Hello, new here, so I brought some donuts:  :donut :donut :donut2 :donut :donut :donut :donut2

I have a Koa Parlour I bought new in 2002 and have been putting medium strings on it all along. I hadn't played it for a bit but have started again recently, and noticed the saddle tilting forward and the bridge has some small cracks. My local luthier says that this guitar should never have had anything but light strings on it, but I am also reading that they've always had mediums?

At any rate, hello! Nice place here, and thanks for having me!

(I also have a new-ish to me 1992 L-05 which I love, and hence why the Parlor has been a little neglected)

Maybe someone from Larrivee will eventually comment, but with a short, 24" scale, I'd think Mediums shouldn't be a problem, unless parlors are very lightly braced (but I've never heard that).

:gotpics: of the bridge cracks?

They are braced for mediums, and more than likely came strung with them.  I'm happier with bluegrass gauge on both of my parlors.  It gives me better balance.

Fwiw, the tension of mediums on the 24" scale of a parlor is nearly identical to lights on a 25.5" scale.

I'm going to say, I'd look for another luthier.

Ed

Quote from: eded on December 05, 2020, 10:31:18 PM
I'm going to say, I'd look for another luthier.

Ed

I don't know if that's appropriate. This is an 02' and I recall people saying in the past that these were set up for lighter strings. Just to make sure I wasn't remembering incorrectly I did a search and quickly found a 2008 post saying; "the instructions that came with my Larrivee P-05 said it's not a good idea to use anything heavier than lights". I also found an old dealer listing for a P-03 stating, "The standard strings is Cleartone Phosphor Bronze Light tension..."

Many Parlours from other makers are set up for light to med-light strings so it's not unusual for someone to think med strings were too much, esp when looking at a warped and cracked bridge. That said, the recent ones are certainly built for Mediums and Larrivees are pretty rugged instruments, so it could be an environmental issue, possibly just a bad bridge. Some guitars also just belly and fail. If the top is Koa, I would not use mediums. My limited experience with koa tops is that they will flex/distort more than spruce.

If the bridge is lifting and has small cracks, I'd pay more attention to humidification.

Ed

Quote from: eded on December 06, 2020, 09:02:20 AM
If the bridge is lifting and has small cracks, I'd pay more attention to humidification.

Ed

What Ed said.

My 1999 Parlor came strung with lights, and when I have tried mediums it choked the life out of it, so I went back to lights.  I have no concerns about the structural stability with mediums though.

 
Hi Folks,

Larrivée sets up and recommends [D'Addario] phosphor bronze 13-16's on all Parlors and 0's for maximum tone. This has been the case for at least 10-15 years.

john jr.

Quote from: J M Larrivée on December 11, 2020, 05:41:48 PM

Hi Folks,

Larrivée sets up and recommends [D'Addario] phosphor bronze 13-16's on all Parlors and 0's for maximum tone. This has been the case for at least 10-15 years.

john jr.

13-56 I assume...  damn typos!   :humour:

As always, thanks!  And, thanks for these fabulous guitars!

Ed

Quote from: eded on December 11, 2020, 08:07:06 PM
13-56 I assume...  damn typos!   :humour:

As always, thanks!  And, thanks for these fabulous guitars!

Ed

Lol... yeah. D'Addario EXP1713-56's to be exact.