Larrivee C-09KE

Koa Back and Sides. Sitka Spruce top
Inlay on the fretboard, Abalone Rosette, Eagle Headstock inlay,
Curly MAple Binding
Larrivee L with body Florentine Cutaway
Fishman Natural I undersaddle Pickup..

It's just beautiful instrument by just looking at it.

I do lots of finger style & strum..it fits the needs of it.
It is bright sound since I have been Larrivee L09E user..
I would say it's between Mahogany and Rosewood.

Sustain is really good..
it sounds lighter than rose wood but "shimmer to it, very sweet in the high registers without sacrificing much of anything in the bottom. " is just right!!!!!!!!

Very good set up.
action is low (i lower it)..
This is truly great workmanship by Jean Larrivee.

C cutaway is produced by Jean Larrivee himself when it was in Canada before they went mass-production.

This guitar is 10 year old guitar..opened up nicely..and better shape than 2 year old Larrivee L09E i have..

Every thing is very good..

I talked to the guy from Larrivee about this guitar.
great support on it.

I have been playing guitar for 20 years now..
Larrivee was the only guitar i would spend top dollar to it..
it's worth it..

I have owned L09E, and I just wanted to explore other wood sound.
This Koa guitar is great ones..
wood is master grade..

1997 - Canadian Made
Solid Spruce Bear-Claw Top - KOA Back & Sides
Fitted with an LR Baggs Dual Barral Pickup by Reseller
Ebony Fingerboeard & Bridge
Gloss Finish - Sharp Cutaway (Sadly I believe these are no longer made and Larrivee only makes the Venition Cutaway now which IMHO is less attractive, though probably more durable).
Hard Case Included

I play a lot of fingerstyle which sounds great with the KOA models, it also sounds good when strummed. IMHO the C05 Mahogony also sound great when played fingrstyle but too boomy when strummed. The Rosewoods sounds great strummed but are a little thin for fingerstyle and the maple, well IMHO maple isn't a great wood for Back and Sides but they look good hanging on a wall. Then again what do I know.
Sound is awesome on these Guitars, but a lot of guitars can sound good.

I hear of Larrivees which have finish flaws. Mine is 100%. I simply can't fault it, the guys at Buffalo Brothers set it up perfectly and did a good job fitting the LR Baggs pickup I ordered with it. I've yet to find a Larrivee which is poorly set-up. They all play well from my experience, beating Taylor, Martin and Breedlove hands down.

I played a nice Lowden once.

I have played this Guitar live but I prefer to use my bullet proof Ovation in a pub setting. This is too expensive a Guitar to want to have around drunks. Mine is still Mint after 2+ years of playing every day (except for some very faint pick marks which can only be seen when held to the light).

They still owe me a set of Gore Elixers for filling out their user survey on-line (which couldn't be submitted to them because thier web page was faulty). Other than that I've never tried to contact them.

Been playing over 20 years. This is it. This is the dream Guitar. I played a ton of Guitars before (and I confess!) mail ordering this one. I got a lucky break to get such a nice one through Mail order but nevertheless I knew that I would be buying a Larrivee from the first moment I ever played one. They are streets ahead of the competition in price and beat them on quailty also (I'm talking Taylor and Martin here).

1998 made at the Larrivee factory in Vancouver British Columbia. Standard 14 fret neck, 1 3/4" wide nut, all solid wood. The "K" is for koa. This koa is very red/orange in color, not the honey brown. I prefer the red. It is lightly flamed and has very strong stripes. Flame maple binding, abalone sound hole and a small mother of pearl eagle on the headstock. Is this what the "E" is for? Abalone and mother of pearl "torch" inlays on the fingrboard. Ivoroid? bound ebony fingerboard. The body is large, but not a dreadnaught... more like a big deep 000 style, and it has a florentine cutaway. The neck profile is very flat. High gloss finish throughout. Piezo pickup. It has chrome tuners... they look like Gotohs with "Larrivee" cast into the metal. It came with a very nice plush lined case, probably plywood.

The review I read in this column is absolutely right when they mention endless sustain. I had a friend comment that "The sound just flows out of this guitar." The sustain seems fairly even across all six strings. Though large, this is not a bass boomer. The bass is respectable, but not overwhelming. Balance would best describe the sound. Ringy and bright with good midrange and plenty of volume. It sounds good up the neck without losing too much in the bass.

The wood is superb, although I am not a wood grader, it is beautiful. There are some workmanship flaws, however.

1. The truss rod rattles occasionally, and must be tightened or loosened until it stops. This is a major flaw. Fortunately it has only happened a couple of time in the past two years.

2. The fingerboard inlays do not fit perfectly.

3. The black and white outer decoration ring around the soundhole was not sanded smooth and stands up above the soundboard. Not too visible, but feels bad when my fingers brush across it.

In addition, the bridge is not placed on the centerline of the guitar. The factory people said this was not a flaw. It does not seem to affect anything.

I can live with all but the truss rod, and someday I will trade the guitar, as beautiful as it is, if it starts to rattle at inopportune times.

It seems to be solidly built. I take very good care of all my guitars, and unless ther's an accident, durability will never be tested. Reliability? You pluck the strings, notes come out.

When I first bought it, the customer support person answered some questions within one day by E-Mail. I was surprised that they couldn't tell me if the top is Sitka Spruce or Englemann.

I played for about twelve years from age 18 to 30, then not again until I was 49. I've been playing 6 years this time. If I had to replace it, I would probaly get something else just because there are so many beautiful guitars. I love the beauty of the wood and the wonderful brightness and sustain. My favorite feature is the beautiful koa. I'm not real fond of the truss rod situation. I compared this to every guitar I could find for several years. Finally I bought it partly because I wanted a koa guitar because of it's increasing scarcity (remember Brazilian Rosewood?) Partly because my wife liked it, and mostly because I loved the sound. It was a tossup between this and a Taylor 514ce. Overall rating is 7, mostly because of the workmanship flaws. Everything else is 9.

ALL SOLID! FLAMED Koa Back and Sides. Sitka Spruce top - All Master Grade. Torch inlay markers on the fretboard, Abalone Rosette, Eagle Headstock inlay, and Curly MAple Binding! Gloss Finish, Cutaway Larrivee body, Fishman Matrix Pickup!!

VERY LOUD!! Amazing Tone and Sustain. Even Toned and GREAT intonaion. Very low action - no buzzing! Pickup accurately portrays the sound

GREAT. Master Grade Woods are PERFECTLY bookmatched. NO FLAWS! MINT CONDITION even though 5 years old! No warping!

VERY SOLID!!! You Just have to play it to understand!!!

The owner has talked to me on several occasions and invited me to the factory!!

Best Guitar I've ever played, So i bought it! I've owned over 10 Taylors (all 8 series, 9 series or presentation). MArtins are nice, but where's their sound?? Where's my money! Larrivee's low ends beat Taylors HAND DOWN in sound! For the pretty stuff, spend a little extra and get something BETTER than a Taylor Presentation for half the price from the INLAY KINGS!!!!!!!