When I was 15 I was visiting Vancouver and found out where the Larrivee workshop was. One random morning I just showed up at their door asking for a tour. The dude just stared at me - I guess they don't give tours. Just when I thought he was gonna kick me off the property, he said, "yeah, okay, sure." and took me through their whole process. I asked a LOT of questions, but he was totally patient and answered them all. He explained what each confused / bemused worker was doing, and warned me to stay away from their very scary dog. Years later I still appreciate that guy giving me the time. Vote yes for Larrivee.
"... that's how ebony should look like: sexy" 😆 Thanks for your patient description of every step of your work, they make me feel less ignorant tonight.
I’d go for the Woodford endoscopy but I’d be afraid Ted would plane down my high spots, put a couple maple cleats on any cracks he found, and install a fancy rosette around the sound hole. I’d sound better for sure but, after 60 years, my belly has bowed so badly my action is pure crap. Thanks for the great video!
There's a video on the Larrivee website and Jean Larrivee explains because of import issues, shipping from Canada to the US, his son started making guitars in California around 96 (?) and eventually the whole family decided to move south. Though I think he has one son who still lives in BC and hunts for old growth Sika trees and purchases them for building guitars.
Your skills with the old school tools is a pleasure to see these days, when everyone seems to use electric powered everything. I still remember our woodworking teacher back in Thornhill high school, showing us how to sharpen plane blades, and then use your hand as a strap, to bring it to razor sharpness. Then he would shave a little hair off his arm to show how sharp it was. His name was actually Mr. Wilkinson, and he joked about it when doing it.
John B: Thank you for the shop teacher reference. My high school shop teacher, Henry Dudgeon (“The Dudge”), taught me more things that I use every day than anyone else in my life. I occasionally brought my guitars into the shop to use tools that I didn’t have at home and Dudge calmly provided useful insight and guidance that made my 1960’s budget guitars infinitely more playable.
I apologize if someone else has answered this, but I encountered a similar mystery with my Larrivee. What I learned from speaking with Larrivee was that the serial number reflects the year the guitar is started but not necessarily the year it is finished. So if it was started and given a serial number in Canada, but was finished in the Oxnard plant that would explain the discrepancy.
Great job. I love how you explain a lot of things that are not necessary to understand the process, but are interesting to people who might be watching it. For instance you talk about the ethics of modifying a vintage instrument. i’ve been playing music for over 50 years and do most of my own Fret dressing. Thanks a lot!
One of your best videos … I think …it made Me think of many different things you’ve shown and done in previous vids … this one just caught me right… very interesting stuff
You are very humorous and a top shelf luthier! Get an apprentice and teach her or he what you know! your abilities are to be preserved! Love from NW Colorado Thanxz
Love those glued in necks. Grind down the saddle, then bridge, then neck reset. All so unnecessary. Just bolt the necks on, for heaven sakes, like the engine and wheels on your car. Simple. Martin did it in the 1800's. The European builders did it in the 1800's. Bob Taylor does it. I particularly like Ovation's approach. Set the neck so far back to begin with, then you have lots of meat to remove in the future from that 1/4" or higher saddle. That high saddle added so many high frequencies it made my head hurt. Also fun to sight down the neck and see a massive bend at the body. Taylor's got it right as far as neck joints are concerned (as well as some other builders, of course). I'm really enjoying your movies. Thank you so much!!!
More than fine work--also fine explanation of the logic that drives the work. This is as good as it gets. (And, doesn't that guitar have great sustain!)
