Satin Parlors in Montreal

[LaminateBoy]

I was in Italmelodie Saturday morning and saw two new satin Parlors for sale. One mahogany, one walnut. So if you're here and looking, they are waiting for you.

[Cminor]

      Italmelodie has a great selection and a good hassle free environment. Their only problem is that they sell way too high....and its the only Larrivee dealer in Montreal :<>

[Gemnoc]

I was there Friday night. Must have missed the parlors. :<>

BTW the OMV-05 with the split top is still there! I don't understand these people. :huh:

[dementedbuddha]

Hi Guys ... never posted here before, I guess this is a strange thread to post in first but I have to chime in  -_-

Those parlors have been there a while, and I've been lusting after the walnut one for some time.  I came within a hair of buying it. I told the guy there I'd take it if they put an endpin in it for me (I had to have some criteria for walking out).  He wouldn't do it and said it would void the warranty (is that true???).  He made a big fuss over it and refused so I didn't buy it, which is a good thing as I don't really need it all that much.  I do find that store to be a very strange place.  They don't seem to want to sell you a guitar and many of their guitars are in really bad shape.  I didn't see the OMV-05 but if I remember correctly there was a Martin with a big hole on the lower side.  It's easy to miss the Larrivee parlors as they are not in the humidified room, the last time I was there they were on a center rack with a defective takamine but they move around a bit.  The Mahogany one was in desperate need of a setup.  Someone should buy the walnut and end my longing...

Stu

[Gemnoc]

Welcome dementedbuddha. -_-

many of their guitars are in really bad shape.

Yeah, a lot of the hangers have no more rubber on them so the headstocks are in contact directly with the metal. And that's in the high-end room!

There was a pretty banged up 000-15 w/ pickup on display. They just don't seem to care about their inventory. Very disturbing.

[flaggerphil]

I told the guy there I'd take it if they put an endpin in it for me (I had to have some criteria for walking out).  He wouldn't do it and said it would void the warranty (is that true???). 

No, it's not true.  I've had strap pins put on every Larrivee I've ever owned (they even put one on the heal at the factory for me once) and it does nothing to the warranty.  Don't know why they would tell you that...it's easy for a shop to do and should only cost about $5.

[LaminateBoy]

I would dearly love to see another Larrivee dealer in Montreal. A little competition would be a good thing.

It's almost worth moving to Toronto just to have easy access to The 12th Fret. When I was speaking with someone from The 12th Fret he said that they sell and ship a lot of guitars to Montreal. So if you don't mind buying a guitar without hearing it first, then you can probably do better buying from Toronto. I wonder if the stores here realize they are losing business to TO.

[Denis]

I would dearly love to see another Larrivee dealer in Montreal. A little competition would be a good thing.

It's almost worth moving to Toronto just to have easy access to The 12th Fret. When I was speaking with someone from The 12th Fret he said that they sell and ship a lot of guitars to Montreal. So if you don't mind buying a guitar without hearing it first, then you can probably do better buying from Toronto. I wonder if the stores here realize they are losing business to TO.

LaminateBoy,

You're not even two hours from Ottawa and we've got 2 Larrivee dealers.  There's the Ottawa Folklore Centre which usually has at least 3-4(usually L's and D's, mostly 03 but some 05's too)  and then there's Long & McQuade a bit further up Bank St.  and they usuallu have at least a dozen or more, 03's, 05's, 09's, 50's, 60's..etc.  Good selection there especially.  And the acoustic room is humidified so they are in pretty good shape.

[Tycho]

It's almost worth moving to Toronto just to have easy access to The 12th Fret.

Ha.  When we were looking for a house recently, I had an inordinate interest in the "upper Beach", Danforth-Woodbine area.  I figured being able to walk to the 12th Fret on a Saturday afternoon would be a pretty good bonus.  Other considerations won out though (like being closer to work).

Toronto is a real cornucopia for Larrivees.  In addition to the 12th Fret, there are great selections at Ring and at the downtown Long & McQuade.  (The suburban L&Ms are OK too, but don't have nearly the selection that downtown has.)

