I love it when RUclips recommends smaller channels. That's how we survive. Anyway, from one small youtuber to another, great job. One suggestion (I'm no expert, just my opinion), dont apologie for the title. It's not clickbait at all. Even if it was a bit, no reason to call attention to it. Good luck. Mark
Thank you so much for the kind words and the advice, Mark! Your channel having almost 30k subscribers and way over 2 million views...impressive! Need to check out your content. I'll subscribe with this user and my personal user as well. I'd never see us in the same category in terms of size. Cheers and all the best, Lukas
I've had a Larrivee OM for 30 years . I lived by the North Vancouver shop and Jean asked me to wait a bit to fill my request for a good finger style blues guitar . It was the first quarter cut BC maple back and sides with Queen Charlotte Is. Sitca spruce top . What a fantastic guitar . I played a $7,000 Gibson jumbo a couple days ago which sounded pretty boring compared the beautiful ringing tones of my favorite guitar . The one that will never be sold .
I agree with what you have said.The the rosewood Om-03 is a winner. With the LR Baggs sound system it outplays and sounds much better than a much more expensive Taylor with their ES2 sound system. A keeper for sure!
Hey John! Thanks! Funny that you mention the LR Baggs system - I recently thought about getting it installed... Would cost me close to € 300. Maybe one day in the future when I actually need to plug it in. Cheers!
It's very much down to personal taste. I don't like the voicing of Taylors and I prefer Larrivee to Martin. When I wanted a good quality acoustic I spent an afternoon in a guitar shop and played loads of guitars back to back. I ended up buying the OM-03r. It's a guitar for life for me, too. Anyone thinking of getting a serious acoustic would be making a mistake if they didn't audition a Larrivee.
Those in the know, know that Larivee make some stunning guitars and a few months ago I was talking to a blues musician who said the same about trying several before finding the one.
Hey Andrew, thanks for the comment. Was this Blues musician talking about Larrivée guitars or guitars in general? I've ordered many guitars online, but if possible I try to buy locally - both to support local shops and to try the instrument before pulling the trigger. I entered the shop not knowing that I would go home with a Larrivée, it wasn't even on my radar. I'm glad I kept an open mind and was listening to my gut! Cheers, Lukas
@@LMGuitarCorner yes he was replying to me talking about wanting a Gibson and he said good luck in finding one better than my handmade Brook Taw guitar as he tried a bunch and didn’t like any swith so then with the Larivee he said he tried several Larivee guitars that were sell better than the Gibson’s before he found one that really blew him away. He said he would never order a guitar without trying it first
Thanks a lot! I'm getting a lot of positive comments about the Larrivée. I think I'll do an update video (mostly for comparison, ie how the sound changed), probably in early 2024. Cheers, Lukas
Hey there. Thanks for your comment. I was just thinking that it would be a interesting comparison between your OM and mine to find out how similar (or different?) they are in terms of volume, tone etc. Did you ever get the chance to compare yours to a newer example? Cheers, Lukas
Congratulations! You will find that they age quite well and actually take a shine to medium gauge (.013-.056) phosphor bronze strings. My Larrivee OM-03R was born in the old Vancouver, BC shop and is about to turn 18 years old. When it arrived its spruce was very light and even in color, but as it aged its color became more golden with many mineral streaks, though the silking pattern also became more prevalent. It took some work and time for it to find its voice and I had it set up for mediums gauge strings with both a bone saddle and bone nut. Now it feels like part of me. I must confess that It is robustly built and suffered a key crack at the hands of one of my children but the innards and neck joint of the guitar were not compromised in any way. My only real complaint is that I've yet to find a way to record it to my satisfaction; from a player's perspective the tone surrounds you but it's hard to focus that tone.
