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MahinaM
Lokahi
USA
389 Posts |
 Posted - 10/01/2007 : 2:04:18 PM
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Mahalo Fran for all the information on the Larrivee and other parlors. It was very helpful to get your input! When I was in Portland (OR), I stopped in a music store and tried out both a couple of Larrivees and another parlor guitar that was made by Alvarez. I really liked the sound and playability of the Alvarez more than the Larrivee (but that's just me). I've not tried their higher end models, nor have I tried any of the others you have mentioned. I do own a Baby Taylor, and I am lukewarm about the sound. I'm finding because of many hand, arm, and shoulder issues I now face, the parlor size model is what I need to play with any more. Hence, my search for this instrument. I also would like to have a pick-up installed or have it already come with a pick-up (a whole different issue). If any other Taropatchers have some insight or suggestions, I would love to hear them! - Maggie
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Maggie |
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Pops
Lokahi
USA
387 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2007 : 2:22:08 PM
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Maggie,
Ko'olau's line of Pono guitars (in the internet special section) has some slightly smaller than normal parlor size guitars. I recently purchased one with a pickup and its' great. All solid woods, built very well, plays and sounds great. For the money, I haven't seen a nicer guitar in that range. Well worth it.
Good luck,
--Mark |
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`Ilio Nui
`Olu`olu
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2007 : 2:38:29 PM
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Check out the Punahele Iki made by Dennis Lake on the BI. http://www.konaweb.com/mahina/
It's a wonderful little instrument.
dog |
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RJS
Ha`aha`a
1635 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2007 : 5:42:20 PM
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| Kenny Hill makes a parlor size that seriously tempted me. It may be a bit out of your price range, though. Google Kenny Hill Guitars. |
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Podagee57
Lokahi
USA
280 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2007 : 8:08:36 PM
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Hey Maggie, who in Portland carries Larrivee?
You should check out the little Martins. They are made of composite material for the most part - some have real wood tops - and sound great. I've compared the sound of the small Martin, Taylor, and the Breedlove guitars and the Martin has, by far, the fullest sound. A lot of bass and volume for such a small guitar. I was amazed. And I believe you can get them with electronics too. In fact I'm amazed by the full sized Martins made of composite, they sound really good too. |
What? You mean high "E" is the TOP string. No way dude! That changes everything! |
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MahinaM
Lokahi
USA
389 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2007 : 8:37:58 PM
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| Thanks everyone for your replies! Looks like I've got a whole lotta surfin' to do! BTW Kurt, I believe it was Apple Music (near Old Town) that carried the Larrivees (a whole room full of them, as a matter of fact). I've tried a few Martins, but again, I was not impressed. Maybe I need to keep trying out some more guitars until I find the one that says, "Buy Me!" -M |
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Mark
Ha`aha`a
USA
1628 Posts |
Posted - 10/02/2007 : 08:46:53 AM
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I love little guitars for all kinds of reasons.
I've played one of Jerry Nolte's New York parlor guitars since the mid-1980's. It's an amazing guitar: resoponsive, sweet, loud and lightweight. Bite into it and it'll bark like nothin' you've ever heard; treat it gentle and it'll rock the baby to sleep.
Jerry's out in Cove, Oregon and his instruments are quite affordable:
http://www.eoni.com/~emi/
Dennis Lake builds several parlor-type guitars, which are uniformly excellent. I'm anxiously waiting a chance to drool on, errr, play, his two new models, the Deluxe (a refinment of the hip 'n' funky 1930's Chicago built guitars I learned to play on) and the Pila Nei, based on a 1920's Honolulu-style. I've played the Californio, and for the life of me I don't know why I didn't mortgage the dog to buy it.
http://www.konaweb.com/mahina/
BTW: he hosted a "what would slack key sound like in the early 20th Century?" guitar tasting at camp, so I got to play every small guitar around, including the Baby Taylors and Little Martins.
I can understand why you'd want more than the Baby Taylor or Little Martin --a real Parlor guitar, as opposed to a travel guitar, can stand up to any kind of musical situation.
You should also look at the Collings parlor (yowsa!) and keep you eyes peeled for an old Martin 518 (the new ones are priced in zoom-zoom land.)
