As a consumer, the most difficult thing for me is distinguishing the various series of Larrivee acoustics. There's these:

• Recording (03)
• Legacy (40, 44)
• Select (05)
• Artist (09)
• Deluxe (10)
• Presentation (72)
• Traditional (60)
  
• Vintage (40 again, 24)

Then there are the oddball ones, some of which are one-offs: Reissue, Simple 6, Maple Leaf, Koa Spice, Black Walnut, 50th Anniversary, etc.

These multi-classications are too much for me to wrap my head around. I can't tell if you can still buy all these series, editions, reissues, etc. The comparison tool is good, but some of the differences are very subtle and one could spend days trying to match up different guitars. And there's no way to digitally capture the comparisons. Is there anything like an "Idiot's Guide to Larrivee Acoustics" that I am unaware of?

Welcome aboard Bill.

First of all, you have a nice combination of Larrivees including a dreadnought, a 000 and a  00 in three different wood combinations. I am not aware of an "Idiot's" Guide but there are two great resources available to help you. First, is the Larrivee Forum. There are a lot of forum members here who are both experienced and knowledgable about Larrivee Guitars. Second, there are a lot of videos produced by the Larrivee family and some of their best dealers that provide great insights about the company's philosophy and their approach to designing and building guitars. A recent example is the video posted by Nick's Tune-Up Guitars last week with more to follow. Alamo Guitars recently posted an interview with Matt Larrivee and there are some cool videos on Larrivee's company website featuring Jean and John Larrivee, Jr. out in the field finding wood.

Looking at the list of guitars in your initial post, I would categorize the 03, 24, 40 and Simple 6 Series as Larrivee's base product offerings. Moving up the line, the 05, 09, 10 and 44 series and beyond add features like a gloss finish, inlay and higher grades of quality wood. One of the key ingredients is Larrivee's approach to sourcing wood and preparing it for building guitars. Another factor is the fact that every guitar built has passed through the hands of one or more of the Larrivee family members.

From a personal perspective, I began buying Larrivees in 2004 and I currently own two guitars built in Vancouver, B.C. and three that were built in Oxnard, CA. I have found no difference in the quality of these guitars from either factory. All four of my Larrivee acoustics are either a special edition or a custom order and have different wood combinations. My most recent purchase is a 00-24 with a mahogany top in place of the standard Adirondack Spruce top. My 00 also has a factory installed Anthem SL pickup and an upgrade to an archtop case. The headstock inlay, tulip tuners, pyramid bridge and radial wood rosette and binding are nice vintage touches to the 24 series.

I hope this helps.

Just to add to teh's excellent take is that apart from size, finish and bling, my impression of the construction difference of all the various models comes down to the bracing.

Some have scalloped, some are straight. The bracing of a soundboard is pretty crucial because of their weight and mass. A scalloped soundboard will be lighter so the soundboard will react differently than if it had slightly heavier straight braces.

As always, I might be mistaken, and to add, I can't tell the difference.

 I couldn't even name half the models Taylor and Martin have released in the last 20 years. The guitar market is just like that. Players are spoiled for choice. The Larrivee website summarizes it pretty well and certain dealers will have custom series. First decide the body size and if you want a satin or gloss finish. That's essentially setting your price range. Then, choose the wood types that interest you. That will distill it down to just a few instruments. The back woods have a smaller influence than the top wood and body size so don't get too hung up on those (which is probably the biggest mistake I see people make).

Just my .02 but I think all these companies offer way too many models (especially Taylor and Martin).  It's confusing to the public, and in end the features offered won't matter nearly as much as how the guitar actually feels and sounds while in the hands of the player.  Someone, for example, might think he doesn't want a maple guitar, but then he picks it up and it's instant love.  It happens. 

I love Larrivee Guitars. I like their products. I buy their products. I play their products. They are exceptionally customer-focused (perhaps to a fault, but who else offers Forum guitars?). I love their vision: to produce "affordble luxury" guitars.

All mfrs including guitar makers, can succumb to "feature fenzy." The problem with offering these special features and one-offs is that all customers pay for that capacity whether their purchase has those features or not. It takes cash, labor, training, quality mgt, inventory, storage, transportation, space, etc., to be able to offer those limited edition and "special" items, and the customer pays for those items, including any waste that is a byproduct of managing those items.

My initial observation was that Larrivee seems to have gone overboard trying to accommodate each and every possible customer. Take a look at the Features Comparison table on this page:
https://www.larrivee.com/series (https://www.larrivee.com/series)

Looks impressive, huh? Well, the problem is that the human mind cannot effectively process that data with the way it is presented. Now, if you take out the items that are common to all guitars, it gets a little less frenzied, but it still looks like a NY Times crossword. (See my feeble attempt to try and "simplify" it.) One thing to note: If you're interested in buying a 24 series, the chart doesn't provide any informaion to help you make an informed decision re: that series.

I think larrivee can be more successful at explaining what they have to offer customers by putting their products into one of three buckets:

• Legacy (or core, standard-issue guitars)
• Professional
• Custom

I, for one, am primarily interested in high-quality tonewood combinations. For me, appearance is secondary. Fancy purflings, exotic headstocks, etc., are not my cup of tea. Sound is what I am after.

So, my issue with Larrivee and the reasoning behind my post was that the product matrix is too complicated, and I think Larrivee could be more successful via simplification.

Note: The Preview function does not show the two images files I attempted to attach. The show up in the raw reply mode, so we'll see what happens when I post the reply.

There's a tendency for consumers to "know more" than the companies who are actually running a successful businesses. No offense to anyone, we all do it. They don't make a plethora of models because it's fun or easy, but because there's a market for them. The reality is, Larrivee primarily sells just a handful of models. And, if those aren't sufficient, you can look into the customs. If it feels confusing there's dealers and, forums like this, to help one narrow down their decision.

I like Matt Larrivee's hamburger analogy for their guitars:  you can just get a basic burger: meat and bun, or you can get any extra toppings or even a deluxe burger. But the meat and bun are always the same on every burger. 

It's the same with their guitar options.  Then just apply those options to the parlor, O, OO, OOO, OM, L, D, and Jumbo sizes. 

Over the years, I've found Larrivee's product offerings to be buyer friendly. What initially drew me to Larrivee was their 03 series with the satin finish, maple binding and simple clean look and design. Maybe that's why I have three 03 models. Twenty years ago this week, I ordered my second Larrivee. Looking through my guitar files and sales receipts, I was reminded that I paid a grand total of $500 less for my first two satin Larrivees (2004 Parlor and 2005 LV 12 string) than I paid for my second gloss Martin (2006 OM). 

In closing, think about the number of management/leadership changes that many companies have gone through including Martin, Taylor, Gibson, Guild, Fender, Collings, Huss & Dalton and soon even Froggy Bottom. With Larrivee, the guy with his name on the headstock who started the company along with his family and employees can work circles around most of us.

Today, many guitars are sold without being played by their new owners.  This has led to buyers seeking out guitars based on their specs.  Buyers are often looking for a specific set of features among countless variations of body and neck dimensions, woods, trim, bracing shape and type, and many more such design variations.  So a manufacturer wishing to sell large quantities of guitars has a better chance of doing so with a large number of models among their standard product line.

I definitely think the Larrivee line-up is easier to understand than the competition.

When makers start introducing "gold packs" and similar nonsense, it really puts me off TBH.