Tour of Larrivee Vancouver >>> IS March 16, 2009 <<<

Started by Randy_R, February 04, 2009, 03:45:00 PM

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Quote from: BenF on March 16, 2009, 08:11:30 AM
How did i figure there would be a post from Ricky at silly o'clock in the morning.  Mate, I am excited about today, and I am about 4000 miles away!  I wouldn't be able to sleep if I were in your shoes either.  I cannot wait to hear how it all goes.

Ben, I'll keep you posted.  I hope it's bright enough in the Factory so I can use my cellphone to take decent pics. Otherwise, let me see what I can do if others who brought their camera would let me shoot away using theirs.

It's gonna be quite a day; I'm running on adrenalin or maybe it's the potent mixture of cheap instant coffee and the good stuff of Starbucks running through my veins... or it could be the intoxication I get when I inhale a whiff of air from the soundhole of my Larrivees - so distinct from the Taylor smell.

My mind is running wild between the thought of the Factory, meeting friends in person, and my secret desire to visit all the music stores in Vancouver and play all the OMs I could get my hands on (but I must focus on the main thing of today and keep my subversive GAS-attacks under control).

G'day mate!!!

ricky

Quote from: BenF on March 16, 2009, 08:11:30 AM
How did i figure there would be a post from Ricky at silly o'clock in the morning.  Mate, I am excited about today, and I am about 4000 miles away!  I wouldn't be able to sleep if I were in your shoes either.  I cannot wait to hear how it all goes.
G'morning Ben, we'll keep an eye out for your F-III.
  In fact I am looking over all my notes and saved e-mails and PM's to try and do or say or take pics of or obtain things for anyone who has made a request.
        It also looks like all the wives want to take the tour. I think they all found out we are "real" people after all.
 btw The chemistry between us is like a group of very close friends, or relatives who are just "catching up" with each other.
                 Dermot is so interesting...everytime he talks (with his lovely Irish accent and smile that won't go away) you find out some new intriguing detail of a very colorful life. Maybe Tuffy could do the writing as Dermot relates the stories and a very good read would come out.
               You gotta here about the "Velcro bumper"
 (OK  d. you need to tell the forum that story)
Danny

Cheers Ricky/Danny, sounds like you are having a great time.   :beer
Ben
2009 FIII LS-03RHB #5

http://www.youtube.com/user/1978BenF

For all those on the tour today. ...

While it may not be true that "the whole world's watching" it is true that the whole forum wants to watch. You will NOT be able to overload the rest of us with pics, posts, anecdotes, etc.

As Randy already mentioned I may run out and buy some donuts to share the spirit of the day.

Norman
Larrivee LSV-11E, LV-10E, Limited Edition D-03 IS/MH
Schecter Stiletto Studio 5 bass, Ovation 12-string
{GASSING for RS-4}

Quote from: GeeNorm on March 16, 2009, 09:23:20 AM

As Randy already mentioned I may run out and buy some donuts to share the spirit of the day.


Darn, never thought of that Norman.  It is mid afternoon here, so I have kind of missed the boat for fresh bakery products. (I won't say donuts, because they are useless in Scotland).  Maybe I'll have a wee cake after my dinner tonight, while the lucky ones are in the factory.

Does this whole thing remind you of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at all (see below)?


Quote from: GeeNorm on March 16, 2009, 09:23:20 AM

You will NOT be able to overload the rest of us with pics, posts, anecdotes, etc.

:+1: :+1: :+1: :+1:

[attachment deleted by admin]
Ben
2009 FIII LS-03RHB #5

http://www.youtube.com/user/1978BenF

Quote from: BenF on March 16, 2009, 09:27:19 AM
(I won't say donuts, because they are useless in Scotland). 

No kidding...no donuts in Scotland? I never knew that...(actually I never even wondered about that before...I don't really spend that much time thinking about donuts.)

Also, I never realized you were in Scotland....for some reason I thought you were in England. That is different than England, right? (I guess you can tell I'm not that knowledgeable on British geography...)

Larrivee 00-70 
Gibson Advanced Jumbo  - J-185 - J200 Jr.
 National Resophonics  M1 Tricone
 Eastman MD-904 - DGM-1

they must be going through the factory right about now eh?

