Larrivee Consistency

[cjjtulsa]

I know that no two guitars sound alike, but I was wondering about the consistency in the different models?  There always seems to be some that sound better than others in every brand - I've been told that Taylor can have examples that run all over the place, and have heard of some very dead ones. But I don't know much about the Larrivees.  I was keeping the option open of ordering one off of the net, but wasn't sure what the odds were of getting a good guitar, a great guitar, or a dead one?  Anyone ever play a bad Larrivee, or are they consistently pretty good tone-wise?

[kdonovan]

cjjtulsa ,
            In my opinion, The Larrivee's are one of most consistent  brands available.  I have bought more than a dozen Larrivee's in the last two years. Most of them were bought from one of the great dealers we have here on the forum and all of them were very consistent in buld and tone . I won't purchase any other brand of guitar without trying it first.   The only reason I have gone through so many guitars is I believe you have to kiss alot of frogs before you find your prince/princess

kdonovan

[rrgguitarman]

I've purchased all of my Larrivees on line and each one has been great!

[imwjl]

I know that no two guitars sound alike, but I was wondering about the consistency in the different models?  There always seems to be some that sound better than others in every brand - I've been told that Taylor can have examples that run all over the place, and have heard of some very dead ones. But I don't know much about the Larrivees.  I was keeping the option open of ordering one off of the net, but wasn't sure what the odds were of getting a good guitar, a great guitar, or a dead one?  Anyone ever play a bad Larrivee, or are they consistently pretty good tone-wise?

The 03 and 05 models I tried were all surprisingly consistent and good, but the dealer in my metro area states that they go over all they sell - http://www.sprucetreemusic.com/settingup.html.

All the guitars I tried at this shop played well compared to the wares at other stores in my area, so I think the attention to the setup is very important. I also tried 3 different copies of my D-03 and all were good.

[Larrivee4me]

I know that no two guitars sound alike, but I was wondering about the consistency in the different models?  There always seems to be some that sound better than others in every brand - I've been told that Taylor can have examples that run all over the place, and have heard of some very dead ones. But I don't know much about the Larrivees.  I was keeping the option open of ordering one off of the net, but wasn't sure what the odds were of getting a good guitar, a great guitar, or a dead one?  Anyone ever play a bad Larrivee, or are they consistently pretty good tone-wise?

I think they're pretty consistent tonewise but the necks can vary in thickness.  I've been to couple large stores lately and have found this to be true at least with the L bodies I tried.
Have you contacted Wildwood music in Cochocton, Ohio?  They have a return policy in case you don't like the guitar. They only sell new guitars their prices are very good. One odd thing though, they don't do credit cards. Just cash or checks. Here's a link
http://www.wildwoodmusic.com/
Check the inventory list. Also check the Larrivees with the fancy headstock inlays just for fun!!

[Novalis]

I was keeping the option open of ordering one off of the net, but wasn't sure what the odds were of getting a good guitar, a great guitar, or a dead one?  Anyone ever play a bad Larrivee, or are they consistently pretty good tone-wise?

I've often heard folks talk about "dead" sounding guitars. I'm no expert, but I really think that the strings and the ***player*** are the most important factors in the "aliveness" of sound regarding the various individual guitars of the same make/model.

[cjjtulsa]

I think they're pretty consistent tonewise but the necks can vary in thickness.  I've been to couple large stores lately and have found this to be true at least with the L bodies I tried.
Have you contacted Wildwood music in Cochocton, Ohio?  They have a return policy in case you don't like the guitar. They only sell new guitars their prices are very good. One odd thing though, they don't do credit cards. Just cash or checks. Here's a link
http://www.wildwoodmusic.com/
Check the inventory list. Also check the Larrivees with the fancy headstock inlays just for fun!!

I've contacted them about a certain model just today; their prices are hard to beat.  They also carry Taylor and have good prices on the GS line, so they give me a good option for buying either online.  The one I was looking at was the D-05 with the 1-3/4" nut width.  One thing is I don't know how long it's been in their inventory; I've seen posts referring to a D-05 with that nut width there from last summer - don't know if it makes any difference as it's still a new guitar, but I just wonder if it is the same one.  If it hasn't moved in this amount of time, it makes me wonder why.  Just a little paranoia that goes with buying something sight unseen.

