Larrivee OM-09

Before buying my Larrivee Om-9 I had searched for months trying out
every guitar imaginable in the Albany, New York area. There were only
two guitars that really made a great impression with me. One was a Taylor Anniversary Edition for $2,400. and the Larrivee Om-9 that I purchased for $1,300. Both were fantastic sounding and playing guitars. I play various styles of music and I was looking for an all around guitar. The Larrivee fit the bill. It was in my price range and for fingerstyle playing or flatpick style playing, it is impressive. I cannot tell you how many great comments I've have received while playing the Om-9. Even my wife, who swears she cannot
tell the sound difference from one guitar to another, has raved about
this one. I installed a L.R. Baggs dual source pickup system in the guitar which sounds so natural. This Larrivee Om-9 is the six string
acoustic that I depend on.

The sound of the Om-9 is superb for fingerstyle playing. You naturally gravitate toward a James Taylor sort of sound.

The only small complaint on the entire guitar, is that the frets could have been smoothed off better on the sides of the guitar neck.
Everything else is seamless.

I have had no problems with the guitar. It is a beauty even without the fancy Larrivee inlays. Did I mention how light this guitar is?

I have no idea. I have not had to use this.

I would recommend this guitar to anyone who is serious about wanting a great guitar.

Made in Canada this is like the OM style Martins.. Solid wood construction.. Spruce Top, Rosewood back and sides. Ebeny fret board and bridge.. Nice glossy finish! Other than that, this is a players guitar not fancy inlays or etc... If you want more inlays upgrade to the om-10.. I personally like the looks of this guitar the way it is!!

This guitar is brighter, rounder, more balanced than my Taylor 514 CE and my Martin 000-28.. The Larrivee is the perfect recording guitar, very very balanced tone!! My music style is blues, jazz, and rock.. This Larrivee suites my style of playing some what hard. I tend to really thump my thumb while plucking with my index, and middle fingers. This Larrivee responds to anything I give it, even with lower action!! My Taylor tends to peter out when played hard??

Factory setup was perfect!! No flaws, no glue! Just a ready to play guitar!! The wood is beautiful!!

This guitar is really really light, does that mean it will break easy?? I've had this guitar for about 3 mos, I guess we'll see!!

Before I bought, I did send an e-mail containing 3 question to Larrivee.. They respoded with in 48 hours.. I did ask 3 questions and only recieved one answer, did they read the other 2?? They were very simple questions too??

This is a great playng and sounding guitar!! To get anything compairable you would have to pay $$ thousands $$ more for a Martin.. Taylor dosn't even compair!! I guess I really like the tone, balance, responce and feel of the Larrivee.. I personally think that Taylors and Ovation are simply about playability only.. Martins are to much $$$$$$$$$$$

I have owned this guitar for 4 months now and it is just an amazing peice of art. I highly recommend it to any musician seriously considering a new purchase. The quality, craftsmanship and price point are un beatable. And brian in customer service is commited to customer satisfaction and customer retention. I just bought my second Larrivee today. A J09E model. Amazing!

Once again, Brian in customer service is truly commited to customer satisfaction and retention.

I've been strumming for 15 years. That's half my life. I also own a Martin HD28, A Taylor 910, and a Gibson Hummingbird. My Larrivee OM-09 and J09E smokes the competion in overall value and bang for the buck!

This is Larrivee's version of the famous Martin OM design-basically a 25.4" version of the 000 size. I think it is the most perfect design ever developed for a steel string flattop. It is loud, punchy, extremely well balanced and versatile for a variety of playing styles including fingerpicking and flatpicking. The Larrivee OM-9 is a solid wood guitar throughout - spruce on top and beautiful Indian rosewood on back and sides. The neck is mahogany (mine has an interesting dark natural stain in the headstock) and ebony for the fretboard and bridge. The binding on the body is rosewood and ivroid is used for the neck. The company logo is inlaid in pearl on the headstock and silver wire boarders the heardstock very tastefully. The soundhole rosette is very colorful abalone. Tuners are Gotah and there are no strapbuttons installed on the guitar. Larrivee says it's easier to install buttons than to take them off. Frets are high, hard, and thin, giving it a vintage feel. The nut and saddle are Tusq, a synthetic ivory substitute which works real well.

I bought the guitar sound unheard because I got such a great deal on it and I was going to use it for a backup. After putting new Elixirs on it and setting up the action, I've decided that I like this guitar better than my Taylor and it compares favorably to the best guitars I have ever played, and I have owned or played them all. It's got an absolutely killer tone for both flatpicking and fingerpicking - it's so loud, clear, lively, beautiful and balanced. I have owned one Larrivee L model, one C model, two D's, and a 12 fret 00 and this one beats them all - the perfect Larrivee guitar. I think everything Larrivee does comes together on this guitar. So many players think that dreadnoughts are the only guitars out there, but they are boomy and muddy so often. An OM beats dreadnoughts hands down for balance and clarity.

