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.

This guitar was made in 2001 I think. Bought it new from the Guitar Center in Seattle, great bunch of Folks. I bought the D-03R because I needed a reliable flatpicking guitar to hold up to strong Celtic backup playing and I only had under a Grand to spend. This guitar has no laminations, solid Rosewood back and sides, nice Spruce top with a Mahogany neck, ebony fretboard and bridge. But a Plain-Jane guitar as they go. This is no problem to me because the feature I wanted was the tone of this thing! Great Rosewood guitar value!!

I'm a Fingerstyle - Flatpicker, Celtic, Blues and some Bluegrass, which means I pick for whatever the song calls for. The action was a bit low and there was some initial buzzing and honking while playing in the higher registers. After I raised the action a bit it played fine, fast and accurate all the way up the neck. This guitar opens up when you play hard, which is what you'd expect from a Rosewood unit. After playing everything in 6 stores that went for $1900.00 and under, I picked this guitar over most, and at what I paid, it was clearly the best. Normally a Mahogany guitar fan, this Rosewood just blows them away for Flatpicking, and I own 3 other nice (Mahogany) acoustics by Martin, Taylor and Gibson.

As I mentioned, the action came in a little low. After I added a Piezo pickup, the action came up a bit and the buzzing stopped and the volume increased! Larrivee makes a great guitar even at the pace of production they must be trying to maintain. This guitar was near perfect. I may want to have the frets dressed one of these days, they don't look perfect and may have contributed to those 'Honks' I'd get.

After 30 years of trying to be a good guitarist, my playing is still mostly done in someones living room. I do play festivals during the summer and that is exactly why I bought this specific guitar, it appears extremely reliable and sounds as good as any newer Martin under $2000.00 (Can I say that online?). I always bring my Martin D18 to the festivals because of the 'Snob' factor around those Bluegrass guys but I doubt I'd need a back up for this Larrivee.

Can't rate this, only had the beast for a month. The last Larrivee I had (Stolen), never needed a thing after 5 years.

I own too many guitars (yes, it's possible). All of them are name brand, well made guitars - Taylor 314ce, Martin D18VS, Martin 16SGT, Gibson J50, Fender P-bass, Liberty Dobro, Fender American Strat, Peavey Delta Blues and Bassman 100 for amps. Just sold a Hamer P90 Goldtop and in the process of buying a Tricone from National, selling the J50 soon (not all that great for the $$). The 314CE is great amplified and the Martins are what I fingerpick. I bought this guitar to really play hard and have fun with. This will be the last of it's kind I'll buy but I'd replace it in a heartbeat with another Rosewood D3 model if stolen. This guitar is the best Rosewood Dreadnaught value out there!!

2000 model, made in Vancouver Canada, Dreadnaught body style -- spruce top, rosewood back and sides, ebony fretboard, ebony bridge. I had to buy the case -- bought it at Guitar Center. Overall, I like GC but these cats don't give you aything for free.

The only reason I give a 7 for features is because this is the BARE BONES, folks. No mother of pearl inlays, fancy gold-plated tuners, no diamond-studded bridge-pins, etc. I would have liked a prettier guitar, but lately I've become too much of a tone freak to compromise sound over looks. I give it a 7 to be objective about it.

I play mostly solo acoustic - folk, folk-rock, folk-pop, folk-whatever, etc. -- I'm a singer and a strummer, not much fingerpicking, and the D-03R fits my playing style well. When you're the only one on stage, the sound has to be full. The D-03R has a really full sound - the bass is clear and deep, the highs are nice and crispy. It's sound when strummed is a smooth, nicely blended tone. I've got a high tenor voice, and the guitar fills in the necessary spaces to make my nasally white boy voice sound alot better than it really is.

I use a Fender Passport PA system on stage, and I play the guitar miked straight into that -- I've never been in a band situation with an acoustic guitar and so I don't have much use for amps and pickups, and to tell you the truth, I've never gotten a good acoustic sound through an amp or a pickup, but I'm too lazy to try really hard, so don't take my word for it.

It sounds great, nice and clear and not overwhelming.

The action was perfect for me -- low, but not low enough to rattle the frets. No flaws that I could see -- it seems to have been put together well.

The tuning pegs work smoothly, and I've played the thing for hours and hours at a time and I usually don't have to tune it.

