Borrowed a Larrivee today.

[Halion]

My school (and recording rooms) are accross a guitar store. I wanted to do an acoustical recording in a nicely reverberant room, but my acoustic guitar ain't top notch. So I jumped over to the guitar store to see if I could maybe borrow something a bit better. I had my eye on an 600$ Epiphone, that sounded pretty nice. They didn't let me take it. They just got it in and they didn't want it scratched, however, they did let me borrow a 1700$ Larrivee! Dude that was one nice guitar.

The recording turned out ok, not amazing, even though the room and instrument were really nice. The mics were cheap and so were the preamps/DA convertors. I think I close miced a little aswell. I learned alot from it though. And I got to play a really nice guitar

 

[jfrog]

And you gave it back???

I, too, played a Larivee several months ago. It might have been the same model, cuz the one I test drove was also ~$1700. That was one sweet guitar. Played like a dream, with a sound to match. Very balanced and clear tones.

 

[Halion]

Yeah, had to return it, just got it for the recording. It sparkled like no other, but I would have liked a little more bottom end, just a little darker sounding. That's just my thing.

 

[tdukex]

Yeah, had to return it, just got it for the recording. It sparkled like no other, but I would have liked a little more bottom end, just a little darker sounding. That's just my thing.

It probably wasn't a dreadnaught, then, because their dreads, though not Martinish, do have a solid bottom to go with the sparkling highs. Just my opinion, of course. The Larrivee dreads that I've played/owned did respond to a lighter touch and projected extremely well. But if ya want that Martin sound...

 

[IronFlippy]

Yeah, had to return it, just got it for the recording. It sparkled like no other, but I would have liked a little more bottom end, just a little darker sounding. That's just my thing.

Eh, you can fix it in the mix

 

[astoebe]

I hate to rain on anyone's parade, but when searching and searching for an acoustic I was not impressed by the Larivees I played. Do you know what model you borrowed and what wood it was made out of?

 

[tdukex]

I hate to rain on anyone's parade, but when searching and searching for an acoustic I was not impressed by the Larivees I played. Do you know what model you borrowed and what wood it was made out of?

You aren't raining on anybody's parade. I have lived near Buffalo Bros guits for 15 years and have played literally hundreds of high-end guits including Collings, Santa Cruz, Froggy, Bourgeois, Goodall, Webber, Tippin, Breedlove, Lowden, Taylor and Martin...etc...etc.

I currently own a Webber OM and just bought a Larrivee L-30 classical that, for tone and playability, blows the doors off of just about every other classical guit at BB, regardless of price.

I do not doubt that you may have come across a few mediocre Larrivees--I hear they had a bad run a while back--and not every guitar make is for every player (I don't care for the feel of Martins, e.g.). But I do know good acou guits--as do the folks that hang out here.

The consensus of the people who know good acou guits is that Larrivee remains one of the best guits you can buy for the money--no matter what wood or model. Your experience may be different, but I doubt anybody's going to get wet because of it.

 

[Halion]

It was a dreadnought. It didn't actually lack any bottom, I just like a bottom heavy sound. It was probably the wood. I didn't get the model number, but the top was Spruce or Maple, and the sides were either Mahogany or something a little brighter (colored). I played an all maple acoustic a while back, and it was brightness all over the place, with a very pronounced attack. Didn't like that all to much. The Larrivee reminded me of that a little. Just a little though.