This guitar needed a little work to optimize it. I shimmed up the saddle slightly and lowered the slots for the 1st and 2nd strings. I think the guitar had sat in the store for some time, so adjustments were probably in order. A Martin D-41 I purchased last year needed similar work. However, a Taylor 410R I obtained recently was set up perfectly from the git-go. I think it's unrealistic to think that an instrument made from wood will remain stable indefinitely when explosed to humidity and temperature variations.

I think that this guitar will be very durable. Larrivee has made over 30,000 guitars and he seems to have worked out the kinks. I think his symetrical bracing pattern is perfect for the OM size and the guitars seldom require neck sets like Martins. I hate neck sets more than any other repair, and it seems like most Martins require them sooner or later.

Larrivee has a wonderfully informative web site with a complete virtual facory tour. You can even see a video of a Larrivee which didn't pass inspection being smashed against a brick wall if you can stomach that sort of violence. Larrivee guitars can be registered for warrantee online.

I've been playing almost 40 years. I've owned more guitars than some small guitar shops (I have also owned 2 guitar shops). I have authored over 50 articles on stringed instrument related topics in a defunct national magazine. I currently play a Taylor 410R and a handmade maple dreadnought in addition to the Larrivee. I also play a Mike Ramsey openback banjo and an Ome 6 string guitar banjo. The Larrivee is my current favorite and I may hang onto it for awhile. I got it at an incredible discount at a "guitar reduction sale" after Christmas. I didn't think twice about it. I would buy the guitar again at double my purchase price. It's one sweet guitar. I'd rather have it than a Martin Eric Clapton any day of the week

The Larrivee OM-9 is basically the same size and shape as a Martin 000-28. The smaller body size is far more comfortable than a dreadnaught, and this is what i was looking for. It's all solid wood, with rosewood back and sides, spruce top, and ebony bridge and fingerboard.Saddle and nut material is TUSQ, a sythetic that is supposed to be a man made equivelent to ivory, which i used to consider the best till now. That stuff is great ! Frets are fairly high, but thin like a vintage Martin. The body is bound with rosewood, and the fingerboard with white celluloid. The position markers are small silver dots, and the headstock is outlined with a silver inlay. Construction, on mine at least, is flawless. I gave it a 9 because there is one thing i wasn't crazy about. The frets were too high for me. Now thats not to say theres anything wrong with that. Some may like that. But i'm the one rating it, so to be fair i gave it a 9. However, as soon as i got it i immediatly leveled the frets and brought them down to where i like them. The list price is $1995, but being a lesser known company, i think you can get better discounts than the big guys. I paid almost 1/2.

I've been playing since 1972, and the reason i gave this guitar a 10 is because it really is the absolute best acoustic i've ever had, and probably the best i've ever played. I know that a lot of people buy a piece of gear and rave about it, so it can be hard to tell whats really good and what isn't. But i swear to you this is the first piece of gear of any kind i've ever bought that i just cannot find fault with. I'm also very familiar after 2.7 decades of playing with how you can change your opinion of something after owning it a while, and i wouldn't be posting now if i wasn't absolutly sure of my evaluation. It's also the first acoustic i ever owned that i can get plenty of volume and tone out of with bare fingers vs fingerpicks. The sound is superbly balanced so that every string is heard. Like another person who posted here about the OM-9 said, "it almost sounds like another person is playing along with you". He was right, as i felt the same thing about mine. I have a gibson J-45 reissue thats 5 years old. Over the 5 years, it's matured some, but the thing that absolutly floored me about the OM-9 is that the 1st 3 weeks i had it, it improved greatly ! I though i was hearing things till i compared it to the J-45 for the 2nd time. (1st time was a couple days after i got it)the 1st time i compared the 2, the larrivee sounded better overall, but not by a giant margin, and the 45 seemed a little better at certain things.When i compared them the 2nd time, there was nothing about the 45 that sounded better. In fact, the larrivee sounded so much better there was almost no comparison. Now my 45 is for sale. It feels and sounds like a tank to me now. One of the things that bothers me about buying new vs used, is that i'm 46 and i don't have a lifetime to wait for a new guitar to mature. Thankfully, i won't have to wait now. I should also mention the tuners are some of the best you'll find. The tuning ratio is high so they're not so touchy that you barely turn them and they go too far. As far as the neck and playability, it shines there too. The width of the board is just right in that it's wider than average, but not so much as to be obtrusive. This makes it easy to play without concentrating on NOT hitting other strings and deadening them. It's also thin enough to be very comfortable. Overall, i can't find the words to express how i feel about this thing. I guess the best way to put it is that after close to 30 years and many acoustics, this is the only one that does what i want it to. Dare i say, perfect!? I actually hate to say it because i know no one will believe this, but i'm just awe struck at what it's like to play an acoustic and not be constantly thinking about it's faults and limitations as i'm playing. And it's not like i haven't had a lot of quality stuff, including a few Martins. I don't think i have to say it, but i would reccomend this guitar over any other i've played. I might add that many people on the forums i frequent told me how good larrivees were before i bought it, and that helped me make the decision.

