OMV-10KK - Koa I couldn't just leave it there - warning - graphic content

[Danny]

   Cool ; nice guitar for sure and a great story about going into Long and McQuade. I think that's the one I went to when we were in Vancouver. Down close to the bus station. Y'all have nicer shops than we do.

[ST]

Hi again Danny,

Thank you for both of these posts. When I saw the first one I went off on a search to find what I could about the early LSVs. I wasn't ignoring you. I was reading through the hard copy catalog (2000 catalog that came with the guitar in the case) pouring over the details. But I couldn't find anything to help me to conclusively identify the guitar as any particular model.

There are a couple of pictures of a koa on koa that looks very similar to mine. The difference is that it has a different headstock. But the pictures do not identify the model.

  There were some LSV models made that were way before the LSV-11's. They come up once in a great while.
Like a LSV-05.

    I found these posts regarding LSV models;

                " 2001 Larrivee LSV-05 Limited Edition - Only 100 Made" (in FOR SALE)

             "If it is from 2001, then it is Poly." from Matthew Larrivee re: a 2001 LSV-05

                    So this could be an LSV.  Could someone copy and paste this for ST?

(I think he hit the ignore button on me a while back about a "cat in a case" )

[ST]

That's the very same store Danny. It's across the street (kind of), about 200 yards away.

  Cool ; nice guitar for sure and a great story about going into Long and McQuade. I think that's the one I went to when we were in Vancouver. Down close to the bus station. Y'all have nicer shops than we do.

That's an interesting store. The staff turnover seems very low. I can walk in there most days and see three or four people that I've known as staff there for going on twenty years. And the new generation of young familiar faces - well most of them seem to have been there for at least five. There are a couple of fellows who retired recently who had been there for at least 35 years. That seems pretty unusual for the musical instrument retail business.

I'm glad you got to see the place. I try to avoid it unless I really need something because when I cross their threshold $tuff happen$.

[Danny]

     Yup, stuff happens. If I was around shops like that I know I would be broke.

[Danny]

Hi Prof Stack


I just whipped this off with a little youtube camera.
A Cry Out for Love (instrumental version)


Click the picture to see the video. Headphones recommended.

My hands are really sloppy right now because I've over-played them for the last 24 hours. But enough excuses - I just wanted to give you folks an idea of how it sounds - both acoustically and then with a little amplification.

First minute or so is unamplified.
After a minute I turned on the microphone (you will hear the volume go up a little after the harmonic hit rings for a bit).

It doesn't sound much louder (auto gain control in the camera) but I would be comfortable playing at that level in a room - maybe 1000 square feet.   The microphone is that little beige (alien like) thing in the sound hole.  This is running to a Bose T1® and then Model II. No effects.

Really nice.  I enjoyed "16 tons" and "Invitation To The Blues" as well.

[ST]

Hi Danny,

I found the post you mentioned and a few more that rekindled my thought that this might be an LSV. In particular this one.

To be honest. I don't know if Larrivee will make an LSV-05 as a special order, but 12th Fret quoted me a price awhile back so I think that means they will.  I think the LSV-11's are Larrivee's main focus now.
I am in the US (US$).
I have not played the LSV-11 but I think they have increased the nut size to 1 13/16" and of course it has rosewood back and sides. The 05 has a 1/3/4"nut with mahogany B&S.
The dimesnions are  as follows:


   * 15" lower bout
   * 11" upper bout
   * 9 3/4" waist
   * 4" depth (4 1/4" depth at end pin)

The dimensions on mine are about the same.
   * 15" lower bout
   * 11" upper bout
   * 9 3/4" waist (I measure 9 1/2" for the waist)
   * 4" depth (4 1/4" depth at end pin)

Also - the case is a little loose. It could certainly accommodate an OM
OM Dimensions
   * 15 1/4" lower bout
   * 11 3/4 " upper bout
   * 9 1/2"
   * 4 1/4" depth at end pin

But I have easily 3/4" air space at the upper bout.

[Danny]

   Having owned two LSV-11's I can tell you that the sizes do vary. My first one was the original LS size. But the later model was almost exactly the size of an OMV. Only the upper bout was different.
  After discovering that I went to our local Larrivee dealer and measured some OM models and found that they do vary in size. This is due to the "hands on" part of the build process. So you may have a small OMV or a LSV. Or maybe a prototype that led to the LSV. Yours is a 2000 and the earliest reference to a LSV I have seen is 2001.
   The shape of the full side on the upper bout looks a bit more like an OM, but your sizes are closer to a LSV.

              Either way it is a ST guitar all the way!

[z-clay]

That has to be one of the nicest Larrivee guitars that I have ever seen. I have been wanting an LV-10e because I wanted something ornate but your koa guitar has considerably raised the bling bar for me.   

[Stephen Basil]

That's one showy Larry, there's no denying!  The koa is beautiful.

[tuffythepug]

I've got to learn how to photograph guitars. These gloss finishes are tough.

ST,  Wow.  Beautiful guitar and beautiful playing.   Congratulations on a great find.  It's a stunner no matter what model it turns out to be.

