

I'm very happy with the Forum III. I have one of the LS03s without any upgrades. It has the clear pickguard and I sent Jim a set of EXP-12s (80/20 mediums) to put on it at setup time, and I asked for  a medium-low setup.

I have a web page for this guitar at: http://randyrick.us/guitars/LarriveeLS03ForumIII.htm and have posted to the Pictures thread.

Everything is as close to perfect as I could ask for, the woods are good looking, the fit and finish is perfect, and the frets are perfect. Intonation is good. Jim's setup is very good, great easy playing string height, both fingerstyle and light pick action, with no buzzing anywhere my fingers can reach. Sustain is good, balanced highs to mids to lows (at least to my ear), I had to think about the sustain and tones a bit as I have been playing my 000-60 the last few months, and this guitar has a quite different sound, but I like it fine and all is ok.  It has Jim's bone saddle in it. The neck is what I expected, not too chunky, not to thin, just what I've come to expect from Larrivee, I will measure the neck vs the Forum I and a standard OM03 and see what if any differences I find, as there seemed to be some question about that. The mini-pings seem ok so far, but I haven't gone back and forth between tunings.

I'll a/b it to my mahogany top Forum I at some point. And next time I jam with friends I'll get someone else to play it while I listen.

Many thanks to Jim Holler, our friends at Larrivee who worked hard to put this forum special together for us and those forum members who got the ball rolling and got us all whipped into a frenzy and made it happen.

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[BenF]

very very nice Randy.  Glad you are happy with it.

A simple neck thinkness test - I was playing both guitars one after the ther today, with a shubb capo on any fret needs a good two twists on the screw on my OM-03 to make it as tight as on the F-III.  The  difference is quite significant, but I find both very easy to play.

[Danny]

   Very nice review Randy and I like your pics. That one with the bike is GOTM.

[Randy_R]

   Very nice review Randy and I like your pics. That one with the bike is GOTM.

Thanks, but since I'm the one running the GOTM voting, its probably not appropriate for me to be in the running. I do like that picture though.



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[prof_stack]

Okay, I took off the EXP strings and the tusq saddle and put back in the bone saddle and then installed EJ16 strings:

The "Taylor" string method is pretty slick.


Anyway, there is a better sound coming out of the box now.  I won't wax eloquent here (usually don't anyway...) but I'm liking what I hear so far.  Nice and smooth with gentle fingerpicking.

The B string is sitting too low and that causes some buzzing when it is fretted from the 1st to the 4th fret.  What's the best way to change the neck relief to get it a little farther from the frets?

[Danny]

Okay, I took off the EXP strings and the tusq saddle and put back in the bone saddle and then installed EJ16 strings:

Anyway, there is a better sound coming out of the box now.  I won't wax eloquent here (usually don't anyway...) but I'm liking what I hear so far.  Nice and smooth with gentle fingerpicking.

The B string is sitting too low and that causes some buzzing when it is fretted from the 1st to the 4th fret.  What's the best way to change the neck relief to get it a little farther from the frets?

I think I'll try some EJ 16's soon also, when I drop my lower bone saddle back in.

      I would not adjust the neck without checking the nut slot for the buzzing B string. You could mix a little baking soda and super glue and drop it in th B slot. Then re-slot it a little higher. ( you could also use some bone dust and superglue to fill the slot) On an otherwise very nicely made bone nut I had a buzzing low E so I cut a very small slice of bone and glued it in. Then re-filed the slot. No more buzz.

[GeeNorm]

Thanks, but since I'm the one running the GOTM voting, its probably not appropriate for me to be in the running. I do like that picture though.

Well it seems to me that your only hurdle for bias is in selecting the four finalists. The actual choice is now our majority vote, right? I understand that you would be hesitant to self-nominate.

How would it be if you were nominated and also received confirming assent from two or more other forum members? I would second Danny's nomination.

Norman

[flatlander]

Cool picture Randy. Please nominate it.

[ST]

Hi prof_stack

The "Taylor" string method is pretty slick.

What does this mean?

Thanks

[flatlander]

I think he's referring to this     http://www.taylorguitars.com/global/pdfs/Steel_Restring.pdf

[ST]

Hi flatlander,

Thank you. Good read for the uninitiated.

I think he's referring to this     http://www.taylorguitars.com/global/pdfs/Steel_Restring.pdf

[Danny]

Thanks, but since I'm the one running the GOTM voting, its probably not appropriate for me to be in the running. I do like that picture though.

Well it seems to me that your only hurdle for bias is in selecting the four finalists. The actual choice is now our majority vote, right? I understand that you would be hesitant to self-nominate.

How would it be if you were nominated and also received confirming assent from two or more other forum members? I would second Danny's nomination.

Norman

Cool picture Randy. Please nominate it.

Randy; It seems to me that you are ''nominated''   Why couldn't Mark and the other moderators choose the four finalists? Besides did'nt we see five last time anyway. Maybe you could choose four and call your's a "WRITE IN" vote by the forum members.
                Besides, it's about time we had a "V-twin/Guitar" pic instead of flowers and trees anyway ;-)

[BenF]

                   Randy; It seems to me that you are ''nominated''   Why couldn't Mark and the other moderators choose the four finalists? Besides did'nt we see five last time anyway. Maybe you could choose four and call your's a "WRITE IN" vote by the forum members.
                Besides, it's about time we had a "V-twin/Guitar" pic instead of flowers and trees anyway ;-)

=4

[Alpione]

The "Taylor" string method is pretty slick.

I used to dread string changes until I found that method.  Now it's quick and easy each time, and looks very clean.

Adam