Larrivee D-03R

canadian spruce top, rosewood back and sides, all solid construction.... Not alot of frills..

Excellent sound... Great tone.... I went in to the music store set on a martin d-16... I left with a larrivee d-03r... It just sounded better, don't get me wrong I love Martin's, but hands down this guitar sounded better than the d-16gtr.. deeper more solid tone greater complexity.. I was amazed..

Great action great neck feel... All frets smooth, no buzzing...

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guitars to me are all about sound... and this one really does it...

No fancy inlays or things like that, but still a beautiful guitar. I even love the smell. Solid sitka top, solid rosewood back and sides. The rosewood is dark and beautiful. I look at it as much as i play it.

This is what makes this guitar so great. i had a birthday coming up and really wanted a new guitar. i was still playing my very first guitar, a Washburn d-94 limited edition. i was looking at Martins, Taylors, Guilds, and some cheaper brands like Seagull and one Blueridge. This guitar was on consigment at Jackson's music for about $830. WOW!! i only played it for a few minutes, no need even for one. It beat the crap out of every guitar in the building. even the 2 and 3 thousand dollar taylors and martins. it takes the booming bass of the martins and the bright, resonant treble of the taylors and combines them into the perfect sound.

Action.... i dont really seem to notice action, but it is way easier to play than my Washburn. The fit and finish are just fine. i dont need anything super fancy, but everything is perfect with this one.

I REALLY baby my instruments, so no real test here, but it doesnt look frail. I would definitely be ok with this being my only guitar for all occasions... it is.

Ive never had a problem, but if its summer theres no ice for the canadians to play on so they shouldnt be that busy.

Ive pretty much already given the best reviews possible but here: this is the perfect guitar, at least for me. Definitely worth all $1700 of the list price, in my case 830 =)

Satin finish, rosewood back & sides, ebony fretboard, solid spruce top -- honestly wish their were more bells & whistles, and a nicer finish, but that's perhaps why it is a value.

With the appropriate setup, this is an incredible sounding guitar -- very strong rich bass, clear, crisp treble, sustains incredibly well -- Taylor style sustain with a more balanced and full sound. Also - what I like most is that it is a very versatile guitar. The sustain and balance makes it excel in rhythm, finger-picking, and as you can see in the Justin King videos, tapping. However, it needs extra light strings -- I use .11 strings, and it sings.

I compared it to my former favorite a Martin hd-35, which costs approximately $2,000 more -- it compares quite favorably. Tough to believe that this quality of guitar is within reach to most average players.

As mentioned, I use .11 strings and did my own setup, adding a Tusq saddle, and adjusting the truss. Now -- the neck is like an electric, but you don't lose any tone, as you do with some really easy to play guitars. The action is almost TOO easy, making a few acoustic techniques a little more difficult, but it is worth the extra effort. The tuners, I think, could be a little better -- but maybe that's a good upgrade for the future.

Honestly - the finish and build don't seem overwhelmingly durable, but I clanged it once or twice, and didn't get any damage -- so I'm leaving this rating out.

Very responsive. I e-mailed them and they answered my questions immediately.

I've actually run through the gamut of brands in my search for a great guitar -- Martin, Guild, Taylor, Ibanez, even Composite Acoustics. If you set this instrument up appropriately, and make a few minor adjustments, this is the best value in acoustics available today, and will suit most styles. There is no such thing as a perfect guitar -- as your style changes, you may find one instrument or another makes more sense for you. However, with incredible sustain, rich bass and clear treble -- this is probably the best value and one of the most veratile acoustics available today. With the appropriate setup, this competes favorably with most guitars in the $3,000-$5,000 range.

I recommend you try this setup -- adjust the tusq saddle, brass tone pins for sustain and overtones (really brought out the sound), .11 strings, and set the action to your liking.

Made in 2008, satin finished dread, solid rosewood back and sides and sitka spruce top, maple bindings, tortoise shell pickguard etc etc. Nothing fancy just a beautiful classic dread.

I went into the store hellbent on buying a Martin. Played a few (D-16, HD 28) the store clerk insisted I played a Larrivee. I sat back and had him play a Mahogany D-03 and the Martins. Holy Cow! What a difference. The Larrivee beat them hands down (to my ears). I asked if he had a D-03 with in rosewood and 2 minutes later it appeared. I played it for 10 seconds and knew this was my guitar. I was prepared to spend $2000+ and ended up only spending $1100 on an unbelievable sounding guitar. The thing is a cannon.

Excellent workmanship. You can tell these are built with care. The action was a little high but I quickly adjusted it to my liking and could not be happier. The rosewood is stunning, excellent grain and finish.

I'm looking forward to this beauty aging with me

Lifetime warranty, what more can you ask for.

