Larrivee D-03BW

Mine is a 2002 Blackwood D 03 model which i puchased new from Buffalo Bros.Guitars (check those guys out for great prices) I paid 725 new and it comes with a lifetime warranty. I waited 2 years to write this review because I wanted to see how the solid woods and solid spruce top would pen up over time. All I can say is tha sound gets better and better. I specifically like the plain features of this guitar, nothing too ornate, an almost blank fret board due to micro dot fret markers and a even contrast of the light color of spruce highlighted by the darkness of the ebony bridge and board. The exact specs you can get off the Larrivee website if details interest you. I will say that the frets, neck, and 25.5 scale make this guitar extremely playable. Tuners are solid and keep tune through out extensive playing. Came with a solid and very form fitting case. The satin finish just feels nice. Also came with a truss rod wrench. I rate this a ten because even though it does not have alot of features, it has all the important features down cold, handmade, solid wood construction with tone to die for.

I am playing jazz exclusively these days. I cut my jazz teeth on this guitar. I have used it as my prime and only instrument at gigs and have never been let down. I can coax a very soft warm and lush tone for ballads and yet dig in for hard bop and swing and still get graet response from this guitar. I have been playing in a two man combo with a friend who plays a vintage Martin, and although the Larrivee is not as loud, to me the tone is just as sweet. It plays very evenly across the strings both up and down the neck. Great definition and clarity when chording and especially in chord melodies without a heavy muddy bass resonance that often clouds the tone on other dred guitars of this size. It has the best sustain of any accouistic guitar that I have ever played. The tone on this particular model has alot of punch balanced by a nice middle range tone. Snappy is a great way to describe the overall tone of this guitar. It responds to the player, and you can have whatever tone you want if you are able to coax it out with your hands.

This guitar was fantastic across the board(except for the pickguard which I will get to later) The construction was flawless, I still am unable to find any problems with the construction. All the joints are exact, all gluing is percise, hardware is top notch. The woods used, (and this is a lower model of Larrivee) are all exceptional. The set up from the factory was exactly to my liking. The 25.5 scale adds tightness to the strings which I like, and the action was set low enough to play fast but high enough to sound great. The clear pickguard was a nice touch to the look of the guitar, but it came off after a year. It started to peel up on the corners and started to really annoy me so I ended up peeling it off. This may be why the company changed the PG and is going with a more traditional style on the new models.

For two years , this has been my only guitar. I have yet to have any problems at all. I have gigged with out even the thought of a back up.

I emailed once to tell them how great there guitar was(I also asked for a job) i got an email back thaking me for my kind regards, but no job offer. Nice people over all.

Been playing for 12 years now, mostly jazz, and I have to say that this is one of the finest guitars I have ever played, and I have owned and played them all.

Not sure what year this D-03BW is 2002 or 2003 but I don't think it matters that much. Solid Spruce top Blackwood sides and back with the satin finish. Ping tuners, great frets, the neck is a little smaller than my L-03BW but feels great for strumming. Larrivee hsc with truss rod tool. Bare bones model, nicely understated.

This is where this guitar really stands out. I play everything from blues to folkish, rock, and a little country. This thing does it all very well. I've owned a Taylor Rosewood but found it way too boomy for my taste. The Larrivee Blackwood has a very balanced, robust tone with great bass, mids, and shimmery highs without the boomy bass of Rosewood. The combination of Blackwood with the Dread body style makes for a great tone machine. This is what an acoustic guitar is supposed to sound like.

The fit and finish of this guitar as with the other Larrivees I own is flawless. Action is great, perfect bookmatching, fretwire and hardware is again perfect. I cannot find anything wrong with the fit and finish of this guitar after a full inspection inside and out. No excess glue, braces properly aligned. I really like the satin finish after it has been buffed out to a simi-gloss.

I would trust this guitar without a backup if I had too. Very solid feel while playing and I'm sure it would stand up to the rigors of the the road.

I have had to deal with customer support to buy extra pickguards and can say they are very easy to deal with. Extremly helpful and friendly, you can pick up the phone and talk to a person!

