Larrivee L-09 versus Martin 00-28

[Grantgreen42]

First, I ended up picking up a Larrivee L-09 that I tried close to almost a year ago. I owe thanks to Dustin Furlow, even though he doesnt know it. I've been watching him play for years and in my estimation is one of best fingerstyle guitarist here. I often think of him as "Mr. Beneteau" but he plays an older Larrivee L-09 and it sounds absolutely gorgeous in part because of his talent but hey we buy things based on our admiration of great players.

Compared it to my Martin 00-28 both are great guitars. The Martin has a certain sweetness and has been professionally set up for optimal fingerstyle play with Elixir hybrid strings (13-54). The bass response on the Larrivee is unreal, this video doesnt do it justice. In short, both great guitars.

Anyway here is how they sound playing some jazz guitar:

https://youtu.be/dD80WQi-wUk

[mattwood]

I agree, your Martin has some sweetness to it, but the Larrivee sounds good as well. I'm not a big jazz guy but your playing was very good.

[Jaden]

Fantastic playing as usual; you have the big strong hands and lengthy fingers of a virtuoso.

The Martin sounds more compressed, warm and sweet; the Larrivee must have a considerably larger lower bout and maybe more depth at the endpin, and sounds like a new guitar, maybe not played in yet but bigger, more expansive tonal range from bass to treble.

[Jeff Scott]

Originally Posted by Jaden

...the Larrivee must have a considerably larger lower bout and maybe more depth at the endpin...

An L series Larrivée is, basically, the same overall dimensions as a Dread-Not®.

Given my experience with both guitars the OP played (not the exact same ones, but same models), I would expect the Larrivée to be bigger sounding in person. Recordings don't reflect that, necessarily.

[FLRon]

Very nice comparison. As an owner of both Martin and Larrivee guitars,I appreciate the tonal differences.

[zmf]

Nice!

I like guitars that add color to the tone, so I tend to prefer Martins. The Larrivees I've had a chance to play are more neutral.

But staccato jazz notes suit your Larrivee.

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by Jaden

Fantastic playing as usual; you have the big strong hands and lengthy fingers of a virtuoso.

The Martin sounds more compressed, warm and sweet; the Larrivee must have a considerably larger lower bout and maybe more depth at the endpin, and sounds like a new guitar, maybe not played in yet but bigger, more expansive tonal range from bass to treble.

Yeah, agree, the Martin sounds a bit sweeter, the Larivee bigger. Be interesting to hear how the Larivee sounds in a few years or so.

As for hands, I too have big hands, reasonably strong, and long fingers, arguable a good building block toward virtuosity. The difference is Grantgreen42 plays like a monster, I play like a very small insect, at best. The fingers are less important than what's behind them...

-Ray

[Dustinfurlow]

Glad you’re enjoying the L-09, my friend! There’s definitely a cool midrange presence the l-body has that makes it sound really nice for jazz and intricate fingerstyle stuff, especially when you pick close to the fingerboard rather than the saddle where it sounds a bit twangier. I tend to play my Larrivee different than my Beneteau because the “sweet spot” seems to be right where you were playing. It’s a unique sound for sure. A new L-09 takes some time to break in but that one sounds pretty open for how light you were playing.

It’s funny you mention the influence of hearing someone play a guitar which sparks the reaction to looking into trying out a similar model, this is the first video I saw of a Larrivee that made me want to try one, he’s picking close to the fingerboard as well and it has a nice sound, IMO. I mostly gig with my L-09 because it just does every style really well. When I want to flatpick it delivers just as well as the fingerstyle stuff.



One thing I’ve noticed about l-body guitar’s is their responsiveness can be hindered by a semi-high setup or action and if you use mediums it can “choke” the bass. I use light DAddario Nickels on my l-09 with semi-low action and the bass notes sustain longer than when I first got it and it was set up kind of high...you should give the Nickels a try sometime and see if they agree with you, I know Trevor Gordon Hall and Julian Lage are both big fans. I love how clear they are, they’re just a little bright for the first 15 mins or so.

Thanks for the shoutout man

[Grantgreen42]

Originally Posted by Dustinfurlow

Glad you’re enjoying the L-09, my friend! There’s definitely a cool midrange presence the l-body has that makes it sound really nice for jazz and intricate fingerstyle stuff, especially when you pick close to the fingerboard rather than the saddle where it sounds a bit twangier. I tend to play my Larrivee different than my Beneteau because the “sweet spot” seems to be right where you were playing. It’s a unique sound for sure. A new L-09 takes some time to break in but that one sounds pretty open for how light you were playing.

It’s funny you mention the influence of hearing someone play a guitar which sparks the reaction to looking into trying out a similar model, this is the first video I saw of a Larrivee that made me want to try one, he’s picking close to the fingerboard as well and it has a nice sound, IMO. I mostly gig with my L-09 because it just does every style really well. When I want to flatpick it delivers just as well as the fingerstyle stuff.



One thing I’ve noticed about l-body guitar’s is their responsiveness can be hindered by a semi-high setup or action and if you use mediums it can “choke” the bass. I use light DAddario Nickels on my l-09 with semi-low action and the bass notes sustain longer than when I first got it and it was set up kind of high...you should give the Nickels a try sometime and see if they agree with you, I know Trevor Gordon Hall and Julian Lage are both big fans. I love how clear they are, they’re just a little bright for the first 15 mins or so.

Thanks for the shoutout man

Dustin, thank you for the thorough reply. I have never tried the D'addario nickels but have used Monel strings on dreads that I have played before not sure if they are similar types of strings. Also, I agree that pure 13s might choke the bass side of certain guitars. The challenge I always have is I find some 12s to be thin, hence is why I use a hybrid set where the treble is 13 and the bass goes to 53. I will definitely give the nickels a try. Julian Lage in particular is one of my favorite guitars in part because of how he is able to play both acoustic and electric at such a high level, so if those strings are good enough for him they are worth a try!

[Dustinfurlow]

Originally Posted by Grantgreen42

Dustin, thank you for the thorough reply. I have never tried the D'addario nickels but have used Monel strings on dreads that I have played before not sure if they are similar types of strings. Also, I agree that pure 13s might choke the bass side of certain guitars. The challenge I always have is I find some 12s to be thin, hence is why I use a hybrid set where the treble is 13 and the bass goes to 53. I will definitely give the nickels a try. Julian Lage in particular is one of my favorite guitars in part because of how he is able to play both acoustic and electric at such a high level, so if those strings are good enough for him they are worth a try!

I agree about the lights - I forgot to say I also always use a seperate 0.13 top string so when I solo there’s a bit more fullness to the treble instead of a snappy, quick-decaying note.

[Proclaimer888]

Keep this thread going....please!!

[learningalways]

Thanks for the comparison. Both sound wonderful, but I loved the richness and tone of the Larrivee. Of course, your playing makes everything sound incredible.

[Grantgreen42]

Originally Posted by learningalways

Thanks for the comparison. Both sound wonderful, but I loved the richness and tone of the Larrivee. Of course, your playing makes everything sound incredible.

Thank you. Enjoying getting to know these beautiful instruments.

[jasbart]

I learned to play on Martins. 10 years ago I bought a Larrivee L-05 (Maple), a beautiful guitar with a very balanced, even response. It also has a 1 3/4” nut, which is the reason I rarely play it. That said when the Martin is recorded the first adjustment I had to make was to roll off a considerable amount of bass. I realize the D-35 is often referred to as “The Cannon” but I believe most Martin D’s represent as pretty bass-heavy. Not so with the Larrivee.