I've been playing for about 5 years. Own an Elitist Les Paul and a Strat as well as this. I've owned Masterbilts, Gretch, a few other Epiphones and this is without a doubt the best guitar I've owned. I would not hesitate to buy another.

solid rosewood back and sides, solid spruce top, solid mahogony neck, ebony fingerboard, bridge and headstock inlay. maple body binding, ivoriod binding on fingerboard. satin clear finish. top is a AA to AAA quality. interior braces are perfectly crafted. fit and finish are excellent. no signs of adhesives or build up of finish. the quality of the woods is excellent. there's nothing flashy about it, it's a classic design - on the understated side. i don't care for the larravee headstock shape, but there's nothing about that that draws attention from the guitars overall pretty lines. gibson-style pearl tuners would look really nice though...

first, mine is the older model shaped like the classic dreadnought with square upper boughts and a clear pickguard. not the newer model larravee makes with sloped shoulders like an om model guitar. i've had a lot of really nice rosewood bodied guitars - including martins d18, d35, d28's, guild d55 and others...this instrument sounds very comperable with anything high end i've ever owned. the solid back and sides help produce a really nice, interesting and complex tone that laminate body guitars don't have. the tone is closest to the newer martin d28's. well-balanced, good projection and with the nice bell-like tone associated with those instruments. there aren't any dead spots.

i'm used to electric guitars. the action here is just right. intonation is right on the mark all the way up the fingerboard. the neck is very comfortable. not at all chunky. no buzzing. the bridge is set correctly. i'm told this is typical-that larravee is good about doing a first class set-up on all their guitars before they ship from the factory.

i'm sure it's as durable as any guitar that's made from solid woods can be. obviously you can't use it to paddle a canoe and expect much service from it. the frets are high quality, so wear shouldn't be an issue. the bracing is standard and about what you get on any martin or gibson flat top. the satin finish seems very light (thin), so maybe wear where it rubs against the body may be a problem down the line but i can't predict. so, i'm not going to assign any number here.

no experience here-i bought the guitar used on ebay.

the more i play this guitar the more i like it. it just has a nice sound, and plays like a dream. it's so comfortable. it wasn't played much by the original owner so i'm still breaking it in. i haven't felt let-down at any time by the tone yet. the highs are crisp and bell like, the low end is tight and precise with enough depth, the mids have lovely resonance and harmonic overtones. the sound is full and balanced. it sounds like a high-end instrument, the tone is complex. i think an experienced player will not get tired of it's tone.

I happen to like a satin finish, so the lack of gloss is a plus for me (although back and sides look better with gloss). I've heard Jean Larrivee acknowledge that the satin finish opens up faster than gloss. I've replaced the nut, saddle, pins and tuner on this. I thought bone would be an improvement. I'd heard a lot of complaints about Ping tuners. I had no problem, but then I found she didn't hold a tune well, so I replaced then with Gotoh 510s. Better looking, and they seem to work better. Overall, I give it a 7, for the money, I'd have to say 9 or 10.

This guitar is one of the best-sounding I've heard at any price. My dealer said that you can't find a factory guitar--not Martin, Taylor, Santa Cruz, Collings, etc.--at any price better made than Larrivee. I a/b'd it with a Martin D-28 that cost significantly more money and preferred the Larrivee. I liked the Martin, nice, deep sound with powerful bass. The Larrivee matched the bass and came up better in the mids and highs. I definitely recommend the rosewood. I didn't care for the mahogany or sapele or ovankol sounds nearly as much. I've heard three or four D-03Rs, and each one sounded the way I want a guitar to sound. To me, the model has always been the Collings rosewood dread. I find the Larrivee to be its equal. No BS.

No flaws. This guitar played nicely out of the box, although I had it set up again when I replaced the nut and saddle. I didn't replace the nut because I didn't like the Tusq nut, but I wanted my tech to space out the strings as much as possible, to come as close to 1 3/4" at the nut as possible. I still think it's a bit narrower than a 1 3/4" neck, but I guess there's just so much spacing you can add to a narrower neck without the strings falling off the sides.
The top is gorgeous. Beautiful color and grain--narrow in the middle, wider toward the edges, Jean Larrivee's ideal. It has a bit of bear claw to make it interesting. Larrivee says it saves its better tops for the upper models. I find it hard to believe there's a nicer top than this one. It looks and sounds great.

I've only had the guitar a year. I coddle it, so I haven't tested its durability. It's always in a humidified case when I'm not playing it. A well-maintained guitar should be better than new after a year of playing, and this one is.

No idea.

I have some ergonomic issues due to neck and back injuries, so I recently purchased a smaller guitar. But I was so impressed with Larrivee I didn't look at any other maker. I got the same model in an L series (L-03R). So far I don't like the L as much as the D, but I'm a dread guy. My plan was to sell the D, but I can't do it. Maybe as the L opens up and I make some upgrades, it'll sound as good as the D and I'll be able to sell the D. But not yet. I'll post a review of my L-03RE in about a year. Value? This is one of the best guitars I've heard regardless of price. If you blindly tested it with Martins or Collings costing thousands more, you might prefer this one. It's that good. There's no better value in an all-solid guitar, and few if any better instruments. But I paid $800 and change. It will likely cost hundreds more now.