I've been play for over twenty years, if it were stolen or lost I would try to replace it if I could find one. I like everything about this guitar but the tone is truly amazing. I've compared to other Dreads by Taylor, Martin, and Gibson, to my ears, this was the best!

I'm told this is the last D-03 blackwood ever to be made.
I got it straight from the Larrivee factory via a dealer in IL. So I was able to get a factory-installed B-Band pickup for an additional $100 (A6 to be exact, which was an upgrade because they originally shipped it to the wrong place).
And of course, the blackwood feature is great. It's so signature; no one has it or has heard of it (and not just because blackwood doesn't sound good; it sounds amazing!). Ironically, contrary to the name of the wood, the color of the wood is lighter than most woods.

I'm primarily a strummer. I probably don't deserve this guitar, but when I played it, it sounded so amazing. Word on the street is that if Martins are deep and soothing for finger picking and Taylors are bright, rich, and crisp for strumming, then Larrivees are right in the middle. And I totally agree. In addition, blackwood makes the sound so much better! It adds a rich tone to the sound, that the normal d-03 doesn't have.
One draw back though. I haven't heard it on other d-03BW's, but only on mine. And it's this clanging noise when I strum hard on a G or D chord. I'm not sure if it's simply because I need to get a guitar tune-up or if something's resonating with the electronics in the guitar. But otherwise, it sounds so amazing. I'm still giving it a 10, because even though my particular model clangs, I know what it's supposed to sound like.

the action is a little low, but it does not give any problems for me.

dependable

I received prompt e-mails when I had questions.

I've been playing for about five years, and I've always wanted to buy a higher end guitar. This is as high as I'll ever go, cuz my playing ability doesn't deserve higher, but I LOVE this guitar. If it was ever stolen, I would replace it. But since no more are made, I don't know what I'd do, since I don't like to buy used guitars. The guitar is beautiful, sounds amazing, and isn't your run of the mill, played out, typical brand. And of course the price is a GREAT value. My guitar is definite comparable (if not better) than most $1500 guitars.

not sure what year this guitar was made. the serial number doesn't really indicate the year. i'm assuming it was made within the last year or two...at least. all solid woods. sitka spruce top. blackwood back/sides. ebony fretboard and bridge...real ebony...not micarta or some other plastic junk that other builders are using to save money. white binding all around guitar...including fretboard. i would have preferred the flamed maple binding....but the white is growing on me. no electronics....well, i added a K&K Pure Western myself. satin finish all over. guitar came with a nice larrivee case....black with a nice larrivee logo on it.

the sound of this guitar is amazing. i like the sound of the blackwood much better than the mahogany or rosewood. the blackwood is much louder and has more bass than the mahog. i'm not really a fan of rosewood...so blackwood is perfect for me. the bass is really smooth...not too boomey. the mids are really where this particular guitar shines. and the highs are there....but not too overly-powerful. this is a good guitar for overall playing styles. i mostly strum chords....but finger pick some too. i would say this guitar is very versatile....you would not be dissapointed with this guitar. i like everything about it....no complaints.. it's exactly what i needed in a good acoustic.

i had this guitar set up before i ever took it home. so, i'm not sure of the factory setup. i always play tuned down a whole step....so i had it set up for that style of playing. workmanship is top notch on this guitar....no glue drops....no mess ups on binding. really high quality work. they really have a good quality control dept. in my opinion.

Larrivee's are built to last. that's one of the things that Mr. Larrivee is often quoted in saying. he says your larrivee....if taken care of....will easily last you a lifetime. the hardware is made by ping...but has the larrivee logo on it. this thing never goes out of tune.....i jammed for over 4 hours the night i got it...and never had to tune up. larrivee's come from the factory w/out strap buttons....so you'll have to add your own. i got one for the end jack with my pickup...and don't plan to add one to the bottom of the neck....i'll just tie my strap to the headstock. i will take this guitar out to gig and will not need a backup. this guitar is the real deal. i'm totally confident that it will not crap out on me.

