00-40M

[615.Bill]

I played a used Larrivee briefly at a music store earlier this year. I can't remember the model, but it had the dolphin headstock. But it sold before I could make an offer. But that brief experience plus all the reviews, videos, discussions, etc., led me to buy a D-03 all mahogany online.

A couple months later I went to a local Larrivee dealer who stocks a variety of Larrivees where I could compare the Recording 03 series and the Legacy 40 series models. That tryout nudged me toward the Legacy 40 series because it was lighter. Bottom line, the D-03 guitar sold me on Larrivee acoustics. In the final analysis, I would have been happy with 03's or 40's. Those are the Larrivee models upon which most of the other models are based.

The D-03 also showed me that a large dread was too big for me, having a bad right shoulder. So, it's on consignment now, but I still have a 000-40 and a 00-40 due to arrive on Friday. But that 03, man, that's a one-of-a-kind guitar. I hate that it's too big for me to play comfortably.

[mrcolin2u]

I've had my 00-40MH for a few weeks now and it is definitely a keeper.
It's impressive how I can feel the vibrations in my chest coming from such a small body guitar. The tone is very much different from my other guitars and I love it !
I found this model by accident, they had a used one in GC but I ended up getting one direct from the factory , a custom model that someone backed out of .
Very pleased with the purchase, it's so comfortable to play, not only finger style but handles strumming very well also !
The workmanship and playability couldn't be better!

[teh]

I'm glad to see that you took the safe course of action and found this custom 00-40 at the factory rather than buying one with a no return policy as you mentioned in your initial post last month. Just out of curiosity, what features does this guitar have to make it a custom?

For a long time, I thought that Larrivee's L body (I have two of them) and Parlor (I also have one of those) were their two best body sizes. The all mahogany 00-24 I got in October 2024 now adds a third favorite body size to the mix.

[mrcolin2u]

I'm glad to see that you took the safe course of action and found this custom 00-40 at the factory rather than buying one with a no return policy as you mentioned in your initial post last month. Just out of curiosity, what features does this guitar have to make it a custom?

For a long time, I thought that Larrivee's L body (I have two of them) and Parlor (I also have one of those) were their two best body sizes. The all mahogany 00-24 I got in October 2024 now adds a third favorite body size to the mix.

As far as I can see it has rosewood binding on the body instead of maple and has an electronics package which includes a built in tuner .

[StringPicker6]

Sounds like a great find! There is a possibility that the binding is Hawaiian koa, not rosewood, but whatever it is, I'm sure it looks amazing!

[mrcolin2u]

Sounds like a great find! There is a possibility that the binding is Hawaiian koa, not rosewood, but whatever it is, I'm sure it looks amazing!

They told me it was rosewood binding on the customer order list . Either way it looks superb ! I'm very stoked with this purchase 😀

[StringPicker6]

Best part of the 00 size is that it's still able to be strummed pretty hard and still sound great, despite it's size.

[mrcolin2u]

Best part of the 00 size is that it's still able to be strummed pretty hard and still sound great, despite it's size.

It's an amazing guitar, beautiful big tone and so comfortable to play 👍

[BlueBowman]

It's an amazing guitar, beautiful big tone and so comfortable to play 👍

Congrats on your guitar!

Man, I'm really impressed by all the 00 and parlor owners on the forum. Great to see. The game is really changing with players realizing a well-built, smaller guitar can still deliver the goods. And this thread sure isn't helping my yearning for a Larrivee 00!

As for Larrivee consistency, it's been pretty great, IME. I'm lucky enough to live near a dealer who is a huge fan of the brand, so I've played a lot of them over the years. I've also ordered four online, not knowing exactly what I was getting, but every one of those guitars delivered. Getting a poor, or even average, Larrivee at this point would be the thing that surprises me. The only other brands I can bank on when shopping online are the boutique makers (the odds are stacked in my favor). I think that's a real feather in the cap of Larrivee.

[StringPicker6]

I recently saw or read an interview with Tommy Emmanuel. He said that Jean Larrivee told him that building a guitar is just science. Well, I think they have perfected that science so well that every guitar that goes out to stores has zero issues.