Finally!!!! NGD Larrivee L-03

[Treenewt]

So yesterday was one of the longest days I've had in a while...made all the longer because my wife texted me at lunch that my Larrivee had arrived at home, and I knew I wouldn't be able to get there to play it until late last night.  But I finally made it home, got settled, and then got down to business...that joyous business of opening a new guitar box, and case, for the very first time!

And the wait was so worth it!!!!  Finally!  I'm in the Larrivee club, and I couldn't be happier!









Since I've only had it a few hours, I'll wait on posting a gushing review (though I certainly could!).  Let me go over the basics, though, and just how impressed I am with the guitar as a whole.

Fit and Finish:

First of all, as has been stated many times here on this forum, the fit and finish are impeccable.  I sat and looked at it for a while last night and was simply blown away by the attention to detail Larrivee puts in at this price point, and Made in America at that!  The maple binding is super classy (especially now that it's on the fretboard as well!).  The attention to detail is first rate.  Super impressed!

The guitar is LIGHT!  Wow!  It's easily as light as my D18, maybe even lighter.  

Not a fan of the plastic bridge pins, but I'll replace those with an ebony set I have at the first string change.  Again, no biggie.  

One odd thing, but there's no end pin hole.  That kinda surprised me, as I figured they shipped with at least a hole!  I usually install my own K&K pure minis, but I think I'll have a luthier do the install on this one, since it is a full drill-out...the last thing I want to do is goof up this amazing instrument!  

Playability:  

The frets all seem great, and I noticed no problems anywhere on the fingerboard.  The action is perfect for me at 3/32 on the low E at the 12th.  I asked Jason at Notable to set it up for me, and keep the neck as straight as possible.  He got the set up perfect!  

Side bar: I can't thank Jason enough for his customer service and help in this entire process....big ups!!!  

I'm mostly a rhythm player, but do play all over the neck.  I've heard so much about how the Larrivee fretboard radius gives some people fits...well, for me, it just fits!  Neck shape is really comfortable...quite honestly, it feels very similar to my D18's PA neck, and beefier than my Breedlove neck.  

The best part for me is that the hype about the L as the "do it all" is true:  I can fingerpick easily, and then I can dig in!  I was a bit nervous about the "digging in", as I know I have a heavy right hand, but the L just keeps taking and giving!  And I do not hear a quiet guitar at all!  It can get loud! Is it as loud as my D18, no, but it's certainly not quiet!  I have an OM, and have bought and sold another (an Eastman E20 OM with adi top), and while they are fantastic at finger style, they just couldn't keep up with the way I strum, and that's a deal breaker for me.

Tone

The tone is...I want to be careful here and not gush...but it's hard, because I am really impressed.  Really.  Balanced? You bet!  But I think folks can think of that in a bad way, and that's certainly not the case!  It's not too bright, it's not too bass heavy, it's not muddy, it's like Goldiloks...just right!  I did an A/B with my D18 (which I can say I LOVE), and was very impressed with how the L-03 measured up.  If you're interested, you can hear the recordings here:  

L-03 Test

Martin D18 Test

Overall, I'm super stoked.  This has been a long road for me.  A little over a year ago, I started a search for a guitar to compliment the two that I had (the D18 and Breedlove OM).  I thought I wanted Rosewood, since the others were mahogany.  I hung out here for a while, and was thinking about picking up an OM-03R, but couldn't find any around to play at that time.  I ended up with the Eastman E20 OM, which I sold and then picked up and Eastman AC420 dread that, while very nice, just didn't fit me.  As you guys know, I lucked into a store while on vacation that had Larrivees, and I fell in love with the L.  And here I am!  Proud owner of my first Larrivee!  

So thanks to everyone for your help and comments!  Good to be here!