[sgarnett]

I've often heard folks talk about "dead" sounding guitars. I'm no expert, but I really think that the strings and the ***player*** are the most important factors in the "aliveness" of sound regarding the various individual guitars of the same make/model.

Yes, of course the strings and player make a huge difference. Small changes in things like the curve of the fingers can have a big effect on tone.

However,  guitars can vary quite a bit from one to another. Most are hand-built to at least some degree, and trees have never been standardized  It's not unusual to pick up two identical guitars with equal strings and find they sound very different.

Larrivee is probably more consistent than most because they pay so much attention to selecting the wood.

[Denis]

The only "bad" Larrivees I've ever played in stores had dead strings or were in need of a set up.  I played a whole bunch yesterday.  L-03, L-05QM, L-09, L-03R, D-03, D-03SP, D-03R, D-03WL, D-50...the D-50 I remembered playing months ago at the same store and the strings had seen better days.   The rosewood guitars all sounded good but I preferred the mahogany ones.  The L's were very nice, especially that L-05 in quilted mahogany with the ivoroid tuner buttons and tone, tone and more tone.   

[imwjl]

Yes, of course the strings and player make a huge difference. Small changes in things like the curve of the fingers can have a big effect on tone.

However,  guitars can vary quite a bit from one to another. Most are hand-built to at least some degree, and trees have never been standardized  It's not unusual to pick up to identical guitars with equal strings and find they sound very different.

Larrivee is probably more consistent than most because they pay so much attention to selecting the wood.

Yup, on the trees. Yup on Larrivee wood. Strings with life sure make a difference when shopping. That said, I noticed that the D and L Larrivees I tried not only sounded great, ball all had nice looking tops compared to Martins and Taylors in same and higher price range.

My own rather new Larrivee did not have as nice a looking neck, but has a beautiful top, sides and back. It played well and sounded superb, so I chose it from the 3 in stock.

I still think the dealer can make a big or THE difference because the wares at Guitar Center were totally inconsistent, the wares at two other shops dedicated to guitars were in better shape, and the playing condition of the guitars at a multi-line everything large music store were in the middle of the spectrum.

YMMV, but I think the Larrivee line should be considered for the sound and the value and to me I thought the Larrivee purchase got me sounds I liked with Martins and Taylors in one package. The Seagull and Simon and Patrick guitars seemed a great value too, but their dealers did not have them stocked and setup in a way where they were outstanding like the Larrivee dealer.

[charlies3]

I totally agree on the fact that you've got to play the guitar with new strings.   When my son went shopping for a 12 string at Chuck Levins, we saw a NOS LJ-05-12 on the wall.   It had abviously been there forever because it had the Victoria label inside.  Pulled it off the wall to play and it sounded totally dead.   But those strings were probably years old.   The saleman agreed to put on a fresh set of Elixirs (now that's customer service considering it was a 12 string) and the guitar simply came to life!   It sounded like a completely different instrument.   If you're seriously considering an instrument and it sounds dead, ask the sales staff to restring it.   Even if you pay for the strings, wouldn't a $10 investment for an $x,000 instrument be worth it to gauge it's true nature?

[CF Larrivee]

I had a 000-60 that I just thought didn't sound good. I have an L-09 that had severe manufacturing mistakes that required a three and a half month journey back to California to get straightened out, which Larrivee did, and now the guitar is now a joy. And then I have a D-03, a D-03RE, and an OM-10 Brazilian that were just about perfect in every way. So, all in all, I think Larrivee's in general are pretty consistant, but like any other manufactured object, there can be units that escape with problems.

[PortHueneme]

I have yet to hear or play a bad Larrivee.
I am sure there are subtle differences and maybe some exceptional ones as they are made from wood and are bound to have some unique characteristics.

If you have seen the Oxnard shop you know the quality control that goes into each guitar. If Matthew or Jean don't touch every guitar they are very close to it.
Each guitar is setup individually, if there is a clunker I am guessing it drops out of the prouction process. I don't believe they approach the manufacturing process just to turn out pieces, it seems like they care about what the family name is placed on.