I trust your judgment, which is saying something. This Guitar has a sound I could live with, to say the least. (As much as I can tell with youtube sound limitations) I’m sure it plays well too. I enjoyed your including securing the frets before leveling, which is often a big thing in older Guitars, or those who exist in climates such as you have stated in the past. I’ve learned so much in the last 20 years about working on Guitars that I wish I had some back that I got rid of because of things I considered insurmountable at the time. Ooooooops! I want to say with much appreciation, that I’m very pleased you don’t spend a lot of time berating previous workmanship, as some RUclips channels do. It’s not classy, nor is it the point at hand in most cases... In closing I’ll add... I know a few things about repairing stringed instruments, yet I learn from you almost every time. Aaaaaand... I find your content calming, which is very much needed right now. So... Thank you!! Chuk
I agree with the other comments. This video confirms what I was thinking about the bridge on a vintage guitar I’ve working on. Shaving the bridge is a viable option to lowering the action on the treble side. Great video
Love my Larrivee. I’ve got one of their custom double aught 09’s. I use it for drop tunings and have the opposite problem of the guitar in the video. The action is a bit too low for comfortable slide work. I also need to rework the nut for the heavier strings I prefer. I sure wish I knew someone like Ted. I’ve used a couple guys on other instruments, and just no. No I will not use them for the Larrivee. I also use an oasis and put bagged damp sponges in the case in the winter when it’s really dry. I get nervous when the case humidity gets down to 40%. I’ve had the 00 for seven years now and have had no issues with the wood or anything else for that matter. Take care of your instruments and they will take care of you. As always, a thoughtful and respectful approach taken by this luthier which I especially appreciate.
Didn't hear the sound before the bridge shave, but there is nothing wrong with sound or tone after. It has a clear cutting and ringing tone, which is what I like in a dreadnought for rhythm and lead in a bluegrass guitar! Great video as always!!!
awesome again! the received wisdom i always received was "never shave the bridge, that's a hack job!" thanks for showing us how that can sometimes not be the case, at least as long as it can be done as well as you're doing it i know it's kind of well-trod youtube territory, but how about a video on sharpening your chisels and planes and stuff? could be useful to see it from the perspective of somebody who's here to get work done, not to sell tools or fetishize them
Haha awesome dude! Thanks a lot for taking such good care of the girl and I’m sorry I asked about the Kung fu lol just wanted to avoid the full reset if possible. You’re a true professional and I’d recommend you to anyone in a heartbeat. Can’t wait to get it back!
pbasswil incredibly happy! Ted was a pleasure to work with. The shave had absolutely no noticeable effect on the sound and it plays really good. He saved me a lot of money and extended the playability for a long time. I’m the second owner and I’ve only had it for about a month and a half in total, so the cracks weren’t from me and it’ll be properly cared for now! Took it in to Ted as soon as I noticed the cracks near the fingerboard and to take care of the repairs that weren’t done previously by the last owner. I couldn’t be happier though with the experience and I’d still recommend him to anyone. I’ll be a regular customer for as long as he keeps doing it
That's the thing about Ted. You could let anyone watch his vids and without any knowledge of guitars or guitar repair, they'd likely all agree that he is very, very, very, good at his trade. A fine craftsman, no less. You're incredibly lucky to have had him work on your guitar 🙏🎸
That bridge was nice and chunky evidently scope for shaving it down without the guitar seeming particularly altered - Except for plying really well afterwards! Good call
I had a Larrivee that was in a similar odd time period and was like a prototype, I think they were building some guitars in Oxnard prior to officially opening the plant there. Mine was an L10, but it had the little dot inlays instead of the garish ones usually on an L10. So I got the slightly nicer woods but with the minimal dots and i preferred that.
Highly informative. I had a neck reset on my 1953 Martin 00-18 some years ago... but after seeing this video, and having learned a lot about maintaining and adjusting older valuable guitars, I'm wondering if a bridge "shave" might have been a better solution. Oh well.. older and wiser!
You have high respect and care for details in instrument and I'm worried that when I will need to find local repair man to help with string height issues he'll be like CHOP CHOP CHOP KUNG-FU THAT SON OF A GUN RIGHT NOW
The 70's -90's Martins are where the deals have been for me here in Florida.Most have a small belly and nice Neck angles.I use a Dura Block which is a firm foam Auto body block to sand the bridges and never hurt the angle with great success..Martins Big fat bridges are awesome.Florida is a great place to purchase guitars because the air conditioning keeps the humidity low,Like their cars you can tell when a yankee come down.I cringe about people not knowing any better and putting dads old guitar in the storage lockers..
I saw someone use two strips of velcro to keep strings together and spaced handily for when when taking strings partially off, when stringing/restringing
As usual, lots of interesting, hidden tips within another great video. Can you please comment on why you prefer your mini shooting board and plane over a sander for trimming the base of the saddle? Thanks for both your reply and the video.
