Larrivee OM-03R

The Larrivee OM-03R is part of the Larrivee 03-series line. This line offers high quality guitars with fewer bells and whistles than on their higher end models. However they offer an exceptional value; these guitars feature all solid wood, excellent tone, playability and superb fit and finish. So the OM-03R is larrivees take on the classic OM(Orchestra model) body shape.

This body size for me and many others is the most comfortable, it just sits so comfortably in your lap due to it's narrower waist and shorter body length. If you are a slightly smaller person it's an excellent choice, but it has also become the choice of guitar for many styles of music, fingerstylist's in particular like OM sized guitars.

The OM-03R features all solid woods, solid rosewood back and sides, solid Sitka spruce top, one piece mahogany neck with hand fitted dove tail neck joint, ebony fretboard and bridge. It's not a fancy guitar by any means but the quality of wood is excellent and I personally prefer my money being invested in a great sounding and playing guitar with excellent materials, rather than one with gaudy inlays everywhere. The nut width is 1 3/4 with a standard 25.5 scale length.

The 03-series come with a flat satin finish instead of the more costly gloss finish found on the higher end models. Many people believe the satin finish guitars sound better out of the box, as the guitar doesn't take as long to open as a gloss finished guitar. I agree and actually prefer a satin finish on my guitars.

The guitar as with most Larrivee's has a very balanced sound, no strings dominate at all, it also has the complexities of a considerably more expensive guitar. It has a nice deep bass, sweet mids and clear trebles, it's quite loud for it's size, though it's no dreadnought it can easily handle medium strumming. I think fingerstylist will love this guitar, it's responsive to a light touch, the neck is smooth and fast. The string spacing makes moving around the frets a breeze. One minor peeve I have with Larrives is I do find the fret ends to be a little sharp.

So who would be interested in a Larrivee OM-03R? Well anybody looking for a quality guitar that won't burn a hole in your pocket. If you don't need the booming sound of a dreadnought and would like a guitar with a more comfortable, intimate body size. A guitar which also gives you the sound quality of a more expensive acoustic.

At this price point it is certainly one of the best deals on the market. If rosewood isn't your thing then they also offer a sapele model which is slightly cheaper and has more of a mahogany sound to it. Go check one out.

Larrivee D-05

The Larrivee D-05 is a mahogany dreadnought, the guitar I am reviewing was built in 2001, please note that the current D-05 models have a couple of minor differences. This particular guitar was my very first decent acoustic I had previously been playing all laminate Fender acoustic. Buying your first really good guitar can be quite daunting; there are so many different brands, models and tone woods. I went out and played as many models as I could before purchasing my D-05, yes I researched on the internet but there is no substitute for getting a guitar in your own hands.

So the Larrivee D-05 as mentioned is the mahogany dreadnought offering from the Canadian company. Larrivee uses a unique bracing pattern called symmetrical parabolic bracing; traditional dreadnoughts in particular are known for having a deep sometimes overpowering bass, Larrivee solved this with their own unique design, building a guitar which is very balanced. The guitar features solid Honduran mahogany back , sides and neck, a solid Sitka spruce top, one piece mahogany neck with dove tail neck joint, ebony fretboard and bridge and Canadian maple binding. It is a very plain guitar with just wood binding, abalone rosette and an ivoroid bound fret board with microdot markers. I like the clean look, my guitar has an all gloss finish whereas the newer models feature a satin finished neck. Looking over the guitar you see that the craftsmanship is excellent, Larrivee’s are known for their excellent wood and this guitar was no exception, Larrivee does not stain their mahogany like many companies do.

Mahogany and Sitka is one of my favorite wood combinations it produces a bright but balanced sound with sparkling highs, clear mids and a strong but not booming bass. I always enjoyed playing finger style on this guitar, Larrivee’s have a comfortable neck though its profile is a little on the chunky side, with a nut width of 1 11/16. It’s a jack of all trades guitar, not hugely loud for a dreadnought, so if you’re a hardcore strummer or bluegrasser it might not have the presence or bass response you want.