It's also very light -- my previous acoustic was a Charvel 625 acoustic/electric, and although the Charvel is not a heavy guitar, I noticed the difference when I strapped on the Larrivee.

Again, the only reason I can't give it a perfect score is the blandness of it's looks -- it's well made but not pretty.

To be perfectly honest, I've had the thing for about a month now, so I'm not sure about overall durability. I can tell you that it seems like a guitar that, if not bounced around alot, will be a family heirloom long after I've gone to the Great Open Mike Night in the Sky.

Haven't dealt with Larrivee yet, but I'd like to know if they all have French accents, so I'm gonna call them up soon just for fun.

I've been playing guitar for about ten years now, most of it as an acoustic player. I currently own a Charvel 625 acoustic/electric guitar, a 199-something Fender Stratocaster, and a little Epiphone amplifier -- I've had much better gear in the past but due to theft and acts of God, my nice collection was greatly reduced.

I'm a singer/songwriter (which is just fancy talk for a pretty good musician who can't find any other people who like the same kind of music to play with) My songs are mostly all acoustic, Toad the Wet Sprocket/Barenaked Ladies/Smiths-esque, so a smooth sounding and playing acoustic guitar is a must. The D-03R fits the bill.

I played every acoustic guitar under $1000 in the store
trying to decide which one to buy -- Martins, Taylors, Larrivees, etc. etc. It was a choice between the Larrivee and a Taylor -- the Taylor sounded great, but the Larrivee was a smoother play....and Ed Robertson of Barenaked Ladies, my favorite band, plays a Larrivee, so that kind of swayed me a bit.

There's not much I would change about this guitar -- it's a spectacular value for the money I paid for it, considering that the $1500-$3500 range guitars didn't sound much better than the D-03R did at $899. I would probably jazz up the looks a bit, but for the sound this baby makes, it can stay ugly.

One thing that I really love: it has a strap-knob thingie (see how technically inclined I am?) underneath the neck so you don't have to tie the end of the strap onto the headstock.

If I lost this guitar, I would cry, beat my head against the wall many times, and then go out and buy another one. If it were stolen, I'd have the sorry SOB that stole it drawn and quartered. I might, at some point, scrape up the cash to buy a higher-end model, but it will most likely be another Larrivee.

My D-03R was purchased about new in 1999. All solid wood, spruce top, rosewood back/sides, ebony fretboard and bridge. It has a matte finish, clear pickguard. It is very spartan from a cosmetics point of view -- tiny dot fretboard inlays, black body binding and a very simple rosette. Some have called the overall look "understated", but you might also call it "plain jane". Mine came with a good quality hardshell case.

Its clear the Larrivee concentrated the money and effort in this guitar into the features that affect the tone -- good solid woods and solid craftsmanship. This price for an all-solid-wood, rosewood guitar is a very good deal.

Ample volume, nice jangly highs and strong bass response. Mine sounds somewhat attenuated in the midrange. The high-end is terrific and rich in harmonics; very nice. Because of the mid-range reponse, I find my guitar works better for strumming rather than fingerpicking. I use medium gauge (.13) strings to improve the guitar's power and punch. The matte finish causes noise from your clothing to be amplified through the guitar; a well-known problem with matte finishes. But that hasn't been a major issue for me.

Overall, my guitar produces a nice pleasing sound. However, given that I tend to play a lot of single-note lead lines, the mahogany back/side D-03 model would have probably been a better fit for me. I think its stronger midrange response would fatten the sound of single note lines and just work better for that style of playing. I think you could make a case that the fault is really with me for buying what turned out to be the wrong model, not with Larrivee for building a flawed product. Nonetheless, I wish my guitar had a strong midrange response, so my rating has to reflect that.

The action on mine is perfect -- fairly low but not buzzy. It should be noted that I had the dealer set mine up before I took delivery of it and we talked at some length about the way I wanted it done. If you buy a decent quality guitar from a dealer, I believe you have the right to ask for this service and I highly recommend you do so. Anyway, from a craftsmanship point of view, my guitar is extremely well constructed. Clean joints and a well-leveled fretboard. Decent finish work; just one flaw that I could find -- a small dimple on the back of the neck. What I've seen of the inside of the body looks clean and neat. My only complaint, and its a minor one, is that the frets could have been more finely polished. I like them to be shiny and slick; my D-03R's fret, while well-shaped and leveled, aren't that finely polished. On my first string change, I polished myself with #0000 steel wool.