Thanks a lot! I'm looking forward to grow old with my Larrivée. I try to keep it away from the kids too 😉 Do you have any kind of pickup in your guitar? If not, you might want to check out the video I made about the LR Baggs Anthem. It's also on our channel. Cheers, Lukas
I have had a 2004 D-05 for many years and recently bought a 2012 LV-03R. I can't put it down. It is an amazing guitar, extremely playable and sounds sublime. I really like the smaller body and despite it's size it can cut through with plenty power when needed. :-)
Hey Ali, thanks for taking the time to comment. I definitely have to try an L-shape when I come across one. You just don't see too many Larrivées here in my part of Austria. Cheers, Lukas
@@tommysixstring5094I love the rosewood and prefer it to mahogany. I have also had a Freshman DCE 500 for about 10 years and it has rosewood back and sides, sounds amazing and the build quality is second to none. I've used that guitar as my "go to" one for sessions and gigs, I bought the Larrivee D-05 but over the years I've fallen out of love with the mahogany sound. I find the rosewood so much nicer. I'll probably eventually sell the D-05 which is of course a superb guitar it's just that my taste has changed. The one thing about Larrivee is the quality of build which is superb and I guess both mahogany and rosewood can compete with any top end guitars on the market.
Hi Michael. Thanks! Is the L-05 a parlor size guitar? After a quick Google search I found out that the L stands for the "Larrivée" shape. Cheers, Lukas
@@LMGuitarCorner No, the L is a larger guitar. Jean Larrivee’s own original model. Almost 5” deep and 16” at the lower bout. It’s a workhorse guitar. Good for doing it all.
Congratulations on finding a "keeper" that looks and sounds great, I'm happy for you! I've been aware of Larrivee Guitars since the 1970's. It's fantastic that the company grew in size while maintaining their high standards. Picked up an OM-03 all mahogany (top, back and sides) about 10 years ago which I'll never sell. Wouldn't mind getting another Larrivee with rosewood back and sides. I do wish they offered a nylon string model... but I'll have to look elsewhere for one.
Thank you very much for the kind words! So you basically have the mahagony version of mine ;) It's funny that Larrivée does electric guitars, but not classicals with nylon strings. Cheers, Lukas
@@LMGuitarCorner You're welcome, Lukas. The OM-03 I have would be an all mahogany version of yours. Only other difference I can see is the fingerboard inlays on mine are tiny little micro-dots. I'm curious why they don't make nylon string models, especially since Jean-Claude Larrivee's background was in building traditional classical guitars. His first acoustic steel strings had flat fingerboards, similar to a classical guitar but not as wide. Maybe they'll offer a nylon string model in the future... they'd probably be more popular than their electric guitars. :0) Although the electrics are beautiful. Best regards from Montreal, Canada.
I don’t know if they still make them, but the LS-30 was a nylon classical. Can’t even estimate how many of those I strung up in my time there…probably hundreds…
I just won a bid on a L-03R ..almost pulled the trigger on a Martin d 18 that already had some binding repairs done for twice the money..looking forward to getting my hands on the Larrivee
Hey Edwin. The tone and playability also impressed me a lot when I played this one in a shop. I heard about Larrivée before, but I never actually played one. Cheers, Lukas
Wonderful sound, I've compared my Larrivée OM 02 with a few other guitars and indeed it's one of the top notch specially for the price. Curious, what was the dreadnought you had?
Thank you! It was a Takamine EF341SC, Made in Japan. It's the model Bruce Springsteen plays, and I think Jon Bon Jovi as well. I really like the way it looks, but I rarely played it. Sold it to a gigging musician who was looking for a working horse and he really enjoy playing it. Win-win I guess! Cheers, Lukas
Hi, thanks for commenting. I didn't plan to do another demo of the Larrivée this year, but you're raising a good point ... maybe I should record one in, say 3-4 months, when I had the guitar for about 1.5 years (I missed the 1 year anniversary already ;-)) and play the same songs as I did in this video... Cheers, Lukas
@@LMGuitarCorner I bring this up because when I just bought my Lakewood M-32CE it sounded much thinner and sparkly than it does now. It has a very full and warm tone now and still ringing beautifully. It has a solid Rosewood body and sides and European spruce top, similar to your Larrivée. This top wood take quite some time to settle in.
Thanks a lot, Ian! I never played an OM40R and I'm not familiar with it, so unfortunately I cannot compare those two models. Maybe the Larrivée website has a feature to compare different models. Cheers, Lukas
What a lovely instrument! Excellent choice. The Larivee family is legendary. Imagine how great it will sound in another 10 years! If you want to see what a Larivee can do in the hands of a brilliant finger style guitarist, check out Stephen Wake on RUclips.
