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

[ducktrapper]

Speaking of proud Canadians, I believe it's about time that Mr. Larrivée was nominated and received an Order of Canada. After all, he's gone from building guitars in his basement to become one of the premier luthiers and largest builders of guitars in North America. Anyone know the best way to nominate a deserving candidate for this prestigious award? I'd do it but who the heck am I? 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Canada

[Walkerman]

Here's Matthew and JCL with the sides of "The Bride"



Here's Matthew and Wendy with the top



Here's Wendy assembling the box (she did the bracing also)



Here's JCL doing a bit of sanding



Here's Wendy doing the preliminary work on the inlay



Although he's not in the picture, here's Matthew doing the CNC set-up



Inlay pieces ready to be cut





Inlay being, well, inlaid



Wendy doing etching of inlay



My Bride






Am I proud of this guitar?  As a peacock.
And knowing that the Larrivee family had hands on the whole time makes it just such a special guitar.  Lucky for me, too, is the fact that it was me taking the pictures, so I got to witness the birth of my guitar.
But I am very sure that each and every guitar that comes out of the Larrivee shop has been worked on by any number of Larrivees.  I can't wait until the next generation (ie Matthew's kids) show up with luthiers tools in hand....

[dermot]

Interesting subject John...

For me it's not really "pride".. as someone mentioned that's really for your family John, and you folks have earned every bit of it...

My only Larrivee guitar is an OM19 from Cail Spl run, chances are that it had a fair bit of hands on from all of you, don't know tho, just a better than average chance...

That the thought even enters my head means i am aware of it, and that might add some value to me.. not sure... i bought it after playing it once at Calder and that's rare for me, the only time actually... i usually let something wait a day or two to think about it, then don't buy it ;-)

But here's what your family name adds to me... i have lived in N Van for years now, and have seen loads of musicians "between gigs" get jobs working with you, i have seen years of steady rock solid support for the food bank with little hype about what you guys do, and know of the great support you have freely given the luither community here.

Respect can never be demanded, only earned and it's the hardest coin to earn, one of the easiest to spend... you guys seem have a fair bit in the karmic bank machine to draw upon.

So yea, the name on the headstock does mean allot to me, knowing that your Mom & Dad, you and Matthew all probably touched my guitar is a good thing i guess, i had not really assigned much value to that, or maybe assigned value subconsciously, i will echo others in saying it's a great guitar no matter who did the work.

d

PS... a great photo essay Walkerman!

[broKen]

Thanks for the picture show Walkerman, and thanks John for asking. I've enjoyed hearing the responses from all the forumites. And I'm glad to own guitars built with pride by the folks who wear the name. 

[bigbluesdaddy]

I bought my Larrivee sight unseen, before I ever even played a Larrivee guitar, I did reaserch on your guitars, asked fellow players who played them, read reviews etc., I knew I wanted my first high end acoustic to be something other than what I was playing in the stores close to me, I just wasn't that impressed with the guitars in my budget, you see I was selling a guitar that I had for over twenty years to finance my purchase, so I was not going to settle for just any guitar, it had to be something special, and after some searching I found something truly special, a guitar that was made with Italian spruce (not something you see everyday) beautifal rosewood, herringbone purfling, maple inlaid logo and headstock border and hand signed by yourself, and knowing that your family is involved with the build process really makes for something truly special, so it does make me proud to own such a nice guitar,  I sold something I had for a long time to buy something I plan to enjoy playing for a long time to come...

[Tuba Mike]

As stated by a few before me, I don't take pride in it but I am sure glad that you do!  It is important to me that the Larrivee family is actively involved in all aspects of the creative process.  From sourcing the trees to doing the elaborate and stunning inlays from Wendy, each Larrivee is a work of art.  It is that involvement and passion for your craft that endeared me to Larrivee guitars and inspired me to find out more about the guitars and the man whose name is on them.  After playing many different guitars from many different makers I came to the conclusion that Larrivee guitars were the ones for me.  My research showed me that the company and the people were the kind that one feels good about working with.  The quality of the workmanship along with the incredible sound of your guitars sealed the deal.  Keep doing what you're doing.  

[LoMa]

I also love ukuleles, and it makes a difference to me that in a family owned factory like KoAloha, a member of the family works on each and every uke they produce. It says something about their commitment to and pride in the product.

Does a Larrivee family member work on every guitar produced? If so, I think it would make a difference to me. If a family member worked on only some guitars, it would mean a lot less to me. I'd also be interested to know what parts of the manufactruing process the family often paticipates in.

I think the all or nothing commitment and participation of family members in a family owned factory makes a difference in a lot of overt and subtle ways, that can only result in goodness, especially as the company goes more into the hands of the younger generation.

[carruth]

I'm proud of my Larrivees' and proud the Larrivee family makes them . Very few people in New Zealand have heard of Larrivee guitars. Whenever I play, there are always a few people afterwards checking out the guitar, and trying to figure out why the guitar sounds so good.

[Madhermit]

I LOVE that Larrivée guitars have such a strong family involvement.  I think it is awesome that Jean is out there sourcing wood from the corners of the earth. I love that John is becoming a tree whisperer too here in Canada. Jean is a true master craftsman, and teacher! I think it is so special that the family has continued to support, foster, and then carry on what they started so long ago. I am a very proud owner of an 1999 L-02, and I just added a Satin OM-05 in March. I feel and hear the love that goes into these instruments, and I spread the word whenever I can.

Thank you for the amazing instruments and may Larrivée continue to build heirloom quality guitars for many, many generations to come!