I've had it for two years. Played it a lot and gig with it moderately. Its been very reliable.

I haven't had to deal with the company so I can't comment much on their support. They do have a lifetime warranty on their guitars, which is obviously very nice.

I did a lot of research trying to find the best sounding dreadnought I could for under $1000. I looked at all the usual suspects. It came down to the entry-level Taylor or an 03-series Larrivee. I chose the Larrivee because the woods they use in their entry level models are well-known for tone and how they age -- I wasn't very interested in alternative woods.

This is a late model (1999 I believe) D-03 Rosewood dreadnaught, purchased online from a Canadian music store, in excellent/barely used condition. I have had this guitar ~1 month. See Larrivee's website for all official specs. Guitar has a very light-colored solid spruce top, solid rosewood body, and satin finish w/ clear pickguard; nice ivoroid-bound fretboard, bound body, (I believe) ebony fretboard and bridge, black plastic bridge pins, metal end pin, Larrive chrome tuners, synthetic (tusq?) bone-like nut and bridge. Neck I would call a comfortable medium heft. Fretboard has very small pearl microdot markers. The guitar included a good quality but non-Larrivee hard case, neck adjustment tool, and larrivee guitar booklet. Very nice and clean, but understated appointments and appearance; nothing fancy but a good rating is deserved in comparison to other similarly priced guitars.

Dealers as well as other owners, including virtually all the other reviews here on Harmony, give raving scores (~10) for the sound. I have to grade it more conservatively. I had played a couple other Larrivees, incl. a standard mahogany D-03 whose power and punch really impressed me. I went after this one for bluegrass picking, expecting the rosewood to offer even more volume and bass. Its volume is good but I would say not exceptional; picked notes have a good clean sound and it is light and responsive, but it falls noticeably short of the more expensive but clearly bigger-sounding Martin D-28s which predominate in bluegrass jams. Tonally it is interesting; deep and woody and darkish, but even the highs though clear are not bright sounding. The tones in the different low, mid, and high spectra don't seem to mix or blend much. I like the sound more when playing alone than when it is mixed in with other guitars. This is the first rosewood dreadnought I have owned, and really have only heard them as a listener and not as a player; I may have misunderstood what sort of tone to expect, but it doesn't have the volume and punch I hoped for given all the rave reviews. The guitar is still very new as far as playing time, so I may not have yet given it a full chance to express itself.

The guitar is nicely and carefully finished. The woods have nice graining, the body and fretboard binding is seamless. The visual appearance is great in my opinion, with the dark rosewood body and ebony FB and headstock veneer really standing out nicely against the light spruce top. Nothing in the construction or finishing appears sub-par and in fact is very good and clean. The clear pickguard takes some getting used to. I like the idea and the appearance of the top without a thick, dark plastic pickguard. However, I don't understand why they use this funny, almost square shape; it doesn't extend past or protect the top above the middle of the soundhole. I would like to see the standard teardrop shape. As far as playability, the setup of this guitar falls disappointingly short in several regards. The neck appears to be adjusted well/normally, with just a bit of relief, the fretboard seems good and flat, and the frets are smooth and comfortable. The action, however, is set up uncomfortably high, especially at the bridge/saddle. Even so, there is very little room to take the saddle down, as these guitars have a taller than usual bridge profile and an already low saddle height. Bar chords are difficult to play cleanly up the neck. A couple of the lower frets are not quite clean or level, giving some annoying string buzz when fretting normally or just capoing is around the 2nd-4th frets or so, even though the action at the 14th fret is at least medium to medium-high, and lowering the saddle would only make this worse. Since I play bluegrass, I have tolerated this initially, and changing to medium strings reduced (but not eliminated) the buzz in the lower frets. Still, this is subpar setup bordering on outright poor, given that these guitars are almost uniformly described as having low, comfortable action. Only the fact I am mainly flatpicking make it tolerable. I haven't been able to fix it with minor twiddling and will probably need at least a few frets leveled and a new setup.

Even given the moderate rating above, I am giving this guitar a good tryout at jams to work it in and give it a chance to grow on me tonally. Though light in weight it feels nice and solid and I don't have any reservations so far about its durability. Tuners appear to be good quality. The finish is very light and so is going to be susceptible to scratches and dings. There is no reason why it wouldn't be fine in solo or group performing. I will rate it well based on my impressions although the guitar has still had very little use.