Oh, and  

[rosborn]

Congratulations! Great non gushing preliminary/initial impression review!
I was looking forward to your thoughts and you didn't disappoint.
Here's my amazement about our Lasrivees...like you, I am surprised and impressed with the quality of these guitars as compared to my D-18. Like you, I love my D-18 (great guitar) but I wouldn't say the fit and finish on my D-18 is any better than my L-03R. Sure, it's different (gloss versus matte) but the D-18 isn't better. I would say construction wise they are on par with each other. The neck profile on each is comfortable and feel almost they were made just for me.
Beautiful guitar and I'm eager to read not only your post honeymoon review but also to hearing sound clips comparing your L-03 to your D-18 A/B style.
Play the heck out of it!


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[Treenewt]

Thanks Rob! So glad you're happy with your's, too!  I'd love to hear how your rosewood compares to my mahogany!

Did you see the links in the post?  I put up a link of me laying the same thing on each guitar on Sound Cloud. 

[rosborn]

Thanks Rob! So glad you're happy with your's, too!  I'd love to hear how your rosewood compares to my mahogany!

Did you see the links in the post?  I put up a link of me laying the same thing on each guitar on Sound Cloud. 

Oops. I missed that in my first reading of your post.
I just listened to both recordings on my cell phone...without head phones. To my ear there are a lot of similarities but your Larrivee sounded more clear and balanced - almost like each string projected more clearly individually.


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[B0WIE]

Congrats!  Nice looking woods on that one.  Regarding the hole,  or lack thereof, I actually wish my Larrivees came without one.  But, having one routed is easy enough when having electronics installed.

[Treenewt]

Thanks Bowie!  You know, I wouldn't mind it at all if it was just a stay at home guitar...but this one is going to get played and played a lot!  I would install a K&K myself, but with the need to drill the complete hole, I'd rather pay and have my luthier do it for me.  This guitar is worth it!

[CycleBob]

Congrat on the guitar! I'm surprised you took as much time as did with the review instead of playing....
Anyway,  my next guitar, which will be a while as l've bought 2 recently, will be an L model. Enjoy!

[Strings4Him]

Congrats.  Great playing.  Both sound really good.  Cute kid in the picture :)

[George]

I knew you guys would be happy!  Larrivee's are known for their exceptional balance and the ability to just walk in the studio and sit down and record without any EQ...  Great pics!  George

      

[Riverbend]

Congratulations! 

[carruth]

      Great review.

[L07 Shooting Star]

Congratulations.  Makes me want to seek out an L-model in mahogany.

I'm impressed with the comparison recordings you made.  They are identical in all parameters except for the guitars which makes for a very objective comparison.  To tell you the truth, I could hardly tell them apart in terms of sound.  It almost sounds like both recordings were made with the same instrument.  I certainly can't say if I like one better than the other.

Enjoy it and play it lots.

Kurt

[Treenewt]

Congratulations.  Makes me want to seek out an L-model in mahogany.

I'm impressed with the comparison recordings you made.  They are identical in all parameters except for the guitars which makes for a very objective comparison.  To tell you the truth, I could hardly tell them apart in terms of sound.  It almost sounds like both recordings were made with the same instrument.  I certainly can't say if I like one better than the other.

Enjoy it and play it lots.

Kurt

Thanks Kurt! They are very similar, yet I'm already picking up the different nuances that each one has. For example, I've always felt that my D18 is very balanced, but now the L makes it seem a bit less so. Not bad by any means, but the L is BALANCED when I play it. I hear a bit more fullness and lows out of the D18 (especially through good headphones), and the trebles aren't quite as clear as the L.  When I'm playing them, the D18 definitely has more bass, but the L is a sweeter sound, a bit less aggressive, yet still powerful and full.

I'm telling you, I'm going to enjoy getting to play them both!