Sitka Spruce top. Rosewood back and sides. Ebony fret board, headstock and bridge. One piece mahogany heck with dovetail joint. The maple binding is beautiful, wood bindings are features you don't see on other brands in this price point. Tusq nut, saddle, bridge pins. Average hard shell case. It is not a flashy guitar, but the materials used, the high quality craftsmanship all come together to produce a beautiful instrument.

Very rich, nice base. Strums well. Lots of sustain, well balanced. I am getting more into finger style and it sounds great playing this form as well. Intonation is spot on. Play it soft or dig in, it sounds great. Beautiful sound. Very nice sound.

Fit and finish is very very good. Clean inside, all joints seams etc are very tight. Finish is even, smooth. I have never picked up a Larrivee guitar and found a flaw or sloppy finish or fit. I can not say this for other brands I have looked at. Action is spot on for me.

Time will tell. No issues to date. Don???t expect any. Instrument is about 2 years old

Very good support. Contacted Larrivee to obtain build date info and other questions. Quick feedback.

Like many, I shopped around for months, looked at guitars in several price points by the major US/Canada brands. Larrivee had always stood out above the rest. The craftsmanship, sound and value is excellent. I was leaning towards another brand, but could never find a guitar that was comparable to the Larrivee DO3R in craftsmanship, materials or sound for the same price. With Larrivee, I felt I was not paying for a name or history first, then getting a guitar second. With Larrivee, I got a very high quality instrument, very nice sounding instrument very fairly priced first. The Larrivee history is rich as well. Jean Larrivee has a lot of pride and history and experience in crafting guitars and it shows.

Quality solid wood construction; this is not plywood!

No frills or shiny clear coat finish.

Finger board is great and plays well.

For this price range, a true winner for sound.

I bought this guitar without even thinking about brands. Just picked up several makes and kept playing until I heard the magic.

Level and great here - nice finger board.

Guitar is solidly built. Do not baby it - use it and have fun!

I emailed Larrivee with my serial number and they were prompt in letting me know the manufacturing date. Nice personal touch!

Nice quality guitar that focuses on using good wood/materials and workmanship without the fancy sound hole inlays etc.

If you care about sound and having a well made guitar from good materials, go and buy this one. Just play it and compare with others.

I think the rosewood back is what helps gives it the rich and articulate sound.

Pretty plain guitar...you're not buying it for the features though!

Amazing, rich sound. I've had a bone bridge and nut put on it, which gave it more sound separation, improving on an already excellent sound.

Amazing action, super low but never buzzes, up and down the neck. It's so fast, you can almost forget it's an acoustic sometimes!

I decided after I bought it that I wasn't such a fan of the satin finish, since you could hear a very quiet brushing sound when strumming (from your arm rubbing on the front of the guitar - I'm nit-picking here, I realize). So I paid $100 and had a luthier polish up the front of the guitar - so now I've got a gloss top on it, eliminating the brushing sound completely.

I've been playing 20 years, and buying this was me finally getting my 'dream guitar' (acoustic that is!). So I tried all the biggies - Martin, Taylor etc...I liked the D-28's sound, but not its playability so much. This guitar sounds as good but plays much better. The only knock against it is the finish (see my comments above) and that it's not a 'name' guitar (if that's worth something to you - it's not to me, particularly once you realize its price as a result!)

Mine was a black plastic trim rosewood. Just the basics

The sound of this guitar is the best I've ever heard compared with Taylor, Gibson, Takimine, Alverez, Tacoma, Epiphones.

Played almost as good as a Taylor, but not quite. I owned a Taylor 214 and A/B'd it against the Larrivee and the Taylor beat the Larrivee hands down on action. Not sure if they were set up the same.

My first Larrivee D03R was sent back because of fret uneven. Musicians Friend made them exchange it. The second one was great and after a couple of years the lower bout of the front surfaced began to rise until the rear bridge saddle was shaved to nothing and the the truss fully tighted, yet the strings were still too far from the neck. I sold it for cheap on ebay. Giving a 5 only for the good times we had together. Maybe a fluke. I only know it was kept in climate controlled studio.

Larrivee told me they would not fix it because it was 'probably' dried out too much. Hey I live in Louisiana our humidity is unbearable! I heard they were tired of taking a beating on returns, thus cutting loose Musician's Friend. I gathered this from talking with them as well as MF. Though I can't substantiate this. I was left holding the bag. Giving them a 2 for at least talking to me.

Despite my poor experience, the DO3R sounds so sweet that I'm planning to purchase another one someday. What gives? A chance I'm willing to take.

Amazing Acoustic sound, deep tone. Great for playing country, folk, rock.