I had a 1997 D-09 special edition. The neck as ok however it had the top crack down the middle which occurred around 1999 in Chicago. It had some other top lines that hadn't turned into real cracks just wood grain separations. The history of the my guitar which I sold three years ago it was on tour for until I brought it from its original owner 2008. He had made five albums and James Taylor borrow it an used it in a concert. He gave it back to my friend and called it the real deal. Larrivee does indeed make good guitars. I was wondering if this guitar had been used in its former life on tour or being played out. Traveling with a guitar and having it set out in all kinds of conditions can take its tour on an all wood guitar. Nice save learned from your videos. Thanks!
Nice analogy with consumable for cars, it always makes me cringe when I hear someone say that having a refret on a vintage guitar will devalue it. Even if vintage an instrument should ba playable, it is what it is build for (as long as you do it period correct : on a old Martin with bar frets, just regret it with those same bar frets).
Only 9 months? I'm sure they knew the new location would be opening well in advance of that, and had tags already made up. They probably ran out of the old tags, figuring they wouldn't go through the stash they had until after the move, and had no other choice than to start using the new ones. Or the planned move date had to be moved back for whatever reason. "The best laid plans..."
Great job. They likely printed out a slew of labels in anticipation of a move that may have gotten delayed. Still, nice looking guitar. I hope you got it playing and sounding better.
No idea if you've recorded differently to your other videos but this guitar had a great sound to it IMHO, the best that youtube gives to its listeners atleast i suppose :)
Generally, yes, especially if you live in an arid region. However, a dry wood gives a much better and louder tone that wet wood. So some care should be taken in the amount of humidity you provide. Where I live, a humidifier is not needed. Never used one, and my acoustics are just fine. But I'm not in the Mojave desert...
@@perihelion7798 I'm in New England but my old Martin still loves a little wet. I tend to err on the cautious side since I just play at home nowadays. But years ago when I lugged it around I always used the humidifier because of dry clubs and air conditioning. the humidifier is in the case but it's currently dry. The guitar is on the stand and I went over and checked it and it feels a bit dry. But it is BOOMING...
@@NitroModelsAndComics The less moisture, the better the wood resonates, and the truer the tone. My opinion is that if the wood of the instrument has been properly dried before assembly, and the location of assembly has very low humidity, then that instrument will really sing out. Many acoustic instruments made in S.E. Asia have severe problems when shipped into dry areas of the US.
@@perihelion7798 I have knowledge of how wood reacts with moisture. i was simply adding my findings for my old Martin. One thing is certain, it has aged better than that Larivee and it is 2 decades older due to my efforts.
Robert Frias I can guarantee that Larrivee will age just fine now that it’s not in the first owners careless hands anymore. I’ve seen plenty of Martins in worse shape, especially in Canada. The humidity changes here are often very extreme and can do a lot of damage when left in harsh areas, as you can see with this one. The first owner had gone out of the country for several years and the guitar was left to weather outside of the case for the entire time. It’ll be in a controlled room now that never drops below 40-45%% and never gets over 50%. The winters and humidity fluctuations aren’t as extreme where you are though, so any guitar you have there will arguably be easier to take care of. I almost always use case humidifiers when travelling with all of my other guitars and I’ve never had a single issue. I only bought this guitar 2 weeks ago and I’m the second owner lol
Your skills in general amaze me, but your skills with a plane... Just amazing! One question: Where do you prefer your action to be set? I just sanded the saddle on my 2005 Martin D35 and put it at 2.4 mm on the low E which felt really low, and really good. It's extremely comfortable to play, I feel like I would be in danger of getting fret buzz if I went any lower. Where do you prefer your string height to be?
I've noticed that guitar manufacturer 'years' don't necessarily synchronise with calendar years. I suspect this may be to do with accounting and the companies chosen tax 'year'. Or it may be to do with dating from the point where a particular guitar is scheduled to be built rather than when it is completed and shipped.