Lastly, Karl Monetti's Medusa guitars are quite interesting and well worth checking out.
Happy guitar shopping!
Mark
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Russell Letson
`Olu`olu
USA
504 Posts |
Posted - 10/02/2007 : 7:16:05 PM
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There was a time when one could find a fixer-upper genuine parlor guitar (from the 1890s-1920s), say a Washburn or Bruno, for a couple hundred or less and get it restored for a few hundred more. I fear that them days is gone, but there might be a few still out there, or even some re-habbed examples that someone who has moved up to a Collings or Santa Cruz wants to pass along. The Martin 5-18 is nice, but it's a terz guitar, which means transposing a lot if you're playing with others. The niftiest Martin dinky guitar is the old size 2--I have a 1925 2-17 that's a terrific slack key instrument. But I don't travel with it. (That's what the Baby T is for.)
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MahinaM
Lokahi
USA
389 Posts |
Posted - 10/02/2007 : 7:21:59 PM
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| Uh oh. I'm in trouble now. I think I may have to mortgage the house, dogs, and the husband, get another job, and rob a few banks to support my music habit. This is killing me, you guys. - M |
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Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a
USA
1579 Posts |
Posted - 10/03/2007 : 08:29:59 AM
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A contemporary fingerstyle player named Larry Pattis who has been active in Internet guitar discussions for a number of years has experienced health issues that led him to seek out smaller instruments. He commissioned various custom guitars from Martin and also a couple of solo luthiers (BIG Bucks!!). His latest choice, and one he seems quite happy with, is his Larrivee Parlor. Apparently they are now available with a cutaway, which gives access to higher frets on this 12 fret instrument.
One issue that is important to me, but not to everyone, is the nut width/neck width/string spacing geometry. I was really quite happy with my Larry parlor except that the neck was 2 3/16" wide at the 12th fret, and the string spacing was also 2 3/16. This narrow spacing just doesn't work for me. The Martin size 5 guitars, and the Baby Collings, are even more narrow, so as much as I admire their charm, I just can't play them.
One of the crucial steps in guitar shopping is setting the budget, right? I mean, we'll often find ourselves stretching a bit if we find something we can't resist, but most of us won't be considering $500 and $5000 instruments at the same time. What price point were you hoping to hit, Maggie?
Fran |
E ho`okani pila kakou ma Kaleponi
Slack Key Guitar in California - www.kaleponi.com
Slack Key on YouTube
Homebrewed Music Blog |
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Mark
Ha`aha`a
USA
1628 Posts |
Posted - 10/03/2007 : 11:02:12 AM
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quote:
There was a time when one could find a fixer-upper genuine parlor guitar (from the 1890s-1920s), say a Washburn or Bruno, for a couple hundred or less and get it restored for a few hundred more
And still have a nickel left over for a good cigar! Yer showing yer age, Russell.
BTW: My little Nolte cost $600 in 1984. Jerry produced a concert for me one winter's night, and so I traded my take for the guitar. Not bad for a night's work.
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noeau
Ha`aha`a
USA
1105 Posts |
Posted - 10/03/2007 : 12:41:17 PM
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| Fran I'm with you on neck width. Not as wide as a classical but wider than most steel strings. I usually order 1-7/8" at the nut. I have a Collings 0002H at 1-7/8" that works rather nicely. |
No'eau, eia au he mea pa'ani wale nō. |
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Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a
USA
1579 Posts |
Posted - 10/03/2007 : 4:58:16 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by noeau
Fran I'm with you on neck width. Not as wide as a classical but wider than most steel strings. I usually order 1-7/8" at the nut. I have a Collings 0002H at 1-7/8" that works rather nicely.
How do you feel about the other end? I can work with 1 3/4, 1 13/16, or 1 7/8, but I really prefer a wide 2 3/8 at the bridge and 2 1/4 or 2 5/16 at the 12th fret. My big old clumsy fingers get all out of kilter if I have to squeeze down for a narrow string spacing.