Thanks so much! This reminds me of what Adi (from the shop where I bought it) said to me: "Record your playing as soon as possible and play the same thing in 1 or 2 years again and compare the sounds. The guitar will never sound this "bad" again and will only become better sounding". Looking forward to age together with my Larrivée. I will definitely check out Stephen Wake - thanks for the tip! Cheers, Lukas
OM02 is still made but it's not on Larrivee website. They also do not use Sapele like the older models, which I find to be a better wood than Honduran mahogany, but still damn fine.
Hey there. It probably has over the last year. But to be honest, it's hard for me to tell because I play it regularly and it's not like I felt a big change all of a sudden. It's a gradual development. In terms of playability, it's amazing, but it's been set up (the bridge was sanded to lower the action) when the LR Baggs Anthem was installed. Cheers, Lukas
Thanks a lot! The sound will get even better the older the guitar gets! Probably a combination of the drier wood and getting played in. I'm very much looking forward to that. Cheers, Lukas
15 years ago had a beautiful OM 10 with ridiculous bear claw. Stupidly, I sold it. Regretted ever since. Motto of the story, keep yours and don't let go, even if you're tempted. Martin can't even hold a candle to a Larrivee OM.
@@LMGuitarCorner Actually yes! Rather by accident I recently came across a gorgeous used D-03 (with a battered case!) in a guitar shop. Bear-claw spruce and limited run Peruvian walnut. Even before new strings (Elixir PB's 12's) and a much needed set up, I knew immediately it had the feel and tone I was looking for. The genius Jean Larrivee must have had his personal hand in turning this one out! Not an OM (maybe that's to come?), but actually dreads probably suit me more. So the story has gone full circle with a happy ending. Sometimes one needs to be in the right place, right time!
I love it when RUclips recommends smaller channels. That's how we survive. Anyway, from one small youtuber to another, great job. One suggestion (I'm no expert, just my opinion), dont apologie for the title. It's not clickbait at all. Even if it was a bit, no reason to call attention to it. Good luck. Mark
Thank you so much for the kind words and the advice, Mark!
Your channel having almost 30k subscribers and way over 2 million views...impressive! Need to check out your content. I'll subscribe with this user and my personal user as well.
I'd never see us in the same category in terms of size.
Cheers and all the best, Lukas
I've had a Larrivee OM for 30 years . I lived by the North Vancouver shop and Jean asked me to wait a bit to fill my request for a good finger style blues guitar . It was the first quarter cut BC maple back and sides with Queen Charlotte Is. Sitca spruce top . What a fantastic guitar . I played a $7,000 Gibson jumbo a couple days ago which sounded pretty boring compared the beautiful ringing tones of my favorite guitar . The one that will never be sold .
Thank you so much for shearing your story with us!
Cheers, Lukas
I agree 100 percent met Jean in Victoria in 1979..
Great man ..I have 3 Larrivee..one a Vancouver LV-03R..never sell them! Nice video well done!
Thanks a lot Mac! Cheers, Lukas
I agree with what you have said.The the rosewood Om-03 is a winner. With the LR Baggs sound system it outplays and sounds much better than a much more expensive Taylor with their ES2 sound system. A keeper for sure!
Hey John! Thanks! Funny that you mention the LR Baggs system - I recently thought about getting it installed... Would cost me close to € 300. Maybe one day in the future when I actually need to plug it in. Cheers!
It's very much down to personal taste. I don't like the voicing of Taylors and I prefer Larrivee to Martin. When I wanted a good quality acoustic I spent an afternoon in a guitar shop and played loads of guitars back to back. I ended up buying the OM-03r. It's a guitar for life for me, too. Anyone thinking of getting a serious acoustic would be making a mistake if they didn't audition a Larrivee.
Those in the know, know that Larivee make some stunning guitars and a few months ago I was talking to a blues musician who said the same about trying several before finding the one.
