Larrivee C-19 Custom

This is a used 1994 auditorium body style guitar with a florentine cutaway, made in Vancouver, B.C.. It has a WESTERN RED CEDAR top and INDIAN ROSEWOOD back and sides. Solid wood throughout. One piece mahogany neck. Inlays feature the torch and ribbon on the fingerboard, and leaf and vine on the headstock, which has a rosewood veneer. Rosewood body binding, ivoroid neck binding. Ebony fretboard and bridge. Nice, THIN transparent finish. Tuners are Schaller. The neck shape is very suitable for fingerpicking along with the 1 3/4 inch width at the nut.
This is a really beautiful guitar to look at. The cedar is a deep red type with nice tight grain and only one user ding in the corner, the rest of the guitar is quite immaculate. The rosewood back and sides have been nicely bookmatched and fitted together. It looks like one solid back. There is no pickup, although I'm still thinking of having one put it in. The case is very good quality hardshell with the Larrivee logo and black velvet interior. A "J" shaped truss rod adjuster was included.

I have compared this guitar to Taylors and Martins costing much more and I really feel it possesses a ringing, resonant tone they cannot equal. The style I play with is alternating fingerpicking, flatpicking and strumming and this guitar shines in each category all the way up the fretboard! Beautiful, deeply resonant lows. A midrange that doesn't get lost on the way up, and highs that sing out bright and clear. Chords and arpeggios with individual notes sounding out distinctly and very balanced. And it is VERY loud even without an amp! Responds to degree of touch with much sensitivity. I thoroughly enjoy the variety of sounds I can achieve with it.

This being a used guitar I have found a few problems in this category.
The action is good to about the 12th fret, then gets alot worse higher. The experienced luthier I took it to tried to adjust the truss rod to correct this but apparently it will not straighten further. To add to this the saddle has been trimmed down about as far as it will go. So, as he told me, I'm kinda stuck with this action. Luthier said it would probably need a neck reset sometime in the future.
Finish is superb, very thin yet equally applied. Both top and bottom sides are bookmatched exquisitely. Fine wood craftsmanship here. The inlay is REALLY pretty too.

It seems to me that this guitar should be fine in a live playing environment. I don't plan on using it this way, but it seems solidly built to me. The Schaller tuners don't seem to hold it in tune as well as I would expect, however.
Again, finish is durable and really well applied on this guitar.
There are no strap buttons on this guitar, or on Larrivee guitars initially.

Haven't really had to deal with them. Wrote them a couple of technical help E-mails and they were answered after about 1 week.

I've been playing since the '70's, but probably don't sound like it. I presently own no other guitars or amps, but that may change soon. I have owned a Taylor 514ce, 310 and a Martin DC16-gte. This is certainly the nicer sounding and more aesthetically beautiful instrument in my opinion.
I wish I had asked about the action and saddle condition prior to buying this used one though. Still with Buffalo Bros. you can trade higher and get full value, which I believe I will do. I am thinking of getting one just like it except with WALNUT back and sides.
The one thing I love about this guitar is getting lost in the subtle nuances of its rich sound and sensitivity. It makes you want to play better!
Kudos to Larrivee on the fit, finish and most of all great sound. Drawback might be in the necks.