She's a beauty, love the ebony fret board, tuning keys and bridge. Excellent grain of rosewood.

Very sturdy guitar, well made.

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Beautiful guitar, great sounding guitar rivals that of gibson, and martin. For thousands less.

Satin Finish, Dreadnought, Larrivee tuners, regular size neck, came with case and adjustment tool. No electronics. Micro dot fret markers, ebony fret board. Spruce top, and Rosewood back and sides. I have to give the guitar a 7 because it really doesn't have many features. It does have a solid top with fine spruce and ebony fret board which is really nice.

I can't say enough about the sound of the guitar. I made a couple of enhancements to the guitar that really improved the tone. One the original nut and saddle were replaced with bone, second and I didn't believe it would have much effect but I thought I'd give it a try was to change the bridge pins to ebony for the E,A,D strings and horn for G,B,E strings. You know what it works. The tone on the guitar is outstanding. Also playing it a lot helps open the guitar up. I play jazz, pop and folk tunes on it and the guitar sounds great. I like the sound of spruce and rosewood.The action is right on for me, I guess it's a matter of personal taste how high or low you like it to be. At first I didn't like the satin finish and still don't I always liked shinny guitars. So if you can live with a satin finish... Also I can't understand guys paying more money for a beat up old guitar than a brand new one. But that's me. I have to say this is the second Larrivee I owned and am more than statisfied.

Guitar had a slight dip in the fret board, I like a flat fret board and using the Larrivee tool got the fret board to where I prefer. The frets, the fit the finish were all excellent.

The guitar will withstand live planing, it is a very solid professional instrument.

Never dealt with company.

I have been playing for 30 years. I own a Fender Stratocaster, Les Paul Signature, and the Larrivee D-03r. I'd more than likely buy the 05 model the next time because it has a gloss finish. However I got such a deal on the 03r that I couldn't justify paying an extra grand for a gloss top.

I had everything I wanted --- amazing sound and beautiful looks !! some people what a pick up but I mic my guitars onsatge because jacking a acoustic in never does it justice.
For some people they need fancy inlays but I just want beautiful wood, finish and amazing sound and this is it !!

The Case included is really nice also !!

I play a mixture of all music and have always had different guitars for every type and style. This HOWEVER is the first I've ever played that manages every style perfectly --- WOW. It soulded better than every taylor, martin and tak in the store !! Infact it blew them all away - I almost went for the mahonany version but the rosewood just gives it amazing lows (the bass is great)

if there is a better sounding guitar . I've not found it !!! and to be honet I'm never going to look -- I have what I want

the action was about the same as the taylors -- Very good !! and a lot better than the martins which I think are beautiful sounding guitars but they just don't play well !! no faws in the finish, the rosewoods look and smell amazing

this is one well made guitar -- I guess them canadians really know what they are doing although it is kinda early to tell -- I'll keep ya posted

I bought min through the store and registered my warrently online so I have had no need for customer service

I've been playing for about 17 years and this guitar is by far the best Ive ever played. I have a custom made Johnson Resonater - Yamaha Classical - Alvarez Yari and a Gisbon Les Paul but this guitar really takes the cake !!

I would fork out $1100 again anyday of the week !!

just go to your local dealer and put it up against any other guitar in any price range and you'll see what I'm talking about ~!!

This is one of the best sounding guitars I have ever heard. Bought it used off ebay. It's 2 years old and has been played hard by it's previous owner. I put new elixer light/medium strings on it and it sounds beautiful. I played about 50 acoustic guitars before buying this one. I played many Martins, Talors , and a few Gibsons and Tacomas. This guitar plays just as nice as the other brands top of the line models. I played Martin D-28,D-18,D-15,D-28 Marquis and many others. This guitar has great bass response similat to that of a martin, except it has more tone in the bottom end, though not quite as deep. The highs aren't as good as some of the Taylors I played (which also had Elixer strings on them, but this guitar has much better bass than any Taylor I played and also sounds more balanced.

Been playnig off and on for about 12 years. I had never played an all solid wood acoustic guitar until a few months ago and decided that I had to have one. I did countless hours of research on the internet and also played about 50 different acoustics. I was very, very impressed with the Larrivee brand. These guitars honestly sounded better to me than any other guitars I played, and then you see the price tag!!!!! These are the best guitars for the money, end of story!

I give it a 7 only because this Canadian-built guitar is not flashy (no abalone inlays, gold hardware, headstock binding, etc.). It's an understated, classy-looking instrument with a satin finish of its solid Canadian spruce top, Canadian maple binding, solid Indian rosewood back and sides, and South American maple neck. The fretboard & bridge are of African ebony. I really like the tortoise-shell pick guard and the fact that it comes with a very nice hard-shell case with the name Larrivee printed in it.

