If you follow Guitar Musings on Twitter, (now on YouTube) 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 Larrivee’s website

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   

Larrivee’s 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 choose 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.

See the Larrivee in Action on my Youtube Channel

Links:
Larrivee Guitars
Tejon Street Music – This is where I bought both of my guitars. They were awesome to deal with and always have the guitars setup properly.  *Tejon Street Music has since closed. 

*Final Note: Since this post, I have toured with the Larrivee OM-03RE many times with my band and it was a solid, dependable instrument. Have any questions, leave them in the comments.

My Plea:

If you expect for me to spend hundreds, if not, thousands on a guitar in your shop, please invest thirty or so minutes in setting it up.  First impressions are important and if the guitar isn’t setup right, I will not take a chance and buy.  So please, put on a new set of strings, adjust the truss rod to the new environment and tune it.   I won’t guarantee that it will sell the guitar on the first day but it’s a nice start.