Why are Larrivee Guitars not more popular?

Started by Kevidosa, June 02, 2022, 09:53:12 AM

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Since some are telling us how long, I'm curious as to who has been playing Larrivees the longest. I know Kevin (headsup) has been playing them since before the flood and I obtained my first indirectly from him. So for me a used '75 in ... 1976.    

Quote from: jpmist on June 03, 2022, 07:29:43 AM

For Larrivee to go the way of Taylor/Gibson/Martin means a few more levels of management, marketing, sales reps, and doubling (or more) their factory capacity.

Taylor, Martin, and Gibson really shouldn't be lumped together in any way.  Gibson USA builds fewer acoustic guitars than Larrivee, or a few more, depending on the year.  They were building about 200 instruments a week when Ren was there, and that includes mandolins, which is actually around 25% of the business.

Gibson does sell quite lot of guitars, but the vast majority of them are made in China and say Epiphone on the headstock.

Martin is of course an over 200 year old enterprise, and Taylor is a marketing organization that just happens to sell guitars (not that I would mind owning a 362). 

Quote from: AZLiberty on June 09, 2022, 01:38:17 AM
Taylor is a marketing organization that just happens to sell guitars  

Now that's funny.  :laughin:

For some reason I have never tried out or played a Taylor. But I do know a local music store near me that is offering a second baby Taylor for only $99 if you buy a Taylor.  Sounds like some kind of grocery store coupon offer.  :humour:
Larrivee P-03
Epiphone USA Texan
2023  Larrivee L-09

I was one of those guys before, the one with a Martin hanging on my wall. I Live in Vancouver where they used to build Larrivee guitars and never really considered buying one. I walked into a local music store and picked up a used Larrivee to try out, within a week my Martin was sold and I had a 17 year old OM-03R which will be hanging on my wall for as long as I can play it.

Like most say as well when you walk into a music store there is a wall for each Gibson, Taylor and Martin. Larrivee maybe 3 or 4.

:smile:

Quote from: CadillacBob on June 12, 2022, 11:43:58 PMI was one of those guys before, the one with a Martin hanging on my wall. I Live in Vancouver where they used to build Larrivee guitars and never really considered buying one. I walked into a local music store and picked up a used Larrivee to try out, within a week my Martin was sold and I had a 17 year old OM-03R which will be hanging on my wall for as long as I can play it.

Like most say as well when you walk into a music store there is a wall for each Gibson, Taylor and Martin. Larrivee maybe 3 or 4.

 :smile:
Coincidentally I've just bought a 17 year old OM-03R. Never played or even seen a Larrivee before, they seem very rare in the UK, but was really impressed with a clip posted on line. I know you can't put any store by a recording but I was interested enough to track one down. The action was really high on both sides, 3mm, but after a visit to a local luthier it's now just below 2mm on the low E and 1.6mm on the high E, and plays like a dream for fingerstyle. Tonally I much prefer it to my Eastman E8OM-TC, not quite as rich in the bass but much better separation, less muddy (harsh description of the Eastman!). The Eastman is on its way out.

EDIT: to answer the OP's question, in the UK at least, in my experience there are very few stores that stock them so they just aren't visible.

It's all been convered, but to reiterate - marketing, coverage (availability), and history.

Before I considered playing my dad had pointed out that his friend Andy played a Martin. Andy was an old man in a blue grass band that my dad knew through the funeral business. He always talked about Andy's guitar, how Andy told him it was a dream come true to purchase it, etc. I was raised knowing 1 acoustic guitar brand that was mythical in its elevated quality compared to others.

I've never owned a Martin and I would be foolish to think or say I never will, I just haven't prioritized one over others in my stable. For my 10 year anniversary my wife was going to get me a D-28. She knew enough about guitars to knwo Martin was the s***, and it didn't take her long to find that the D-28 was the measuring stick by which all others were compared. A close friend pointed out to her that I was also a huge fan of his Music Man Axis, and one of them found a gorgeous Balboa Blue Burst quilted top on Reverb. She gave me a choice and w/out hesitation I said "I want the Axis". I already had my Larrivee and wanted to lean into my EVH spirit animal :) If she'd not said a word and bought me the Martin I would 100% love the hell out of it. Not only because my beautiful wife did it, but because I'd have a damn fine guitar that is justifiably on musician bucket lists worldwide. Every time I walk by my Axis, or strap it on and just run my hand up and down the neck, there's...movement.

