Larrivee P-05 mahogany parlor guitar: I'd spend the extra bucks and get an LS-05
Written: Nov 14 '04 (Updated Sep 26 '09)
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Pros: nice looking little guitar; good quality construction; decent, punchy sound
Cons: sounds small; lacks that smooooth Larrivee sound; not really that cost-effective
The Bottom Line: The Larrivee P-05 is an attractive parlor guitar, but it sounds small and lacks a bit of the usual Larrivee smoothness.
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| Horswispr's Full Review: Larrivee P-05 Mahogany Gloss Guitar |
I've never met a Larrivee acoustic I didn't like. In general, they're great guitars, with ebony fingerboards, excellent intonation, and a smooth almost classical guitar-like sound. But I ain't gonna recommend this one, dammit. That's my conclusion, and I'm sticking to it.
Apparently, Larrivee has done away with its line of regular parlor guitars, and replaced it with glossier looking parlor guitars that cost a couple of hundred dollars more. The older ones were finished matte, and sounded pretty good for $700 or so (discounted). But when you're moving up into the $900 (discounted) price range, you're competing with the Taylor 310, Martin D16GT, and Larrivee's own LS-05 (if you can find one). Those are high quality full-sized guitars that are probably 90% as good as the best out there (diminishing returns, you know).
The Larrivee P-05 is a parlor guitar that is finished essentially the same as a Larrivee D-05, LS-05, L-05 or OM-05. It has mahogany back and sides, a high quality ebony fingerboard, and a Sitka spruce top. The P-05 is finished gloss, like the other guitars in Larrivee's -05 line, and even has the maple binding and abalone rosette of the other guitars in this line.
However, the P-05, like all "parlor" guitars, is a very small guitar. The lower bout is only 13.25" across, and the upper bout, 9.5". The waist is only 7.75" across. Depth is 4". Scale length is 24", about 1.5" less than the norm. Nut width is 1 3/4", which is normal for a fingerpicking guitar.
The Larrivee P-05 is an attractive little guitar. The mahogany back and sides have really nice grain, as does the spruce top. The gloss finish is luxurious-looking, and the ebony fingerboard's small dot inlays are nice as well. As is always the case with Larrivee guitars, attention to detail is excellent; I could find no bad seams or other problems. The picture I see at Epinions does NOT do this guitar justice. It is a cute little instrument.
Newer Larrivees have a Martin-like pickguard, instead of the clear pickguard that I thought was so cool. The P-05 is no exception. The pickguard looks fine on the P-05, but I wish Larrivee had stuck with the clear pickguard--it was something that made Larrivees different.
The Larrivee P-05 felt tiny but solid in my lap. I think I prefer the feel of the larger Larrivee LS-05 or OM-05, but the P-05 IS a parlor guitar. Playability was also pretty good, though the guitar didn't feel as "magical" as the LS-05. The action was a little higher (that's adjustable, though), and the overall feel just wasn't as smooth. The high "smile factor" that I usually associate with Larrivees (I just want to keep on playing) wasn't quite there.
The sound was tight and punchy, but the guitar sounded small. Most Larrivees I've played are really smooth sounding, with the paradoxical combination of a tipped up treble response and a mellow overall sound. What I mean by this is that the overall response is tipped up toward the treble (Larrivees aren't bassy like Martins are), but individual notes sound slightly mellow, not "zingy." The result is a really mellow and smooth sound overall. The P-05 was a bit bass-shy, but I can't say it had the smoothness I usually associate with Larrivee guitars.
My impressions were pretty much the same whether I fingerpicked or flatpicked the Larrivee P-05. The sound was punchy and midrangy, but not as smooth as with most Larrivees. The bass had some "throng," but it was down in volume and I couldn't feel it in my body.
Compared to my Larrivee LS-05, the P-05 sounded tinny and substantially less smooth. Compared to the Taylor Big Baby, the P-05 sounded a bit punchier, but perhaps not as smooth. Compared to the Martin OOO-X1, the Larrivee P-05 sounded smaller and, again, not as smooth. The Taylor Big Baby and Martin OOO-X1 are substantially less expensive than the Larrivee P-05, while the Larrivee LS-05 is maybe $200 more expensive. Retail price of the P-05 is $1349, but you should be able to pick one up for about $950.
If you're looking for a small, attractive guitar primarily for travel, the P-05 might be a reasonable choice, but I can't say it made me wax enthusiastic. If you want a small Larrivee, I'd consider the Larrivee LS-05 (the S actually stands for "small"), but since very few of these are made, you might be stuck. You can special order a LS-05 from Larrivee (through your local Larrivee dealer), but then you don't get to play the guitar before you buy it.
If you get a chance to play a Larrivee P-05, let me know what you think.
Recommended:
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