Here is my Satin OM-05!

[Madhermit]

Speaking of proud Canadians, I believe it's about time that Mr. Larrivée was nominated and received an Order of Canada. After all, he's gone from building guitars in his basement to become one of the premier luthiers and largest builders of guitars in North America. Anyone know the best way to nominate a deserving candidate for this prestigious award? I'd do it but who the heck am I? 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Canada

[ducktrapper]

Let's start a campaign. First thing is to discover if Mr. L would care to be nominated. I'd think Bruce Cockburn, Gordon Lightfoot and Wayne Gretzky would be good company but who knows.  

[LaminateBoy]

I think it's his contribution to the art, craft and business of guitar making in Canada that makes him an obvious candidate for the Order of Canada. Throw a brick in any direction and you're liable to hit a luthier who has apprenticed or worked with Jean Larrivee. His contribution goes way beyond his own company.

[ducktrapper]

I think it's his contribution to the art, craft and business of guitar making in Canada that makes him an obvious candidate for the Order of Canada. Throw a brick in any direction and you're liable to hit a luthier who has apprenticed or worked with Jean Larrivee. His contribution goes way beyond his own company.

Absolutley! So how do we go about doing it, assuming Mr. L is for it?

[JOYCEfromNS]

Absolutley! So how do we go about doing it, assuming Mr. L is for it?

From the reference you provided, the nomination can be made by any Cdn resident to the Selection Commitee:

Any of the three levels of the Order of Canada are open to all living Canadian citizens,[59] except all federal and provincial politicians and judges while they hold office. The Order recognizes the achievement of outstanding merit or distinguished service by Canadians who made a major difference to Canada through lifelong contributions in every field of endeavour, as well as the efforts made by non-Canadians who have made the world better by their actions. Membership is thus accorded to those who exemplify the order's Latin motto, taken from Hebrews 11:16 of the Bible, desiderantes meliorem patriam, meaning "they desire a better country."[60] Each of the six to eight hundred nominations submitted each year,[61] by any person or organization, is received by the order's Advisory Council, which, along with the governor general, makes the final choice of new inductees, typically by consensus rather than a vote;[61] a process that, when conceived, was the first of its kind in the world.[61] Appointees are then accepted into the organization at an investiture ceremony typically conducted by the governor general at Rideau Hall, though the Queen or another viceroy may perform the task and the ceremony may take place in other locations.

[dermot]

and here's the form for you;

http://archive.gg.ca/honours/nat-ord/oc/oc-info_e.asp

Nominations should be accompanied by biographical notes detailing the career and achievements of the nominee. It is helpful to include the names of persons who would support the nomination and who could provide information about why the individual deserves the honour.

I would approach the MP's for Jean & Wendy's home & Business in Canada, i guess Ms May for their home, and and Ms Fry for the business, also Bruce Cockburn, and any other OoC recipients that have a connection.

d


 

[ducktrapper]

From the reference you provided, the nomination can be made by any Cdn resident to the Selection Commitee:

Any of the three levels of the Order of Canada are open to all living Canadian citizens,[59] except all federal and provincial politicians and judges while they hold office. The Order recognizes the achievement of outstanding merit or distinguished service by Canadians who made a major difference to Canada through lifelong contributions in every field of endeavour, as well as the efforts made by non-Canadians who have made the world better by their actions. Membership is thus accorded to those who exemplify the order's Latin motto, taken from Hebrews 11:16 of the Bible, desiderantes meliorem patriam, meaning "they desire a better country."[60] Each of the six to eight hundred nominations submitted each year,[61] by any person or organization, is received by the order's Advisory Council, which, along with the governor general, makes the final choice of new inductees, typically by consensus rather than a vote;[61] a process that, when conceived, was the first of its kind in the world.[61] Appointees are then accepted into the organization at an investiture ceremony typically conducted by the governor general at Rideau Hall, though the Queen or another viceroy may perform the task and the ceremony may take place in other locations.

Yeah I read that but I'm thinking, if Mr. L is willing, someone with a little more, um, clout should do the honours of nominating him. Does Mr. Harper play a Larrivée? Anyone know Cockburn?   

[unclrob]

Duck tant nothin better then too be put up by the citizens it says a whole lot more.


Can I sign up or whatever to help.

[JOYCEfromNS]

Yeah I read that but I'm thinking, if Mr. L is willing, someone with a little more, um, clout should do the honours of nominating him. Does Mr. Harper play a Larrivée? Anyone know Cockburn?  

Don't think clout is necessary but it can also come from an organization. Maybe a new thread be opened and the nomination could come from us ( Larrivee Forum)  

Donno if HARPER plays a Larrivee but as I'm sure you know he plays a piano ( and aint a peeano from "the other thread")

[ducktrapper]

Don't think clout is necessary but it can also come from an organization. Maybe a new thread be opened and the nomination could come from us ( Larrivee Forum)  

That I like. At least, by the Canuckistanis on the forum, in keeping with the O of C rules. First we need to find out if it's okay with the man himself. How we do that? John? Matthew?    

[J M Larrivée]

  Hi Everyone,

WOW, thank you for all the many kind words you have given. It truly means a lot to our family to see, read and hear stories of musicians loving and caring for our instruments. A day doesn't go by that we don't appreciate the support you have all given us. We are a modest family and very in touch with reality. We do our best to bring you our highest quality instruments at affordable pricing while balancing costs, supplies, labour and living expenses. A very challenging act in this day and age. But we are commited as a family, with Jean as our leader, to continue the path Jean has worked so hard to carve.

At your service...

john jr.