the action when i got it was about as good as any i've played, but not perfect. (bet you can't believe i said that) However, thats to be expected, as any new guitar will change as it acclimates to the world. I simply filed the nut slots to perfection and lowered the E and B strings slightly by filing the saddle. This is not something most people will need to do, it's just that i'm a guitar tech, and i'm very fussy about getting the action perfect. the finish is flawless.

i can''t say how reliable it will be since i just got it a month and a 1/2 ago, but i believe it''ll hold up well because they use an exclusive bracing system that renders the top completely flat. Seems like it''ll hold up well without the typical problems like the bridge coming loose due to the top bulging.

haven't had much contact, but i asked a couple questions via email and got my answers the next day.

well, i don't think i can say anything here that i haven't said already, except that if it was stolen, i would buy it again without any doubt.

The OM-9 is Larrivee's (Canadian) mid-range rosewood Orchestra Model which has the same body style as the traditional Martin 000, exemplified by that company's Eric Clapton signature model. The OM-9 features a spruce top, rosewood sides and back, bookmatched, and one piece mahogany neck. As with all Larrivee guitars all woods are solid. The ebony-faced headstock is functional and understated, yet very handsome. It is decorated with a mother of pearl logo and bordered by the snappy sterling silver strip found on mid to upper-range Larrivees. The Larrivee tuners are fine and smooth. The truss rod is accessed through the sound hole with the special supplied wrench. The bound ebony fingerboard features silver microdots which provide a subtle, refreshing departure from boring, common dot markers. The body employs an ebony bridge and is decorated with a beautiful abalone rosette and fine multiple purfling front, sides, and back.

You're in for a treat when you play an OM-9. The sound is superbly balanced, crisp, and lively. Lows are clean and deep. Mids are rich, clear, and sweet, without any boxiness. Highs are zingy, thick, and coherent. Chording the OM-9 imparts a sense that there's someone else playing along with you. Single notes are well voiced in all registers and seem to jump from the soundboard. Even with light strings this guitar is loud and satisfying. The body is tuned to a desirable G resonance which doesn't bias any particular note but gives all notes full breadth and depth. The body is so light and lively that you can feel it resonating and begging to sing even when it's not being played.

The action is about as good as you'll find. First, the low string height enables you to surprise yourself and enjoy playing no-buzz chords by eliminating the need to work very hard at it. Second, the width of the neck at the nut is 1.75 inches, or 1/16 inch wider than you'll find on most Dreadnoughts. This extra spacing allows pull-offs, hammer-ons, and quick chord changes without getting your fingers tangled up in the strings. Even with this extra width the neck is plenty thin enough for comfort and accessibility while still maintaining stability. In a word, it's perfect.
I do have a coupe of comments on the finish. There are four or five minor natural wood grain blemishes on the front and back of my guitar which some might consider beauty marks that lend character. These imperfections certainly don't affect tone or durability and they don't bother me that much, but I would expect to find somewhat clearer wood in a Taylor for example. My only true complaint is a dripping of glue in the middle of the back which inexcusably was not sanded before the finish was applied.

My guitar is one year old. I see no problems with durability. The top is flat as a mirror. Larrivee uses its own 90 degree x-bracing which diverges from the traditional Martin style. After 30 years and more than 20,000 guitars I trust Jean Larrivee knows what he's doing. Perhaps this innovative bracing system has something to do with the great Larrivee tone, which should be heard before purchasing a Martin or Taylor.

My guitar is used. Therefore I haven't dealt with the company as a customer. However, I suggest visiting Larrivee's web site at larrivee.com. I emailed a question one Sunday night, and Monday morning I had a personal response from Matthew Larrivee.

I've played blues-oriented electric guitar for 35 years and have searched at length for an affordable, quality acoustic with tone, loudness, action, and comfort. Most qualifying guitars I've found retail in the $1800 and above range. By contrast the OM-9 retails for under $1500 ($1995 MSRP), and is without question in the same class with Martins and Taylors.
On body style, compared with the more popular Dreadnought shape the OM surprisingly is not disappointing in the bottom end. In fact I prefer the OM's big bass without the boominess that tends to cloud mids and highs. And two great advantages of this shape from my perspective are that it is much more comfortable to play, and it can be used with lighter gauge strings, even though the OM can also be strung with medium gauge strings as it comes from the factory.
I believe this delightful instrument is one of the best values on the market. If mine is ever lost or stolen I will not hesitate to replace it with exactly the same thing.