Let me explain myself!

Started by Jonesy76, December 28, 2009, 05:56:20 AM

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Right.....   I've been asking inane questions on here for a while now, and I guess I should come clean as to why.

Just before Christmas last year my wife and I lost our first baby in pregnancy, and then due to the fact that the pregnancy was a Molar Pregnancy went through 6 months of tests.  These tests are needed due to the ability of the molar cells to go cancerous pretty quickly, and as we both work in the health service (my wife in obs and gynae) we unfortunately knew a little too much which in these situations is not a good thing.

Now we've spent the 6 months since getting the all clear trying to get pregnant, but we've been putting all our hopes on a new baby and not looking back at what we lost.......we have nothing to remind us at home of what we lost.
Counselling has opened us up to the fact that possibly our coping mechanism of looking forward rather than back is not a good one (we had been trying for a long time before the molar pregnacy faliure).

Due to the fact that I was looking at possibly getting a new Larrivee anyway we decided that I'd look to get an acoustic guitar made for just us from Larrivee.  Wildwood Music (the wonderful Don and Marty who have helped me before on my Larrivee purchases) have already contacted Larrivee and Wendy is going to do for us a special headstock inlay to remember our loss.
After much searching we seem to be going down the line of:-
LV-10E
Florentine Cutaway (I think that makes it actually a C10E)
Madagascan Rosewood Back and sides
Sitka Spruce top
Clear scratch guard (I'm not a fan of Tortoiseshell)
Electric choice to be left to Larrivee, although their favourite choice seems to be the LR Baggs ones at the moment.

Essentially I'm a strummer, with occaisional fingerstyle bursts, who sings along with his playing.  I sing opera n my spare time so I have a huge Bass-Baritone voice and I need a loud guitar with good electrics.

When it comes to top wood choice what would the forum reccommend as the best for a strummer?
And do you good people have any personal choice over electrics for re-creating a good accurate sound through a small PA?

Thanks all
Larrivee Custom LCJ-10-12E 'Baby Dragon' and vine-of-life inlay
Larrivee Custom C-10E 'Ddraig Bach' ('Baby Dragon')
Gibson Les Paul Historic '59
Legra custom-made Les Paul Doubleneck
1967 Shaftesbury LP Black Beauty copy now with Bareknuckle humbuckers and 1959 spec wiring loom.

My eye's aren't dry. So sorry. How wonderful of the Larrivee's to do that for you. Hang in there.
10-1614 more than a number, it's body and soul.

Sorry for your loss....but it sounds like you are getting a great guitar. It won't replace that hole in your hear but it should be a great guitar...especiall if you can commission a custom inlay.

Marty & Don will steer you right. They probably have more experience with Larrivees than anybody on this forum...but if you are getting a Larrivee your choice of tops woods will be narrow. Spuce. Unless you can get them to use the Italian they have in stock. The Italian Spruce should fill the bill nicely....
Larrivee 00-70 
Gibson Advanced Jumbo  - J-185 - J200 Jr.
 National Resophonics  M1 Tricone
 Eastman MD-904 - DGM-1

JCL says sitka/EiR (in an L body) makes the best guitar. I'd recommend one of Larrivee's older rosettes as well.
A guitar is a lovely thing, but I hope your patience and tribulations are met with the more meaningful gift you seek. Since you've shared: I can understand counselors advising you not to banish all reminders of a bad experience, but I don't understand commemorating it in a headstock. I'd go for something hopeful and life-affirming.
Regardless, Wendy Larrivee's inlay will make it a really special guitar. Good luck to you both.

Got to add a vote for the Italian spruce, my f-iii just rings when strummed. Either way, this will be an amazing guitar. A nice way to remember. Time heals such pains, but it will be very valuable in the long term to have something special to remember the loss with.
Ben
2009 FIII LS-03RHB #5

http://www.youtube.com/user/1978BenF

Thanks for the kind words all.

