... is not promoting their guitars like Taylor?
I just browsed the Taylor website and noticed how good presentations they have, while Larrivee has a modest website where you can only find a few things about their guitars and their company, in general.
I could say it almost hurt me to see that a manufacturer of overall better guitars falls short when it comes to promoting their products.

Oh, I don't know about that... I'm a big Taylor fan (own several of them) and Taylor is a big, actually huge company.  And all things considered I'm amazed at the quality of the instruments they make.  And their website and marketing is very in keeping with the "largeness" of the company.  I find Larrivee to be a smaller company... and maybe they like it that way?  I know I could "grow" my company and bring in a sizeable increase in my volume... but I choose not to.  I prefer to stay smaller.  I couldn't handle any more work without increasing everything about my company, and I like the size it is right now.  And so do my clients.  I suppose the ultimate answer is... Is Larrivee selling their guitars about as quickly as they are making them?  If they aren't, then you're right and marketing should be more of a priority... but if they are, then maybe they are just where they want to be.  As a note... they always have a rather splashy 2 page ad in Acoustic Guitar Magazine... so they are marketing.  I kind of like to think of them as a smaller company.  Sort of makes them a bit more accessable for me in a strange sort of way!  I recently became a Larrivee owner, and am certain to purchase more of their instruments... for me they are a quality act.

Maybe the folks at Larrivee realize that word of mouth is just as good as hype! :o If they had a website like Taylor, they'd have to raise their prices...

Larrivee puts a lot of focus on actually building the guitars.  They are able to sell all they make so marketing would only create a series of backlogs that would annoy dealers and potential buyers.

E. Shoaf

i will say that taylors advertising is brilliant. the catalogs are great with really well done layouts. they present their product in the absolute best possible light. taylor has great "snob appeal" for this reason. but the money for that advertising comes from somewhere. and you can usually count on a great portion of it being written on that little tag dangling from the headstock in the guitar shop. that's the bottom line.

larrivee has some pretty classy ads in the guitar mags too, btw. theirs seem to focus on the instrument, where taylors seem to focus on "image".

You want to pay for guitars or promos?  

The difference in quality is night and day IMHO.

Larrivee makes a better guitar.

IMHO

So I agree with Duck.

I could say it almost hurt me to see that a manufacturer of overall better guitars

The difference in quality is night and day IMHO.

Larrivee makes a better guitar.

I could say it almost hurt me to see that a manufacturer of overall better guitars falls short when it comes to promoting their products.

What in the world are you guys talking about?  Obviously not the same Taylor guitars that I am familiar with . . .

QuoteLarrivee makes a better guitar.

better than who? taylor?  i would disagree. not better -- but different. both are excellent quality products and both deserve the popularity they have earned imo.  

Did not intend to insult the Taylor owners here.

I PERSONALLY don't care for the sound.  and that's all.  just one guy with an opinion.

Enjoy whichever guitar is good for you.  That's what it's all about.

On the internet we can't see each other and it makes for comments that would normally go along fine when you can see a smile and body language.

I'm smiling and being friendly when i say these opinion things.

cheers mates,

Peter

It's strange to me that one gets criticized for saying Larrivées are better than Taylors on this particular forum. Anyway the truth, as they say, hurts. Okay okay. Differently better.
If only those El Cajon babies weren't saddled with what's become a little girl's name, I might feel  differently.  :ph34r:  

QuoteIf only those El Cajon babies weren't saddled with what's become a little girl's name

Well my 10 year old son probably wouldn't care for that remark... <_<   I know at least as many guys named Taylor as girls named Taylor.

I own a Taylor and a Larrivee.  I like both guitars.  Should I say that the Larrivee is better on this forum and the Taylor is better on the AGF?  I'd rather hear folks honest opinions, than hear everyone gushing exclusively about a single brand.  While the sounds that each guitar produce are different, neither is an inferior product.  They are both well made guitars.

The original statement was "The difference in quality is night and day IMHO."  I don't think anyone criticized anyone for saying they thought Larrivees were better than Taylor, but rather implying that Taylor's were not well made.  That, IMO, is an incorrect statement.  I believe that Taylor's are consistently well made (and you pay for it).

I never said Taylors were of a lesser quality.  And the In My Opinion is stating that it is only an opinion.  These, my, statements aren't going on CNN.............

It's all about sound and how that's acheived.  And i'm not one for the rah,rah, enthusiasm of any brand name nor am I critical of all guitars put out by one company.  

Your turn.

ps...........

In reading my statement i was vague in discussing the term "quality".  I only meant tonally.  And that is purely subjective.

My mistake.

quit being a bunch of women, Pete didn't mean anything, Taylor is a name that goes both ways.  Lets not have another thread were everyone tries to mediate a possible unintended remark.  We are adults if you have a dissenting remark about something you can say it, just better be able to back it up nicely.
As for converts, I just made another one today....Ha ducktrapper I'm gonna get cha, watch out   it's....."The Claw".
:lol:  

Quotequit being a bunch of women

Oh yeah, thats really going to help things!!  C'mon Deb, get him!  