Larrivee’s are some of the best value guitars on the market; the wood and build quality is exceptionally good. If the 05-series guitars are a little out of your price range it’s worth checking out the cheaper 03-series. Nearly the same guitar but with simpler appointments, all satin finishes and sapele back and sides instead of the more expensive and increasingly rare South American mahogany. The D-05 is definitely worth a look if you’re looking for a mid priced mahogany dreadnought.

Baden d-style mahogany

The Baden d-style is the Baden Company’s dreadnought design. Though it looks like a very modern design it certainly has a traditional sound. As with all Baden’s it is handbuilt at the Ayers factory in Vietnam.

The Baden is handbuilt with all solid woods: solid African mahogany back and sides, solid Sitka spruce top, one piece mahogany neck, rosewood fret board and bridge. The one piece mahogany necks are hand carved and the bone saddles are hand shaped. Baden guitars are not flashy, no intricate inlays or abalone anywhere on this guitar. The quality of woods and clean design make for an attractive guitar, obviously Baden’s focus is on building a guitar from quality materials rather spending money on over the top inlays.

Baden’s are some of the easiest playing acoustics around, the hand carved neck has a very comfortable shape, combined with the satin finished makes for easy, smooth playing. The neck width is 1 ¾ and with the low fast action makes complex finger style, chord shapes and leads easy to play. The sound of this guitar is impressive; whatever preconceived notion you had about the guitar from its appearance soon disappears after the first strum. The guitar sounds as if it has already opened up, the top is very responsive; notes just jump off the guitar with very little effort, even my bare fingerpicking brought about a lively, responsive tone. I found it to be very evenly balanced across the strings with a nice clear treble which complimented the bass and midrange. I set the guitar up with medium gauge d’addario EJ17 strings but the guitar plays so easily you would hardly know the difference between medium and lights.

The Baden d-style would be perfect for a do it all guitar, but I think giving it that tag only would be an injustice. A finger stylist would be as happy with it as would a strummer or blues guitarist. The d-style is available with the Fishman Ellipse Aura system which is a very natural sounding pickup. I particularly like that pickup as it is concealed in the sound hole which means there is no ugly hole cut in the side of the guitar. Rosewood is the other back and side’s option and European spruce is the other top wood option. The Baden’s unique design will catch your eye, but don’t judge a book by its cover, sit down with one for a few minutes, you will be glad you did.

Walden D550

The current acoustic guitar market is saturated with entry level and budget models from many different companies. It can be confusing for anyone looking to buy their very first acoustic, a player looking for a less exspensive guitar or a seasoned pro looking for a backup guitar. So the Walden D550 might just fulfill your needs and fit your budget.

The Walden D550 is a standard dreadnought, the most recognized and popular acoustic design. Walden’s are built in China to a very high quality, exceeding that of other import guitars.

The guitar features a solid spruce top; laminate mahogany back and sides, 3 piece mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard and bridge, no name die cast tuners which I must say hold the guitar in tune very well. The guitar is attractive to look at, workmanship is very good and it features a tightly grained solid sitka spruce top. Please note that a solid spruce top will produce a far superior sounding guitar than a laminate topped guitar.

Playability and sound quality is what impresses me most about the D550. The guitar has a very comfortable neck which fits nicely in your hands. A proper setup is also very important with a guitar, and when setup to my own preference the guitar plays as easily as a guitar costing a whole lot more. Though the guitar has laminate back and sides, the sound quality, thanks impart the solid spruce top is very impressive. Acoustic guitars open up over time as the woods lose their stiffness, so the more you play them the better they sound. Any musical style can be played on this guitar, it's very versatile. The guitar also features scalloped X bracing which gives it a nice open sound; equally as good for delicate fingerpicking as it is for hard strumming.

Walden guitars generally come with a high quality padded gig bag, but can be had with a nice hard-shell case for an additional fee. The D550CE is the electric/acoustic version which also features a cutaway for access to the higher frets.

The Walden D550 fits the needs of many guitarists. As a starter guitar the low cost, sound quality and playability are a plus. For the seasoned pro it would make a great and trustworthy backup guitar. For the person who likes to take their guitar to parties but doesn’t want to get their expensive one smashed, it’s an excellent choice. I highly recommend the D550 to anyone needing a quality budget acoustic.