No direct dealings, only with the Larrivee website which is very good. This guitar is not warranteed as I got it used.

I own 4-5 other acoustic guitars, including Guilds and a Martin, that all had comparable prices if new ($800-$1100). Like this Larrivee, all were bought used through ads at substantial savings. I based my assessment and decision to buy them on playing other guitars, though of the same or similar model, in music stores/shops, counting on the consistency between individual instruments. This expectation carries some risk and proved at least a little disappointing in several cases. Each of them is pretty good to very good in some aspects, and each falls short of being the perfect, no-regrets purchase. All were good or even great buys overall, but it was maybe unrealistic to think that an individual $800 guitar is going to turn out to be perfect. I'm still in the guitar-trial stage. I like having several, but may eventually opt for one really good $1500 Taylor instead of two $800 Larrivees or Martins. As with my other instruments, I only wish I could have had the best of both worlds: a chance to play several and pick the best but still with the same savings. I would still like to try a Larrivee, but if I could do it over, I think it was a mistake to pay for the more expensive rosewood. I would shoot to save another couple hundred to try the regular D03, which might be more to my preference of bright yet loud acoustic sound. So if you're out there with a nice loud mahogany D03....

1998 Canadien model, dreadnought body style, ebony fret board and headstock, clear pick guard, rosewood sides and back. came with no controls, and a very low action, which is great. satin finish. thinner neck which provides very fast action. i didnt want all the bells and whistels. this guitar stands on its own merit, and needs none of the extras to make it sound any better than it does. less is WAY better in this case. just the nice woods and finsih were what i was after. this guitar looks so good, and plays/sounds that much better. that in and of itslef is worth twice the price...but it wasn't!!

i have only played acoustic guitars (5 years), and i have taken very few lessons. i have my own style, which probably makes theorists and purists scoff, but i dont play for them, i play for myself. knwing this, the do3-r could not be a btter guitar. the action, the neck, the sound, and it seems that the more i learn (from styles of music, to styles of playing) the more suited this guitar is to me. it just sounds better and better every time i play it. the sound is so rich and full, and i have been unable to reproduce it picking up any other guitar, even higher priced larrivees.

action is awesome. i have smaller hands, so the thinner neck suites me well. no matter the music, be it finger picked blues, or rock, the action is great for all occassions.

fit and finish are very solid. i do have slight seperation at the dovetasil, but this is in no way affecting the sound, and with the lifetime garauntee, i am not at all worried that larrivee wont make it good, should it come to that. i do have trouble keeping the b string in tune, but this is not uncommon from what i have seen with other guitars. there is also some fret buzz, but this should be taken care of with a tune up, no pun intended.

the wood is gorgeous, and the satin finish is perfect!! the underdog of the acoustic world!!

it is a rather light guitar, but is is solid. i do not play out much, but would have no worries if i did. this thing is a trooper! the wood, finish, etc are all very solid. i added a strap button, and so far it is right on. i would gig w/o backup. im not there yet, but i will be! no worries at all.

i have not yet experienced customer support yet.

I have been playing for 5 years. i own only the larrivee, and have a fender acoustisonic30 (AWESOME amp!!), and a VOX wah-wah (846). yes, i play thorugh a wah-wah with my acoustic. save your remarks until you have experimented with the set up!! i also added fishman amp, internal, no cutting into the body. no eq, just the amp.

i bought this guitar after looking at taylor, fender, martin, guild, gibson, etc. it was the best sounding by far, and i still go into guitar center and try to find something that sounds better. here i am, almost three years later, still looking. 1500, 2500, 5000. nothing compares in my opinion, period.
the sound, the looks, the quality, the value, the sound, the sound, the sound...get the picture here????
if this got stolen, i wouldnt buy another one....i would hunt down whoever stole it!!! i love this guitar!!!!!!

Vancouver, B.C. dreadnought, bought in late summer 2000 from Guitar Center. Solid spruce top, solid rosewood back and sides, mahogany neck, ebony bridge, ebony fretboard, and ebony headstock overlay. Satin finish. Not flashy, but this guitar is a diamond in the rough. I was amazed at how good this guitar was for the money I paid. Came with good stock Larrivee tuners and Elixer lights (.12).

