Forum Guitars ?

[mas music]

"Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent" I will for go this bit of wisdom and expose my ignorance. Here goes- 
What exactly is a Forum Guitar? There is no mention of one on the Larrivee web site. Is it named in honor of this Forum? What body style is it or what body styles is it available in? I really love my Larrivee but there marketing is an enigma. 

[teh]

Actually, a lot of Larrivee's marketing comes from the best technique ever created: Word of Mouth. At the same time, they offer an exceptional value and from personal experience, my two Larrivees have probably produced 20 sales alone. One of mine (Parlor) was a special edition and the other (12 String) was a special order through the dealer.

In a simple terms, a Larrivee Forum guitar is one that is developed and designed solely with input from members of the Larrivee Guitar Forum and a willing dealer to coordinate and place the orders with the factory. The genesis for the Forum IV guitar came about in November 2009 as result of the popularity of the Forum III guitar from last year and you can search the forum for specs and accolades. The current version is an 00-03 all mahogany version and the orders closed on Friday 1/15/10.

While I have not participated in any of the Forum orders, I have a buddy in town who has two and loves them. There are always a couple popping up on the buy/sell pages from time to time. Undoubtedly, you will receive additional commentary and corrections/clarifications to my post.

[AZLiberty]

The Forum Guitars were custom ordered, limited quantity guitars that were ordered en mass by the members of the forum.

By ordering a bunch of guitars at once, either all the same, or with a very limited number of options, the Forum members were able to get a very special guitar, and both the customers (us) and the manufacturer (Larrivee) bennifit from the associated economies of scale.

For example:

The Forum IV is a 00 size body, mahogany top and sides, with a 12-fret neck.  The order period for these ended two days ago.

The Forum V is planned to be a Cedar/Walnut L-body.

[jamesb1101]

If everything goes well, the Forum V will be the most unique yet. We hope, we just have to wait then a discussion can begin as to specs, etc...

-James

[JOYCEfromNS]

Heck I am hoping an RS 4 will be a Forum guitar BUT unable at this time to take leadership like ones in the past such as  Danny for Forums III & IV and James & Lawdog for the Forum V. Being involved in Forum IV solely as a contributor and purchaser certainly was a fun experience and am grateful for those who take the Leadership of a Forum guitar.

Note to ST - maybe the Forum Guitar on the Wikipedia should have a bit of a definition ( can't remember if it does already) 

[tuffythepug]

Just to add a little bit more info for you.  . . .

The first forum guitars Forum I and Forum II were actually two small runs of the same guitar:   an OM-03 with special rosette.  I think they were 12 fret models although I'm not certain of that fact.  There were less than 20 of these made.

The Forum III was a resurrection of the previously discontinued 12 fret  LS-03 (small L body) models.   I happen to own one of these and participated in the spec discussions last year.   78 + guitars were involved in that single Forum III order.

The Forum IV happened the same way.   Forum members decided to approach the same dealer and ask for Larrivee to produce another limited run of a "special" guitar.  this time it's a 12 fret 00-03 which was discussed previously as a possibility last year but lost out to the LS-03 in the end.

The Larrivee company does not initiate these nor do they make reference to them in their catalogs or website.  They have been most gracious in allowing members of the forum to design a guitar that's a little bit different than their standard offerings.  In the past they've thrown in some surprises like fancier rosettes and they even agreed to use some pretty special Italian Spruce on the Forum III guitars.   

Having participated in a previous forum guitar venture I can say that I got much more than a fine guitar out of the effort.  I made a ton of new friends and had a nice tour of the Larrivee factory as a result of the fourm III project.   The guitars are all very good examples of Larrivee craftmanship but their "specialness" is partly due to the fact that forum members had a direct involvement with their creation.

Forum V  ??    Nobody knows until someone decides to dedicate the time and effort to get one started.
Generally, Larrivee has said that they need a minimum of 16 orders or so before they'd agree to build them.

[ST]

Hi mas music,

See the link at the bottom of my signature to Forum Guitars for a collection of information about them.

[ST]

Great thought.

Note to ST - maybe the Forum Guitar on the Wikipedia should have a bit of a definition ( can't remember if it does already) 

It does now.

See the link to Forum Guitars at the bottom of my signature.

[mas music]

Wow, very interesting. Thanks to all for the valuable information. Word of mouth is a fine way to spread the word. Still, an occasional news letter to announce special and limited edition guitars would be helpfull. It seems Larrivee is driven by a loyal fan base as opposed to savvy maketing.     

[teh]

Actually, Larrivee has a pretty saavy marketing program. Once the dealers get wind of special orders, a number of them load up on guitars. My dealer has 15 to 16 unique Larrivee guitars listed on his web site right now.

Over the years Larrivee has offered limited runs ranging from Bubinga, Silver Oak, Flamed Maple to Zebrawood, Koa and Lacewood just to name a few. After the Forum III guitar came out last year, I believe that a dealer in Canada ordered a limited run of a similar guitar and Larrivee has small special runs of maple and walnut guitars in the 03 series in the line-up.

[Danny]

Just to add a little bit more info for you.  . . .

The first forum guitars Forum I and Forum II were actually two small runs of the same guitar:   an OM-03 with special rosette.  I think they were 12 fret models although I'm not certain of that fact.  There were less than 20 of these made.

The Forum III was a resurrection of the previously discontinued 12 fret  LS-03 (small L body) models.   I happen to own one of these and participated in the spec discussions last year.   78 + guitars were involved in that single Forum III order.

The Forum IV happened the same way.   Forum members decided to approach the same dealer and ask for Larrivee to produce another limited run of a "special" guitar.  this time it's a 12 fret 00-03 which was discussed previously as a possibility last year but lost out to the LS-03 in the end.

The Larrivee company does not initiate these nor do they make reference to them in their catalogs or website.  They have been most gracious in allowing members of the forum to design a guitar that's a little bit different than their standard offerings.  In the past they've thrown in some surprises like fancier rosettes and they even agreed to use some pretty special Italian Spruce on the Forum III guitars.   

Having participated in a previous forum guitar venture I can say that I got much more than a fine guitar out of the effort.  I made a ton of new friends and had a nice tour of the Larrivee factory as a result of the fourm III project.   The guitars are all very good examples of Larrivee craftmanship but their "specialness" is partly due to the fact that forum members had a direct involvement with their creation.

Forum V  ??    Nobody knows until someone decides to dedicate the time and effort to get one started.
Generally, Larrivee has said that they need a minimum of 16 orders or so before they'd agree to build them.

                          The F-V is as non-existent as the F-IV was all last summer and fall.
                                                      You have to commit to it.
    And you have to have a dealer who will commit to it. By the end of the process you both may be "committed".

[KenHolden]

The Forum V is planned to be a Cedar/Walnut L-body/quote]


That would be nice.    Lets see how far the idea goes.