@twoodfrd great job as always ... if u don't mind me asking what brand/model/size was your block plane for this job? And what was the brand/model of borescope you tried out? Thanks for a great vid ... learned something as always 👍🏻👍🏻
Larivee had serious growing pains around the time of the plant expansion to California. Wonder if it was partially made and set aside, then finished several months later, and the Oxnard, CA (then current) inside label?
I don't think that would happen, Mr McMahon. Jean took the high end production to Cali and Jr kept up the lower end stuff here. I once asked him what should we do with a problematic preso 5 string bass, he smashed it into a hundred pieces on the floor of the shop rather than f around with it. Now that I think of it, I never bothered him with half- baked guitars again... 🤔
I performed the same procedure on a Made in Taiwan 1973 Yamaha FG200 Jumbo Dreadnought that I bought from GC for $145. I had heard that a neck reset would be next to impossible due to the factory originally using Epoxy instead of glue. So, I went the quick & easy route and brought the action down about a 1/16th of an inch, and it plays exceedingly fast & easy now. I also performed a refretting on the guitar because the frets were gone. Plays great now. Have you encountered old Yamaha’s to have epoxied necks?
The late 60's/early 70's Yamahas have dovetails, but they tended to use a lot of glue on the contact area with the sides, so they're a real bear. By the mid 70's most of them seem to use dowels and epoxy. It's usual to saw them off and make them into bolt-ons.
Would you happen to know why a tone knob would act as a volume knob if wired in vintage 50s Gibson style wiring? Everyone keeps saying it's the tone cap but when I rewire it in modern the cap is fine and everything works normally. Thoughts?
I tried this tonight on a Guitar I affectionately call Oscar. It was headed for a landfill in a dumpster at work and was rescued. Its a "Walmart Squire" starter package guitar, found unstrung with the bridge deposited in the sound hole. However thrifty Oscar is, it has proven to be an invaluable learning tool. My question is on the measurements. How do you figure the geometry out. I missed it by a 64 on the low end. And how much saddle do you need above the bridge? I was also rewarded after lowering the action to finding two high frets on the bass side ... love it
When I was 15 I was visiting Vancouver and found out where the Larrivee workshop was. One random morning I just showed up at their door asking for a tour. The dude just stared at me - I guess they don't give tours. Just when I thought he was gonna kick me off the property, he said, "yeah, okay, sure." and took me through their whole process. I asked a LOT of questions, but he was totally patient and answered them all. He explained what each confused / bemused worker was doing, and warned me to stay away from their very scary dog. Years later I still appreciate that guy giving me the time. Vote yes for Larrivee.
The guitar/car analogy was truly excellent. I have experience with both, and you gave some incredibly relevant context.
"... that's how ebony should look like: sexy" 😆 Thanks for your patient description of every step of your work, they make me feel less ignorant tonight.
I’d go for the Woodford endoscopy but I’d be afraid Ted would plane down my high spots, put a couple maple cleats on any cracks he found, and install a fancy rosette around the sound hole. I’d sound better for sure but, after 60 years, my belly has bowed so badly my action is pure crap. Thanks for the great video!
Witty Whitt!😊
Bravo!
Funny Funny Funny!
Beautiful bridge shave, maestro.
Great diagnosis, great judgement, great execution. You, sir, are the whole package of the Guitar World.
You make the best guitar repair videos. Good commentary and fun to watch. Thumbs up my friend!
There's a video on the Larrivee website and Jean Larrivee explains because of import issues, shipping from Canada to the US, his son started making guitars in California around 96 (?) and eventually the whole family decided to move south. Though I think he has one son who still lives in BC and hunts for old growth Sika trees and purchases them for building guitars.
Your skills with the old school tools is a pleasure to see these days, when everyone seems to use electric powered everything. I still remember our woodworking teacher back in Thornhill high school, showing us how to sharpen plane blades, and then use your hand as a strap, to bring it to razor sharpness. Then he would shave a little hair off his arm to show how sharp it was. His name was actually Mr. Wilkinson, and he joked about it when doing it.
John B: Thank you for the shop teacher reference. My high school shop teacher, Henry Dudgeon (“The Dudge”), taught me more things that I use every day than anyone else in my life. I occasionally brought my guitars into the shop to use tools that I didn’t have at home and Dudge calmly provided useful insight and guidance that made my 1960’s budget guitars infinitely more playable.
