Do you take pride knowing the Larrivée family participate in the build process?

[J M Larrivée]

  Hello Forum folks,

  Would love to hear your thoughts surrounding Larrivée and the fact that Larrivée family members participate in the actual construction of your guitars. Do you take pride in knowing this? What does it mean to you knowing we are one of the only larger high end companies that is family owned, operated and built by? 
  If you care to leave a comment and perhaps a photo, we would love to post some random testimonials on our Facebook page.

Thank you for your thoughts...

john jr.

[cke]

Yes! though I bought my first before I knew much about the involvement.  Thank you!

[JOYCEfromNS]

It's a nice factor tho not a deal breaker for me. Deal Breakers for me are the quality of Craftmanship and the Craftmanship is from a country I can pronouce. However I suspect the presence of the quality is there mainly because of the Larrivee family involvement.

[tuffythepug]

John
I actually do take a certain amount of pride in the fact that Larrivee family members have participated to some degree in the construction of all 4 of my Larrivee guitars.   It's not the reason I bought them but it is a source of pride none-the-less.   One of the reasons my Forum III LS-03MT is so special is that I got to pick it up at the Vancouver facility and actually meet the people who built it;  yourself included. 

Here's my current line-up;  Forum III is 2nd from left

   


And here is the Forum III just about finished and ready to play

[lmacmil]

I am happy to own a guitar built in North America and I think it's wonderful that Larrivee is still a family owned business.  You should be proud of this but I don't really think it's anything that I should take pride in.

[Danny]

  Absolutely


 John Jr. numbering the JCL signed labels for the Forum III. In a few hours I was playing mine at the factory, to my wife.
I tried in vain to get John to sign the label as well. He did however sign the hang tag. As well as many forum members. That was a most pleasant time indeed.

[silvertone62]

Yes, it does matter to me, but only because your design, materials and build are excellent. It warms my heart that a family run business can survive and thrive, "adapting" to the marketplace by not compromising  the the original mission of producing  fine & unique sounding, affordable, durable instruments. And it gives me satisfaction to be supporting your brand, although I "only" have a parlor and an OM.

When I think of Larrivee, I think "honest".

[psr-740]

How can I tell who signed my label?
I think it is Jean. Am I right?

[JOYCEfromNS]

How can I tell who signed my label?
I think it is JCL. Am I right

Right you are. With only a few getting out the door signed by John Jr for a Special Dealer Order a year or two back ALL signings are by JCL and I am guessing that ain't gonna change anytime soon.

[psr-740]

Right you are. With only a few getting out the door signed by John Jr for a Special Dealer Order a year or two back ALL signings are by JCL and I am guessing that ain't gonna change anytime soon.

Thanks :-)

[randmag]

I'm proud to own my Larrivee guitars because they are all top quality, top sounding guitars. I really like the fact that the whole family is involved throughout the process, from design to building the final product. My last 2 purchases are both Larrivee electrics. I like the fact that Matthew has made it his mission to design and build the pick-ups used in these guitars. Since first purchasing my L-03 a few years ago the more I've gotten to learn about the company by following this Forum and Larrivee Facebook page. Both are a source of information that I appreciate very much.

To Jean, Wendy, John Jr., and Matthew (plus all Larrivee employees north and south) thanks for building such wonderful guitars.

Randy M

[unclrob]

Its more then the fact that its a Family owned business its the pride that you know that the the people who build the guitar have.I've handle thousands of guitars and after over 45 years I can tell if the person or persons who built a guitar really gave a darn.With some companies and some builders I can tell that there just putting together a piece of product to sell sorta put tab A into slot B,done next.So ya Family matters but pride in one's work even in a mass produced product it does come thru when,at least too me.

[dr.underhill]

  Hello Forum folks,

  Would love to hear your thoughts surrounding Larrivée and the fact that Larrivée family members participate in the actual construction of your guitars. Do you take pride in knowing this? What does it mean to you knowing we are one of the only larger high end companies that is family owned, operated and built by? 
  If you care to leave a comment and perhaps a photo, we would love to post some random testimonials on our Facebook page.

Thank you for your thoughts...

john jr.
[/quote
i certainly do take pride knowing that my guitar had direct involvement from the "founding fathers" during it's construction.
i also take pride in generating a demand for a handcrafted instrument from here in North America.
and then there is the pride coming from 40+ years of playing a wide range of quality guitars resulting in my ability  to recognize the dedication and commitment from design, selection of materials, the craftmanship, and the outstanding value which sets Larrivee intruments apart from so many of the offerings from other makers.

[JOYCEfromNS]

The topic certainly got me a thinkin.

Building more than a 100,000 guitars thru the years with unrelenting quality of craftmanship. From this it's obvious the Larrivee Family take pride in the build process. Each member seem fully aware whether it's 03 or a 72 series the Family Name is on each guitar out the door. Gotta be some Pride there Friends.

[broKen]

My brother is an arrogant self-righteous man. One day I asked him if he did a good job at his place of work. With chin up and a bit of self satisfaction he admitted to me he has done a good job for years. Then I asked, "shouldn't you do a good job at what you do?" He looked at me kinda funny and didn't know what to say.

Mr. JCL and family and those employed by him have produced the best guitars that they can, and have gained the respect of many thousands of players and builders alike. I hope the Larrivee family will continue to enjoy the respect they have earned for many more years to come, and I am delighted to own two fine instruments carrying their name. THANK YOU!

I'm glad to know that someone who carries the name that is on the guitar actually takes part in the building of it. Kind of a personal interest in it.

[Dr. LJ]

I think it is an important part of what makes a Larrivee a Larrivee. Having family members involved in the construction of each guitar that comes out of the factory is no small feat today and it helps to make Larrivee unique.   I have both a 1988 D-10 Deluxe and a 2006 OM-60 and would not part with either of them.

[SMan]

I bought my CS05 from forum member photomat because it was a good deal on a great little guitar.  I joined the forum thereafter and have come to appreciate the fact that Larrivee's are a quality instrument by a family owned company that hasn't lost sight of its heritage and also its customer base.   I have even more appreciation for them after building my own guitar.  The family component adds value to the brand in my opinion.   

[ducktrapper]

Hi John. My 1975 signed L is my prized possession. Matthew, in particular, has been very good to me and I love all nine Larrivée instruments that I own. They are all special to me in their own way. I am quite content that your family business is a hands-on operation. As Neil Young says, "Long may you run."

[Denis]

John, it's nice to know that your dad is still so hands on when it comes to the instruments.  Same goes for the rest of the Larrivee family it would seem.  Keep up the good work, we'll keep playing your instruments!

[Jagadis]

Hi John,

I get enormous pleasure from playing the guitar that your family built for me.  I've seen quite a few pictures of your shop, your processes and the people (including you) that participate in the manufacturing of each guitar.  What is really evident is that there is lots of craftsmanship that goes into the making of each guitar.  Your shop is really more like a workshop vs some of the larger guitar factories which pump out thousands of machine made guitars each month.  The pictures I've seen show lots of people working the wood with their hands and taking pride in producing a really superior product.  The involvement of your family in the production of each guitar just shows that there is a legacy of craftsmanship that started with Jean, continues with you and will hopefully be passed down to future Larrivee family members.  

As a Canadian, I was also thrilled to be buying an amazing product from an amazing Canadian company.  Its a pleasure to support Canadian companies who produce products that are respected around the world.

Thanks for doing what you do!

JordanK.