Hey Andrew, thanks for the comment. Was this Blues musician talking about Larrivée guitars or guitars in general? I've ordered many guitars online, but if possible I try to buy locally - both to support local shops and to try the instrument before pulling the trigger. I entered the shop not knowing that I would go home with a Larrivée, it wasn't even on my radar. I'm glad I kept an open mind and was listening to my gut! Cheers, Lukas
@@LMGuitarCorner yes he was replying to me talking about wanting a Gibson and he said good luck in finding one better than my handmade Brook Taw guitar as he tried a bunch and didn’t like any swith so then with the Larivee he said he tried several Larivee guitars that were sell better than the Gibson’s before he found one that really blew him away. He said he would never order a guitar without trying it first
Wow congratulations I put my headphones on and listened and yes indeed you have a keeper!
Thanks a lot! I'm getting a lot of positive comments about the Larrivée. I think I'll do an update video (mostly for comparison, ie how the sound changed), probably in early 2024. Cheers, Lukas
Nice sounding guitar! I know the feeling .. I have a D-5 and a L-10 .. love them both. 🤠
Thanks a lot Al! Can't to wrong with a Larrivée I guess ;)
Cheers, Lukas
My D-10 from the 90s is a stunning instrument, but my 2007 OM-03R is a subtle jewel, complicated and versatile.
Hey there. Thanks for your comment. I was just thinking that it would be a interesting comparison between your OM and mine to find out how similar (or different?) they are in terms of volume, tone etc. Did you ever get the chance to compare yours to a newer example? Cheers, Lukas
Thanks for the reply. I have not played a newer version of my OM guitar@@LMGuitarCorner
Good on you for such a find.
She's a beauty. Top condition and a great sound. Great video. Well done, your excitement is shared.
Thanks so much for the kind words Kuriko! It's an amazing instrument and I'm so happy and lucky to have it!
Congrats my friend looks and sounds great. Apologies for missing the premiere but I was teaching a class.
Thank you Charles! No worries, maybe next time or even on a live stream. It's been a while! Cheers Lukas
Congratulations! You will find that they age quite well and actually take a shine to medium gauge (.013-.056) phosphor bronze strings. My Larrivee OM-03R was born in the old Vancouver, BC shop and is about to turn 18 years old. When it arrived its spruce was very light and even in color, but as it aged its color became more golden with many mineral streaks, though the silking pattern also became more prevalent. It took some work and time for it to find its voice and I had it set up for mediums gauge strings with both a bone saddle and bone nut. Now it feels like part of me. I must confess that It is robustly built and suffered a key crack at the hands of one of my children but the innards and neck joint of the guitar were not compromised in any way. My only real complaint is that I've yet to find a way to record it to my satisfaction; from a player's perspective the tone surrounds you but it's hard to focus that tone.
Thanks a lot! I'm looking forward to grow old with my Larrivée. I try to keep it away from the kids too 😉
Do you have any kind of pickup in your guitar? If not, you might want to check out the video I made about the LR Baggs Anthem. It's also on our channel. Cheers, Lukas
@@LMGuitarCorner I gave K&K Pure Western Mini in it which I purchased along with a K&K Pure XLR external preamp.
Congrats Lukas, I've always been a big fan of this brand!! Cheers!!
Thanks a lot Ben! I'm definitely a fan as well now. Only heard good things about Larrivée. Cheers, Lukas
I have had a 2004 D-05 for many years and recently bought a 2012 LV-03R. I can't put it down. It is an amazing guitar, extremely playable and sounds sublime. I really like the smaller body and despite it's size it can cut through with plenty power when needed. :-)
Hey Ali, thanks for taking the time to comment. I definitely have to try an L-shape when I come across one. You just don't see too many Larrivées here in my part of Austria. Cheers, Lukas
@@LMGuitarCorner Same here in Scotland. They are really hard to find. Enjoy your OM. :-)
@@aliwhitwellAlso Scotland here - how do you like the rosewood compared to the mahogany?
@@tommysixstring5094I love the rosewood and prefer it to mahogany. I have also had a Freshman DCE 500 for about 10 years and it has rosewood back and sides, sounds amazing and the build quality is second to none. I've used that guitar as my "go to" one for sessions and gigs, I bought the Larrivee D-05 but over the years I've fallen out of love with the mahogany sound. I find the rosewood so much nicer. I'll probably eventually sell the D-05 which is of course a superb guitar it's just that my taste has changed. The one thing about Larrivee is the quality of build which is superb and I guess both mahogany and rosewood can compete with any top end guitars on the market.