@@jts3339 Good to share such fond memories.
You definitely are inspirational and a great teacher.
Excellent demonstration!
Your knowledge of these things is VERY impressive!
Incredible work, yet again. Truly impressive.
A very considered and elegant fix for the height of the bridge. Nicely done, as always. Thanks.
You absolutely nailed it with that bridge adjustment, it looks even nicer than factory!
well done, per usual, and thank you for the knowledge you freely give.
Great automotive / guitar repair analogy! As an automobile/guitar repair enthusiast your analogy was perfect!
Lovely sound out of that guitar. Nice work, sir.
Thanks for playing the instruments after each repair, gives a nice ending to the video.
I learn something new every time. Cheers and be safe!
I apologize if someone else has answered this, but I encountered a similar mystery with my Larrivee. What I learned from speaking with Larrivee was that the serial number reflects the year the guitar is started but not necessarily the year it is finished. So if it was started and given a serial number in Canada, but was finished in the Oxnard plant that would explain the discrepancy.
Great job. I love how you explain a lot of things that are not necessary to understand the process, but are interesting to people who might be watching it. For instance you talk about the ethics of modifying a vintage instrument. i’ve been playing music for over 50 years and do most of my own Fret dressing. Thanks a lot!
Twoodfrd - your attention to detail is over the top !! A Luthier you are !!!
When the day comes for regular colon checkups, you will be the first guy I call.
Here's your Internet award you won for today.
🏆
Cheers
Do you really want him removing polyps with a block plane and a file?
Jeff Chambers I'd also be worried about damage to the sound hole
@@ray.shoesmith More worried he'd tell me I AM a candidate for the Kung Fu neck reset...
Quebec's Bowser & Blue had a story to tell about this in their "Colorectal Song"
lovely smooth sound. great work.
Amazing sounding guitar
Fantastic.....words of wisdom to follow.
Man, that bridge is a work of art.
One of your best videos … I think …it made Me think of many different things you’ve shown and done in previous vids … this one just caught me right… very interesting stuff
There is one sweet sounding instrument! Great job!
You are very humorous and a top shelf luthier! Get an apprentice and teach her or he what you know! your abilities are to be preserved! Love from NW Colorado Thanxz
Excellent work!
Larrivee guitars are gems, excellent instruments.
Love those glued in necks. Grind down the saddle, then bridge, then neck reset. All so unnecessary. Just bolt the necks on, for heaven sakes, like the engine and wheels on your car. Simple. Martin did it in the 1800's. The European builders did it in the 1800's. Bob Taylor does it. I particularly like Ovation's approach. Set the neck so far back to begin with, then you have lots of meat to remove in the future from that 1/4" or higher saddle. That high saddle added so many high frequencies it made my head hurt. Also fun to sight down the neck and see a massive bend at the body. Taylor's got it right as far as neck joints are concerned (as well as some other builders, of course). I'm really enjoying your movies. Thank you so much!!!
I've got to do this on a reissue Fender Redondo because and you've made me nervous. Great job on shaping that bridge, great work.
Another spectacular job. Thanks for posting!
More than fine work--also fine explanation of the logic that drives the work. This is as good as it gets. (And, doesn't that guitar have great sustain!)
That second channel joke really made me laugh out loud. Love your dry humor.... 👍
Smooth delivery talented with tools and a gift for linguistics.
fantastic work
I trust your judgment, which is saying something. This Guitar has a sound I could live with, to say the least. (As much as I can tell with youtube sound limitations) I’m sure it plays well too. I enjoyed your including securing the frets before leveling, which is often a big thing in older Guitars, or those who exist in climates such as you have stated in the past. I’ve learned so much in the last 20 years about working on Guitars that I wish I had some back that I got rid of because of things I considered insurmountable at the time. Ooooooops!
I want to say with much appreciation, that I’m very pleased you don’t spend a lot of time berating previous workmanship, as some RUclips channels do. It’s not classy, nor is it the point at hand in most cases...
In closing I’ll add... I know a few things about repairing stringed instruments, yet I learn from you almost every time. Aaaaaand... I find your content calming, which is very much needed right now. So... Thank you!!
