|
Larrivee PV-09
|
AUDIO:
Audio examples of the Larrivee PV-09 in action.
When I encountered the glistening new Larrivée PV-09 parlor with its cutaway styling and L.R. Baggs iMix pickup system, I was struck by its contemporary look and feel. Call me old-fashioned; call me a throwback. I like driving rusty cars, spinning scratchy vinyl, living in a crooked frame house, and strumming a dreadnought from the last century with pick wear and age checking—I relish experiencing the mystery and vibe of relics from an earlier age.
But after spending some time with the PV-09, I realized that it may be a classic in the making. Like many of the instruments Larrivée has built since the company’s inception in 1968, it defies many preconceptions about traditional flattop design while delivering a rewarding playing experience. And it did not take long for the PV-09 to win me over with its quality craftsmanship, sonic clarity, and playability. Indeed, this instrument is versatile enough to sway players who are usually loath to stray from dreadnought and OM body shapes as their go-to guitars.
Easy Adjustment to Parlor Dimensions
Larrivée’s usual attention to detail and quality is obvious upon first inspection of the PV-09. The handsome parlor with contemporary styling employs a stunning combination of top-shelf materials, with dark Indian rosewood on the back and sides, a light Sitka spruce top, a one-piece, dovetail-jointed mahogany neck, and a Tusq nut. The adventurous styling of the body is tastefully offset by understated ornamentation, with tiny silver dots on the neck, light and dark wood binding, and a wide abalone rosette. A mother-of-pearl logo within a sterling-silver border tops off the headstock, providing a distinctive unifying motif with the ebony fretboard and black tuning pegs. Close visual inspection, inside and out, revealed extremely clean joints and kerfing. And overall, the PV-09 possesses an elegant yet unassuming look derived from outstanding woods and exacting workmanship.
Having warmed to the adventurous design of the PV-09, I began exploring its ergonomics, expecting a few challenges because the little Larrivée is so much smaller than the guitars I usually play. With a 24-inch, 18-fret short-scale neck and a body that felt most comfortable with the bout balanced on my thigh, the PV-09 often felt more like a Gibson Les Paul than an acoustic. Interestingly, the factory setup felt a tad stiff at times (particularly when I sought to take advantage of the access afforded by the cutaway) which is unusual for a short-scale instrument. But the ease of chording and lead-line playing encouraged by the nicely set jumbo frets easily offset the tendency of the guitar to fight back a little.
Wide Sonic Range and Refined Electronics
I subjected the PV-09 to even more microscopic scrutiny during a recording session at the studio with a pair of local singer/songwriters, and the guitar continued to surprise. Indeed, the PV-09 sounded much larger than parlor when placed in front of a detail-sensitive tube condenser mic, and the guitar’s sonic fingerprint was rich in sustain and detail—confident but never strident in the upper midrange. The high end possessed none of the harshness that new instruments often reveal in a studio environment, and the low end was strikingly full for such a small-bodied guitar, especially when fingerpicked.
After analyzing the sonic characteris-tics of the PV-09 by itself and in the unforgiving environs of the studio, I was keen to see how accurately the guitar’s electronics conveyed the parlor’s surprising sonic range. Playing the guitar through a Mackie 1202 mixer and JBL 4411 monitor speakers to simulate a coffeehouse P.A. setup, I discovered that the L.R. Baggs iMix, which combines an Element under-saddle pickup and iBeam soundboard transducer with an onboard preamp, represents a very positive evolution toward a more transparent sound.
Soundhole-mounted pots provide control of the volume and the mix between the undersaddle and the soundboard transducers. Inside the body, one can fine-tune mid and low cuts, gain, and phase inversion (for feedback control) via pots adjusted with a small Phillips screwdriver. For a more controllable blend of the two pickups, the signal from the two sources can be split out into stereo via the ¼-inch jack. Though the saddle transducer had a touch of the “quackiness” inherent to that type of pickup, I was impressed with the bass response emanating from the soundboard pickup. And on the whole, the PV-09 conveyed a wider array of warm wood tones and full-bodied resonance than I had expected to hear through a pickup.
The Wrap
Compact and finely crafted, the Larrivée PV-09 parlor guitar just might be the perfect instrument for a player looking for a well-appointed, smaller instrument with cutaway access up to the 18th fret. It records extremely well, and its topnotch onboard electronics provide excellent reinforcement for live situations. The PV-09 also marks a beautiful, truly functional marriage of proven and modern design concepts that—even for a traditionalist like myself—makes this guitar a real keeper. And given how well this instrument plays and sounds fresh off the factory floor, it’s especially enticing to imagine how fantastic the PV-09 will sound a few decades down the road. Ag
|