@@aliwhitwell thanks for that, I will now have to try an OM09, I think....
Great guitar. Hard to go wrong with Larrivee. I have an L-05 I adore.
Hi Michael. Thanks!
Is the L-05 a parlor size guitar? After a quick Google search I found out that the L stands for the "Larrivée" shape. Cheers, Lukas
@@LMGuitarCorner No, the L is a larger guitar. Jean Larrivee’s own original model. Almost 5” deep and 16” at the lower bout. It’s a workhorse guitar. Good for doing it all.
@@michael4930 Cool, thanks for your reply. If I get the chance I'll definitely have to try one. Cheers
I enjoyed this video; I have a 2001 Larrivee OM04r and a Collings Om; they are both great yet I love myLarrivee…weeeee; keep on picking
Thank you Dan! See you around. Cheers, Lukas
Congratulations on finding a "keeper" that looks and sounds great, I'm happy for you! I've been aware of Larrivee Guitars since the 1970's. It's fantastic that the company grew in size while maintaining their high standards. Picked up an OM-03 all mahogany (top, back and sides) about 10 years ago which I'll never sell. Wouldn't mind getting another Larrivee with rosewood back and sides. I do wish they offered a nylon string model... but I'll have to look elsewhere for one.
Thank you very much for the kind words! So you basically have the mahagony version of mine ;)
It's funny that Larrivée does electric guitars, but not classicals with nylon strings. Cheers, Lukas
@@LMGuitarCorner
You're welcome, Lukas. The OM-03 I have would be an all mahogany version of yours. Only other difference I can see is the fingerboard inlays on mine are tiny little micro-dots. I'm curious why they don't make nylon string models, especially since Jean-Claude Larrivee's background was in building traditional classical guitars. His first acoustic steel strings had flat fingerboards, similar to a classical guitar but not as wide. Maybe they'll offer a nylon string model in the future... they'd probably be more popular than their electric guitars. :0) Although the electrics are beautiful. Best regards from Montreal, Canada.
I don’t know if they still make them, but the LS-30 was a nylon classical. Can’t even estimate how many of those I strung up in my time there…probably hundreds…
@@HalcyonGuitars
Thanks. There aren't any classical models being made currently that I know of. I'll begin to search the used market for an LS-30.
I just won a bid on a L-03R ..almost pulled the trigger on a Martin d 18 that already had some binding repairs done for twice the money..looking forward to getting my hands on the Larrivee
Congratulations and lots of fun with your L-03R! Is it your first Larrivée? Cheers, Lukas
Yes it is..still waiting for it to ship
Nice guitar. I played one at local store, few months ago, and I was really impressed. Good bass for a Larrivee and also a great playability
Hey Edwin. The tone and playability also impressed me a lot when I played this one in a shop. I heard about Larrivée before, but I never actually played one. Cheers, Lukas
Beautiful
Thanks Janice!
thanks for sharing this video 👍✌️
You're welcome - thank you for commenting! Cheers, Lukas
Wow, its pretty & sounds awesome !! Congrats !! :)
Thanks a lot Terry! Cheers Lukas
Wonderful sound, I've compared my Larrivée OM 02 with a few other guitars and indeed it's one of the top notch specially for the price. Curious, what was the dreadnought you had?
Thank you! It was a Takamine EF341SC, Made in Japan. It's the model Bruce Springsteen plays, and I think Jon Bon Jovi as well. I really like the way it looks, but I rarely played it. Sold it to a gigging musician who was looking for a working horse and he really enjoy playing it. Win-win I guess!
Cheers, Lukas
@@LMGuitarCorner Oh, nice, but it wasn't All-Solid wood, so I guess this Larrivée it's sounding 10 times better... Cheers!
True, just a solid top. It was good sounding for sure, typical dreadnought tones I would say. Cheers!
I would love to hear how it sounds now.