Chuk
Always like your perspective.
As always, lovely content. Thanks
Well done.
I agree with the other comments. This video confirms what I was thinking about the bridge on a vintage guitar I’ve working on. Shaving the bridge is a viable option to lowering the action on the treble side. Great video
Nice work. That looks like the Veritas low angle block plane - a wonderful thing to have.
That's the sound of a happy guitar!
Love my Larrivee. I’ve got one of their custom double aught 09’s. I use it for drop tunings and have the opposite problem of the guitar in the video. The action is a bit too low for comfortable slide work. I also need to rework the nut for the heavier strings I prefer. I sure wish I knew someone like Ted. I’ve used a couple guys on other instruments, and just no. No I will not use them for the Larrivee. I also use an oasis and put bagged damp sponges in the case in the winter when it’s really dry. I get nervous when the case humidity gets down to 40%. I’ve had the 00 for seven years now and have had no issues with the wood or anything else for that matter. Take care of your instruments and they will take care of you. As always, a thoughtful and respectful approach taken by this luthier which I especially appreciate.
Awesome Guitar
great sounding guitar
Amazing skills
Nice work!
Awesome video
Thing really BOOMS!
Didn't hear the sound before the bridge shave, but there is nothing wrong with sound or tone after. It has a clear cutting and ringing tone, which is what I like in a dreadnought for rhythm and lead in a bluegrass guitar! Great video as always!!!
Informative; glad I watched. I've got a bridge that needs shaving and I picked up some good pointers.
awesome again!
the received wisdom i always received was "never shave the bridge, that's a hack job!"
thanks for showing us how that can sometimes not be the case, at least as long as it can be done as well as you're doing it
i know it's kind of well-trod youtube territory, but how about a video on sharpening your chisels and planes and stuff? could be useful to see it from the perspective of somebody who's here to get work done, not to sell tools or fetishize them
You're really good.
This one was a nail biter to watch, yet he always seems so calm.
I always click thumbs up before I even watch your videos as I've never found one that wasn't excellent:)
Haha awesome dude! Thanks a lot for taking such good care of the girl and I’m sorry I asked about the Kung fu lol just wanted to avoid the full reset if possible. You’re a true professional and I’d recommend you to anyone in a heartbeat. Can’t wait to get it back!
I hope you check back in here after you've received her, and give your impressions!
pbasswil incredibly happy! Ted was a pleasure to work with. The shave had absolutely no noticeable effect on the sound and it plays really good. He saved me a lot of money and extended the playability for a long time. I’m the second owner and I’ve only had it for about a month and a half in total, so the cracks weren’t from me and it’ll be properly cared for now! Took it in to Ted as soon as I noticed the cracks near the fingerboard and to take care of the repairs that weren’t done previously by the last owner. I couldn’t be happier though with the experience and I’d still recommend him to anyone. I’ll be a regular customer for as long as he keeps doing it
@@_nickoustic_7923 Thanks for taking the time to comment mate ! That's great to know
That's the thing about Ted. You could let anyone watch his vids and without any knowledge of guitars or guitar repair, they'd likely all agree that he is very, very, very, good at his trade. A fine craftsman, no less. You're incredibly lucky to have had him work on your guitar 🙏🎸
That bridge was nice and chunky evidently scope for shaving it down without the guitar seeming particularly altered - Except for plying really well afterwards! Good call
Nice work..
I was waiting for the word "sexy" when it came down to working on the Ebony bridge. Didn't disappoint!
Nice work
I had a Larrivee that was in a similar odd time period and was like a prototype, I think they were building some guitars in Oxnard prior to officially opening the plant there. Mine was an L10, but it had the little dot inlays instead of the garish ones usually on an L10. So I got the slightly nicer woods but with the minimal dots and i preferred that.
Great vid as always.
Highly informative. I had a neck reset on my 1953 Martin 00-18 some years ago... but after seeing this video, and having learned a lot about maintaining and adjusting older valuable guitars, I'm wondering if a bridge "shave" might have been a better solution. Oh well.. older and wiser!
A bridge shave would not be smart on a 53 00-18.
That would devalue the guitar way more than a reset.