Maybe "Big Baby" is more appropriate.  Or "stop making fun of Taylor guitars before I sic Cujo on you, or el kabong you upside the head with my pallet guitar!"   :unsure:  ;)

Just kidding, I like both brands (14 series my fave of theirs), of course I like the the Larrivees better!

no offense wyodeb, you are blessed amoung women and I shall not infringe upon that.  By the way wyodeb I am still waiting for my shrubbery!
:lol:  ;)  

We all should cut each other alot of slack with some of this.  I am in a fairly remote part of NM so to do business I have to check and send e-mails alot each day.

While I'm at it i check in here and there.............and often do a quick answer that might say something i never intended.

i can usually back up my statements but discussing one persons version of reality is usually a waste of time.

so the rules are........

1. never insult anyone's spouse.
2. never insult anyone's dog.
3. never insult anyones taste in guitars.

I know there are more but it's back to work.

Quotequit being a bunch of women, Pete didn't mean anything,

I didn't take offense with anything that Peter said.  I was merely stating my own opinion.

My remarks were addressed more to Duck's post (which I knew better to respond to anyway  :P ), which stated, "It's strange to me that one gets criticized for saying Larrivées are better than Taylors on this particular forum."  Number one, I don't feel like anyone criticized anyone else, they merely stated a different opinion (their own).

Number two: I really like Larrivee guitars (otherwise there wouldn't be 3 of them in our family).  I like other guitars as well.  I would hope that we can express our opinions, whether or not they are always biased toward Larrivee guitars.

bottom line: larrivees AND taylors are mighty fine guitars --- period.  

i always wondered by Larrivee couldn't "spruce" up their website a bit.  :lol:  

All is cool.

Has Duck ever been given an honorary guitar?  He's responsible for more sales of Larri's than anyone i know.

hint............ ;)  

As top the website for larry's, I honestly think substance is better than knick knack's. Everybody is trying to frill out their website and though taylor's are doing that, I much rather like the feel of a good clean site that showcases why I went to the site in the first place.  Sure they could spruce it up but whats the point?  We are here, making converts everyday, maybe they should spruce us up. <_<  :lol:  

Ah I was just kidding. I have a nephew named Taylor. Poor kid.   :lol:  

QuoteAh I was just kidding. I have a nephew named Taylor. Poor kid.   :lol:

My wife wanted Mackenzie...

I thought about Sue, but then remembered Johnny Cash.   :lol:  

What we need are some Bob guitars!  

Bob is what you do for apple's or while your swimming....

:D  

QuoteBob is what you do for apple's or while your swimming....

:D

Or what some people do to the tails of their dogs (poor puppy!).  :(  

Quote

Quotequit being a bunch of women

Oh yeah, thats really going to help things!!  C'mon Deb, get him!

I was just wondering when you guys were going to stop acting like a bunch of adolescent boys comparing trucks... ;)  Or big boys arguing about sports...

Deb

A website better than the one Larrivée has now wouldn't cost too much. Certainly within the price range of one of their guitars if they didn't do anything fancy... I'm sure they wouldn't do it, but if you don't go through one of those big companies there are plenty of young designers who do work quite reasonably...

That said, I highly doubt website design makes a big impact in guitar sales, providing it is navigable and existant. Both of which the current website is.

QuoteAh I was just kidding. I have a nephew named Taylor. Poor kid.   :lol:

You think that's bad? My nephew's called Takamine. He's never quite recovered.  ;)  

QuoteAh I was just kidding. I have a nephew named Taylor. Poor kid.   :lol:

Is his top solid wood?  ;)  

No he's a nice lad, full of brains and with a heart of gold. Neil Young fan!

About those BOB guitars. I want one!!!  

what about Joe's guitars have you heard of them.  They are great, really rustic with a bluesy feel to them.

Quotewhat about Joe's guitars have you heard of them.  They are great, really rustic with a bluesy feel to them.

joe mamma
:P  :D
-josh

:lol:  

Ordinary Joes? I dunno, I think I'd still like a BOB.  

Regarding the quantity of marketing, Larrivee is doing just fine. A handful of those 2-page spreads in Acoustic Guitar could probably buy Taylor's entire website.

Regarding the quality of marketing, like the quality of guitars, it's all subjective and it's not really about brands.

I own a Taylor and a Larrivee and they're both really beautifully built instruments. One of them is an VG+ and the other is a lifetime keeper -- one of those instruments you run into occasionally that is just more responsive to the touch and richer in tone, more "alive" than its bretheren, but that's not about "Taylor vs. Larrivee," it's about those two guitars. Anyone who doesn't understand that needs to walk into a well-stocked guitar shop with their head out of their brand loyalty and their ears turned on.