I play all styles of music from country to rock to jazz to new age - everything. This guitar sounds great no matter what I'm playing or how (pick or finger-picking). The sound is balanced from bass to treble, very full with great low end and lots of volume.

One of the easiest-to-play guitars I've ever owned. The neck is thinner (more like an electric) than my other acoustic guitars. No buzz anywhere and very smooth frets. Beautiful satin finish on the all-solid-wood instrument. Very pretty guitar. I've scoured it for flaws, and it is flawless. Very well made.

Being as I've only owned it a couple of weeks, I can't speak to the durability issue, but as well as it appears to be made, I can't imagine that it wouldn't last a lifetime with proper care.

I had to contact the company by e-mail concerning a serial number mix-up, and they returned my e-mail with an answer within 2 hours. Limited life-time warranty.

After playing guitar for 41 years (brands like Hohner, Alvarez, Jay Turser, Spencer, Washburn, Yamaha, etc.), I was determined to buy the best guitar for my money. I'd always wanted a Guild or a Martin, and in more recent years a Taylor, so those were the brands I concentrated on for the next few days at various stores until a salesman suggested a Larrivee (the brand he plays). The moment I strummed it, I knew it was the one. I spent two hours in the place playing what I had narrowed my choices to: a Martin, a Taylor, and a Larrivee (each within $300 of each other, the Larrivee being the least expensive). It quickly became apparent that the Larrivee was superior in action and sound (my opinion) to the other two in that price range. I bought it, put new strings on it, and got goosebumps playing it. Compared to the Martin and Taylor I considered, the Larrivee was louder and had a fuller, more balanced sound from top to bottom than the other two, with particularly good bass. Two days after I bought it, I went to another store and played a Martin and a Taylor (each costing more than twice mine) just to verify my hunch that the Larrivee D03R is as good as any guitar at any price. In my opinion, it is. Sure, it's a plain-Jane when it comes to cosmetics, but that's what I like about it. No flash - all business. I would strongly recommend that anyone considering the "big-name" guitars check out Larrivee. For the money, I feel its the best instrument out there, equal to guitars costing much more.

Basic specs: beautiful satin finish, dreadnaught body, Schaller-style tuners, all solid wood - rosewood back and sides, spruce top, ebony fingerboard, mahogany neck. Very tiny dot inlays. No electronics. Newer make with the tortoise shell pickguard rather than the clear one. Comes with .012 Elixers, which are the worst strings ever made (in my opinion), and it still sounds fantastic! I'm giving it a 10 in features because this has solid rosewood back and sides for about $1000. Great value.

For me, this guitar has the perfect sound. If you want a vibrant, deep, dark, clear tone, then this is your guitar. This is not a bright sounding acoustic, but what do you expect from rosewood? The tone is dark, but certainly not dull - the ebony fretboard helps balance the tone of the instrument. I've had it for a year now, and it just gets better and better. I string it with Dean Markley Alchemy GoldPhos .012s. Great set of acoustic strings.

The best way to describe the way a Larrivee sounds is this - like a Taylor, but much more alive. When I went guitar shopping, I tested some Martins, Taylors, a Takamine, and a couple Larrivees. It has always been my dream to own a Taylor, but none of the Taylors in the store had the sound I was looking for. I narrowed my selection down to a Larrivee D-03 (mahogany back) and a Taylor (same features, I forget the model). The Larrivee sounded much better than the Taylor, but it still wasn't right - the sound was too bright for me. The salesperson then pulled out the D-03R - I liked the regular D-03, so he gave me the rosewood version to fix the brightness. I found my guitar.

The factory setup was nearly perfect - intonation was right, action was comfortable, and everything looked beautiful. The one I bought was fresh out of the shipping box (they're shipped in a hardshell, of course). The store had one on the floor and one in the box. The one in the box had a better sound by blind test, and I really liked how the wood grains looked.

The guitar is as tough as an acoustic can be. I'm nervous to pound on it like a drum, but I've seen other guys do that to Larrivees and they take it like a champ. Pretty good sound when you thump it, by the way.

No experience yet.

I have been playing for over 10 years, and I thought that I finally needed a "real" acoustic guitar. I was tired of playing my cheap acoustic that just could not be intonated correctly. This guitar can handle any acoustic style that you want to play. Wonderful strumming rhythm sound, wonderful clarity for fingerpicking. I generally fingerpick, and this has such a broad range of tones for that style. If I had one complaint, it would be that I would rather it had standerd-sized dot inlays or some other type of inlay, but I honestly don't even notice the inlays. A guitar's sound is what matters, and this guitar has a spectacular sound. This is the perfect guitar for me - I honestly cannot see myself buying another acoustic guitar again. But, if I somehow lost this to some freak accident or something, I would save up for another.