I first learned of Larrivee from the Justin King "Phunkdified" video. Like many others I was shell shocked to see him play - I'd never heard a guitar played anything like what he was doing. I figured part of his secret sauce MUST be that Larr-whatcamacallit guitar :) The more I learned about them online the more I was convinced - that will be my first "bury me with it" acoustic. I could never ever be cremated - no way in hell I'm going to burn a guitar! Buy a bigger box and someday future civilazations will dig me up, see the guitar, and say "this guy....he was a certified bad--CENSORED-" ;)

Also I've always marched to the beat of my own drum for certain things. I like knowing that what I have is every bit as good as what you have, but mine is significantly more unique. I'm not a lemming. Not that having a Martin makes someone a lemming, but you know what I mean. My first "expensive" electric guitar was a Carvin. Aside from lusting over them since my first mail order catalog in the early 90's, I also knew that they weren't everyone else's Gibson, Fender, or Ibanez. When everyone else was buying white Ford F-150's with twin turbo charged V6 engines, I bought an technology dinosaur Tundra w/a good old V8. It was different - and I could supercharge it and I blow the F'ing doors off of every Ford, Chevy, and non-TRX Dodge on the road.

Yes - I don't have what every other commercial or ad shows. Yep I paid less for it. Nope, I'm not cheap - I'm damn smart with my money. Yep, my guitar and truck just blew your -CENSORED- off the stage and road :)

Quote from: Adam Ag 98 on June 18, 2022, 07:09:49 PM
It's all been convered, but to reiterate - marketing, coverage (availability), and history.
Pretty sure you have us beat on the enthusiasm scale.
Mike
Larrivee OM-03, OM-03 laurel, OM-50, L-03 laurel, LSV-03 walnut (Forum VI)

I loved my Martins when I had them, and I live about an hour from the factory.  But Martin seems to me like Mercedes Benz: everyone sees it as the high end status symbol, but then everyone is driving Mercedes that can afford one. I'd rather own a Lotus or something you don't see every day. That's why I love my larrivee, it's like a secret and only the clever people know about it.  :cheers
Larrivee P-03
Epiphone USA Texan
2023  Larrivee L-09

Quote from: Adam Ag 98 on June 18, 2022, 07:09:49 PM
It's all been convered, but to reiterate - marketing, coverage (availability), and history.

Before I considered playing my dad had pointed out that his friend Andy played a Martin. Andy was an old man in a blue grass band that my dad knew through the funeral business. He always talked about Andy's guitar, how Andy told him it was a dream come true to purchase it, etc. I was raised knowing 1 acoustic guitar brand that was mythical in its elevated quality compared to others.

I've never owned a Martin and I would be foolish to think or say I never will, I just haven't prioritized one over others in my stable. For my 10 year anniversary my wife was going to get me a D-28. She knew enough about guitars to knwo Martin was the s***, and it didn't take her long to find that the D-28 was the measuring stick by which all others were compared. A close friend pointed out to her that I was also a huge fan of his Music Man Axis, and one of them found a gorgeous Balboa Blue Burst quilted top on Reverb. She gave me a choice and w/out hesitation I said "I want the Axis". I already had my Larrivee and wanted to lean into my EVH spirit animal :) If she'd not said a word and bought me the Martin I would 100% love the hell out of it. Not only because my beautiful wife did it, but because I'd have a damn fine guitar that is justifiably on musician bucket lists worldwide. Every time I walk by my Axis, or strap it on and just run my hand up and down the neck, there's...movement.

I first learned of Larrivee from the Justin King "Phunkdified" video. Like many others I was shell shocked to see him play - I'd never heard a guitar played anything like what he was doing. I figured part of his secret sauce MUST be that Larr-whatcamacallit guitar :) The more I learned about them online the more I was convinced - that will be my first "bury me with it" acoustic. I could never ever be cremated - no way in hell I'm going to burn a guitar! Buy a bigger box and someday future civilazations will dig me up, see the guitar, and say "this guy....he was a certified bad--CENSORED-" ;)

Also I've always marched to the beat of my own drum for certain things. I like knowing that what I have is every bit as good as what you have, but mine is significantly more unique. I'm not a lemming. Not that having a Martin makes someone a lemming, but you know what I mean. My first "expensive" electric guitar was a Carvin. Aside from lusting over them since my first mail order catalog in the early 90's, I also knew that they weren't everyone else's Gibson, Fender, or Ibanez. When everyone else was buying white Ford F-150's with twin turbo charged V6 engines, I bought an technology dinosaur Tundra w/a good old V8. It was different - and I could supercharge it and I blow the F'ing doors off of every Ford, Chevy, and non-TRX Dodge on the road.

