Have any of you who once owned high-end guitar come back to Larrivee???

[mekobebe]

didnt grit laskin pass though the larrivee shop when his started?  do any of you have laskins or got to play any and how do they compare to larrivees?  i was always told that laskin makes some of the nest flattops in the world.

[Ebin Parker]

I always come back to my original 1976 Larrivee that I bought from Ring Music in Toronto almost 30 years ago!
Be well,
EP

[sgarnett]

Perhaps the better question is; would you rather have a high quality production guitar or a high quality custom guitar? That may not be as much of a no-brainer as you might think.

Sure, I'd love to custom-order exactly what I wanted. I do have several fine "custom" instruments, including (arguably) one or two from the Larrivee custom shop, but I didn't specify any of them myself. I'd still like to do that once.

On the other hand, I'm almost "bound up" with irreplaceable instruments, though they probably have more sentimental value than monetary. Tricycles, microphones, and beer bottles have no respect for "irreplaceable", or for delicate old laquer and wood. I don't need or want a plywood or plastic "beater" that I can paddle a canoe with. What I do need is something that sounds good and "right" when I play it right, has a modern cross-linked finish, and can be readily repaired or replaced if something happens. My tastes are also shifting from silk to flannel, so to speak.

[ducktrapper]

didnt grit laskin pass though the larrivee shop when his started?  do any of you have laskins or got to play any and how do they compare to larrivees?  i was always told that laskin makes some of the nest flattops in the world.

Correctomundo! As did several of the world's ranking luthiers. Manzers and Laskins comand big bucks and they learned their craft under Jean Lariivée. These folks make nice guitars. Like Eban, I always return to the guitar that started my love affair with Larrivée. My 1975 L09. Manzer, Laskin and Larrivée may have all worked on her. I've seen a 1976 Manzer that was a dead ringer for my '75. Laskins sound like Larrivées to me. However these two have kept their output small and totally hand and self made. Jean Larrivée had a bigger dream. Ebin and I were lucky enough to be there when the ball got rolling but fortunately for everyone else they're available to a lot more people. 

[whiskeyjack]

I sought to commission a custom Martin OM-35 once:  CFM wouldn't build it to my specs for $4200.  Then I commissioned a Paragon OM for around $3000 but it didn't work out either.  My custom guitar dreams ended with a Martin J16C-RGTE twelve for $2700: they have quality control issues with some of their customs and I sold it to buy another Larrivee OM twelve string.  And I once owned an Arlo Guthrie Signature twelve string (0000-AG) that was every bit a custom guitar.

That pretty much summarizes my effort to get into the boutique, less-than-1500-per-year custom club.  There'll be no more of that nonsense!

I'm not sure why it is that a guy has to go through so much money to find the right combination of tone, build and voice in a guitar.  Part of it is certainly a disease  .  Another part of the behavior is reminiscent of a raven drawn to shiny objects.  Geeze, I used to love Taylor guitars for their looks. . . .  Just like Pokemon or something. . . .collect 'em all just for the sake of having them!! 

My 3 series is not fancy, but it played and sounded better than some guitars more than twice it's price

Well said!   And THAT is the reason I own Larrivee guitars and have no desire to buy higher end makes and models.  Yes, I'd love too own a Tim Vines someday but I won't have $7500 to spend on guitars.  And I'll probably build a couple guitars in the near future.  But what keeps me interested in Jean Larrivee's guitars is the voice and the value.  It just took a while to 'get my mind right'.

[fingerstyl]

Then I commissioned a Paragon OM for around $3000 but it didn't work out either. 

Whiskeyjack. I'm curious as to how the tone of the Paragon you owned compared to both your Martin and Larrivee. Could you share your thoughts on the quality and how it compared to a factory model for much less? Thanks!

[Calvin]

Do you buy a BMW/Mercedes that you can drive everyday in and out, or do you buy a Ferrari or whatever car that has a name ending with "a e i o" that cost $1200 for an oil change?  There is haveing luxury and there is being exclusive.  If have have the money to blow, a Ferrari... er... an Olson or Ryan is great.  Else get a Larrivee or Martin from their regular line up, trust me, you are 90% there.

[whiskeyjack]

Whiskeyjack. I'm curious as to how the tone of the Paragon you owned compared to both your Martin and Larrivee. Could you share your thoughts on the quality and how it compared to a factory model for much less? Thanks!

Welcome aboard, fingerstyl.       

I posed exactly the same question to Paragon owners.  Unfortunately though, my custom Paragon guitar never was completed due to a glitch in construction.   And I never did play a Paragon guitar.   But the consensus among Paragon owners was that the low end had better definition (more growl) than a Martin and the overall voice of the guitar was generally better balanced.

Rob Bustos is a conscientious and fair man who works closely with his customers.  He works diligently to make sure there are no oversights.  And when there is one he's level-headed and articulate enough to reason with.  I can't say enough good about Paragon's management style and quality control.  If I were wealthy enough to commission a custom it would be a Paragon. http://www.paragonguitars.com/

[fingerstyl]

Thanks Whiskeyjack! It looks like a lot of builders have come from the Larrivee camp, like Paragon, and I'm sure they have some of the Larrivee flavor in them. I have a L-lite that sounds amazing to my ears, and it didn't cost me an arm and leg to get. I don't get much chance to play a lot of the big dollar guitars discussed here, but the pictures are sure nice I think I'll go take my Larrivee for a little spin right now!