Solid Sitka Spruce Top-Looks great.
Solid Indian Rosewood back and sides.
Maple binding
Solid one piece mahogony neck with a rosewood headstock overlay.
Ebony fret board with Ivroid binding.
Basic rosette-Nothing wild, but rosettes don't produce sound anyway.
Elixer polyweb light gauge strings included, but it will handle medium gauge.
Satin finish. No shine, but it is NOT pourous and does not soak up fingerprints.
For what I paid, this is the best value out there.

-Warm and full with incredible volume. Blew away Martin D-28 in the store.
-Very similar, if not better than a Taylor 710, but less than half the price.
-Responds very well to a light touch when finderpicking, but can also take a beating with heavy strumming. Larrivee in general is the most dynamic guitar I have played accross volume ranges.
-Bass response is on par with a jumbo.
-Best way to describe it is a rich sound with a nice punch on the high end. I was having a real hard time finding a guitar because I had a $1200 budget and $2400 taste. Once I played this guitar, I knew it would be mine.

No flaws and I like the factor action.
We did a little adjusting at Sam Ash.
Stays in tune nicely. I play a lot of open tunes and am retuning constantly.
Adjusting the truss rod is tough. Really hard to do when the strings are on.
I would gladly have paid an extra $150 to get a gloss finish. Other than that, it is a great guitar that focusses on the core sound producing features rather than decorations.
-I was ready to purchase the D-03RE, but the pickups offered by Larrivee don't really do justice to the sound. I will probably add an aftermarket system down the road.

Solid instrument with no signs of weakness.
I write, but don't gig. If I did, I would feel very comfortable with this.

I have been playing recreationally for 25 years. This is the best guitar I have owned. Recently played unplugged with friends using Taylor 410CE and a Martin dreadnought. This guitar blew them away. This was a luxury purchase that I have been looking forward to for years. I literally played hundreds of guitars before choosing this one. I was shopping with the intent to get a guitar that I would keep for the next 30 years. I did give up some decorations and a gloss finish to keep the price under control, but this guitar sounds as good as guitars twice the price. If I lost this guitar, I would glady buy another and would be willing to pay more if I needed to.

Purchased new in 1999 for $990CAN after playing about 10 Larivees (all D03 but not all Rosewood)at several music stores in my area ( I always try out all available examples before I buy). Already own a couple of Takamines for stage/live use - this guitar was intended for studio mic'd and home use. There are no "features" to speak of, its simply a bare bones Dreadnought style acoustic that to me represented amazing value.

Although I play out quite a bit, usually in R&B bands, the only pro use I've put this axe to is a live radio show backing up a local female singer who didn't want to play piano for the tune. The CD the station gave me sounded great, the guitar was miked with an AKG style and had a full and clear tone that recalled my Martin D28 sound - I really wasn't expecting it to sound so smooth. I've since used it for both finger and plectrum studio gigs and it hasn't disappointed.

The factory set-up (with Mediums) was OK but had a low E buzz around the 3rd fret. One qick neck adjustment fixed the problem - and that brings up my only complaint about the instrument, the location of the truss nut (well inside the body, a real pain the first time you have to apply the tool provided).
Materials are OK, I've even started to like the small imperfections in the fingerboad Rosewood, and although the guitar feels light (compared to my Martins and Taks) in 6 years I've seen no sign of build problems.

This guitar won't be gigged, although I'm tempted to get another Larivee with piezo and a cutaway. In every respect I think the hardware and materials will last a long time. My brother has a much older Larivee model that was just refretted and partially refinished and it looks and plays beautifully.

Never spoken with the factory (regretably not a comment I can make about CF Martin) but their reputation from their days in central Canada is AAA. Even my Music store buddies who don't sell the product speak highly of it.

Been playing for over 35yrs., mainly electric, and own 12 guitars, three amps, two keyboards, innumerable effects and a buch of harmonicas and percussion stuff. I would absolutely replace this with another Larivee. I should add that I think this line compares sonically (if not cosmetically)with Martins and Taylors that cost twice the Larivee tag. I have since been impressed with other Canadian buiders - Godin/Seagull and Garrison - also check them out !

Made in Vancouver, BC 2005. Rosewood sides and back. Very plain, nothing fancy at all. NOTHING. the rosette is just paint. the fret dots are just little specs. It is nothing close to eye candy to someone who is not a guitarist. Sure you can go buy a different guitar for half the price and just looks stunning. but when it sounds like crap at the end of the day you are not satisfied.

Its rich, full and bright. Chords just sing. THEY JUST SING. i tried a whole bunch of other acoustics and this one just soundeed the best when playing chords. thats what stands out most of this guitar.

The entire guitar is jut faltless. I looked at every binding, every nook and cranny and there is nothing at all wrong with it. IT is prefect.

I dunno if i would take it

I still have not been able to get over how well it says in tune. Every time i pick it up and play it i am just amazed. I owe a high end strat and tele and with all the fancy tuning systems on those they dont even cut it close to how well this baby stays in tune.