This is one of the greatest sounding guitars I've played. I like a deep bass response and the rosewood gives it. But still, it doesn't skimp on the mids and highs. Classic rich, full solid rosewood sound. I strum a lot and this baby lets you hear every string. I had to play a $1,400 Taylor to find something that sounded better. Truely a wonderful sounding instrument. I look forward to micing it in the studio one day.

The action came quite low. Super fast. I recently raised the action a bit and like it much better this way. The neck is fast and thin, and the satin finish allows for quick hand movement. It's now hard for me to play anything with a glossy neck. Great craftsmanship, too.

This guitar seems about as any solid wood acoustic. The neck joint is a true dovetail, making it very sturdy, but not as easily adjustable. I had a strap button put on the heel, since it didn't come with one. Both buttons are still solid.

I have had only casual contact with Larrivee through e-mail support. They were very kind and helpful. Every Larrivee has a lifetime warranty for the original owner. The online warranty registration was simple.

I have only been playing a year, but I have played lots of guitars, and I know what I like. This guitar is what I like. The value is unbeatable. As I mentioned before, I had to play something that was $600 more to get a better guitar. I compare it with a Taylor 810, giving the 810 a slight lead. I wouldn't trade this guitar for the world. This D-03R and I had a connection in the store. Maybe you know what I'm talking about. It's hard to explain. I LOVE THIS GUITAR!! Please consider a Larrivee for your own collection. But don't listen to me, go play one. These Harmony Central reviews can be kind of iffy sometimes.

Canadian made, manufactured 10/2000. All solid rosewood, spruce and ebony. Satin finish, thin neck and nice Ping tuners.

Well balanced, crisp highs and deep bass. The best sounding guitar. It sounds as good as much more expensive Taylors. Blows away any guitar in it's price range.

Great quality craftsmanship. Very small amount of glue on neck binding was the only flaw.

Any fine instrument is fragile. I am very careful with it, because I value it. I think it would last a life time if properly cared for.

I bought mine at the Guitar Center. They back their stuff. NO dealings with Larrivee though.

I had to negotiate the good price on this guitar. They normally sell for about $1000 w/dhsc.This is the best guitar I know of in this price range. I played Martin, Taylor, Ovation etc. and found it to be superior to the other fine guitars in this price range. The Taylor Big baby is an excellent value though, but is lamenated back and sides. I actually liked my lower end Larrivee compared to the high dollar ones. I will probably add a Fishman pickup with an outboard preamp. I would probably buy this guitar all over if it were to be lost. Some people like the gloss rather than the satin finish. I think the satin allows the sound to resonate through the wood. I prefer the sound, the gloss is sharper looking. However, I also like the understated looks of my D03R. Oh yeah, I've been playing for 25 years. I play finger style and pick strumming. No cutaway, to me it only allowed 1 or 2 fret reach more and not worth the tone compromise.
Very pleased with my purchase.

All solid wood model, with rosewood back and sides, spruce top and ebony peghead overlay, fretboard and bridge. The tuners are manufactured by Ping and are pro quality. The frets are thin. This guitar is beautifully plain with a lovely satin finish. I desire no other feature and with the great price being considered it deserves a 10.

This is a light guitar and the satin finish allows the sound to breath through the wood. This is a bassy yet very balanced sound. I like the way you can feel the sound resonate through your body when you play. There are no tinny overtones that have always annoyed me with other guitars. It is a very smooth sounding instrument. The bass string (as another reviewer mentioned) is boomy when fingerpicked with the flesh of your thumb. And I'm not sure this would be the best guitar for fingerstyle recording, smaller body guitars are more suited for that. I considered all of this before I purchased it. Changing to different strings, pick and technique can rectify the boomy bass. But, the tight bass and elequently balanced treble strings outshined all of the high dollar Larrivees, Taylors and Martins I played for about half the price. The satin verses high gloss makes the clear difference in the big sound of the D03R.

Absolutely flawless! Beautiful craftmanship and action. Plays like a dream.

Every Acoustic guitar must be taken care of. Temp, humidity and exposure must be monitored and considered. I must rate it a 10 with the thought in mind that a fine wood instrument is delicate and the owner should be responsible for proper care. With proper care this guitar could be passed down to another generation.

Have not contacted Larrivee for any reason yet.