Tim :D  

Kinda depends on what kind of stores you have access to. If I lived 400 miles south I could go to the Podium and try just about anything. Here, as far as high end instruments go, it's either a small selection of Martin, Taylor, Gibson, Guild or Larrivée or mail order. My brand loyalty in that case is pretty understandable. My friend Rodney Brown, Canadian folk singer extraordinaire, having recently had his Morgan stolen has bought a Larrivée L03RVE. He tried everything in town (including my D05 which he offered to buy) and thought this was by far the best available. He says he likes it better than his $3,000.00 Morgan. It's the Larrivée neck. He didn't like the Taylors at all. Tastes vary as do brand loyalties and brand availability. I'm not saying anything except only you can tell what's right for you.

I really like the Larrivee web-site.

Simple and to the point.

"Kinda depends on what kind of stores you have access to. If I lived 400 miles south I could go to the Podium and try just about anything. Here, as far as high end instruments go, it's either a small selection of Martin, Taylor, Gibson, Guild or Larrivée or mail order."

Hmmm...there's not much to say except that I respectfully disagree. All of the big manufacturers mentioned above, in my experience, turn out a few duds, a few really exceptional instruments and lots of average to very good ones. Some are a bit more successful than others, but not by much.

A warm, midrangey guitar has its place. A bright, shimmery guitar has its place. One that is sort of in the middle between the two has it's place. That's all taste. But the exceptional guitars, they're something else. They are faster and more dynamic, often louder, at once more responsive to a light attack and more tolerant of a heavy one. When their tone is dry they crack and strike like lightning. When it's rich they almost sound as if someone has hidden a reverb chamber inside of them. They stand out in a crowded music store, at least to my ears, regardless of their builder's specific tone signature. They often even telegraph their greatness right through the disadvantage of dead strings. And I would submit that if you walk into GC regularly and play all the major brands and you find that the same brand has the exceptional guitars every time, you're listening with your eyes.

MHO. YMMV.

Tim

What's a GC? Tim, I don't actually disagree but when your selection is much smaller, I believe certain tendencies tend to stand out. When your choice is between 2 Taylors a dread and a jumbo, 1 Martin D28 and a D1, maybe or maybe not a Gibson, a couple of Guilds and six Larrivées, I'm thinking the odds are in the L corner. I have to go to Toronto (900 miles) or The Podium (about 380) to try a SCGC, a Lowden, a Froggy, a Goodall, a Huss & Dalton etc. I definitely agree  that variety of that nature will certainly make your decision harder.

I hear you. Not much in the way of boutique guitars around my parts either. The local big box guitar store will typically have a bunch of Martins, a bunch of Taylors, a half-bunch (that's a technical term) of Gibsons and maybe a few Larrivees. In that mix, I personally find the highest consistency of quality, setting aside tone signature preferences for a moment, among the Larrivees and Taylors. Martin's fit and finish quality is always up to par, but I find more duds there than anywhere else except Gibson, where the percentage is highest (all fans of any of the above, please accept this as nothing more than my opinion), though frankly, not nearly as high as the internet scuttlebutt would have you believe. It's when it comes to the killers, the guitars that stand out in a roomful of guitars that things get tough. I've wasted a lot of time in a lot of guitar stores playing lots and lots of high-end (hey, if you've got no cash anyway, why play the Taks?) factory guitars, and I just don't see winners and losers.

I'm often surprised, like the day I was in a small shop and the owner had a really nice, nearly new, 000 28. It looked marvelous, but I played it and was uninspired. Hanging next to it, though, was an LV03 with a preamp stuck through its side that just ate that OM for lunch. Another day, another store, it was a humble Taylor 414 that was devouring everything in its path, including stuff at multiples of its price. A third day it was a used Gibson Hummingbird hanging on the wall next to a brand new one that was totally uninspiring.

You just never know. You gotta play 'em.

I've listened to you enough on these boards to suspect that you have at least one of the killers. That, in and of itself, is a great accomplishment. I think I've owned two over the course of many years and many guitars, but I'm just holding one. The other was exceptional - one of the most responsive, individual, beautiful instruments I've ever touched, but it just didn't suit me. Funny how that can happen.

Tim

typical Canadian understatement . We leave all the flash and pomp to other countries. Thats why everybody loves us eh. Anybody need some good peacekeepers out there? Call us. you know where to find us.

Tim - I believe you're right on that. My D05 is a killer dread. I haven't had a chance to play all that many D05s so perhaps it's unusually responsive.
The Larrivée dealer in town says prayers for me at night. I convinced him to cary the line about four years ago and he thanks me every time I see him. He usually has a half dozen Larris around, as well as a couple of Martins, one D28 and a D1. He says that he now brings in the Martins basically to sell the Larrivées. If he happens to sell one of the Martins, so much the  better. I think this speaks to quality, consistency and price. A combination I find usually gives the Larrivée an edge. Especially when the stock is as limited as I've mentioned.