Yes - I don't have what every other commercial or ad shows. Yep I paid less for it. Nope, I'm not cheap - I'm damn smart with my money. Yep, my guitar and truck just blew your -CENSORED- off the stage and road :)
Great post.  We share some similar interests: EVH, Toyota, Carvin, oh... and Larrivee.  I bought a new electric guitar not long ago and came close to getting one of the Axis Sterling guitars.  I like the Music Man version a lot better (obviously) but knew I would only dabble in riffs now and then and couldn't justify a big-ticket purchase.  I ended up getting a Jackson, which, at this point, is a very road-less-taken guitar, at least in America.  It seems like all anyone plays is Fender and Gibson, or at least Fender- and Gibson-style guitars.  Talk about a lack of imagination, especially considering how many cool guitars are being produced today. 

I used to love getting the old Carvin catalog back in the late 90s/early 2000s.  I never bought a Carvin but used to play in an acoustic duo with a guy who owned one of their acoustic amps.  We would both plug into it and it sounded great - plenty of volume, too.  I did deck out a cheap Strat once back then with a Carvin pre-wired pickguard. 

I'd put myself in the "smart with my money" camp alongside you.  I don't mind paying for quality (I actually enjoy paying for quality), but I won't throw money away needlessly to compensate for some company's marketing budget.  Some of the big guitar makers come to mind here.  It's strange, I took the Martin tour a couple years ago, and while it was fun, I didn't leave there wanting a Martin.  I respect the company and its history, and I genuinely admire the process and how they have refined it, but I still prefer Larrivee.  Oddly enough, though, I toured the Collings factory once and it made me REALLY want a Collings (I have a Collings mandolin now). 

PS: I love my Toyota Tacoma. 

 :winkin: There are three rule as regards selling lots of guitars:
Marketing + Marketing + Marketing
However what people really want is quality, at a fair price.
My view is that Martin and Taylor have made an huge error having guitars made outside the USA on their behalves.
To survive and prosper, Larrivee has to keep making their great guitars themselves, using quality wood, and selling them at a fair price. :nana_guitar
Larrivee:
P09
OM03
OMO3R
OMO5
LO2
LO3R
LO3W
LO3K

I have an L09 from 2005. Before that I had and still have a Grammer. They Grammer is nice and was my only acoustic for a long tiime.

The first Larrivee I played was in the early to mid 70s. I was beautiful light and the nicest playing guitar. When I was on the road for work for a number of years I'd stop in at guitar stores and play everything. Gibson, Martin were nice but too pricey. I bought the L09 from Dave's in LaCrosse. It's the most comfortable and the nicest sounding I have played. I do have a Gibson ADJ for when I need loud. It's nice too.

Now the best sounding acoustic I have played was a 1927 00028 Martin 12 fret. It wasn't the nicest player. It wasn't bad either. The $40,000 set it out of range. The sound out of the guitar was beautiful.

I am not giving up my L09. If it were stolen I would get another. It's as good or better than anything out there.

I've had my LV-03R for two weeks now, and I'm loving it more and more. What a comfortable guitar!  I love the sound of this brand new guitar already, I can't imagine what it will sound like when it's older!   :nana_guitar
Larrivee P-03
Epiphone USA Texan
2023  Larrivee L-09

I first bought  my Larrivee L-05 in 2008 because I couldn't afford a Martin. Didn't know anything about the name or what to expect but they were an affordable, all wood guitar. 12 years later and no regrets at all. That guitar sounds better and better year after year after year. It's one Ill never get rid of but, I happened by Larrivee completely out of chance. No marketing, no commercials, just pure internet research. They are still doing the same thing today so I think that is how Larrivee likes it. If you are lucky enough to happen across a Larrivee and like it or love it then good on ya. If not, well I think you may be missing out. I for one like the fact they aren't more popular. I'm proud to own a guitar that isn't what everyone else plays.

