Taylor neck vs larrivees?

[Brian85]

Hi, im looking to buy a larrivee parlor soon and most likely im going to be purchasing without playing first. I wanted to know how the parlors neck compares to my GC8's neck. I played a larrivee once and the neck felt HUGE for me so I have some reservations. Please let me know and thank you!

[Daveyo]

I'm having the same problem, I just bought a Taylor and my Larrivee is just harder to play,just a bit.
I love the Larrivee and the sound is fantastic
May I make a suggestion?
My brother just picked up a Martin om16gt.
One of the best flat necks I have played, Wide like a Taylor ,but
has that cool Martin sound.
Try to play a Larrivee before you buy, I love those guitars but the necks are a little beefy
Dave

[wooglins]

Totally different is the way I felt in comparing the two. When I got my 716ce Spring Ltd. the other guitar that was under consideration was a L10 limited edition with Madagascar Rosewood and signed by Jean, which if you are familiar with the Larrivee line is about as good as it gets. The price would have been the same between the two.

I could not pull the trigger on the Larrivee because it just did not play as well as the Taylor. The neck was ok, but not nearly as playable. The other thing that caused me pause was that the neck is Dovetail, and Larrivee only does repair work if you send it back.

[Jeff M]

Larrivee necks are fuller than Taylor's.
If you don't like fuller necks....you may not like Larrivee's.
They certainly aren't "huge"...but they are fuller.

What makes a neck "playable" is very subjective.
I actually find fuller necks more "playable" than Taylor's "slim neck"profile.
I fee like skinny necks don't fill my hand enough..that I have to over-grip when playing barre chords, etc.

[wonderfulremark]

I find Larrivee's necks to be very thin...

[Brian85]

I have smaller hands and Im pretty accustomed to having smaller necks ie les paul with a 60's neck and of course the taylor. I dont mind a wider nut, but yes, a fuller neck will kind of have a learning curve for me. I guess since I wont be looking to seriously buy until next year's spring, Ill have some time to look around and hopefully get to play one. Thanks!

[Kelly Grayum]

I find my Larrivee neck to be more easily playable than my Taylor. It is just up to the player. I would suggetst playing a "Larry" first if you are unsure.

[Jeff D]

I have always felt that Larrivee necks were slightly more comfortable than Taylor necks. It fit my hand like a glove as the saying goes. I love Taylor necks but I love Larrivee necks even more and I never thought that was possible. I hope you can possibly play one before you buy.

[Brian85]

are all larrivee necks the same or are there discrepancies between the parlors and other larris?

[gary0319]

I've had 5 Larrivees and as many or more Taylors. The newer Taylor slot head necks, and the paddle head GC necks are, to my hand, close in profile to the Larrivee necks. I find the non-GC Taylor necks to be more of a handful than my Larrivees.

However, the biggest differrence to me is that the Larrivee fretboard is much flatter than the Taylors (or most other builders). Some folks have trouble with barring this flatter neck. I play some classical/flamenco (zero fretboard radius) so the flatness of the Larrivee neck is not a problem for me

[mgray]

Is there a Taylor neck that is as thick as the Martin modified v necks used on the vintage series? I have big hands and the Martin fits better than my Larrivee LO-3. Even tho the Larrivee is the wider 3/4, the 11/16 and deeper V fits better and is easier for me to play.

I didn't know about the flatness of the Larrivee necks. That could explain some playing issues I've had with it.

But yeah, I'm going to be getting my first Taylor and I think I might want a custom neck, if thats possible?

And as I'm thinking about it, how does neck size affect tone?

[ozrufus]

Larrivees have a compound radius neck (not sure the exact specs w/o looking up, but it's out there).

[Daveyo]

update on my Taylor vs larrivee neck,
I had the Larrivee set up and the action is low and very comfy now.
it is a dread so the om and L's are wider 1 3/4 neck width.
Dave

[jackstrat]

Originally Posted by ozrufus

Larrivees have a compound radius neck (not sure the exact specs w/o looking up, but it's out there).

I think you meant a compound radius fretboard.

The Larrivee neck profile, such as my L03, is considerably thicker than Taylor necks. Kinda like an Gibson LP neck vs a Fender Strat.

The width is pretty much the same.

The Larrivee neck profile is perfect for those with larger hands, like mine. The Taylor neck, though great, feels too thin for my perfect comfort. Fortunately, Taylors playability is never or rarely an issue, they play like butter.

But so will a properly setup Larrivee.

One thing they have in common: Great Ebony fretboards. I love Larrivee and Taylor fretboards. The Larrivee perhaps is easier to fret barre chords down the neck given its compound radius...

JackL

[mgray]

What does compound radius mean in terms of the fetboard? Does that mean the radius varies along the neck?