What I love about Larrivee...

[dneal]

I've been beating up the little parlor in other threads.  The criticisms might be a little harsh, but I think they're fair.  Since people lurk, google, etc... and find forums like these; and since members of the Larrivee family proper stop by... here are some of the things I LOVE about Larrivee.  Please add your thoughts as well.

- The "Larrivee Story".  From the origins to the offshoots (Manzer, Laskin, etc...).  JCL's tramping across the globe for wood, Wendy's inlay... I love all of it.  I love the Martin story, but it feels like a company history.  Larrivee feels like a family history.

- The innovation.  A great many guitar companies out there just copy and/or tweak Martin design and sound (and they do make some fine guitars as a result).  JCL, however, innovated and gave us a balance and evenness I don't think had been seen previously.  Now folks copy him.  Imitation as form of flattery, and all that...

- Necks.  "Taylor necks" are well known.  I like 'em too, but nothing is more comfortable to me than a Larrivee neck.

- Frets.  I never really noticed it at first, but Larrivee's seem to have bigger/thicker frets than most manufacturers.  You don't realize how much that makes for easier playing until you grab a guitar with tiny low frets.

[Strings4Him]

Agree with all your thoughts (although I really like Larrivee parlor guitars  )

To me it is intriguing to realize that we are all witnessing something akin to the Martin family dynasty that began in 1833.  With the Larrivee's we are enjoying the fruits of the 1st and 2nd generation.  I hope many more in the Larrivee family come along in the decades to come.

Come to think of it, I can't think of any other well-known guitar company that is so family-driven as Larrivee Guitars.

[Danny]

    I do speak my mind on occasion about the P-09s. But I have had three of them now. Nuff said there.

                         But if I had a chance to get a P-01 or a all mahogany P-03 I would grab it.

   I like all the things you said and more. A family business run by a true master in his profession. Still on the job and will be through his entire life, or so it seems. Sons who pride themselves in carrying on the family name and building quality instruments and a wife who is an artist lending her abilities as well.
   
    I've been to both "factories" and met a lot of very good folks, including family. They are the real deal.

[headsup]

No arguments here either.

Does Bob Taylor or CF martin contribute to those respective forums?
Honest questions as I only subscribe to this forum.

The Godin family in Quebec, Robert (dad) does a lot of seminars and is incredibly personable, and Simon & Patrick both travel with him.
Certainly not the exceptional high standards of guitar building as Larrivee, but a very good quality and consistent guitar builder.


I let my Larrivee PV-09 go as the short scale was an issue for me, and replaced it with a Seagull (Godin) Spruce/rosewood full scale 14 fret parlour.

[carruth]

And I would add that Larrivees are very well priced. You can buy a Martin as good as a Larrivee, but they cost considerably more.          "Larrivee Guitars.....Quality guitars at a fair price."   

[AZLiberty]

And I would add that Larrivees are very well priced. You can buy a Martin as good as a Larrivee, but they cost considerably more.          "Larrivee Guitars.....Quality guitars at a fair price."   

Not really true.  A Martin DSR  is just as good a guitar as a Larrivee D-03R  and comparably priced.

It's true that a few years ago Larrivee had the $800-1200 North American, all solid wood, guitar market pretty much to themselves, other Builders (Martin, Breedlove, and even Taylor) have really upped their game in this segment.

This is the new golden age of acoustic instruments.

[carruth]

Fair comment..but I would add that the wood quality on the O3 Larrivee is usually far superior than the DSR Martins.

[sdelsolray]

I like the symmetrical bracing and all that brings to the table, particularly in the OM and L models.
I like the price performance ratio in the -03 Series.
I like the neck profile, compound radius measurements and fret height.

That being said, there are many guitars I enjoy overall more than Larrivee guitars.  But they cost more, much more.

[bobw]

   the tone....  the easy of play....  + everything everyone else said...  They are nice Great guitars!!!

[Riverbend]

"What I love about Larrivee..." has even another dimension for me personally. Of course I love the look, feel and especially the sound of my first Larrivee. My search for a new guitar started like most folks with GAS, which is a budget. I'd resolved to spend in the $1,500 range for a new quality guitar, and I had visions of a new Martin or Taylor. I don't exactly live in an area where quality guitar choices are aplenty, meaning I had to drive to find multiple choices. I played those Martins and Taylors in my price range and was truly disappointed in what I found. I'd been playing again after 20 years of barely doing so, and most of the recent time had been spend fingering a 40 year old Finnish made classical guitar, cedar on mahogany, and the Martins and Taylors sounded cold and dead in comparison, all newness considered. Then I happened upon a couple Larrivees in a small shop not too far from where I live, a brand of guitar with which I was unfamiliar. It was love at first play, and I played every one that shop had. Then began my "research", which was a very enlightening experience for me. I was very impressed with the many stories I read about JCL, Wendy, Matthew and John, and that familial continuity had it's own effect on my decision. It also led me to this forum where I read so many of it's fine, relevant and knowledgable posts. Then more driving to try a wider selection of Larrivees, which only helped cement my resolve to find the Larrivee for me. Then I learned about Wildwood Music from this forum and commenced communicating with Don & Marty. My new Larrivee has been not only a joy to hold and play, it was also a process of discovery which held it's own personal rewards. And it's allowed me to share that discovery to some degree, which is the other dimension to which I referred earlier. I've had a few opportunities to rehearse with other musicians and also to play at church. The question has come up, "what kind of guitar is that?", to which I excitedly reply, "It's a Larrivee...have you ever heard of them?" To date, no one I've encountered in my neck of the woods has heard of them. Amazing as that may seem, it's true. I don't share my pride of ownership in some smug, look-what-I've-got way, at least my intentions are not to do so, but rather a look-what-I-found and they're great and affordable and you can buy one too sort of attitude. Because that's how I feel. I love that I discovered them for myself and can tell people some good things that they may not have heard about a great little family company working hard to provide quality at reasonable prices. And it all circles right back to the fact that they build excellent guitars, which is what it's really all about.   

