Maybe other folks north of the 49th can help me...

Up here, Long & McQuade have gobbled up every city's smaller stores and now that franchise/chain, has the lions share of the market.

problem is, in doing so, the stores that i used to go to see/play & buy  Larrivee guitars don't exist anymore, and L & M don't seem to stock Larrivee.

At least not the ones I visit.
last time I was at Twelfth fret in Toronto they had a couple only.
Rufus guitar shop in Vancouver, once a major Larrivee dealer when Chuck Baker owned it, now with new owners, don't seem to stock Larrivee guitars.

I guess I could open up a store and sell all mine, certainly I have a bunch of them, and most are pretty special and not even available in ANY store....

Things sure are different in the birthplace of Larrivee guitars.

Maybe some-one around here- will either point me in the right direction, correct me if I'm wrong or address the problem.

Just bugged to go into music "chain" store and see nothing but shiny new Martins, Gibsons, Taylors, Fenders and no Larrivees

end of rant.

There's a great store in Thunder Bay, Ontario, of all places. They usually have a half dozen or more Larrivées.

https://musicworldacademy.com/

Well, I'm Canadian born &raised as well, although, I now live in Texas.
I just came back from a trip up to Canada, and stopped by a little shop in Oakville, Ont. they had a what seemed to be a custom L-03 Peruvian walnut with maple leaf inlays on the neck and headstock that I wanted real bad, unfortunately I couldn't get it as I had too many flights to get back.
I'm never able to find Larrivee guitars unless I do an at least 8 hour drive.
I just don't get why they aren't carried in more places.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Its all about having stuff that sells fast and your staff doesn't have to know anything about the product.New York born now living in the arm pit of Florida. :nanadance

After playing one of mine, a friend wanted to buy a Larrivée. I thought he'd like an "L" best, so I looked up our local L&M's and they had an L03R in stock. Just to be sure I phoned ahead and was told they didn't actually have the LO3R but they did have an L05 - so off we went.

We get there, go into the acoustic room and . . . nada.

Asked a salesman who decided it must be "in the back": they actually had four different Larrivées "in stock" (aka in cases, in a storage room) - but couln't be ar@'d to shift a few of the thirty odd Taylors to make room.

Generally, up here in the GWN it's very rare to see more than one or two Larrivées in a shop at a time and even then they're often 02s.

Quote from: Barefoot Rob on January 29, 2020, 12:20:54 AM
Its all about having stuff that sells fast and your staff doesn't have to know anything about the product

I think they really sell themselves but they have to be in the shop for that to happen.

Generally, up here in the GWN it's very rare to see more than one or two Larrivées in a shop at a time and even then they're often 02s.



Um.... what is or where is GWN?

Quote from: headsup on January 29, 2020, 11:03:56 AM
Generally, up here in the GWN it's very rare to see more than one or two Larrivées in a shop at a time and even then they're often 02s.



Um.... what is or where is GWN?

Such a kidder! The Great Whiskey Nation, of course. Did you check out my link? Always more Larrivées than I see anywhere else.

OK, I put a call in to a friend who is a manager in my local L&M.
told him what I needed (how many larrivee's available and in what stores?

nope, he couldn't answer, so I'm going upstairs to see who in the food chain has this info.

I'll post the results when i get them but the comment about them being in the back- in cases was REALLY disheartening!

Quote from: headsup on January 29, 2020, 11:34:11 AM
OK, I put a call in to a friend who is a manager in my local L&M.
told him what I needed (how many larrivee's available and in what stores?

nope, he couldn't answer, so I'm going upstairs to see who in the food chain has this info.

I'll post the results when i get them but the comment about them being in the back- in cases was REALLY disheartening!

I went into Jim Laab's Music, advertised as a Larrivée Dealer, in Stevens Point Wisconsin a couple of years back and the clerk, who stated he'd worked there for three years, had never seen one. I went back a year later and they had two. Maybe all you need to do is ask.   

Quote from: ducktrapper on January 29, 2020, 11:24:03 AMSuch a kidder! The Great Whiskey Nation, of course.

That's certainly a tastier interpretation - I was thinking more on the "Take Off, Eh!" Bob n Doug front . . .

Quote from: skyline on January 29, 2020, 12:33:34 PM
That's certainly a tastier interpretation - I was thinking more on the "Take Off, Eh!" Bob n Doug front . . .

You forgot, "Ya hoser!"   :laughin:

I thought that THIS time of year GWN meant "Great White North". But what do I know...I live down south... in Minnesota!  :roll

Seriously, I've began to wonder how many guitars Larrivee is really selling these days? I don't know of many shops stocking them. I've seen a few at Willie's Guitars in Minn./St. Paul... the dealer in Omaha where I bought several doesn't carry them anymore (and they have 3-4 stores in the Omaha/Lincoln area that go head to head with GC).

Maybe Larrivee is selling lots of stuff to Europe and Japan? China, maybe?

Quote from: Mikeymac on January 29, 2020, 02:02:52 PM
I thought that THIS time of year GWN meant "Great White North". But what do I know...I live down south... in Minnesota!  :roll

Canadians are now all way too woke to say that anymore. The Prime Minister's many instances of wearing blackface notwithstanding.   :whistling:

I love Larrivee guitars also and rarely see a used one and never see a new one. Many of the dealers here in Pennsylvania and New Jersey don't carry or even heard of Larrivee.  When I get my two Larrivee guitars set up, they always take longer to give them back because they like playing them.  Why is Larrivee cutting back on the East Coast?