[dementedbuddha]

For all the musicians wandering around, I've always found the lack of good music stores in Montreal surprising, unless you're in a speed metal band, in which case your options are very good.  Try finding a decent mandolin in this city, it's impossible.  As a rule I don't buy instruments I haven't tried, but these days it's looking like the more attractive option.

[Tycho]

I spent a couple of happy hours trying out guitars in Archambault a few years ago, but I seem to recall that their acoustics were mostly from the Godin family.

[LaminateBoy]

Denis,
I think I'll try to drop in to Long and McQuade when I'm up in Ottawa for the Blues Festival in July. Do you ever go to any of the concerts?

Archambault's used to carry some Larrivees, but they stopped because they didn't have a properly humidified room. They now have their guitar section enclosed so I am hoping they will start to carry Larrivee again. Yes, they have lots of Godin products both acoustic and electric.

[Denis]

Denis,
I think I'll try to drop in to Long and McQuade when I'm up in Ottawa for the Blues Festival in July. Do you ever go to any of the concerts?

I managed the HMV in Gatineau for five years (1992-1996) and went to hundreds of concerts back then, for free no less.  Today, with a three year old and a 6 month, I don't get out much any more.  But hey, they'll grow up eventually.  The baby loves to listen to me play.  He watches my hands and smiles and laughs..maybe, in my dreams, I have another picker in the house!!

[Cminor]

   Yes, the guitars at Italmelodie are really not well taken care of. For a lefty like me, they only have a D-03 and an SD-50. The D-03 has a horrible setup on it....major string buzz all over the place. I showed it to the salesman and he said he knew about it ?!?!? That he had send it back to Larrivee and it came back again like this.

     I agree that Montreal lacks in good music stores with only one Larrivee dealer. I know what you mean about seeking a mandolin....image me looking for a lefty one.

   Archambault gets my vote for the worst care put into their guitars. A good selection of lefty....yes folks 10 guitars in a store is a good selection for us forgotten lefty. But I had never seen guitars in such bad shape....huge dings, broken strings still on the guitar, cracks in the finish. There was a Simon & Patrick 12 string that was totally unplayable...the action was so low that all the strings had a buzz even without fretting them....it was soundless.....how do stores expect to sell these instruments.

     You can get a bit of a better price getting a guitar from Toronto and only pay GST but you get a way better price buying from a US store. I got a D-03R from trinity guitars and saved over 500$ compared if I would have bought it at Italmelodie.

[Cminor]

    BTW, its great to see other Montreal people that like Larrivee !

[Gemnoc]

As a follow up... Went back to the store last Thursday, the walnut parlor is gone, the mahogany is still there. With deader than dead strings. There's a very slight bulge at the neck joint. Don't know if it's a bad thing. Otherwise in not a bad shape.

An appalling sight: the OMV-05 with split top is still there, NOT repaired! On display on the floor of the "high end room". And it still has the regular price tag on it! I asked the guitar salesperson there, "hey, you haven't sent it for repair yet?" He's the same guy who told me months ago that they were thinking of having it fixed by a luthier. He answered "No and we don't plan to". With the tone of someone who doesn't care. How do they expect to sell guitars that way? :huh:

[Gemnoc]

Well duh, went back a few threads, actually hotsauce bought the walnut parlor back in April. :rolleyes:

[sneaky]

hey Denis....theres a 5 year old boy in Japanese TV who is unbelievable on guitar. they follow his efforts in starting an all kids band on Sunday evenings. the show is a kind of funniest videos thing but they do other stuff as well...this kid is going places i tell you. Maybe you should get your youngest a kid size guitar and just let him get some sounds out of it. The best guitar player I know in this city began playing piano at 3 so ... never too young to start...his mom taught piano and sat him on her lap.

[hotsauce]

Well duh, went back a few threads, actually hotsauce bought the walnut parlor back in April. :rolleyes:

And lovin' it...  :WNK>

[hotsauce]

With the tone of someone who doesn't care. How do they expect to sell guitars that way? :huh:

That doesn't really surprise me. Many trips there have taught me they mostly give really horrible service (except one young guy once). But I really wanted the guitar and it was tax-return season so I couldn't make myself adhere to my ideal of political consumerism.

hotsauce