[unclrob]

I was and still am a BIG fan of Guild's which I discovered in 1972 still own that guitar.I was working in a guitar shop when the owner come back from a NAMM show in 1998 with a bunch.At the time I was looking to add to my tonal pallet since I worked in a vintage shop I got to play a lot of guitars.Martins just didn't do it for me and Gibson was a hit and miss {mostly miss},had a week long love hate thing with a Taylor jumbo or two but in the end that wasn't the guitar for me.The Larrivee's showed up and I finally heard a guitar that stood out balance and clarity,sound bigger then life when in drop tunings.Well it took a couple of years for me to buy one and that was a factory second L09Koa.Latter I added a L09Koa 12 string then an OM10Koa and a bunch more that I bought for my retirement including a couple of LS's and one CS.Then I got a jumbo 05 and that was it for a few years.The dreaded shoulder failure and I could no longer play the J05,traded that for an LS10 and that has been my main guitar since then.Still want to special order a 12 string and add another OM or two but lack of $$ keeps me dreaming.Overall I have yet to play any other make that give's me what my Larrivee's do and being a repairperson I get to play a lot of different make's.

[YOUNG AT HEART]

Nice words from you guys      .... I have a P05, which is "nice" for a small instrument , rather than "wow".. It does however excel at pieces  that have most of the melody played on the top E string, whereby it sings like a little canary !

However, my quite recently acquired OMO3R is really pleasing me a lot.   Perhaps the best compliment I can pay it, is that on many occasions, I am happy not to actually "play" it.., but just to sit and pick a single note and listen to it do 10 laps of the inside of the soundbox before fading away.  On my particular guitar I would describe the tone of the top E string plucked on fret 5 or 7 as almost "haunting" in it's tone as it grows, sustains and then fades....strange fellow I am !     

[bargemule]

"On my particular guitar I would describe the tone of the top E string plucked on fret 5 or 7 as almost "haunting" in it's tone as it grows, sustains and then fades...."

gotta try that as soon as I get home!

[YOUNG AT HEART]

cmcox----amendment to previous post  ,lol.       Fret 5 is doin' it , fret 7 isn't ( thought it was !)   

[Danny]

cmcox----amendment to previous post  ,lol.       Fret 5 is doin' it , fret 7 isn't ( thought it was !)   

Man, I'm so glad you cleared that up

[YOUNG AT HEART]

Nice one dependan,  humour appreciated here. lol       .      Anyway, I'm only posting because I'm currently bored, and unlike yourself, I'm only a hobbyist who plays for his own pleasure, and so my thoughts aren't worth a whole lot to most folks......but I do like to chat about my Larrivees, and be friendly to folks on here .....(infact, I'm fairly sure that I like reading ,Gassing and chatting about acoustic guitars in general,  better than actually playing them)   
Well it's beer time here in UK in an hour's time, so the guitars are tucked up for the night.
Happy strumming sir !     

[Danny]

Nice one dependan,  humour appreciated here. lol       .      Anyway, I'm only posting because I'm currently bored, and unlike yourself, I'm only a hobbyist who plays for his own pleasure, and so my thoughts aren't worth a whole lot to most folks......but I do like to chat about my Larrivees, and be friendly to folks on here .....(infact, I'm fairly sure that I like reading ,Gassing and chatting about acoustic guitars in general,  better than actually playing them)   
Well it's beer time here in UK in an hour's time, so the guitars are tucked up for the night.
Happy strumming sir !     

You are as much a member as anyone here, glad to hear your thoughts!

[carruth]

Nice thoughts Riverbend.        I feel the same when I play a concert, and someone comes up afterwards to ask what sort of guitar I'm playing. Very few people here in New Zealand have even heard of Larrivee Guitars.

[eded]

What I love is that they do for me what no other guitar does.  Admittedly, I'm one of the weirdos that likes the parlor for just what it is.  The body size, scale, volume and tone are just what I am looking for.  There isn't another (factory) builder that has a 24" scale small body guitar that approaches it.

Ed

[brandon]

Larrivee's consistency and standards are excellent. The necks are great and make the guitars effortless to play. I currently have 3 and am always looking to add to the stable.

For the record, I love my little parlor!