Regarding photographing guitars;   flash on a glossy surface hardly ever turns out very well.   Your best bet is to take the guitar outdoors and shoot it in diffused light;   not direct sunlight.   a slightly overcast or cloudy day is good.   Or in the shade where there is ample ambient light.    Indoors you need to place it in an area where it can receive diffused light through a window shade or something similar.  You can hang a white sheet over a window to get some diffusion;  then use a tripod and a self-timer on your camera if necessary.     A beautiful guitar like that deserves the effort to get a great shot.
The pics you posted are good but you need to eliminate the glare as you said.    Get one perfect shot and you've got a future GOTM  I  think it's safe to say.

 

T the P

[BluesMan1]

   Lynn, you forgot the tape over the flash (if possible?), as you had once told me? All good suggestions, me experimenting with all you said! Gloss? A challenge, to say the least? Diffusing the flash (bouncing?) seems to work well with my go-to '90 Olympus IS-3 DLX, 35 mm, but still takes amazing pics.
   When using my diffuser, aiming the G-40 flash upwards, I have NO problem with glare on the gloss. Works well with blue-eye reduction too!!
     Jeff

[tuffythepug]

   Lynn, you forgot the tape over the flash (if possible?), as you had once told me? All good suggestions, me experimenting with all you said! Gloss? A challenge, to say the least? Diffusing the flash (bouncing?) seems to work well with my go-to '90 Olympus IS-3 DLX, 35 mm, but still takes amazing pics.
   When using my diffuser, aiming the G-40 flash upwards, I have NO problem with glare on the gloss. Works well with blue-eye reduction too!!
     Jeff

Jeff, I did, indeed, forget to mention the Scotch tape over the flash for diffusion of the light.    Bouncing the flash is great too but it requires that the photographer have a separate flash head that can be pointed at the ceiling or wall.  Most people don't use separate flash heads these days and they simply rely on the built-in flash of the camera so my suggestions were mainly for controlling existing light conditions in other ways.    Thanks for the reminder, however.


Lynn

[arriflex]

Pardon my language, but holy -CENSORED- 

[pigtown]

Wow.  Seriously beautiful.

[ST]

I showed it to John Jr. today. It's definitely an OMV-10KK made in November 1999.  (Thanks to Mike at Larrivée for looking up the date).

While I was waiting for John I noticed that the pictures in the waiting area are of the twin of mine. The distinguishing differences - the one in the picture was probably an L and it had a different headstock inlay (from the same series though). These are the same pictures that appeared in the 2000 Catalogue.


It was brighter at my place today so I managed to get these without using a flash.







I hope this gives you a better sense of the colour. (Thanks for the photo tips Lynn and Jeff)

[ST]

Hi Randy,

What year is your Larrivee LV-10koa with the Emily inlay?

Do you know the name of the inlay on the 30th Anniversary C10 Brazilian?

[Randy_R]

Hi Randy,

What year is your Larrivee LV-10koa with the Emily inlay?

Do you know the name of the inlay on the 30th Anniversary C10 Brazilian?

My LV10-k is serial # 46813. Guess I need to get off my duff and send my serial numbers to Larrivee so they can be added to your database.

I've heard the 30th Anniv headstock called Lady in the Mirror, I'm not sure thats the official name though.

[ST]

Hi Randy,

That serial number could well be in the 2000.

Lady in the Mirror makes sense but I think most of the other human figures have names.

Here is what Luke at Larrivée said to me about the C10 Brazilian.

The 30 year anniversary model is absolutely stunning!

It is built using Brazilian Rosewood back and sides, Mahogany neck and a Sitka Spruce top.

The Vine Inlay on the fingerboard is one of a kind, only used on the 30 year model and never used since.

The headstock inlay was also a big part of the guitar, besides being absolutely beautiful it had a lot of meaning for where Larrivee was at that time.  The lady in the mirror looking back represented us looking back over the past 30 years of guitar building.  

Luke

[ST]

I've barely been able to put this guitar down since I got it on Saturday.
My hands are killing me.

I took it down to the Larrivée factory yesterday to show it to John Jr.  On the way back I dropped in at a local repair person who used to work at Larrivée. She looked at it closely and said  that she had worked on it when it was being built. She did a couple of quick tweaks and it is now even more playable than when it I got it home on Saturday.

She also set up my LS-05 - and that thing is incredible to play. If there was ever a reason to let your setup person watch you play - this is it. She watched me play for a couple of minutes, nodded her head and said, "I know what you need." When I picked it up later it was perfect for my style of playing.  She told me what she could do with the OMV-10KK (frets, nut, saddle) to make it even better. I'll probably give it to her when I'm ready to let it out of my hands for awhile but in the meantime - I'm okay with it.

I finally got around to comparing the OMV-10KK (the new one) to some of the others around here. I had not realized it but the other guitars feel quite heavy in comparison. I don't have a scale accurate enough to tell you exactly how much lighter it is, but I realize now why it feels a little neck heavy. I know, I know... you're thinking it's all the inlay. I'm pretty sure that it's because the body is lighter than the others - even the LS-05.  I'm not surprised that it is ligher than the C10 Brazilian or J10.

Maybe when my hands recover, I'll do some quick recordings.

When I was talking with Dermot about it, he asked me if this was going to a gigging guitar or if it would sit on the couch. This is definitely going to be getting lots of time on stage - even though it looks outstanding on the couch.

[OutWithTheBlue]

 simply beautiful. Thank God for the defective cable!