Can't wait for the pictures!! :D
Jeffrey


The tour is set to start in 35 minutes.  I'm stuck at the Hilton Garden Inn in Corvallis (OR) while my son "interviews" the grad school folk to see if he will accept their offer to start his PhD journey in this nice sleepy little college town.

Anyway, you guys have a great time, and if you see #xxx555 there, well, DON'T TOUCH IT!   :wink:

Awaiting updates...
Play it daily for best results.

I'm eating my donuts now....   :donut2 :donut :donut :coffee
Randy R., Georgia, USA
Opinions available. Inquire about qty discount.
Forum Guitar III LS03 #15 ser no 108519

Well is the tour over yet?  I want pics!!!!!  I didn't get to go, but would have loved to.  I wonder if I send them a p/u if they would still install it at this late date?  I knind of wanted it factory installed....  Can't wait for pics!!!
A bunch of great guitars I don't deserve and a gaggle of fly rods.... Aint life grand?

Quote from: Bltprf502 on March 16, 2009, 02:59:57 PM
Well is the tour over yet?  I want pics!!!!!  I didn't get to go, but would have loved to.  I wonder if I send them a p/u if they would still install it at this late date?  I knind of wanted it factory installed....  Can't wait for pics!!!

Its only 2pm there. Probably just getting going. There will be a lot of pics taken, I expect.
Randy R., Georgia, USA
Opinions available. Inquire about qty discount.
Forum Guitar III LS03 #15 ser no 108519

The silence is killing me...

Jordan.

LS-03MTHB Forum III (#19), RS-2 Sunburst

Quote from: Dotneck on March 16, 2009, 11:39:12 AM
No kidding...no donuts in Scotland? I never knew that...(actually I never even wondered about that before...I don't really spend that much time thinking about donuts.)

Also, I never realized you were in Scotland....for some reason I thought you were in England. That is different than England, right? (I guess you can tell I'm not that knowledgeable on British geography...)



We have donuts, they just taste like cardboard and old socks.  England is very different from Scotland.  It is wise to never get that wrong :rolleye:

The English are good people.  We all run around the hills in skirts chasing the elusive haggis.  :humour:

Quote from: Jagadis on March 16, 2009, 05:13:36 PM
The silence is killing me...

Jordan.

Tell me about it.  Ricky was online a while back - he must have his iPhone in the factory, and keeps logging on to tease us all!!!  I bet they are playing the guitars!

Ben
2009 FIII LS-03RHB #5

http://www.youtube.com/user/1978BenF

I hope all of the Forum III members enjoy their guitar from this unique run and that everyone who made it to the tour enjoyed themselves today.

P.S. My grandfather was born in Hamilton, Scotland and his mother taught all of her grandchildren including my father how to make shortbread which he did every year at Christmas. I would consider myself a resident expert on the difference between donuts and shortbread (done right) and it isn't even close.

http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/Scotland-History/ScottishShortbread.htm

Think of Scottish shortbread as the "Larrivee" of the bakery world and you get the idea.


Just finished the tour of the Factory. We took lotsa pictures.

On my way to Mike's "VancouverSouthpaw" for the evening party.

ricky

The big day is almost over in Vancouver.  Sounds like a long day starting with breakfast, lunch, tour and jam.  I'm sure I'm not the only one sitting here hitting refresh button every so often tonight hoping for a full report of the day and for some pictures of the tour and the group of new found friends.  I trust everyone had a magnificent day and look forward to hearing and seeing all the details. Would be cool if someone had a recording device at the jam and was able to share some of the tunes from the night.  I think JIm was going to do his montage which was to include Stairway to Heaven :guitar

Just got in.

Fantastic day. Great to meet everyone. Had a lot of fun bonding over tunes.

It was great to how that the guitar starts as a gigantic round (not sure if that's the real term), and transforms and eventually tells the builders what kind of guitar it should be.

Thanks everyone at Larrivée and the forum members for a heartfelt welcome and a great time.


It was a long day indeed, and I didn't even do breakfast.

