Howdy all. I live near San Antonio, Tx and am searching for a Baker T Classic. I'm sure they are top quality instruments but I'd like to actually play one before I buy it. Any suggestions? I've called a Larivee dealer in SA and searched using Craigslist, Reverb, Sweetwater, FB Marketplace, Guitar Center... with no luck. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
First, welcome to the Larrivee Forum. There are a lot of great members here including a fair number from the San Antonio-Austin area. My son and daughter-in-law moved back to San Antonio last June and I have three visits planned this year in February, June and December. Now, on to your question.
I saw two Larrivee Baker T Classics, one each in stock at Sweetwater in Fort Wayne, IN and Heartbreaker Guitars in Las Vegas, NV. Not in your backyard but from what I've read, they are both customer oriented dealers and each of them have a return policy in place.
Last June, I got a new Larrivee Baker T Pro which is the first electric guitar I've ever owned. My oldest son has an American made Fender Telecaster and a Taylor Solid Body Electric but he likes the Baker T better than both. My youngest son and I visited the Larrivee Factory while on a west coast road trip from Seattle to San Antonio. During our tour with Matt Larrivee, he showed us the tooling, components and processes that Larrivee uses to build their electric guitars.
My guitar, designed by Matt Larrivee, features a Swamp Ash body, Quilted Maple veneer top with a blue gloss finish and a fast, flamed maple neck with a satin finish. To say this guitar was well worth the wait would be ban understatement. My son restrung my Baker T yesterday in anticipation of an extreme weather forecast coming to my area starting tomorrow.
Over the past 20 years, I have purchased three of my acoustic Larrivees's sight unseen and have been completely satisfied with each one of them. Founder Jean Larrivee, wife Wendy and sons John, Jr. and Matt have grown their company into a true family affair. Good luck with your search and take your time looking.
Welcome! I go to guitar shops quite a bit, and I take in a couple of the big guitar shows in the Dallas area every year (the Amigo Show being the biggest in the world), and I don't ever recall seeing a Larrivee electric guitar of any kind in person. They are super rare. I'd say you're going to have to order one to try it out. I'd look for a shop with a good return policy. A pain for sure, but better than being stuck with a pretty guitar that doesn't fit you.