I looked around for about a year and considered Taylor (overpriced)and Tacoma (great sound and value). The Larrivee struck me as looking and sounding elegant. It was the big beautiful sound I was looking for a fantastic price. I did have to negotiate this price being the dealer had it in stock and others would have to order it. Came with great deluxe hardshell case. I have not found a better guitar and better value.

This is an all solid wood Dreadnuaght Guitar.. top, sides and back...Mahogany neck..Rosewood Back and sides...Spruce top..Ebony fingerboard and bridge...Ebony Headstock overlay and Ivroid neck binding.(Ivroid??? whatever)Tuners are????but they are good..Hand Fit Dovetail neck joint..Satin Finish..Elixir strings... Transparent Pick guard....Well if you want more details go to their website..great site

The sound...wow...incredible ..I have only been playing for about a year....well playing seriously...and I went through a few cheaper ..and what I though were ok sounding acoustics...I was tired of getting nosebleeds from that Cheap Guitar high action crap.. so I went on a mission to find my last good true acoustic(well thats what I told my wife anyway)
Went all over and played a lot of 500-800 Guitars...Martins seemed like the way to go..solid top and if your lucky a solid back..
fairly low action and ok sound.(if you played them hard) No extras on a 500-800 Martin...After playing quite a few Guitars I could afford..and a few I couldn't, I was getting up to leave when the guy said I can't let you go without trying this Larrivee D-02..
I did and wow,the action was greatand the sound was better than the cheap martins..He then told me it was all solid Mahogany..I was really impressed... Then looked around for other Larrivees..
Thats when I saw the rosewood D-03.. This was incredible...Tone that projects..wow. Tight deep bass clear highs and great mids...and sounds sweet played soft too..The rosewood is well worth the extra...This is the least expensive model Larrivee puts rosewood on. You must hear this one .....

All Larrivees are built the same..Nice to know that this Guitar was given the same attention as a 4000.00 model and it shows..
Action is great...fit and finish is beautiful...no flaws...but then again I have never owned an acoustic that costs this much ...maybe this is what you would expect

I dont gig... this one doesnt leave the house...or my hands for that matter....seems solid.. but still light ...Satin Finish maybe? The again if I wanted a Tank I would have bought a Guild...

I registered the guitar on line.. very convienient...and emailed Larrivee with a question on the care and feeding of the Satin finish,
and a few other questions.....The very next day I had an email from them... I dont expect to have any problems but if I do I think they will be great to deal with...Lifetime Warranty....if you dont let it dry out....Get a Damp-it Humidifier.....Ten Bucks to save a great guitar

Been playing seriously for a year....Own a Strat..(doesnt everyone?)and a DeArmond Starfire.(Great guitar)... Peavey Delta Blues Amp (tube)...Best sounding Acoustic I have played...this guitar sings so sweetly...Larrivee has to be one of the best kept secrets... the rosewood is a must...nothing else in this or even the next price range compares...this guitar even makes a novice sound good..
I was told that they were going to discontinue the Rosewood on the 03 model and make it only as an option on the higher models....if thats the case this would be then out of my reach...play one and maybe buy one... before they get out of everyones reach....

1997 Model. Dreadnaught, with modest appointments. I find all the Larrivee lower end guitars to be understatedly elegant. Good groveresque tuners, satin finish. All the Larrivees are solid wood guitars. The D03 stock guitar has solid spruce top, w/ mahogany sides and back; they offer a rosewood upgrade, hence the "R" at the end of the model #. Ebony fingerboard and bridge.

I've been looking at and playing a LOT of guitars lately, and this is the one I was looking for. I'd been seeking that D-28 sound that D-28's don't seem to provide anymore.This stacks up to any Martin, I've ever played, and beats the Taylors, which to me have no guts. This one's the proverbial 'cannon'

The action is just what I was looking for; medium height(with medium gauge strings) with headroom up and down on the saddle. It plays perfectly. The top, sides ,and back are nicely bookmatched for the price. The rosewood is very nicely figured

I had more fun banging on this thing the first time I played it out than I think I've ever had playing anything. I felt like Jorma Kaukonen (without the chops). I bought it used, and the satin finish is getting shiny in some spots, but the guitar is beautiful.
It seems very light and delicate, until you play it. Then it seems the more you lean on it, the more it responds. We'll see how it lasts.