You have high respect and care for details in instrument and I'm worried that when I will need to find local repair man to help with string height issues he'll be like CHOP CHOP CHOP KUNG-FU THAT SON OF A GUN RIGHT NOW
great video and thanks for removing those pesky intrusive ads kind sir.and looking forward to all your up and coming videos also.
Nice job - Cheers.
Thanks for the video. I'm always happy to see more from you.
The 70's -90's Martins are where the deals have been for me here in Florida.Most have a small belly and nice Neck angles.I use a Dura Block which is a firm foam Auto body block to sand the bridges and never hurt the angle with great success..Martins Big fat bridges are awesome.Florida is a great place to purchase guitars because the air conditioning keeps the humidity low,Like their cars you can tell when a yankee come down.I cringe about people not knowing any better and putting dads old guitar in the storage lockers..
Home endoscopy channel? That would rectify the situation.
Like #158
Thanks for the video,!
Every video this guy says something hilarious.
This guitar has lived a hard life. Looks like a guitar that has toured extensively.
I saw someone use two strips of velcro to keep strings together and spaced handily for when when taking strings partially off, when stringing/restringing
Love your videos and your one liners
As usual, lots of interesting, hidden tips within another great video. Can you please comment on why you prefer your mini shooting board and plane over a sander for trimming the base of the saddle? Thanks for both your reply and the video.
I had a 1997 D-09 special edition. The neck as ok however it had the top crack down the middle which occurred around 1999 in Chicago. It had some other top lines that hadn't turned into real cracks just wood grain separations. The history of the my guitar which I sold three years ago it was on tour for until I brought it from its original owner 2008. He had made five albums and James Taylor borrow it an used it in a concert. He gave it back to my friend and called it the real deal. Larrivee does indeed make good guitars. I was wondering if this guitar had been used in its former life on tour or being played out. Traveling with a guitar and having it set out in all kinds of conditions can take its tour on an all wood guitar. Nice save learned from your videos. Thanks!
Love my 2004 Larrivée D-09. Thankfully no cracks in the soundboard. I've been careful to keep it properly humidified.
Nice analogy with consumable for cars, it always makes me cringe when I hear someone say that having a refret on a vintage guitar will devalue it. Even if vintage an instrument should ba playable, it is what it is build for (as long as you do it period correct : on a old Martin with bar frets, just regret it with those same bar frets).
Only 9 months? I'm sure they knew the new location would be opening well in advance of that, and had tags already made up. They probably ran out of the old tags, figuring they wouldn't go through the stash they had until after the move, and had no other choice than to start using the new ones. Or the planned move date had to be moved back for whatever reason. "The best laid plans..."
Great job. They likely printed out a slew of labels in anticipation of a move that may have gotten delayed. Still, nice looking guitar. I hope you got it playing and sounding better.
One minute with the belt sander? Kidding. Nice guitar.
I am in North Carolina and I would like to get on the list for an endoscopy ;)
That is a serious instrument. It should never have been allowed to get to that state.
No idea if you've recorded differently to your other videos but this guitar had a great sound to it IMHO, the best that youtube gives to its listeners atleast i suppose :)
When buying a 3K plus or even less acoustic I would recommend a humidifier always. Sound hole ones are especially effective.
Generally, yes, especially if you live in an arid region. However, a dry wood gives a much better and louder tone that wet wood. So some care should be taken in the amount of humidity you provide. Where I live, a humidifier is not needed. Never used one, and my acoustics are just fine. But I'm not in the Mojave desert...
@@perihelion7798 I'm in New England but my old Martin still loves a little wet. I tend to err on the cautious side since I just play at home nowadays. But years ago when I lugged it around I always used the humidifier because of dry clubs and air conditioning. the humidifier is in the case but it's currently dry. The guitar is on the stand and I went over and checked it and it feels a bit dry. But it is BOOMING...
@@NitroModelsAndComics The less moisture, the better the wood resonates, and the truer the tone. My opinion is that if the wood of the instrument has been properly dried before assembly, and the location of assembly has very low humidity, then that instrument will really sing out.
Many acoustic instruments made in S.E. Asia have severe problems when shipped into dry areas of the US.
