If you follow Guitar Musings on Twitter, you know that I recently purchased a Larrivee OM-03RE guitar. I have been in wanting for a Larivee for quite a while, since I tried one out at a local guitar shop. The wait was finally over and I wasn’t disappointed.
Specifications – From Larivee’s web site
Lower Bout: 15.375″
Upper Bout: 11.75″
Waist: 9.625″Depth: 4.25″
Depth: 4.25″
Scale Length: 25.5
Nut Width: 1 & 3/4
Fretboard Radius: 17″ to 21″ Compound
Setup for Light Gauge Strings
Frets: Nickel/Silver
Frets Width: 2.5mm (0.0985″)
Frets Heigth: 1.0mm (0.00394″)
Satin finsh neck and body
Tusq Nut and Saddle by Graphtec
Look and Feel:
This is not a fancy looking guitar with elaborate inlays and exotic wood grains but it’s a simple and elegant design that perfectly suited my needs. What caught my eye immediately was the rosewood back and sides and the African ebony fingerboard. What can I say, I’m a sucker for dark wood and the satin finish really compliments the beauty of the wood.
A bit smaller than my other guitars, the OM-03RE felt natural either using a guitar strap or playing it sitting on my lap. This was important for me because I have problems with tendentious and the smaller form factor feels more comfortable/ergonomic. I’m a big fan of 1 and 7/8″ necks but the width of 1 and 3/4″ meets my minimum requirements for a fingerstyle guitar. The action was a bit high, making it harder to play when moving up the fretboard but that is easily remedied by a few adjustments to the bridge. That will be in a future post.
Sound:
If I had to chose one word to describe the tone of the 03RE, it would have to be warm. I immediately noticed the the mid and bass coming out clearer on this instrument, which is something that I wasn’t expecting because I’ve read other reviews/opinions that stated it favored the high end. Compared to my other guitars the bass response was much better. Maybe some larger body guitars have a more low end response but I was pleased with the Larrivee’s performance.
Final Thoughts:
What can I say, I am happy with my purchase of the Larrivee OM-03RE. It’s smaller form factor feels great in my hands without compromising tone and range. A nice upgrade to an all wood guitar without breaking the bank.
Links:
Larrivee Guitars
Tejon Streen Music – This is where I bought my guitars. They were awesome to deal with and always have the guitars setup properly.
Very nice review on the Larrivee OM.
Keep up the good work!
And check out out Blog if you have a chance.
http://www.guitaradoptions.com/blog/
Larry,
Excellent review. The -03 series is such a great value for an all-solid wood guitar, and Larrivee’s OM models are great. I had the pleasure of meeting Jean Larrivee at the last NAMM show and we briefly talked about a Brazilian OM.
What do you think of Larrrivee’s neck profile?