i've never had to deal with the customer support...but have only heard good things about them. it does have a limited lifetime warranty. i got mine used, but the card had not been filled out...so i filled it out. basic warranty. i don't expect to need it though. all you have to do is use some common sense and a good guitar like this will last. obvioulsy, you can't jump up and down on it...or throw it around...but who would do that to such a fine, investment quality guitar. this thing is built to last, like i said earlier.

i've been playing for about 10 years now. i have a Takamine, Ovation, and Alvarez acoustics. this Larrivee is my first top-quality guitar. i can't ever see going back to laminated wood guitars after playing all solid wood. the difference is huge. if it were stolen, i would immediatly go and find another larrivee....they are simply the best value in a all solid wood, quality instrument. i love everything about this guitar. since i've had it, i've went to lots of guitar shops and played lots of guitars. i haven't found anything i like as well as this larrivee blackwood. that includes $3000 gibsons and martins. my decision on this guitar came down between taylor and larrive. and larrivee is simply the best value. i still love taylors...but the features you get with a larrivee far outweigh what you get with taylor. there are lots of good guitars out there...but do your homework and you will see that larrivee is the best value. they've been in business for about 25 years and are here to stay. they have also just added a factory in California. so, i really see them taking off in popularity before too much longer. i would buy one now......before everyone starts playing them and the price would surely go up....that's just business.

Like the D-03 it has a spruce top, but unlike the D-03 it has Blackwood sides and back. blackwood gives the guitar a deeper sound. 20frets, clear pickguard. simple but nice. Larrivee hard case included.

The guitar sounds great. While many reviews you will read claim, it sounded better than any guitar i've played. I can't say that. I did the close your eyes trick and pick which one you like. At the time it was between a taylor 310 and this guitar. I honestly thought this guitar was the taylor. however, next to a taylor 510 i could tell the taylor was a little more crisp. my dad owns a taylor 710 which i'd say is superior to this guitar, however for 6 or 700 more it should be. my brother plays a martin d16gt, and i'd say this has the edge on that. he played my guitar and had nothing but praise for it. only complaint i have is that on the low e on the 20th fret is vibrates. but there is no need to ever play that fret really so no biggie. sound is very good. well defined highs and lows, very good sustain. i'm playing light strings and it isn't booming, but certainly isn't too light sounding. i play a variety of styles and seems to suite all well. i really like finger picking on it.

factory set up was very good. has equally low action as my dads and the other taylors i have played. the light strings also enhance the action quite a bit. i love the finish. like the other entry i read here it has quite a few bear claws in the finish. looks great. depends if you like the clear pick guard also. when shopping i didn't care for it all that much, but it has really grown on me. simple works. guitar is easily barred on the first fret, which i have found problems with on other guitars.

i feel the guitar is fairly solid. however compared to my dads taylor this guitar is LIGHT! that concerns me somewhat, makes me feel it may be fragile, but have had no problems yet. has had a few light bangs with no dents yet.

haven't needed it. website is helpful. have heard good things about the customer support though.

been playing for a few years. guitar sounds great. just one of those things when you play it you like it. suites me well. not saying it is great for everyone, but for me sweet. i think i'd replace it if stolen. i'd say better than anything in that price range. although you get what you pay for until its nothing but sex features put on the guitar. bottom line this is a great guitar. by the way, i am basing the rating off what i'd give my dads 710, so don't think this guitar isnt' good, just there are things that are better.

Made in 2002. Blackwood sides and back.

This guitar sounds better than any acoustic I have ever laid my hands on. It even sounds better than the Mahogany or Rosewood. You almost don't need to run it through a board. Has tons of volume. If you like Dave Matthews sound it has it. If you like James Taylor sound it has it. Any style of music sounds great. Very diverse guitar. A plus!!!

Action is just as good as any high end guitar that I have ever played.
It actually has a kind of bearclaw top finish. The only model that I have seen that has the finish like that.

Don't know yet cause I just bought it. I think that it will last forever. Of course any hand made guitar is gonna hold up much better than anything else.

Haven't needed it!

I have been Playing for about 15 years. If it was stolen or lost,GOD forbid, I would definitely buy another one. I compared with all high end Taylors and Martins, among other guitars. No comparison!!!