I was looking for quality with a nice full size body and a great neck I bought this one. No extras here and that was ok by me it is just a recording guitar. I looked at different brand and prices I wanted to stay under $1000.00 and wanted this one to be new.

I looked at Taylor's, Martin's Breedlove's and Gibson's I went with this one, WOW it was a lot better over all round tone from mid's to low's to high's some of the other brands had more of one or two tones better but over all I felt this one had the best of all three I felt it would be a great recording guitar. For Pop Rock to picking styles

The set-up is ok I am very very very pickie about action and neck with perfect setup in the bow. I have seen more and more acoustic with poor action I want the strings strieght! Gibson and Taylor need to work on this!!! Its hard to find one with all the above. I would say that this one needs better action. My biggest problem is POOR Q.C. with ALL acoustic's brands in this price rang.

Its new I just bought and it good right now

No need

I have been playing guitar over 20 years LOTS of gigs and studio work along with teaching and guitar tech and working at different music stores. I feel the overall rating is based on the price. I may or may not buy again why it all about what your into at the time. Thats what musicians do buy and sell buy and sell and look back at all the great ones that you let go!

My DO3-R was made in 2003 by Larrivee. The rosewood body is satin (as they all are) and looks very simple and plane. NO frills but im not going for looks im going for the sound. After all isn't that the idea?

I have been playing guitar for about 35 years. I thought only a Martin or guitars above three grand could have a sound this good! I play all kinds of music, and the DO3-R fills the full spectrum. The neck is thin as a electric and you don't need to play with C-clamp style to get clear clean tones. I compared this guitar (with a friend Jeff Gossard who is a studio owner oporator) with every high end guitar at the local music shop and nothing compared with it's sound. He ended up buying one that day for his studio.

The feel of this I would compare to your first sexual experiance,great!It was perfect from the factory. No strange have to get use to it stuff, this was like butter melting on my corn. The finish was perfect and smooth. The action right in the middle. No buzzing or need for adjustment. I tried other strings, and the folks at Larrivee are right about using Elixer strings.

Live playing? yes you could pound the crap out of this on stage or in a studio (like I have) and it comes through clean and not booming in the bass end. Construction of this instrument is better than Martin and Taylor. I have three flat tops and the other two now collect dust.

I have had no problems with the guitar, but have had contact with the company and they are very helpful with all questions I had. I like the lifetime warranty, and im sure it will never need any repairs unless mistreated.

With the 35 years under my belt, Gibson, Conn, Yamaha, Hamer and all the other guitars I have or had I rate this one the best and favorite. If it were stolen I would have to hunt down the horse thief and hang him! But yes I would replace it in a heartbeat with another. Martin move over Larrivee has out done and out classed you on this guitar! To end this I would say it's like the old sleeper cars of the 70's looks plane and simple, but will donmenate anything in it's path!

Ok, here's the thing: it's a simple acoustic, no bells or whistles, just a fine tone, hence the low rating here. No real inlay to speak of, but a nice ebony board to be sure, satin finish, roeswood back and sides, and a spruce top. The top isn't the most lavish I've ever seen, but for $700 bucks what can I say.

Perfect. Sounds as good as any guitar for twice the cash. If you're looking at a Taylor or Martin, I highly suggest checking these guitars out first.

Came strung with Elixirs right out of the box, the intonation was great right from the factory. Perfect. The frets are nice, no buzz, ends finished nicely. Binding looks good.

Came w/ hardshell case and I keep it in there w/ a humidifier. Should hold up with care. I take care of my acoustics, but with this price if it gets banged around, I won't loose any sleep.

don't know, won't call them unless it comes unglued in the next couple of months

Lost or stolen, yep I would buy another right off the bat. I can't believe the value of this guitar. Go buy one. You won't regret it. I saw one go used on Ebay for $20 less than I paid for a new one. I love it, and will hang on to it until it can't go anymore.

All solid construction. Solid Spruce top, Solid Rosewood back and sides. NO LAMINATES! Maple body binding is nice, considering it is a plain looking guitar. Just your basic dreadnought. No cutaway, no pickup. Ebony fretboard and bridge are added bonuses to solid construction. Very smooth one-piece mahogany neck. This guitar is no frills, so I can't rate it a ten, but the construction is excellent. I also like the satin finish rather than the more popular gloss finishes on other comparable guitars. You've probably heard it elsewhere, but I just don't like the way gloss finishes effect the tone of some guitars.

The sound is incredible! This is the good thing about Larrivee guitars: All their guitars sound excellent. I flatpick and fingerpick, strum and play lead lines, and this guitar delivers whatever I need. Great treble and bass. Very loud guitar. Volumewise, it blows away any other guitar in the room if your jammn' out w/ buddies. I haven't installed any pickups or anything yet. I'm still looking for the right one. Besides, I just sit on my balcony and pick away into the Texas evening.