Hi, thanks for commenting. I didn't plan to do another demo of the Larrivée this year, but you're raising a good point ... maybe I should record one in, say 3-4 months, when I had the guitar for about 1.5 years (I missed the 1 year anniversary already ;-)) and play the same songs as I did in this video... Cheers, Lukas
@@LMGuitarCorner I bring this up because when I just bought my
Lakewood M-32CE it sounded much thinner and sparkly than it does now. It has a very full and warm tone now and still ringing beautifully. It has a solid Rosewood body and sides and European spruce top, similar to your Larrivée. This top wood take quite some time to settle in.
Great review. What’s the difference between this model and the Larrivee 0m40r?
Thanks a lot, Ian! I never played an OM40R and I'm not familiar with it, so unfortunately I cannot compare those two models. Maybe the Larrivée website has a feature to compare different models. Cheers, Lukas
Yeah they have that feature on their website: www.larrivee.com/model-comparison
Cheers, Lukas
Thanks for the info 👍🏻
@@IanBroon1 You're welcome!
What a lovely instrument! Excellent choice. The Larivee family is legendary. Imagine how great it will sound in another 10 years! If you want to see what a Larivee can do in the hands of a brilliant finger style guitarist, check out Stephen Wake on RUclips.
Thanks so much! This reminds me of what Adi (from the shop where I bought it) said to me: "Record your playing as soon as possible and play the same thing in 1 or 2 years again and compare the sounds. The guitar will never sound this "bad" again and will only become better sounding". Looking forward to age together with my Larrivée.
I will definitely check out Stephen Wake - thanks for the tip! Cheers, Lukas
Agree here, Stephen uses the lower end (same build, just less bling) OM02 like I do. Who needs more!?
The OM2 would definitely be enough. Not sure if that model is still produced though, couldn't find it on the website. Cheers, Lukas
OM02 is still made but it's not on Larrivee website. They also do not use Sapele like the older models, which I find to be a better wood than Honduran mahogany, but still damn fine.
Cool, didn't know that. Thanks!
Has it taken some time to break in?
Hey there. It probably has over the last year. But to be honest, it's hard for me to tell because I play it regularly and it's not like I felt a big change all of a sudden. It's a gradual development. In terms of playability, it's amazing, but it's been set up (the bridge was sanded to lower the action) when the LR Baggs Anthem was installed. Cheers, Lukas
It does sound very nice. Very woody .
Thanks a lot! The sound will get even better the older the guitar gets! Probably a combination of the drier wood and getting played in. I'm very much looking forward to that. Cheers, Lukas
Sad that they didn't provide a better quality case for an acoustic at that price point. Otherwise very nice!
Thanks buddy! I think the case is not bad at all. But since I saw Martin's Mono Case I'd generally prefer something like that. Cheers, Lukas
Sounds great but Santa Cruz is closer and I am lazy.
Hey Chris. Thanks! Never played a Santa Cruz - if you're referring to the guitar brand. Are they comparable to Martin, Taylor and Larrivée? Cheers!
@@LMGuitarCorner I am and they are. Thanks for the education on this other great brand.
Cool. Thank you for commenting! See you around! Cheers, Lukas
@@LMGuitarCorner 🤘
15 years ago had a beautiful OM 10 with ridiculous bear claw.
Stupidly, I sold it.
Regretted ever since.
Motto of the story, keep yours and don't let go, even if you're tempted. Martin can't even hold a candle to a Larrivee OM.
Good advice, thank you! Did you get a new Larrivée eventually?
Cheers, Lukas
@@LMGuitarCorner Actually yes!
Rather by accident I recently came across a gorgeous used D-03 (with a battered case!) in a guitar shop. Bear-claw spruce and limited run Peruvian walnut.
Even before new strings (Elixir PB's 12's) and a much needed set up, I knew immediately it had the feel and tone I was looking for. The genius Jean Larrivee must have had his personal hand in turning this one out!
Not an OM (maybe that's to come?), but actually dreads probably suit me more. So the story has gone full circle with a happy ending. Sometimes one needs to be in the right place, right time!
That sounds fantastic, congratulations on your D-03! Definitely a happy ending! Cheers