Couple of Easy Questions re: Larrivees

[SlowFingers]

I have had the opportunity to try only very few Larrivees, including my old OM-03MT that I bought sight unseen and sold about a year later (I thought it was going to be exactly what I wanted, but, while great, it did not fit me). I would really like to avoid buying another one without trying it first, but there is nobody in this area (Shreveport, La.) that carries them. Has anyone else tried successfully to convince a guitar dealer that they should carry these (or any other guitar for that matter)? If so, how did you do it? We have 4 shops here, only one of which carries any decent brand of guitar, but they do not carry Larrivee (they have Martin, Taylor, Gibson, Guild, among others). They would gladly order a Larrivee for me, of course adding in their dealer markup, but would not keep a stock in the store.

Next question: I am not trying to stir anything up here, but why is it that everyone who is selling a used -03 model (maybe some others as well) seem to want to sell them for more than the prices I am being quoted from many dealers for a new model? Not wanting to get into specific prices, but when I ask for dealer quotes, I get prices nearly $100 less than what I see some of you selling your used guitars for in the swap shop or on EBay. I don't get it. Could someone explain it to me? Are you asking for more for the work you put in opening it up for us? When I sold mine, I did so for about $100 less than I had paid for it new, and had gotten a nice bargain on that to begin with.

[LawDogStrgsAttach]

Hi Slowfingers,

I suppose you speak of Shreveport Music?  Good shop, but I would not have a non-dealer order and resale to you.  Instead, I suggest you call Jason at Notable Guitars.  Yes, you would still buy "sight unseen (or played)," but he will let you return it within 3 days if it is not how you like.  Granted, I do not think this should be done in a manner of order/test drive/return in a series to find the one you like best....but research the one you think you like, call Jason and get his price (which cannot be beat) and have him describe it to you, and give it a whirl.  Having purchased (hmm) 5 or so from him within the past year, I can vouch for his description of tone, playability, and condition.

Some of the resales of -03's you might be referring could be limited editions.  For instance, many of the -03 blackwoods, koas, and wlanuts fetch prices equivalent to their new selling price or higher.  SInce JCL uses premium wood, we often see intense flame on the otherwise "low end" -03's, which drives the used price up due to the wood used.  It seems to me that these limiteds fetch used prices equal or more than the selling price, the rosewood -03's are close to the selling price, and the hogs get a little less....probably due to availability, not lack of tone. At any rate, the market will bear the price irrespective to the original selling price.  Just look at Larrivee parlors for truth of that!

[Mr_LV19E]

     I can't speak for the sales here on the Forum,(what I have seen are mostly limited editions and I have no idea what they ran new). On e-Bay there seems to be a lot of people that research list prices when selling or buying and don't get direct quotes from the on-line dealers, thus they are not informed. Also people get real caught up in the bidding on e-Bay and spend more than they need to. I have gotten a few good deals on the bay but some things I was searching for after waiting weeks I purchased from the same dealer at a buy it now price or best offer for less than their auctions were bringing in people are funny. After watching Ronniedees' problems I was curious about a L-03 mahogany and found one at G Adoptions for a price in the same ballpark as the bay auctions, new with warranty. I personally would spend a little extra for warranty (I've only been a Larrivee owner for a few months and already used mine) an extra $100 on a $750 guitar is well worth it in my book, so I guess what I'm saying is I wouldn't give more than $650 for a used mint L-03.

     I could not find a dealer in my area either and after searching ended up purchasing from Wildwood Music in southeast Ohio and had a very pleasurable experience.  They have about 60 Larry's in stock but only carry 05 series and up though so my next Larry will be from one of the other fine dealers talked about on this site.
I wish you the best of luck in your search,
  Roger

[Tony Burns]

Not sure why more dealers dont carry Larrivees, their ten times the guitar of Taylor, yet their are way to many Taylor dealers  - maybe their scared to chart new grounds on other guitar brands - their are plenty of online dealers - but sometimes its best to get your hands on it first -- even some of the bigger guitar deales dont deal in Larrivees ( their not all that bright now are they )

My thoughts on guitar prices - some of these sellers are trolling , to get what they paid for them , they think theirs is special , if they get what they want they buy something else and then latter troll with that guitar - guess they think its fun but I  find that a PITA - their is also a few of them that are limited models which makes them desireable - nothing says yu cant sell your guitar for more than what you paid for it !

[Redeemed]

I think another factor might be the fact that the S. American Mahogany 03's are no longer available.. and some find them to be superior over the sapele 03's.


-dan

[axeman]

There are no local dealers here in St. Louis either.  Nearest one is in Columbia, MO, which is half a state away.  There is a local shop specializing in acoustics where I have seen and played two or three used Larrivees.  Both mine came from GC's where they had been traded in.  So, I have seen and played like 4 or 5 Larrivees and now own 2 of them.  As for why there aren't more dealers, in a twisted way I'm kinda glad.  More dealers would mean churning out more product, which could strain production capability and quality control.  I've seen that happen with other brands. 

[Lougar]

  Jason at Notable Guitars.

[PortHueneme]

My experience with many retailers (guitars and other stuff) is that many times they take the easy way out. I used to be in the wholesale bicycle biz.
I had a difficult time getting dealers to buy a product customers had not asked for. Most of them seem to lack any imagination and are afraid to invest in inventory.
While I fully understand the concern of being stuck with inventory, it still baffles me as to why you would only stock what your competition has and then be in a constant price war eroding margins. There used to be a local dealer (small shop) that was across the street from a large chain store. He started stocking Canadian made guitars (Larrivee,A&L,Simon & Patrick, Garrison, etc.) If you wanted a Gibson, Taylor, Fender you shopped across the street, but if you wanted a real value and a great guitar he had a great selection. While we all love our Larrivee's and know what quality we have, many shoppers only know the big names and are not going to spend much on a name they don't know. He had trouble selling Larrivee and has since dropped the line. (they are just priced to high for his customers) He will still order them, but the on-line guys seem to do a better job on price.

I have said many times I have yet to hear or play a bad Larrivee, that said I don't hesitate to buy from one of our great member dealers. I have one from Jason and one from Dave. Both transactions were very easy, good prices. Jason sent me pictures of the guitar before he shipped it, which was a very nice touch.

My personal preference is to buy a new guitar. Unless I am going for a vintage piece I would rather pay a little more get a warranty and the privilege of the first ding. I would only consider a late model used guitar if I got a really smoking deal. To me a used guitar (unless vintage model) should be about 1/2 the MSRP. There are of course exceptions like limited editions or discontinued models. E-bay is interesting I have seen some guitars go for more than a new one from GC.

[Bikeryder]

Not sure why more dealers don't carry Larrivees, their ten times the guitar of Taylor
Tony
Someone posted a question about purchasing a guitar on a cycling forum that I hang around at.  Suggested that they look into a Larrivee as I felt that for the price they were superior to Taylors and Martins, well someone on the forum got really, really upset and ripped me a new one.  Can't imagine how he would respond to your statement.
Cheers

[jwsamuel]

Next question: I am not trying to stir anything up here, but why is it that everyone who is selling a used -03 model (maybe some others as well) seem to want to sell them for more than the prices I am being quoted from many dealers for a new model? Not wanting to get into specific prices, but when I ask for dealer quotes, I get prices nearly $100 less than what I see some of you selling your used guitars for in the swap shop or on EBay.

I have asked some of the people trying to sell those guitars for those prices that question. In nearly every case, the answer was that they bought the guitar at Sam Ash for a couple hundred dollars more than the prices charged by the online dealers. So they see it as asking 25% less than they paid, while we see it as asking more than we could pay for a new one.

Jim