Larrivée L-09 Baritone

[JamesN]

I would like to share some pictures of my new custom Larrivée L-09 Baritone guitar.

These are the specs:

• L style body
• Silver Oak back and sides
• Italian Spruce top
• Rosewood body binding
• Mahogany neck
• Ebony fingerboard, unadorned
• Rosewood peghead overlay, unadorned
• Mosaic rosette
• 1-3/4" nut width
• 27" scale length
• 14th fret neck join
• Faradyne tuners
• String gauges: .070 .053 .042 .030 .020 .015

[ducktrapper]

 

How do you like it, what tuning do you use and what do you play on it James? I love my BT-03, not as fancy but a lot of fun. I use mine mainly to play songs I can't sing on a regular tuned guitar. Kind of like being able to place the capo below  the nut.

[hadden]

Looks first class. Love the clean fretboard and headstock. They must be tinting the Silver Oak on some of the higher end models.

The center of the rosette is beautiful -- like cross stitch fabric with beadwork.

[broKen]

Wow! How nice. Are they tuned in the same manner as a standard, but lower?

[hadden]

By the way James, did you specifically ask Matthew to make the guitar for you start to finish? That would certainly be an enhancement for people if they could request Jean or Matthew or John did a custom solely.

[JamesN]

...How do you like it, what tuning do you use and what do you play on it James?...

I love it, but I've had it less than a week so I'm still exploring. It's still a little tight but beginning to open up. So far I haven't ventured far outside of standard and drop-D tunings. It's definately a different beast than a standard 6-string and, much like a 12-string, you can't simply approach it the same way.

...They must be tinting the Silver Oak on some of the higher end models...

It was overcast this morning when I snapped the pics, and that gave the room and the guitar a decidedly amber hue. The guitar was supposed to have a "vintage toner" finish -- the same as employed on the recent L-11 reissue. I'm not sure whether that happened or not. In any case, it doesn''t look quite so amber in direct sunlight.

..Are they tuned in the same manner as a standard, but lower?

I tune B to B and selected the string gauges to approximate the tension of light gauge strings on a standard guitar. Baritones are traditionally tuned anywhere from A to A to C# to C#, depending on scale length, string gauge, and player preference. Of course you can also use alternate tunings in these lower registers. Pat Metheney does something interesting where he tunes the middle strings on his Manzer baritone an octave higher. Kinda like Nashville tuning.

...did you specifically ask Matthew to make the guitar for you start to finish?...

Matthew Larrivée helped me spec out the guitar and I know he worked on the neck personally. I don't know how much hands-on involvement he had on the rest of the instrument. I changed my original post to avoid confusion.

[Danny]

I just saw this thread. What a looker! I have a close friend who recently aquired a  baritone and I am going to show him your fine pix.
     Please let us know how you feel about this one after the breaking in period. I'm curious to learn how much play time a baritone receives among your other guitars.

[JamesN]

I just saw this thread. What a looker! I have a close friend who recently aquired a  baritone and I am going to show him your fine pix.
     Please let us know how you feel about this one after the breaking in period. I'm curious to learn how much play time a baritone receives among your other guitars.

I've played it almost every day since I got it (while still trying to give my other guitars attention) and it has really blossomed into something stunning. When first spec-ing it out, Matthew talked me into Silver Oak because he thought it had properties that would be well-suited to the lower register of a baritone. He cited a bunch of technical reasons that I can't now remember (and many of the technical details were, quite frankly, over my head). I trusted his judgement, and was repaid with rich, deep, sonorous tones, incredible clarity, and one of the most responsive instruments I've ever laid my hands on. So if you haven't guessed...yeah I like it. 

Thank you for the kind words. The pics were snapped indoors on a gloomy winter morning, and as the saying goes, they really don't do the back and sides justice. Now that the weather is improving, I'd like to take some outdoor shots soon. I wasn't much of a fan of blonde guitars before this, but my mind has been changed.

[JOYCEfromNS]

I wasn't much of a fan of blonde guitars before this, but my mind has been changed.

If that wouldn't change one's mind then there is no changing! 

[Danny]

I've played it almost every day since I got it (while still trying to give my other guitars attention) and it has really blossomed into something stunning. When first spec-ing it out, Matthew talked me into Silver Oak because he thought it had properties that would be well-suited to the lower register of a baritone. He cited a bunch of technical reasons that I can't now remember (and many of the technical details were, quite frankly, over my head). I trusted his judgement, and was repaid with rich, deep, sonorous tones, incredible clarity, and one of the most responsive instruments I've ever laid my hands on. So if you haven't guessed...yeah I like it. 

Thank you for the kind words. The pics were snapped indoors on a gloomy winter morning, and as the saying goes, they really don't do the back and sides justice. Now that the weather is improving, I'd like to take some outdoor shots soon. I wasn't much of a fan of blonde guitars before this, but my mind has been changed.

Very nice. I had a beautiful flamed maple Larrivee OO. Prettiest little blonde guitar I ever had.