Larrivee C-05

Purchased my C-05 in Victoria, B.C. in 1996. Jean Larivee must have built guitars in Victoria before setting up factory in Vancouver because my identification label inside reads: Victoria, B.C. I have no electronics, no strap button, no position markers on the fretboard just a beautiful lap guitar I can't put down. The top is Sitka Spruce (grown in B.C.) back and sides are Honduran mahogany, neck is mahogany, fretboard is ebony, headstock and side join (where a tail pin would go) are rosewood (Indian?). It has a gorgeous abalone rosette around soundhole with clear pickguard. My C-05 has Larivee on the headstock in gold lettering not abalone like the later ones. Accessories included hardshell case (5 latches) neck truss tool, instruction for care booklet. Tuners say Larivee but may be Schallers??

This guitar suits almost any style but the cutaway really lets you scramble up the neck easily. I have never had any adjustments made to this guitar and rarely get any fret buzz unless I'm really poppin strings up the neck. I've had this guitar for six years and it is aging well. It always had a bright full sound but more and more is getting a warmer richer rosewood sound. My only regret is that there are no position markers on the fretboard but this sure keeps you sharp.

No flaws that I can see. Beautifully bookmatched top, perfect finish, solid.

I would play this guitar anywhere.

This guitar has a lifetime warranty (factory problems only). Has never had any repairs or adjustments done to it. I have never dealt with the company but they have a good record of customer service and a good website.

I've owned a Martin Shenandoah D-2832, Fender Villager and a Takamine but the larivee is by far the nicest guitar I've owned. I still like martins and taylors but I think Larivee's rate right up there.

All Larrivee guitars ae made in Vancouver, Canada, and come with a lifetime warranty for the original owner. The other reviews will tell you about the specs: solid spruce top and Honduran mahogany sides with a Florentine cutaway. A very lovely abalone rosette on the soundhole. The only pickguard is a thin clear plastic film which lets the top resonate and is a big part of the beautiful open sound you get. Mahogany neck and ebony fingerboard. Nice!

This guitar was chosen after trying a great many Martins, Taylors, and Fenders under $2,500. I brought my Gibson Gospel (also mahogany back & sides) to compare tone, with the intent to trade up. The C-05 has the same loud, woody, warm tone but is more balanced over the entire neck. The highs are there and the bass is not too boomy. It suits my style which is combination fingers with heavy flatpick for the bottom three strings. I use the pick for strumming, and single note leads. With light strings it sounds great!

No pick-up included on this model. I have tried different ones and currently have a dual system with built-in pre-amp - EMG soundhole with EMG bridge through the EMG Ultrajack which is stereo out to a BOSS AD-5 blender with chorus and reverb (and additional sound modelling effects).

Perfect - no flaws at all.

In the late autumn of the first year I noticed that the bridge had lifted slightly. The folks at the store explained about the care and maintenance of a guitar made from solid wood. Dry weather with humidity under 45% can cause damage. (This was an entirely new concept to me.) The bridge was re-glued at no cost to me and I left the store with a soundhole humidifier. I have been using it ever since with no further problems.

The store I bought it from takes care of dealer-related issues. See above.

This is my third acoustic steel-string guitar and the best in my 25 years of playing. I have tried others since then but the only ones that surpass it are more than twice the price. Unless I come into big money, I will have this one for life. The more I play it the better it sounds! I'd buy another one in a minute. One piece of advice - don't buy any guitar until you play it. Make sure before you buy.

mahogany with spruce solid-top and florentine cutaway. i believe the model of the C's (05-09) were all florentine cutaway, thus the letter C (for cutaway). That was the only cut when bought. No end pin holes either. glossy finish although i had prefered satin a bit more while playing the larrivees. it was made in Vancouver, Canada where all larrivees are produced i believe. It's got 20 frets. the neck is a bit wider and a case, a special instruction booklet, truss rod tool, cloth polisher, and two or three "Larrivee" picks were included with the package.

this guitar suits my musical style rather perfectly. i like how i can play fingerstyle, flatpick, and strum vigorously all in the same song. it's very versatile for any type of player i think. at least for guitar players who are into bluegrass/folk, alternative, christian/worship, you name it. the sound that i get is rich and beautiful, no more no less. i couldn't ask for anything more. i had originally thought of getting a larrivee D-3 RE with rosewood and electronics already installed. after recieving the shipment of the C-05, and evaluating the tone quality and the sound, i have to say that it was an excellent choice to keep it. i played the guitar in a small room with little reverb and it sounded great. i played the guitar in a large echoey room, and it still sounded superb!! although it is a bit loud and trebly, due to it's mahogany wood and the resulting effect on the sound, i thought it played lyrically through both situations and settings.

the action was fine when i received it from first quality musical supplies (the store that i bought the guitar from). however after playing for a while, maybe two or three weeks, i discoverd that the action was set a bit low and that the strings were buzzing once i got up to the 6th,7th fret to play higher notes. but that can definitely be adjusted someday when i find the time. the guitar came unflawed and was properly bookmatched. the top was especially nice because of the shiny gloss on the spruce top.

This guitar will definitely withstand live playing, but i wouldn't count on it too much. way too precious and valuable to play on-stage all the time. the hardware and finish are both great and perfectly done. it won't wear off within the next few decades, and that's all i'm worried about right now. very dependable, just don't suggest lugging around such an asset with you all the time.

i haven't directly dealt with larrivee as a company, but i did talk to the people at first quality a lot and got to know them a bit. they were great and customer support was almost a given. the warranty by larrivee is lifetime. but that's only on problems and flaws that came on the guitar without consumer handling.

I have been playing for two years, self-taught, and have had one other guitar. i make-up for this lack of gear by playing on and trying out numerous other stuff that my friends have. the only thing that bothers me (sometimes) is the problem of correctly ampliflying such a beautiful and natural sound that my guitar radiates. so i guess that's one major problem with getting such a nice guitar. you don't wanna put any holes in it. i compared this guitar at Guitar Center and another small shop in town with several Taylors, the 310ce and the 414ce. the latter guitar was great and sounded nice too. but the price was a bit over my limit and yea... i guess i had to go with the C05,but i never did regret it once i made the decision. i only wish the wood was rosewood, like C-09's. that would make a whole lot of difference in the sound. but mahogany's good too.

Made in 2000 in Vancouver, BC. Sitka top, mahogany sides and back, mahog. neck with ebony fingerboard and ebony headstock overlay. Sterling silver inlay around the head with mother-of-pearl Larrivee logo inlay, and abalone rossette. Larrivee body style with Florentine cutaway, nice tuners have the Larrivee name, but are maybe Schallers??. Came with very nice archtop hardshell case with Larrivee name, 5 latches, one lockable, gtr. cloth with Larrivee name, truss rod tool, 2-medium picks with (and you guessed it) the Larrivee name.

Nice overall tone. Nice highs, bright mids, OK bottom. I guess the kind of response you'd expect for a Sitka top, mahog back and sides. I'd like a little more warmth, but maybe with medium gague strings it might warm up. Obviously a rosewood would have been warmer.

Set up so so from factory. I took it to a gtr. tech and he filed 5 frets and monkeyed with the nut and saddle. Before he did so the action at the 1st fret was almost impossible; the tech said about the worst he's seen. Set up with light gague Elixers. Larrivee claims on their web page that they put on mediums which I would have preferred. Finish wise it is flawless. Top and back beautifully bookmatched. High-gloss finish shows lovely grain. Everything they say about Larrivees seems to be true; they make beautiful gtrs.

I don't plan on playing live with it, but it is very well made and the tech said it was well braced. The finish appears very durable and deep. It doesn't come with strap buttons, and I elected not to put any on. It's too pretty to drill holes into. The same reason I dedided not to buy one with electronics. It would be criminal to cut a big hole in this baby.

I've only called twice with general questions, and Brian has always returned my call with 24 hrs. I hope I won't need to have it repaired. It comes with a lifetime warranty.

I've been playing on and off for 30 yrs. I sold an Epi archtop, which is the only other gtr.I've owned for the last 20 yrs, to buy the Larrivee. Many yrs. before a Guild Starfire and a $200 Yamaha. If it were stolen or lost I'd definitely replace it with a Larrivee. I think it compares favorably with Martins and Taylors that cost twice as much.

It's my understanding that all Larrivees are manufactured in Vancouver Canada. Spruce top, Mohagany sides and back, very light finish. I have a wonderful wife who purchased it for me for my birthday, reaffirming how lucky I was to have married this woman.
It has no pickups, and a clear pick guard, which makes it look pretty slick. I love the cutaway body so I can play the high notes with ease.

Nothing against my wife, but I went to the guitar store after she purchased it for me just to scope out the other brands to make sure it was a fit for me. The contenders were the Martins and Taylors, but the Martins weren't as bright, and my Larrivee had every bit as much amplitude and bass. The Taylor sounded great, too, but I just liked the look of the Larrivee more.
I can't put this guitar down. It sounds like a twelve string.

The action was set a bit low for the two bottom strings, which buzz ever so slightly. Low action seems to be the thing, though, and most guitars at the shop buzzed more. I'll be taking it to a shop to have the action adjusted a bit.

I beleive this will be a hearty, solid guitar, but you can be sure I'll be babying it as well. This guitar feels extremely well built.

I enjoyed Larrivee's web site. Haven't had to contact the except to register, but the appear to take a lot of pride in their workmanship. I also liked that after you register your guitar they give you the URL to harmony-central's web site, indicating they're pretty confident about their guitars.
It comes with a lifetime warranty.

I've been playing guitar for about 8 years now, but this is my first high-end guitar. This guitar inspires me to play a lot, and I can't help but to wonder how much better I would be if I had picked this guitar up sooner. I hope to have it for many years. I would definitely recommend it. all my guitar playing friends are very jealous.

This guitar was made in 1998 in Vancouver like all Larrivee acoustics. It has 21 frets, all of which are accessible because of the cut-away. It is all solid wood with a solid spruce top, mahogany back, sides and neck with an ebony bridge and fingerboard (and an ebony headstock overlay). Though this model is available with a pickup, mine was not fitted with one. However, the dealer installed a Fishman piezo pickup. The electronics are (obviously) active. The finish is high-gloss transparent and is very attractive. It is a cutaway (the C in the name indicating that it is a cutaway style guitar) with a transparent pickguard and Larrivee tuners. It has abalone rosette and pinpoint fret markers which inhance the overall appearence. It came with a standard Larrivee case with four locks on the front and one lock on the hinge side (back).

This guitar is one of the best sounding guitars I have ever played. Not being in the market for a new guitar, I visited the music shop over several months and I couldn't put it down. The guitar's tone is incredibly balanced with loud unobtrusive bass and clear ringing treble. No tonal range sticks out, and the sound is pleasingly loud without being harsh. I play both acoustically and amplified- and I also record with this guitar. The amplified sound is second to none. I run it through a Mackie board into a Mackie PA Amp into JBL speakers (with only slight reverb to moisten the sound-but sometimes no effects at all). The sound translates beautifully through amplification with most of the above acoustic qualities holding true at higher volumes. Either way, the guitar has a rich, bright sound which is addictive. It certainly beats the Martin d-28 that I was also looking at.

Off the floor, the action was set too low. The A would buzz, and the low E would fizzle when played above the 7th fret. However, the folks at the shop adjusted the neck up so that every string has near perfect sound all along the fretboard. The low E still resists being played too loudly up past 12. It still sounds great on songs such as Dave Matthews "Warehouse." The guitar seemed to be flawless out of the factory. It came with D'Addario strings (what Larrivee puts on all shipped acoustics) which I Immediately replaced with fresh D'Addario mediums.

This guitar is very well suited for live playing. Though I have only played it a few times live, it is very durable and very scratch resistant. The hardware seems to be very dependable as does the whole guitar. The strap button was very solid with a cloth cushion as to guard against scratching the finish. It is a very well built guitar- period.

I haven't had to deal with Larrivee directly, but they have a good reputation for being very reliable and courteous.

I have been playing for 3 years and I own a Taylor 410ce, a Taylor 450 12-string and a Gibson Chet Atkins SST. I am an avid acoustic guitar player and even though this was a guitar that I didn't really need, I am very pleased that I purchased it. I play a varitey of music from Folk and Country to alternative. This guitar is very suitable for a variety of applications. It is very accepting to a percussive style of play but is best suited for, well anything. I was seriously thinking about a Martin D-28 or D-35, but this guitar made these seem a little wimpy. For such a small, light guitar, it produces a huge sound which is clear and gorgeous. I like the booming basses that it produces, but like I said, it is not overpowering. The reason I chose this over a Martin is because of its sound. It is bright and just perfect. I would buy this guitar 100 times over, and if it were stolen or lost, I would definitely get another one. I highly recommend this instrument for anyone wanting to own a great looking and sounding guitar.