@@perihelion7798 I have knowledge of how wood reacts with moisture. i was simply adding my findings for my old Martin. One thing is certain, it has aged better than that Larivee and it is 2 decades older due to my efforts.
Robert Frias I can guarantee that Larrivee will age just fine now that it’s not in the first owners careless hands anymore. I’ve seen plenty of Martins in worse shape, especially in Canada. The humidity changes here are often very extreme and can do a lot of damage when left in harsh areas, as you can see with this one. The first owner had gone out of the country for several years and the guitar was left to weather outside of the case for the entire time. It’ll be in a controlled room now that never drops below 40-45%% and never gets over 50%. The winters and humidity fluctuations aren’t as extreme where you are though, so any guitar you have there will arguably be easier to take care of. I almost always use case humidifiers when travelling with all of my other guitars and I’ve never had a single issue. I only bought this guitar 2 weeks ago and I’m the second owner lol
Your skills in general amaze me, but your skills with a plane... Just amazing!
One question: Where do you prefer your action to be set? I just sanded the saddle on my 2005 Martin D35 and put it at 2.4 mm on the low E which felt really low, and really good. It's extremely comfortable to play, I feel like I would be in danger of getting fret buzz if I went any lower. Where do you prefer your string height to be?
I've noticed that guitar manufacturer 'years' don't necessarily synchronise with calendar years. I suspect this may be to do with accounting and the companies chosen tax 'year'. Or it may be to do with dating from the point where a particular guitar is scheduled to be built rather than when it is completed and shipped.
@twoodfrd great job as always ... if u don't mind me asking what brand/model/size was your block plane for this job? And what was the brand/model of borescope you tried out? Thanks for a great vid ... learned something as always 👍🏻👍🏻
Any block plane will do. This is a low angle Veritas with A2 blade. The borescope is just an inexpensive Amazon kind of thing. No real brand name.
Did you have to re-slot the groove deeper where the saddle goes in? If so, how? Thank you for making such informative instructional videos.
Quick question if I may? Bore oil or lemon oil? For a rosewood fretboard? Thanks.
Wooden boats and guitars are man's attempt to recreate beauty as made by God
And the soul of another sez Thank you Todd
Amen & Tally Ho!
Larivee had serious growing pains around the time of the plant expansion to California. Wonder if it was partially made and set aside, then finished several months later, and the Oxnard, CA (then current) inside label?
I don't think that would happen, Mr McMahon. Jean took the high end production to Cali and Jr kept up the lower end stuff here. I once asked him what should we do with a problematic preso 5 string bass, he smashed it into a hundred pieces on the floor of the shop rather than f around with it. Now that I think of it, I never bothered him with half- baked guitars again... 🤔
I performed the same procedure on a Made in Taiwan 1973 Yamaha FG200 Jumbo Dreadnought that I bought from GC for $145. I had heard that a neck reset would be next to impossible due to the factory originally using Epoxy instead of glue. So, I went the quick & easy route and brought the action down about a 1/16th of an inch, and it plays exceedingly fast & easy now. I also performed a refretting on the guitar because the frets were gone. Plays great now. Have you encountered old Yamaha’s to have epoxied necks?
The late 60's/early 70's Yamahas have dovetails, but they tended to use a lot of glue on the contact area with the sides, so they're a real bear. By the mid 70's most of them seem to use dowels and epoxy. It's usual to saw them off and make them into bolt-ons.
@@twoodfrd Thanks very much for this tip. Thumbs up to crush a troll.
Would you happen to know why a tone knob would act as a volume knob if wired in vintage 50s Gibson style wiring?
Everyone keeps saying it's the tone cap but when I rewire it in modern the cap is fine and everything works normally.
Thoughts?
I tried this tonight on a Guitar I affectionately call Oscar. It was headed for a landfill in a dumpster at work and was rescued. Its a "Walmart Squire" starter package guitar, found unstrung with the bridge deposited in the sound hole. However thrifty Oscar is, it has proven to be an invaluable learning tool. My question is on the measurements. How do you figure the geometry out. I missed it by a 64 on the low end. And how much saddle do you need above the bridge? I was also rewarded after lowering the action to finding two high frets on the bass side ... love it