Fran |
E ho`okani pila kakou ma Kaleponi
Slack Key Guitar in California - www.kaleponi.com
Slack Key on YouTube
Homebrewed Music Blog |
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Podagee57
Lokahi
USA
280 Posts |
Posted - 10/04/2007 : 07:46:47 AM
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How do you feel about the other end? I can work with 1 3/4, 1 13/16, or 1 7/8, but I really prefer a wide 2 3/8 at the bridge and 2 1/4 or 2 5/16 at the 12th fret. My big old clumsy fingers get all out of kilter if I have to squeeze down for a narrow string spacing.
Fran[/size=2]
[/quote]
Fran, Breedlove has several models with the 1 3/4 nut which are also 2 1/4 at the saddle. I noticed that Larrivee also makes a few models with these dimensions.
I know that you play Martins, they now have a dread with with a full 2 5/16 at the saddle and I think 1 3/4 at the nut. Not sure what the model is...it's kinda spendy. But I was a little shocked to see this. I think it is one of their retro models.
I realized recently that I too need a wider neck so I gave my Martin Dread to my oldest son - the buggah has nice long thin fingers - and bought a Seagull for what was supposed to be an interim guitar until I could afford a nice Breedlove or Taylor, all of which have 1 3/4 nut. But I will tell you that I have grown to love not only the playability of the Seagull but the sound quality also. It has to be one of the best $600 guitars out there, with the 1 3/4 nut. Maybe the only one at that price with that neck width. I really love this guitar so I'm not in such a hurry to upgrade.
For our little Mags...I think the narrower neck and shorter scale would fit her small hands a little better.
Maggie, I noticed that there is a Larrivee dealer in Corvallis too. Just up old 99 from you.
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What? You mean high "E" is the TOP string. No way dude! That changes everything! |
Edited by - Podagee57 on 10/04/2007 07:48:25 AM |
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Reid
Ha`aha`a
Andorra
1526 Posts |
Posted - 10/04/2007 : 08:14:50 AM
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Actually, wide necks with wide string spacing are good for small hands (both adults' and kids'). It allows for a little leeway in placing the fingers properly. The neck profile is much more important for small hands.
Both Sarah and I have small hands. I had Lance McCollum build me/us a slightly wider setup several years ago - pretty much toward the narrower end of Fran's range, but wider than normal. Very easy to play (when my thumbs work :-( My Big Goose Goodall is also easy to play with a 1 13/16" nut.
Also, the little koa parlor that Sarah is playing in her profile pic here was originally made for a preteen girl to learn on (by David Flammang). It has a full 2 inch neck and is slick to play. Short scale 12 fret, wide flat fretboard, 12 in. bout, narrow waist. Super sound, too - you can almost see through the thin spruce top. Very easy to handle.
...Reid |
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Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a
USA
1579 Posts |
Posted - 10/04/2007 : 09:43:09 AM
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Podagee57, like you I passed my Martin D-28 along to someone else because of the narrow nut and bridge. The deep body was also an issue, since I have a deep body as well <grin> and the result was painful stress on my shoulder. I sure miss that big deep sound, though, especially when I listen to Uncle Sonny Chillingworth get his fabulous sound out of his Martin Dread.
The new Martin dreads with the wider bridge spacing and nut width do indeed refer back to their prewar instruments. They have made some great strides toward recapturing those glory days, partially by making very close replicas of their own vintage instruments. The D-18GE, D-28 Marquis, and D-18 Authentic are pretty spendy, but the instruments that inspired them go for about the same as a nice Acura these days.
The new generation of all solid wood guitars made in China has really altered the landscape. I use an Epiphone Masterbilt EF500M for my beater - it's a very close replica of a Martin OM-18V in terms of geometry, with 1 3/4, 2 1/4, 2 3/8 measurements. I bought mine used for $425 and the new street price is around $600. Blueridge has a new parlor model, between a Martin 0 and 00, that has nice spacing, a big clear sound, and a very reasonable price tag.
Seagulls and other Godin family instruments are legendary for their excellent quality at a reasonable price. I'm not sure about your Seagull, but the ones I've tried had a nice wide nut but 2 1/8 bridge spacing, which is a problem for me, otherwise I'm sure I would have one by now <grin>.
Fran |
E ho`okani pila kakou ma Kaleponi
Slack Key Guitar in California - www.kaleponi.com
Slack Key on YouTube
Homebrewed Music Blog |
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