American Red River Gum models.

[Silence Dogood]

Just some thoughts on what Larrivee offers:

I'm not Larrivee's ideal customer.  I have only ever owned one of their guitars, and I got it used.  But it made me a fan for life and I've enjoyed keeping up with their business. 

I just jumped over to their site and noticed that they have 17 different series of acoustic guitars, and under each series there are multiple options available.  Then they have the electrics currently in production. 

In the recent past they did the Simple 6 (which I thought were completely cool). They made those RS electrics, and in the not too distant past they did mandolins and ukes.  That's a ton of options from a small, family-run shop. 

And now Matthew Larrivee locates a cool stash of rare wood, so they make a run of 18 unique models for the serious Larrivee nerd. I just think that's pretty cool.  If it were Taylor or Martin it would be a run of 20,000 -- also pretty cool in the grand scheme, but not nearly as special as someone ending up with 1 guitar out of 18. 

[BlueBowman]

Just some thoughts on what Larrivee offers:

Not to mention, a fact that everyone here is fully aware, Larrivee doesn't make inferior guitars like most (all?) other big factories. You can find a great guitar in the -01, -02, -03 series just as easily as the higher numbered models. A plain ole sitka/mahogany OM-02 is still my favorite Larrivee I've owned to date. It sounds utterly huge in Open D and other drop tunings. Tuned down, it can hang with most guitars. A great Larrivee rings like a bell.

[Silence Dogood]

Not to mention, a fact that everyone here is fully aware, Larrivee doesn't make inferior guitars like most (all?) other big factories. You can find a great guitar in the -01, -02, -03 series just as easily as the higher numbered models. A plain ole sitka/mahogany OM-02 is still my favorite Larrivee I've owned to date. It sounds utterly huge in Open D and other drop tunings. Tuned down, it can hang with most guitars. A great Larrivee rings like a bell.

You are correct that their basic models are still a high-end guitar.  I've said many times here that my own guitar stays tuned down a whole step (and down from there into 432Hz in recent years since I've become familiar with that whole thing). 

It's cool how it worked out for me since I was going to end up gravitating toward lower tunings, but when I bought my Larrivee I wasn't really familiar with the concept.  It was fortuitous and serendipitous to choose a Larrivee since they apparently like and can handle the lower tunings -- some guitars apparently cannot.  Some guitars just go lifeless if not in A-440 but my Larrivee comes alive with the tension of standard tuning off. 

I've got a friend who owns a 25-year-old, unplayed D02 model. He bought it as a milestone birthday gift and never learned to play.  The thing just sounds insanely good, and it was one of the cheapest ones Larrivee ever put out. While I'm a fan of Martin in general, in contrast their lower-end models are made elsewhere and out of some kind of weird pressed wood.  But every Larrivee is a real Larrivee.