The headstock isn't going to be anything morbid.  I'm a Welshman and so am inherently drawn towards the dragon that adorns te flag of our country.  Because of this Welsh affliction for dragons I had referred to the bump as our little dragon.  Hopefully Wendy is going to create a baby dragon to adorn the headstock of this guitar.  It's nothing morbid, and something a bit Welsh, so our loss will be comemorated without anything being too blatant.  Only we'll know what the little dragon means, and Wendy is going to do her own take on it so it should be totally special.

I've played so many breeds of acoustic (started on Washburns, then to Yamaha, Takamine, Taylor and then Martin) before finding and falling in love with Larrivees so it just seemed to make sense to have my working guitar made specially for me.  My wife has encouraged me to make sure it's utterly perfect just so that it can happily grow old with us.
What with the Dragon and all the Abalone on the 10 Series guitars it should be a nice link between the Welsh and New Zealander that is my wife (Abalone in New Zealand is referred to as Paua and it's a big part of the crafts over there).
Larrivee Custom LCJ-10-12E 'Baby Dragon' and vine-of-life inlay
Larrivee Custom C-10E 'Ddraig Bach' ('Baby Dragon')
Gibson Les Paul Historic '59
Legra custom-made Les Paul Doubleneck
1967 Shaftesbury LP Black Beauty copy now with Bareknuckle humbuckers and 1959 spec wiring loom.

The Baggs IMix that Larrivee uses is my first choice for electronics. I've used it with small acoustic amp, small PA and large venue PA, all with good results.
Randy R., Georgia, USA
Opinions available. Inquire about qty discount.
Forum Guitar III LS03 #15 ser no 108519

Quote from: leftync on December 28, 2009, 07:07:42 AM
JCL says sitka/EiR (in an L body) makes the best guitar. I'd recommend one of Larrivee's older rosettes as well.
A guitar is a lovely thing, but I hope your patience and tribulations are met with the more meaningful gift you seek. Since you've shared: I can understand counselors advising you not to banish all reminders of a bad experience, but I don't understand commemorating it in a headstock. I'd go for something hopeful and life-affirming.
Regardless, Wendy Larrivee's inlay will make it a really special guitar. Good luck to you both.

Jonesy--

I agree with leftync in that something hopeful and life-affirming, as a headstock inlay, would be an apporpriate way to commemorate your loss.  Also,  you might consider adarondak as a top wood since you need the guitar to be heard over your powerful voice.  I'm sure there are others more qualified to comment on this, but I seem to recall that Larrivee has made some guitars with the adi/madi combo. 

        DAVE  :wave
-Larrivee LSV11e (sadly sold))
-Lowden S10c
-Taylor 455ce L7
-Guild D40 (donated to science due to terminal      Onthevergeofimplosionitis)
-Brian Fry Custim 000 in the works

adi/madi  would be perfect and certainly a beauty as well.  Prayers out to you and your family. Are you by chance the same Jonesey from the MyLesPaul Forum? Look forward to seeing some Pics of your C10e when it comes in. Myself luv the guitar without the E and mike it BUT if you need the E you need it.
Larrivee Electrics - My Dream then and Now!!!!!<br /><br />Forum IV     00-03MT       #4      (Treasured)

Jonesy, it's not the morbidity of the image I don't get, it's why you feel you need to be reminded of something so depressing every time you do something that should be pleasurable, like playing an extraordinary guitar. Wendy Larrivee does such beautiful work, I'd still suggest something uplifting. But it's your guitar, and your choices.

It will be a  :nice guitar: which ever details you choose. I understand the dragon. This will be a spectacular guitar under any circumstances, and a appropriate tribute.