[L07 Shooting Star]

Thanks Kurt! They are very similar, yet I'm already picking up the different nuances that each one has. For example, I've always felt that my D18 is very balanced, but now the L makes it seem a bit less so. Not bad by any means, but the L is BALANCED when I play it. I hear a bit more fullness and lows out of the D18 (especially through good headphones), and the trebles aren't quite as clear as the L.  When I'm playing them, the D18 definitely has more bass, but the L is a sweeter sound, a bit less aggressive, yet still powerful and full.

I'm telling you, I'm going to enjoy getting to play them both!

Maybe in the long run it will depend on which one just feels nicer to hold and play given how close they are in terms of sound.  Perhaps the dynamics, responsiveness, and what you can coax out of each with your playing style might come into the picture too.  Not that you should have to choose.  Enjoy both of them for what they are.   

[Scrambler17]

It's interesting yours came without and endpin hole.  Mine came with an endpin hole drilled and a larger endpin installed that could be removed for a pickup, not just the small little nub endpin with a screw.  I thought Larrivee was doing the bigger hole standard.  Congrats, on the guitar. 

[rosborn]

Thanks Kurt! They are very similar, yet I'm already picking up the different nuances that each one has. For example, I've always felt that my D18 is very balanced, but now the L makes it seem a bit less so. Not bad by any means, but the L is BALANCED when I play it. I hear a bit more fullness and lows out of the D18 (especially through good headphones), and the trebles aren't quite as clear as the L.  When I'm playing them, the D18 definitely has more bass, but the L is a sweeter sound, a bit less aggressive, yet still powerful and full.

I'm telling you, I'm going to enjoy getting to play them both!

That's what I was picking up too and I was just listening on my cell phone with heavy equipment rumbling around outside my car.  You have two fantastic guitars there but, having the Larrivee in hand, I am honestly surprised at just what Larrivee can offer at a fraction of the cost of a Martin.  For me, if I had to do it all over again, it would have been a tough call.  I probably would have gotten a L-03 and a L-03R and still had some money in my pocket.  That being said, neither of these guitars are going anywhere.

[broKen]

Hi, glad you're happy with your new guitar. As to the end pin hole, its probably there. Have you unscrewed the pin yet to see? The screw is a machine screw, and goes into a unique nut inside.

[Treenewt]

Hi, glad you're happy with your new guitar. As to the end pin hole, its probably there. Have you unscrewed the pin yet to see? The screw is a machine screw, and goes into a unique nut inside.

:-) there is no pin nor no hole period! It's just the maple end cap! Jason said he'd never seen it before, so it was either a fluke, or they're leaving them out now! Only bummer about this guitar because I would install the PUP myself, but I'm not taking a chance messing up the entire end piece!

[Treenewt]

That's what I was picking up too and I was just listening on my cell phone with heavy equipment rumbling around outside my car.  You have two fantastic guitars there but, having the Larrivee in hand, I am honestly surprised at just what Larrivee can offer at a fraction of the cost of a Martin.  For me, if I had to do it all over again, it would have been a tough call.  I probably would have gotten a L-03 and a L-03R and still had some money in my pocket.  That being said, neither of these guitars are going anywhere.

Rob,

My D18 will definitely not be going anywhere!  That was always my dream guitar, my Holy Grail, and there is a story behind my getting it that makes it all the more special to me.  It'll go to my kids someday.

But the L is special...it's just hard to put my finger on it, but the easiest way is to say it gives me much of what I love about the D18 (punch and power), but the balanced nature of it also gives me the clarity and sweetness, for lack of a better word, of a smaller bodied guitar, like an OM.  I thought it was just hype, but it's not!  I love the flexibility it gives me!  I can't wait to get a pickup in it and get to play it amplified!  Looking forward to putting it though those paces, too.

[broKen]

:-) there is no pin nor no hole period! It's just the maple end cap! Jason said he'd never seen it before, so it was either a fluke, or they're leaving them out now! Only bummer about this guitar because I would install the PUP myself, but I'm not taking a chance messing up the entire end piece!

Oh, I see. Well that is different. Especially for an L.