We who know, love and own Larrivee instruments are pretty loyal. If I were to want another guitar (which I don't...at this particular moment  :humour:), my search would begin with Larrivee guitars. Sure, there's lots of choices, and too many wonderful guitar companies and small builders to begin to list. But dollar for dollar, and note for note, Larrivee has pretty much always had what I needed and wanted. I have a beautiful 90's Martin 000-16 that found me one day when a neighbor, whom I didn't even know played guitar, was moving and downsizing. She made me an offer I couldn't refuse and it's a very special smaller body guitar. But it's always the 3rd guitar I'll reach for after my OM-40 and my beloved Forum VI. My response here doesn't necessarily address the question posed here, but I'm pretty comfortable with how the Larrivee family goes about their business, and particularly appreciative of what they offer and what they charge. I trust they have a well intentioned plan.
Larrivee LS-03WL Forum VI Limited
Larrivee OM-40M
Larrivee O-01W
Martin 000-16
Washburn C80S
Espana Classical (made in Finland)
Eastman MD 504 Mandolin
Epiphone Olympic Solid Body Electric (1967)
Larrivee F-33 Mandolin (8/1/2008)
Soliver Pancake Mandolin
Larrivee A-33 (8/21/2009)

Quote from: carruth on June 23, 2022, 06:57:58 PM
:winkin: There are three rule as regards selling lots of guitars:
Marketing + Marketing + Marketing
However what people really want is quality, at a fair price.
My view is that Martin and Taylor have made an huge error having guitars made outside the USA on their behalves.
To survive and prosper, Larrivee has to keep making their great guitars themselves, using quality wood, and selling them at a fair price. :nana_guitar
Yep, that's right. They spend a lot of money on their marketing and people simply believe what they're reading/watching/told at the counter.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
Disabled veteran

I went to the big (understatement) Amigo Guitar Show (AKA "Guitarlington") last weekend.  There were thousands of guitars on display, probably tens of thousands, and I remember seeing two Larrivees.  They still fly well under the radar of the average guitarist.   One was a new, plain-Jane D-03 (the model I play) that someone was trying to sell for $1900! 

*** Before hitting "post" on this reply, I did a quick search to see what the D-03 is selling for, and I see that $1900 is still high, but that THAT much higher than what these are going for nowadays.  That's hard for me to believe since I paid $600 for mine twenty years ago.  It's not to say that new D-03s aren't worth that much money: considering how great a guitar it is, and considering the joy and years it will bring an owner who will actually play it, even $2000 seems like a small price to pay, since enjoyment can't be measured in dollars.  I suppose I'm just having a hard time wrapping my head around inflation and changing times, etc.   At any rate, the workmanship on that particular new D-03 was stunning. 

Guitar sales skyrocketed during Covid, and guitar prices all went up.  I just realized after writing that that everybody probably already knows that.  Sorry.   :arrow
Larrivee P-03
Epiphone USA Texan
2023  Larrivee L-09

Quote from: StringPicker6 on October 22, 2022, 09:30:30 AM
Guitar sales skyrocketed during Covid, and guitar prices all went up.  I just realized after writing that that everybody probably already knows that.  Sorry.   :arrow
Well, I guess I didn't know it fully until the guitar show.  I haven't done much in the last couple years but work, haven't bought many things but what's been necessary, and I've surely noticed the price of gas and groceries.  But I didn't realize guitars had gone up so much.  I have to admit it made me sad to see Larrivees selling for so much: not because I don't want the Larrivee family to prosper (I do), but because a D-03 has always, in my mind, represented the best value in the world for a really great guitar - something someone could get started on and keep playing for all of life, and then pass on to posterity.  And I've always been amazed that they could make a great guitar for so much less money than their competitors.  Alas, tempora mutantur et nos mutamur in illis. 

I have a 24 year old D-03 that I purchased new for ~$500, if I recall.  I also have a 1 year old Martin 00-28, also purchased new (for a whole lot more).  Two very different instruments that reflect different styles and philosophies.  I value both for what they are and the different tone from each.  I decided that the Larrivee 00 was not what I wanted for my latest instrument and where I am in my musical life.  Each company is unique and makes quality instruments that will bring enjoyment for a lifetime.  We spend our dollars on what talks to us.  For some, marketing and what their favorite musician endorses is part of the equation.  Each company has their "stable" of musicians.  Doesnt make one better than the other IMO.  I do value that both are made here in North America and I am willing to pay for that "luxury."  My Larrivee has been fantastic over the years and have purchased other Larrivee's over the years.  Each guitar needs to be considered for its intended purpose and to dismiss a specific brand is demonstrating ignorance that limits one's artistic possibilities. 

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