Amazing folks - as I said, I bought it used, and I needed replacement bridge pins, and a truss rod adjuster. I emailed the company to ask how I could order these items, and they sent them to me immediately, no charge! I feel like it's still under warranty.
By the way, the folks at Randy's Pawn shop (thanks, mike), whom I had never met, were outstanding!

I've played pro for almost 30 years; researched and played a lot of guitars, and this is one of the best. Given the consistent good quality of the Larrivees I've played, I would definitely buy another one, it this one disappeared. I may get another one, anyway. I love the way it plays and sounds. As i said before, it compares well to that nebulous D-28 sound we all remember, but can't saeem to come up with. I tried out the Larrivee J-09, which is their close to the top-of-the-line Jumbo, and this one sounds as good or better.
Get one.

Year 2000, solid rosewood back and sides, spruce top.
The plain jane of Dreads. Dove tail joint and awesome craftmanship.
No pearls, no Abalone, no Thrills, just a hardworking blue collar dread. Great case included to house this satin finish beauty.
It is the girl next door guitar, simple elegance beauty and natural curves. This is the one you take home to Mom.

A cross between Taylor 710's and Martin D-28's
Somewhere in the middle. Super even and clean. No big booms or shrilling highs. I played about 40 guitars before buying this one.
I think these guitars blow away any Martin 1200$ and below and any Taylor 1200$ and below.

Jean is the man, or at least his workers.
Super playability, Taylor style on the action.

We will see, It seams a little lite without all that heavy varnish.
Can't wait to put some years on it and see how the resin ages.
Hopefully its soul will develop with some scraps and nicks. ( I like that, it shows character)
Great stage guitar if you put a fishman in it.

So far so good.
Cool web site

I have been playing for 8 years. I have learned to appreciate good wood guitars. Solid rosewood sounds so good I would love to panel my living room with it. For 800 dollars this is the best guitar out there flat down, no questions asked. If I had more dough I would like to get a D-35 and record it over top a Larrivee. Very important to play many guitars and you will find one that speaks to you, but I would feel fully confident on ordering mail order as long as you have the option to return. Also, I think Shawn Mullins uses the D-9, so listen to his early stuff to understand the Larrivee sound. Man I love this guitar.

Dreadnought style with Solid Spruce top, Solid Rosewood back and sides, Mahogany neck, Ebony fretboard and bridge. Made in Canada, perhaps in 1999 or early 2000. Top and fretboard are bound. Satin finish, clear pickguard and absolutely no abalone. Larrivee chrome tuners (made by gotoh ?). In terms of looks, the understated elegance of this guitar is awesome. Standard 25.5" scale, and 1 11/16" neckwidth at nut (typical of dreadnoughts). Giving this a 10 because I don't expect any more features in a dreadnought acoustic.

Use this guitar primarily to strum or fingerpick accompaniments for a small prayer group (unamplified). The tone is gorgeous - crisp, sweet, with clear highs and deep lows - just as I would imagine a spruce/ rosewood dreadnought to sound. It is also fairly responsive to fingerpicking - perhaps not as responsive as smaller guitars, but more responsive than the typical dreadnought. Also, compared to less expensive Mahogany bodied guitars, Rosewood was clearly the choice for me. Great bass and clear trebles, big sustain - seems to forgive my sloppy technique ! Giving a 9 because 10 means perfect, and I don't know what that might be.

Came fitted with Elixir light gauge strings (12s). Low action all the way to the 14th fret. Couldn't find any flaws. Overall, very clean workmanship.

Looks solid and reliable. Would exercise the same amount of care as when handling other acoustic guitars.

They have a good website and respond to emails fairly fast. No other interaction with the company.

I've been playing ~14 years, and my other guitars include a Godin LGXT, Yamaha Pacifica, Godin Multiac nylon, and a Lowden S25J (nylon). I love to use the Larrivee for strumming chords and general song accompaniment. When shopping for this guitar, I ruled out Tacoma and Taylor since they seemed excessively bright for my tastes. Low-end Martins sound okay but the thicker neck, and high price for models with solid back/sides put me off. Generally I liked Seagulls, but they don't have a comparable Spruce/Rosewood model. Simon $ Patrick was also good, but I felt the Larrivee D was more balanced and a bit more responsive. The D03R has a great tone that is hard to beat, even in guitars costing thrice as much. If lost or stolen, I'd get another one right away.

