RS-2's and RS-4's discontinued?

Started by magicshoemonkey, December 02, 2014, 08:10:28 PM

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Quote from: JOYCEfromNS on December 06, 2014, 06:04:20 PM
When these first came out my favourite color was the charcoal burst, thus it was my first RS 4. I have picked up a few RS 4's since including Root Beer. My favourite is still Charcoal Burst

FWIW

Andrew I would love to see pics of all your guitars.  You have an impressive collection.

Quote from: JOYCEfromNS on December 06, 2014, 06:04:20 PM
When these first came out my favourite color was the charcoal burst, thus it was my first RS 4. I have picked up a few RS 4's since including Root Beer. My favourite is still Charcoal Burst

FWIW






"I have picked up a few RS4's since".......... :arrow

How many guitars does a guitar player need really?

one more   :cheers
"Senior" member means "old" right?
Like over 50?

Too many guitars to list here.
Too few brain cells to be bothered with...

Maybe that was just my bias coming out (about the charcoal burst). Personally, I like the charcoal burst finish (it was the color I was most drawn to when the RS-4 was first introduced) - I was just *assuming* (oops!) that more players would gravitate to a more traditional looking top...

...on another note, my *least* favorite "burst" color is cherry burst, which is probably the most popular on Les Pauls, and I'm sure is also popular on the RS-4... go figger!

:donut :coffee :donut2 :coffee
2021 C-03R TE left-handed
Larrivee owner since 1992


Wow. Sad news. I'm defiantly going to keep my eyes peeled, and I do love my RS-2. Very glad to have mine.
It is never too late to be what you might have been. - Eliot

2004 LV-03/Fishman Ellipse
2010 RS-2/G3 'buckers


honorable mentions: Heritage 535, Bourgeois/Washburn D55 "Cherokee"

No offence to the OP ////but I think the just of this thread IS...  Guitar Center  discontinues selling Larrivee electrics..( or something like that ) Matthew Larrivee hasn't come on here and confirmed this and neither has the website.....so Boo Yaa...we can keep on buying and playing and recording and modding Larrivee electrics, All in favour show your plus ones. :guitar :cheers :tongue:
2002 LV-05

PRS semi hollow electric

I am an authorized dealer. I bought the last 3 lefty RS2s made. There are no more. RS2s ands RS4s are discontinued. I'm sad to see them go because they are wonderful guitars. They have been very difficult to sell, however. Just look at the previous posts on this thread about how the RS4s can be bought for $900 to $1200 used. Makes selling new ones impossible.
Jerry
www.jerrysleftyguitars.com

Quote from: jerrysleftyguitars on December 27, 2014, 11:16:49 AM
I am an authorized dealer. I bought the last 3 lefty RS2s made. There are no more. RS2s ands RS4s are discontinued. I'm sad to see them go because they are wonderful guitars. They have been very difficult to sell, however. Just look at the previous posts on this thread about how the RS4s can be bought for $900 to $1200 used. Makes selling new ones impossible.

And there you have it. The fickle (or is it too traditional?) guitar playing public failed to recognize another great guitar (the RS-4, as well as the RS-2), because it didn't conform to one or two particular historic models...

Shame.  :donut :coffee
2021 C-03R TE left-handed
Larrivee owner since 1992

The most recent edition of the Acoustic Guitar notes that electric guitars are not presently selling well compared to acoustics.  Perhaps this decision by Larrivee reflects this reality.

Quote from: Strings4Him on December 27, 2014, 01:14:08 PM
The most recent edition of the Acoustic Guitar notes that electric guitars are not presently selling well compared to acoustics.  Perhaps this decision by Larrivee reflects this reality.
Yup my guess too. Industry sure needs another Slash or Page
Larrivee Electrics - My Dream then and Now!!!!!<br /><br />Forum IV     00-03MT       #4      (Treasured)

Hi Andrew,

Quote from: JOYCEfromNS on December 27, 2014, 03:08:33 PM
Yup my guess too. Industry sure needs another Slash or Page

What an interesting thought. Come to think of it, I don't recall ever buying a guitar because someone else played one. But now that you mention it, it must be a factor.

So I guess we need another hero.

The news of these guitars being discontinued is sad, but understandable.
I'm sorry for Matthew, who, as I understand, was the driving force behind the guitar and headed up the R & D around it.

As I have said a few times, I purchased my first RS4 simply on the strength of his wonderful interview with David Wren some years ago about his ideas etc.

like others, I still maintain, it's certainly the best electric guitar I have ever played or owned (so much so that I bought a second one with P90's).

Producing top quality instruments, made from the best materials available isn't a cheap process, and competition is staggering.
I have been playing Larrivee guitars on stage since 1972. They were always the "different" choice for us players, even though they were always better than the competition.
The original eighties run of RS4's were huge in Europe but didn't do great here, (Canada) and again, my eighties RS4's are much better than any strat I have owned.

I've yet to play the "Lancaster" and every store I've asked about stocking them, has replied with the line that if people were gonna throw down that kind of money for a guitar, they want the name Fender Or Gibson on the headstock.

I love my Larrivee guitars, all of them, and I feel very strongly about the family who owns the company, and keeps people employed building such great guitars.
I'm sure some of their decisions around moving forward in an ever changing world around instrument building, global markets and ever changing restrictions on materials can be challenging at best.

For those of us who have the RS4's, or RS2's, we will be joined by the folks who eventually grab one and sing their praises as well.
We are lucky to have such wonderful guitars to play on.....
"Senior" member means "old" right?
Like over 50?

Too many guitars to list here.
Too few brain cells to be bothered with...

The folks who picked up their Forum III IV guitars at the Vancouver shop in  March 2009 2010 got the grand tour.  On the second floor we saw mahogany body blanks for the soon to be released line of electrics - the RS4s. Not quite 5 years later, here we are.

The timing was never quite right for me. I'm all set for electrics and had pretty much reached that point 5 years ago. What I really wanted from Larrivée was something that broke the mould.

edit - to correct Forum III not Forum IV and March 2009 not 2010

About those body blanks; I'm sure that someone posted a picture at the time. They were stacked up a in piled - and you could make out the rough shape that had been cut out of slabs of mahogany.

I went back through the Forum III IV discussion but couldn't find the picture.


Here's something similar for one of my guitars.


The ones that we saw had not reached this stage in the process.

It was intriguing to see the process for the Acoustic Larrivées - going from the splitting the wood for the tops all the way through to the finished guitars. Seeing the electrics in this form (and nothing more) took away more than it conveyed.


edit corrected Forum III not Forum IV

Quote from: headsup on December 29, 2014, 10:15:02 PM
The news of these guitars being discontinued is sad, but understandable.
I'm sorry for Matthew, who, as I understand, was the driving force behind the guitar and headed up the R & D around it.

As I have said a few times, I purchased my first RS4 simply on the strength of his wonderful interview with David Wren some years ago about his ideas etc.

like others, I still maintain, it's certainly the best electric guitar I have ever played or owned (so much so that I bought a second one with P90's).

Producing top quality instruments, made from the best materials available isn't a cheap process, and competition is staggering.
I have been playing Larrivee guitars on stage since 1972. They were always the "different" choice for us players, even though they were always better than the competition.
The original eighties run of RS4's were huge in Europe but didn't do great here, (Canada) and again, my eighties RS4's are much better than any strat I have owned.



Maybe they should have produced a "Headsup" limited edition!  :winkin:
Steve ....aka the SMan

Quote from: ST on December 30, 2014, 08:34:44 AM
About those body blanks; I'm sure that someone posted a picture at the time. They were stacked up a in piled - and you could make out the rough shape that had been cut out of slabs of mahogany.

I went back through the Forum IV discussion but couldn't find the picture.

Hi ST Is it possible you might be thinking of the Forum III discussion as the RS's were already released by the time Forum IV came along  :?
Larrivee Electrics - My Dream then and Now!!!!!<br /><br />Forum IV     00-03MT       #4      (Treasured)

Quote from: headsup on December 29, 2014, 10:15:02 PM

For those of us who have the RS4's, or RS2's, we will be joined by the folks who eventually grab one and sing their praises as well.

We are lucky to have such wonderful guitars to play on.....


I love mine (both RS-4 and RS-2), and this make me consider trying to find a second lefty RS-4 ... I still would like one in Tobacco Sunburst, just because (since I certainly don't 'need' one!). I know where there's still a new one that's been listed for a long time...
2021 C-03R TE left-handed
Larrivee owner since 1992

Quote from: ST on December 30, 2014, 08:34:44 AM

I went back through the Forum IV discussion but couldn't find the picture.

Here's something similar for one of my guitars.


The ones that we saw had not reached this stage in the process.


The RS-4 wasn't hollowed out like this one, but it does give some idea what it would look like before the maple top was glued on...

...and Andrew is correct; it would've been the Forum III guitars, as we did not pick up our Forum IV's from the factory (and they were built in Oxnard, not Canada). Was Jim at Trinity Guitars the one who did the Forum IV order?

2021 C-03R TE left-handed
Larrivee owner since 1992

Hi Andrew,

You're right - it was the Forum III tour.  March 2009

I'm pretty sure that we were told that what we were seeing were not yet available.

Quote from: JOYCEfromNS on December 30, 2014, 11:26:04 AM
Hi ST Is it possible you might be thinking of the Forum III discussion as the RS's were already released by the time Forum IV came along  :?

Quote from: ST on December 30, 2014, 12:11:02 PM
Hi Andrew,

it was the Forum III tour.  March 2009

I'm pretty sure that we were told that what we were seeing were not yet available.

Probably was the RS 2's you all were seeing as the 4's already released and the 2's were soon upcoming.

Quote from: Mikeymac on December 30, 2014, 12:00:11 PM

Was Jim at Trinity Guitars the one who did the Forum IV order?

Yes it was Jim along with Danny's blood sweat and tears  :thumbsup
Larrivee Electrics - My Dream then and Now!!!!!<br /><br />Forum IV     00-03MT       #4      (Treasured)

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