This just in...

up here in the GWN there are 162 Larrivee guitars spread across the country from Victoria BC To St. Johns Nfld in the 71 Long & McQuade stores.
there are another 7 in Thunder Bay at the stock duck trapper left the link to.
No small stores in my area have any, but that does;'t mean other stores don't.
If anyone is in Canada, and is close to an L & M store, ask the guitar guy there who has some close to you and ask they send them over for your personal demo....

Quote from: ducktrapper on January 29, 2020, 04:05:39 PM
Canadians are now all way too woke to say that anymore. The Prime Minister's many instances of wearing blackface notwithstanding.   :whistling:

So GWN actually stands for Great Woke North?

Quote from: headsup on January 30, 2020, 09:38:41 PM
This just in...
up here in the GWN there are 162 Larrivee guitars spread across the country from Victoria BC To St. Johns Nfld in the 71 Long & McQuade stores.

Ongoing experience with the L&M website suggests your mileage may vary considerably - depending on who knows what - maybe proximity of Timmies?

My first encounters with Larrivée were in the very early 80's and the instruments we sold came to us through a distributor, even though we were in Canada. In those days distributors still sent sales reps around to stores to show off new items and get feedback  . . .

Years ago I was surprised on a visit to "Guitar Nuts" in Bancroft, Ontario (population 4K) as they had half a dozen Larrivées in the store. To this day that's the most I've ever seen at one time.

I played a used SD-60 there which I couldn't afford, but gave me the confidence to buy an SD-03 from Rufus' Guitar Shop - several thousand miles away, on the basis of two photos and a phone call.

I'm going into town today or tomorrow and will visit Music World and see how many Larrivées are actually hanging on the wall. I'll take a picture. Maybe I'll count the Martins, Taylors and Gibsons as well. As I've said, usually they have more Larrivées than any other store I've ever been in. Nice folks too.

Saturday afternoon at Music World Thunder Bay. Ten acoustic Larrivées and one new/old RS-4. I doubt any store anywhere has more. Cosmo tells me that he ships world wide and reminded me that prices are in Canadian pesos and the US dollar is very strong.    

Do they have a website???
Or, what did they have acoustic (Larrivee) wise ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote from: Rockysdad on February 01, 2020, 10:30:10 PM
Do they have a website???
Or, what did they have acoustic (Larrivee) wise ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

https://musicworldacademy.com/

https://musicworldacademy.com/collections/larrivee

Now I'm puzzled.  :?

Quote from: ducktrapper on February 01, 2020, 11:30:27 PM

https://musicworldacademy.com/

https://musicworldacademy.com/collections/larrivee

Thank you for the Links.  :thumb

Quote from: Rockysdad on February 03, 2020, 01:00:31 PM
Thank you for the Links.  :thumb

De nada. Ask and you shall receive.  :cheers


Now there's no reason to wonder about Canadian stores and the availability of Larrivées.   

regarding the lovely gold not sparkle RS4, well....
the expression "Can't hold a candle" comes to mind.

Quote from: ducktrapper on February 03, 2020, 03:07:52 PM
De nada. Ask and you shall receive.  :cheers


Now there's no reason to wonder about Canadian stores and the availability of Larrivées.   

Thru dat, however, the Bay of Thunder is not the easiest place to get to from, say Flin Flon, (Manitoba) or St Louis de Ha ha ( Quebec), or Conception Bay ( NFLD)
My inquiry was more around Jack & Jack big chain store and how they will offer the best products for the best price across this wide and wild land- which means, they will bring your product to your store in your town, and let to try it out......

Quote from: headsup on February 04, 2020, 05:10:31 PM




Thru dat, however, the Bay of Thunder is not the easiest place to get to from, say Flin Flon, (Manitoba) or St Louis de Ha ha ( Quebec), or Conception Bay ( NFLD)
My inquiry was more around Jack & Jack big chain store and how they will offer the best products for the best price across this wide and wild land- which means, they will bring your product to your store in your town, and let to try it out......

Canada isn't so much big as it is long (and not Long and McQuade). Long and Mislaid? Anyway, someone once described it as, "Like frozen socks strung out along a 4,000 mile clothesline."    :laughin:

Anyway, if you're looking for Larrivées, here's some. 

Quote from: ducktrapper on February 04, 2020, 05:49:54 PM
Canada isn't so much big as it is long (and not Long and McQuade). Long and Mislaid? Anyway, someone once described it as, "Like frozen socks strung out along a 4,000 mile clothesline."    :laughin:

Hmmm ... not sure how folks in Yellowknife, Whitehorse, Churchill, Pond Inlet, or various other places might feel about being left out of the sock . . .  :nana_guitar

Perhaps it's more a series of interlinked mukluks?

Puts me in mind of . . .  The Idea of North (https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/revisiting-glenn-gould-s-revolutionary-radio-documentary-the-idea-of-north-1.4460709).   /   Youtube: Gould - The Idea of North (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TwIbUdbVqQE)

Quote from: skyline on February 04, 2020, 08:32:23 PM
Hmmm ... not sure how folks in Yellowknife, Whitehorse, Churchill, Pond Inlet, or various other places might feel about being left out of the sock . . .  :nana_guitar

Perhaps it's more a series of interlinked mukluks?

Puts me in mind of . . .  The Idea of North (https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/revisiting-glenn-gould-s-revolutionary-radio-documentary-the-idea-of-north-1.4460709).   /   Youtube: Gould - The Idea of North (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TwIbUdbVqQE)

I've been to Churchill. I thought Winterpeg was cold. I live in Northwestern Ontario which is bad enough. The places you mention might as well be on the moon for most of us. But seriously, those folks notwithstanding, I would think a large majority of Canadians are within an hour's drive of the border.   :blush: