Larrivee C-09

Loud for a smaller body guitar. Plenty of bass with the rosewood back and sides, and sitka top. Nice mids and highs. I have been playing for over 30 years. I own a couple Taylors (614ce, K12e), a Martin D-35, and although I love the sound of these guitars, the Larrivee is IMHO the best all around sounding acoustic. By that I mean, it excellent volume, killer bass, yet somehow has strong mids and highs. All I can say is this may be one of Larrivee's best kept secrets. Seems not many know about this C09.

Contacted larrivee for general questions. Always received prompt replies.

I never even heard of Larrivee until purchasing this one in 2005. Since then I've acquired my other guitars, and still the Larrivee is best to my ears. I admit though sound is very subjective. The irony is this guitar is my least expensive acoustic.

This is a follow up to my last review. After 2 1/2 years, I got the chance to hear the guitar from out front as I was warming up for a concert. Close up, the C-09 always had a nice bottom end. As you stepped away, the mids were much more pronounced. It was not a bad sound, the best way to describe it was "throaty." the top end was crisp and present as well. This time as I backed away, I noticed the bottom end remained in balance with the mids and the top. The throatiness was there, but now it had more punch to it. As I got about 10, 11 feet away, I also realized that while the person was playing fingerstyle, I could still hear his playig clearly, and the room was not quiet.

I was very surprised. I wanted to hear the concert from the audience.

This one get's an 11 acoustically. It has been a challenge getting the sound I'm looking for from the Baggs Dual Source. I think I would reccommend a different brand of pickup for use with thei guitar.

The action is still good. Just a slight increase in the neck's bow, but just a nudge the truss rod brought things back in line.

It's holding up nicely.

Been hearing that they've been going through some trials. Heard some stories, good and bad. Hopefully a California plant might make them a bit more accessible.

Still my favorite acoustic. The depth of tone is still my favorite thing about it.

Solid sitka spruce top, and solid 2 piece Indian rosewood body, tiger maple body binding abalone rosette, sterling silver headstock border, pearl logo, metal (silver?) micro dot fret markers, Gotoh tuners, ebony fingerboard (bound) and bridge, one piece mahogany neck. 20 frets. Florentine cutaway (the sharp one). No end pin or strap peg (man, it's pretty). Gloss finish. Micarta saddle w/ compensated B string. 1 3/4" nut. Clear pickguard.

Adjustable truss rod (and tool).
Got it at Guitar Center, so I had to buy the case, and they didn't have the higher end Larrivee case (I was going to upgrade that anyway). Some reading material about my guitar.

The case thing is not their fault, and the guitar is aestheticaly pleasing (yup, eye candy!).

Okay, first thing, what an incredible fingerstyle guitar! It has a nice, throaty, deep, and complex voice that actually "blooms" when you play it (sounds like I'm talking about wine, doesn't it). That's the only way I can describe it. This is my first rosewood guitar of any kind, so I'm now hooked on that tone.

The "center voice" of this guitar seems to be around 600Hz. I found this out when I had the LR Baggs Dual Source System installed. The internal microphone seems to really center down on this frequency, and takes some work to tame, so be careful about what microphone you have installed inside if you go that route.

Tonewise, this one doesn't have that big "Martin HD-28 bottom end." The C-09's bass is tighter and more in balance with it's top, but deeper and richer than Concert or Autitoruim sized guitars. Compared to my Taylor 612C (spruce top, big leaf maple body) which is clear, bright, present, and "up front" in it's tone; and my Martin 0001 (spruce top, mahogany body w/laminated sides) which is warm, round and very midrange strong, the Larrivee has levels that open up and come out almost like peeling back an onion. It "blooms." It gives the ear something to listen for over an extended period of time. The tone is balanced just about all the way up the neck, with just a hint of falling off at the topmost 2 frets.

Definitely, fingerstyle is it's strength. While it will take a light touch and give a beautiful tone (especially clear, crisp top end, and a very rich bass, the mids do attenuate, but only very slightly, and not in an unmusical way), this one rewards a strong, firm touch. As you pick harder, the middle opens up and the bass gets bigger. Even with all of that, the top end never gets lost. The contrast between quiet and loud are something worth exploiting on this guitar. In fact, this one and I "see eye to eye." It reacts to my playing almost as if it's reading my intentions.

When I had the pickup installed, I had a Fishman Cleartone saddle cut and installed so I could match the original action, and Gore Elixers put on. That beautiful tone was gone. The sound was thinner and not nearly as rich. That said, a friend got a chance to play both the Taylor and the Larrivee after a gig, and even with the Cleartone/Elixers, he thought the Larrivee was something special.

I went back to the micarta saddle, and DR Rare strings, and that magic sound returned. Also put EZ-Peg brass bridge pins on the 4 wound strings, and the tone got just a bit mmore "piano like." That's the way I keep it now, and am happy with the tone.


I haven't had a chance to really record this guitar in a "featured setting" yet, but in side to side tests with the other two, using an AKG C535 EB mic placed "head height" over the neck-body joint, the Martin was round, warm, and pleasingly "woofy," the Taylor was upfront, and easy to hear, and the Larrivee was deeper and richer, and drew your ear in a bit more.

As for open tunings, Drop D, DADGAD, CGDGAD, all sound incredible. The deeper I go, the richer it gets! The E string tuned to a low C sounds huge, and all you have to do is barely touch it! If I were to keep this one in lowered tunings (a very real possibility), I'd definitely go up a guage in the bottom string.

I gave my Taylor (an incredible sounding guitar) a 9 in comparison to a Collings CJ I had a chance t play. While maybe not in that category, this definitely get's a strong ten.

Only a half point off for the slight dropoff in the extreme upper positions, but added back for such a complex tone especially at that price.

The action was setup very nicely, no buzzes, and slightly higher than my Taylor or Martin. It took a little getting used to. With the pickup installed, the action is even just a touch higher, but now, for fingerstyle, it is much more comfortable and "precise" than the Taylor or the Martin. It's neck is a slight bit beefier than either the Martin or Taylor, with a "C" shape to it. Upper fret accessability of the deep Florentine (sharp) cutaway surpasses the Venetian style cutaway of Taylor. I hope this is not lost as Larrivee moves to the Venetian cutaway (more like the Taylor).

The top is very tightly grained, and excellently bookmatched. The back, while not exactly identically matched, is still very close (you really have to look to notice). The bridge is snugly routed, frets are polished, even the ends. The interior workmanship is tight and crisp, no excess glue anywhere. The exterior is immaculate (no streaking in the mahogany or the ebony). Definitely a work of art.

This one honestly deserves the superlatives it's getting.

This guitar stands up well to some heavy playing. The neck takes open tunings much better than either the Taylor or Martin. The finish looks strong. This one, while a deceptively light guitar, is more reliable than either the Taylor or the Martin, and they are both reliable.

Every inquiry received a prompt, friendly response. I requested a catalogue, and received one almost immediately. As a matter of fact, the Guitar Center I bought this one from had just opened, and I'd asked the salesman if they were getting any C-05's in, and he called up the factory right then and there, and within a little more than a week they received a C-05, an 09, and a C-10. That impressed me.

Been playing just about 27 years, and for acoustic, I play folk, fusion, progressive rock, blues, some bluegrass, and more and more, fingerstyle.

If it were lost or stolen, I'd definitely look to replace it quickly!

What do I love about it? Well, it's incredible tone, it's easy playability, the fact that it's real pretty to look at<grin>. It literally draws the music out of you. I compared it to the D series Larrivees, the 514, 614, and 814 series Taylors, and this one had the richer tone, and nicer action for fingerstyle.

Not having strap buttons was not a problem. The guitar was comfortable to play seated. while I appreciate the aesthetic of the headstock, it woyuld have been nice to be able to adjust the action from the top, but that's just nit picking.

Of the 3 acoustics, this one is my "voice." It fits like an old slipper.

Flat top acoustic with a Florentine (sharp) cutaway. Solid spruce top with rosewood back and sides. The body shape is called the "Larivee style", so I assume it was developed by the company. It has quite a distinctive silhouette. Compared to a dreadnought it has a somewhat rounded, elongated shape with a more pronounced waist. To get a clearer idea, check out their website (www.larrivee.com), which has pictures and exact dimensions of most of their models. The neck is mahogany with a bound ebony fingerboard. It's a very striking looking instrument, with an understated elegance I find very appealing. (However, Larrivee also offers instruments with exremely intricate and beautiful inlay work). Mine has an Abalone inlaid soundhole rosette, the headstock has an ebony veneer with a sterling silver border. Micodot inlays on the fingerboard. The spruce top seems lighter than most other companies'. The top of my guitar has some "wiggle" in the grain of the top on the bass side upper bout. They evidently cut the top so this would be in as inconspicuous a location as possible. The guitar appears to have no pickguard, but on closer inpection it has a rectangular piece of Mylar below the soundhole that serves as a pickguard without obscuring the wood top.
I don't know the make of the tuners, but they are very smooth. The frets are narrow "vintage" style. The neck has a rounded, C shaped back, on the narrow side though meatier feeling than, say, a Taylor's. No endpin (they claim this is to reduce the risk of damage if it is dropped) which is fine with me as I usually play sitting down. It's probably not too difficlut to have an endpin installed if so desired.

Larrivee uses a different style of bracing, using a symmetrical 90 degree X, which they claim accounts for their distinctive sound. I play jazz, mostly chord-melody style with a flatpick or hybrid pick-and-fingers, and wanted an instrument with a smooth, even sound throughout the tonal range. This guitar was the one that sounded best to me. It has a very tight smooth piano-like bass and beautiful highs, but a somewhat attenuated midrange. The Martins and Taylors I compared it with had a more pronounced midrange "snap", more boominess. If I was playing country or bluegrass, I would probably find the Larrivee too mellow sounding, but for me it is just about perfect.
By the way, I also considerd the comparable mahogany bodied model, but rosewood just adds a extra degree of warmnth and richness that was worth the extra $500. (Looks great, too!)

No major complaints. There are a few minor scrapes on the fingerboard binding. I mentioned the minor flaw in the top. These days, with good tonewoods become an increasingly scarce commodity, I think we just have to accept minor cosmetic imperfections. (I just think of it as a birthmark!). The setup seems to be geared towards fingerstyle players with the action a little high. I'm going to give myself some time to get used to it before I decide whether I want it lowered. Otherwise, this is a very well-made instrument.

I've had it two months, so too early to tell. Eveything seems very solid for now.

I haven't had to deal with them, but others have reported they are quite accessible and and helpful. Jean Larrivee is something of a legendary figure in the Canadian music scene. It seems every Canadian luthier of note (including Grit Laskin and Linda Manzer) got their start apprenticing with him.
The guitar comes with a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects.

Larrivee has been something of a sleeping giant in the guitar industry. They have been making fine guitars for about thirty years, yet have never achieved the notoriety of other manufacturers. This seems to be changing. They're advertising themselves more heavily now and seem to have increased their distribution in the US. Although not as well known as, say, Martin or Taylor I would say the quality of their intruments is certainly in the same league as those two, with enough unique features in design and sound to set them apart. I think one's taste in an acoustic guitar is a very personal thing, moreso than with an electric, so I have avoided giving numerical scores. I mostly wanted to draw attention to a very fine (Canadian!)company that deserves more recognition. If you are in the market for a new acoustic,definitely consider Larrivee. Their website is at www.larrivee.com