Made in Vancouver, Canada, All solid wood guitar: spruce top, indian rosewood sides and back, mahogany neck. unstained ebony fingerboard and bridge. Satin Finish. I love the understated beauty of the guitar, but have not made up my mind if I like the clear pickguard or not.

Lean towards bluegrass and folk/rock. I was drawn by the complexity and depth of the rosewood. Would love to own the mahogany version also, but had to have the rosewood (my wife even agreed after listening to both, knowing it would cost $100-200 more) I have restrung the D-03R with a set of John Pearse 80/20's, which compliments the guitar very nicely.

I lowered the action a little, due to the factory set-up being hire than my liking. The nut seems to be high, making fretting in the first position more difficult than up the neck. Two fairly large dings in the neck (does not affect playability)-unsure if shipped from the factory like this or whether they were obtained in the showroom (annoying either way). Most of the other Larrivee's I have looked at have been flawless.

The guitar seems pretty light, unsure of the durability. I assume it is on average with most solid wood guitars. No current plans on banging it around.

Have answered question via e-mail in a timely manner, seem to be very friendly. Sent neck adjustment tool upon request.

I have been playing about seventeen years. Also own a Takamine f-341, Baby Taylor, and japanese Telecaster. In my opinion this guitar could compete with many guitar's costing twice as much. I would definitely purchase this guitar again if lost or stolen. An affordable solid wood guitar. Will probable have a bone saddle and nut made for the guitar in the near future.

Made in 1996 in Vancouver, BC, Canada all solid woods: rosewood back and sides, spruce top, ebony fretboard clear pickguard, mellow finish, minimal decorations. Hard case included. Paid 1300 Canadian dollars, but after the tax return and exchange rate it ended up costing about 900-1000 US Dollars. Bought at Italmelodie in montreal

I play all kinds of acoustic music, folk, jazzy, celtic, middle eastern. I use the skin of my fingers for fingerstyle and a heavy pick otherwise. This guitar is well suited for all styles but i would say it is better suited for flatpicking in terms of the tone. I find that unless i capo up my bass is a little muddy when finger picking the low e and a strings. This is becasue i use just my fingers and the rosewood responds beatufully but needs a little more punch to get the volume up in the bass. Overall the tone on this guitar is absolutely gorgeous!!!! It responds to every nuance you can come up with in terms of how and where you hit the strings. When flat picking the bass is thick and strong but the middles don't get muddled out. the highs are crystal clear. Although in the higher frets the higher notes seem to kind of echo inside the guitar rather than resonate out of it, if that makes any sense...I have to say the depth and variety of sounds that can be made with this instrument are huge and it is still teaching me things daily.

the action was just right, i like it a little low. The guitar looks great, very toned down chilled out look no fancy inlays, harldy any decoration but it looks real smooth and understated, you are paying for the exceptional sound and playsability not the looks. One flaw is that the finish is kind of peeling from the side of the fretboard at one point but it was like that when i bought it about a year ago and it hasn't gotten any worse.

I play live with the thing and it stays in tune forever. I take it in and out of the cold car and warm stage and the thing stays in tune, don't ask me how. The tuners are solid, no frills tuners they do the trick. I can't say if this guitar will last through the years like a pre-war martin but it seems to have been constructed very carefully and solidly.

haven't had much interaction with the company.

Overall I absolutely adore this guitar. i have been playing for about four years. i shopped around for a while and played martis and taylors and I have some friends with martins and those are beautiful guitars but i do like the particular quality of the tone of my larrivee, very well defined notes,extremely resonant and responsive, opens up your creativity I love the way this thing sounds! the one thing i am regretting is the muddyness of the low e string when i fingerpick. trhough i think that if i learned to use a thumbpick this problem would be solved, becasue flatpicking the balance is perfect. I have played orchestra model martins and larrivee and I decided to go for the boom of the rosewood and dreadnaught shape but there is something to be said for a clean OM/Mahogany sound, i got carried away loking for the boomiest bass sound i could find. If it was stoelon i would look for the exact same guitar, but maybe give the mahogany version a try at the store to see how it responded to fingerpicking. Plus its cool that it is a canadian guitar and if you are american you get a good deal buying it in canada and its good to support our northerly and more enlightened neighbors. If you are canadian, sore-ee abute your econamy eh?