I have seen other 03-series Larrivees, and there was always something wrong... a bad fret, a finish blem, etc. But mine is flawless. The particular guitar I have was made in Dec. '03 for the '04 NAMM show in Vegas. It was a display model and it has the most incredible bearclaw top I have ever seen, so you can imagine that they polished this one up pretty good. No complaints here, really. Also, the action came a little high, but was easily adjusted to the near perfect to perfect range with a short flick of the wrist on the truss rod wrench.

The guitar is only like 6 months old, so not much to say here. It's been good so far, though.

I have to give Larrivee a 10. They are really good at working with customers. I know this from personal experience. They have always responded quickly to e-mails and are quite pleasant to deal with.

I have been playing for 10 years. I have mainly been an electric guitar player. I have been the lead player for a few traveling groups. I have played in front 10 people. I have played in front of 10,000 people (numerous occasions, not just one fluke gig). I have travelled all over Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Mexico, yada, yada, yada.... I have played Jazz, Blues, Rock, Metal (just a phase, it passed quickly), Latin (that would be the Mexico tour mentioned above), and Praise and Worship music. Basically, I know what I'm doing and I know my way around a guitar neck. I have owned a couple of American Strats, Gibson Les Paul, Jackson (the Metal phase, yuck!), Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 100 head and cab, vintage Fender tube combo, Peavey tube amp, Fender Blues Jr., ok enough already. Bottom line... I love this Larrivee guitar. It is such a great instrument. Very balanced guitar that sounds like it costs $3000. If I lost this guitar I would buy another Larrivee. Maybe not the D-03R, but I would buy a higher end Larrivee. I was originally going to purchase a -05 series or -09 series Larrivee, but I saw this one and the bearclaw top almost made me faint. Great guitar.

This is a plain jane guitar so it gets no marks for abalone and mother of pearl but it does feature all solid woods and North American construction. The satin finish is a good choice for a cheap finish. It doesn't compromise the sound and the manufacturer saves quite a bit on labour costs.

If we put a pre-war D-28 as a 10 this guitar does not even come clsoe. It is a good sounding guitar but nit a great one. I find the guitar somewhat muddy in the middle but with nice highs and a decent bass. Tome it works better for rhythm than for picking lead lines. The main strength of this guitar is its versatility. It works for all kinds of music and for fingerpicking and flatpicking. I find it tends to top out if driven hard though.

The stock action was too low for my preference and the neck has a very slight back bow, meaning the truss rod tension must be set as low as possible. The glue joint between the fingerboard and the top is slightly sloppy. Inside it looks fine and seems to be a well constructed instrument.

I have only had the guitar for two years so it is tough to assess this. It seems solid and I would not worry about bringing this guitar to any gig or festival

I have not had to deal with the company.

I have been playing for about ten years and I bought this guitar because it was cheap, made on this continent and Rosewood. It is my everyday guitar that I feel I can take anywhere. It is not vintage and if it gets stolen I can always go get another one. Definitely the best feature about this guitar is the low price. While not on par with the best acoustic guitars in the world, the sound, quality and materials are fantastic given what you pay. A perfect knockaround everyday guitar.

This is a stripped-down guitar. It's EXACTLY what I was looking for. 2001 model, all-solid (as are all Larrivees), with spruce, rosewood/rosewood and a mahogany neck. Ebony fretboard and bridge. Saddle and nut are synthetic. The binding is wood pulp-- that's right, it's not plastic. The guitar is amazing, but it's definitely stripped-down. The features score does NOT reflect the quality of the guitar at all. If you're looking for flash, look elsewhere and look HIGHER. You won't find it in this price range if you want a good guitar. This guitar has a great satin finish.

This guitar is near perfect, tonally. The range, resonance, and balance are amazing. I play this guitar for everything, from classic rock, country, and folk, to praise & worship. By the way, this is a loud guitar, so if you're looking to lead music for a group, it's perfect. It's bright and clear, and whether you're flat-picking, fingerpicking, or strumming, this guitar produces a wonderful sound.

I put an L.R. Baggs I-beam (active) in this baby (it comes with no electronics), but there's really no reason anyone should ever plug this guitar into a system if you can mic it. The sound is so incredible that it's a shame when I have to suffer the I-beam.

The action on this guitar is wonderful. It's low, but not too low. Actually, I was worried that the factory would produce this guitar like so many of its rivals, with ridiculously low action. I was pleasantly surprised. Not only is my D03R a pleasure to play, it's also pleasantly loud and resonant. Again, it was exactly what I wanted.

There's nothing on this guitar that I doubt. It's reliable to the last.

I'm a 12-year vet. I've owned enough acoustic guitars in my day (and played enough others) to know that this is, without a doubt, bar-none, unquestionably, the best value you can get on a high-quality instrument. I'd stack it up against any rival, any day, in any category except 'features'. I bought this guitar to be a fantastic instrument that doesn't scream, "I spent tons of money!" And I didn't spend tons of money to get it.