My L-09 has upgrade sitka/EIR. Wonderful sound! My old Goya (Swedish made) has an IS top; lovely too.  I think the most significant choice is getting an "L". It will do just what you want, and pretty much anything else as well.
Chris
Larrivee's '07  L-09 (40th Commemorative); '09 00-03 S.E; '08 P-09
Eastman '07 AC 650-12 Jumbo (NAMM)
Martin   '11 D Mahogany (FSC Golden Era type)
Voyage-Air '10 VAOM-06
-the nylon string-
Goya (Levin) '58 G-30
-dulcimer-
'11 McSpadden

doesnt really matter to me what you get,I'm sure if its a Larrivee it will be a fine instrument,
I just wanted to say how sorry I am for your loss, I cant even imagine how you feel,
I hope you can try again, may the Lord bless you and your wife.
Everyone deals with life things differently, do what your heart desires,
good luck and God bless,
dave

God bless your endeavor to enlarge your family. I like the Little Dragon on your next guitar, but I like symbols of the ones we loved.
As the casket was being closed on my mother, I placed the her wedding band on the third finger of my right hand, and it has been there over a year; it reminds me of so many positive things, nothing sad or macabre. What a cool guitar you are having built by-the-way, and look forward to seeing pictures.
LO9 40th
Ovation 1778 TX
Martin LXM

I am so terribly sorry for the loss of your baby.

Your Larrivee sounds like it will be amazing. Please ensure to post pictures when you get your guitar.

Best wishes,

Lynda
'09 Larrivee LS-03R #66 "Bella"
'07 Larrivee PV-09E "Holly"

My heart aches to hear of your loss.

I am very glad you are getting the help you need to carry on.

You are trusting Wendy to provide the art.  Why not trust your guitar wood choices to Jean?
His experience and proven ability to make amaziing guitars, says to me that if you could give him an idea of the sound you most lean towards, he could match the body style and wood choices to come closest to your perfect Larriveé.

On the other hand, if I was choosing,  it would be an Italian Spruce top for the kind of playing and volume you seek.
After playing my F-III a lot these last 9 months,  I am always amazed at its ability to handle agressive strumming and still sound beautiful. 

My prayers are with you and your wife.

ds
L-03 BlackWood..... "Pluck"
OM-03- MT Forum #14/17
F-III IS/Hog #63/78....SOLD
Seagull Artist Folk
Pono and Kanile'a Tenor Ukulele's
The real Day Sailer...1966 Day Sailer..the boat, not the person

First of all I'd like to say I am very sorry about your loss.
Speaking of guitars... let me add something to a stir... Do you think you really need a cut away? There is a good reason I ask. I am a strummer, who sings along as well. I consider myself a "pretty advanced" strummer, but I realistically can live without cut away. Although some people will disagree with me I insist that cut away take a little of the volume of the guitar. Not much, may be 10% may be a bit more, but it does. At least most of the time. By avoiding cut away you most likely gain some volume and definitely save some costs, since cut away must be at least $300 option if not more.
Just a thought. Good luck with your guitar, it will be very special. As for wood choice, I'd go with Spruce/Rosewood. Sitka if you use a pick or Englemann if you use bare finger nails.  :smile:
Is there a life beyond the third fret?!

Thank you all for your kind words.

Our whole idea of making the headstock as a memorial statement is more down to the fact that actually we have been getting nowhere for 12 months, but now looking back at what we lost has actually helped both of us.  Yes it was (and is) depressing, but it was something that happened and we will never forget no matter how much time has passed.  This is a way of remembering in a positive way, rather than a negative.

As for the cutaway.........
Yes I don't often use the high frets on my LV-19E when I'm gigging, but I do love noodling on my Larrivee, and when I'm flopped on the sofa playing with riffs and scales I do like to be able to play my acoustic rather than one of my electrics that has better access to the higher frets.  A cutaway does help then, and those are the times when my Larrivee is a bit more than a simple working instrument to me.  The other factor (and it's not a biggie, but it does influence me) is that I simply like the look of a cutaway, and both of us prefer the look of the Florentine cutaway.   I guess it's a bit like having a car.........you may love how it drives, and what it's like when you're sitting inside it, but you probably wouldn't buy it if it looked pig ugly on the outside :bgrin:
Larrivee Custom LCJ-10-12E 'Baby Dragon' and vine-of-life inlay
Larrivee Custom C-10E 'Ddraig Bach' ('Baby Dragon')
Gibson Les Paul Historic '59
Legra custom-made Les Paul Doubleneck
1967 Shaftesbury LP Black Beauty copy now with Bareknuckle humbuckers and 1959 spec wiring loom.

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