We met up at the Larrivee factory (somehow the word "factory" doesn't seem quite right, facility perhaps....) at 10:00 am, and were greeted by John Larrivee and Jeremy, who was to be our tour guide. Jim was there with hats at the ready and Matt from Seattle had a couple of Forum III picks for each of us - a nice surprise.

The morning was spent chatting with other members of the forum, as well as of course ogling the very-soon-to-be-completed Forum III guitars, which were just starting to receive the finishing touches of tuners, strings, etc. Everyone was able to easily locate their guitar (or in one case, I believe, guitars) and there were lots of pictures taken amongst the admiring gasps of awe at just how great they look up close. Those pictures John has been posting don't lie a bit, and I'm sure there will be many more soon.

A couple of hours went by incredibly fast in this fashion, and we eventually toddled off to a place called Wazubee on Commercial Drive for lunch, making it back to the Larrivee facility for the tour at almost 2 pm.

We started the tour outside as a couple of employees were hand splitting HUGE rounds of spruce - a fitting beginning amongst the actual logs from whence the guitars spring. We got a good look at most of the work areas on the main floor although the plant is in semi-shutdown mode at the moment. Jeremy was a knowledgeable and articulate guide for what must have been an unsually enthusiastic group. It was after 4 pm when we made it back to the second floor and the tour sort of petered out as various forum members went off with Jim to complete the paperwork to allow them to - YES - take their guitars home with them. Others opted to wait and let Jim complete the setup and bone saddle upgrade.

My own guitar, sadly, was not ready to take home as they'd built it wrong-, er, right-handed; the upside of the ensuing wait being that I got to select a back and sides set for the replacement which is promised in a couple of weeks.

We gathered at my place almost immediately after the tour for the jam and dinner, and it was great to hear everyone's voices as well as several Forum III guitars which everyone agreed sound as good as they look. I don't think anyone will be disappointed in these guitars.

That's about all I've got the energy to write tonight - I'm sure others will chime in with all the stuff I've forgotten to mention.

It was simply great to see how simply happy everyone was to be there, and a pleasure to meet new friends in person.

Cheers, Mike

It's 1:18am Pacific Time and I left Mike's place around 11-ish. The others left ahead of us; only the 3 of us Mike, Danny and I stayed behind singing and playing our Forum IIIs.

I'll keep this brief as I tend to be all over the place when I tell stories.  I did log on a couple of times during the afternoon tour using my iPhone because I wanted to check the serial number of Ben's and Norman GeeNorm's guitar.

We all took lots of pictures: Danny, Tuffy (Lynn), Tad, lyric_girl (Lynda), Johnny37, photoMatt, DaveG, and me ricky making do with my cellphone camera.

I expect the Forum will be flooded with pictures. Let me see if I can post some (but I'm still learning the Mac/Apple world).

I'll start a thread in the Pictures section and do PM or email me if you wish for me to email you my shots / photos directly.

The experience at the Factory Tour was nothing short of exciting & quite educational to say the least (well, after inhaling all the delicious wood scent) make that - intoxicating.

ricky

UPDATE - 1:47am Pacific Time ---- Sorry friends, I had to abandon the new thread in the Pictures Section.

I was hoping my iPhone would take pictures that are less than 400KB in size, but somehow they're too big to load - I can't post it here.

May I request someone to educate me as to how I can reduce the picture size, please?  Otherwise, I can always try to send it to someone who can.  I imagine Ben or Norman GeeNorm would know how to do this.

    I spent most of my time with the Larrivee employees and John. I just couldn't get away from Ed Bond, Jeremy, Shawn and of course John Jr. I learned as many names as I could and went around with a big Starbucks coffee thing a ma jig and made sure every one was "wired"
                    I was so excited after I played "For my Lady" to my wife in the break room, that I came out shouting. YES, YES, YES, this is exactly what we( I said "I" really) wanted.

             Denis,Randy and Norm you have possibly the best guitar you have ever owned on it's way to your door.
These MH/IS F-III's are not one bit short of any expectations that I had ( or anyone who played mine) Unless I got some anomaly these are the ultimate small bodied full toned amazing "Larrivees" And I am NOT exagerating. 1972 IS tops are OPEN. Right now.                              Nuff said
danny



pics to come

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