Larrivee LV-10E Rosewood Deluxe Jumbo

All solid wood - beaut-i-ful spruce top and rosewood back & sides. Excellent quality timbers, set off by maple multi layer binding and abalone purfling with abalone rosette and fret markers. Overall a very tasteful package visually.

B-band Pickup featuring VST and UST with mixing to select provides a variety of sounds and feedback management options.

I play mostly fingerstyle and this is by far the best sounding instrument acoustically that I have ever played in over 20 years. It has a well balanced sound across the strings and every note on the fretboard is alive and resonant. There are no dead spots on this one. If I had a complaint it would be that the bottom end 'could' be deeper but I would be nitpicking.

Amplified this guitar sounds awesome. I have amassed a collection of preamps, mikes and techniques that I use to record acoustics - with this guitar I don't need 'em. Just plug in set up the pickups and balance for the system and away you go!

There is a little bump in the finish on the back of the neck around the 5th fret - looks like a spec of dust when the lacquer was still wet. You can't see it but you feel it with your thumb. Other than that it's flawless. The inlay work is impeccable the lacquer finish on the soundboard is excellent.

This guitar - like all solid wood guitars will require care throughout its life to get the best from it. Occasionally I get a little creak or groan from it but as it is still only a year old I'm not concerned. Mostly happens when I get carried away and put stress on the neck. I wouldn't play live with it - too expensive, delicate, beautiful to have some moron knock over or spill beer on it.

Never dealt with em.

I have an assortment of Takamines, Guilds, a Sigma-Martin, and a few cheap acoustics. There is something about a well, made well constructed guitar that allows you to communicate easily with it. This is one of those guitars - If you've got something to say it will help you say it. Although reasonably expensive you soon forget the price when you recognise the range and versatility of the instrument.

The simple/understated elegance of this guitar is unbelievable. Guitar was built in 2003, but the wood was aged 3-5 years, which adds to the richness of the tone. It was built with a solid Sitka Spruce top, Indian Rosewood Back & Sides, Single Piece Mahogany Neck (S. American) Canadian Sitka Spruce Soundboard, African Ebony Fretboard & Bridge, Multi Layer Rosewood Body Binding, Dovetail Neck Joint, Symmetrical "X" Bracing, Abalone Rosette, Abalone Purfling (on Soundboard),Mother of Pearl Headstock Logo,Sterling Silver Headstock Border, Deluxe Abalone Fretboard Inlays, Deluxe Abalone Bridge Wing Inlays, Ping Tuners (18:1 Ratio), Ivroid Fretboard Binding, Ebony Bridge Pins w/Abalone Center, Traditional Larrivee Transparent Pickguard, Elixir Nanoweb Light Gauge Strings, Will Handle Medium Gauge Strings, B-Band A2 Pickup/Preamp System (Pickup/Preamp include both the UST & AST), Venetian Cutaway,Lower Bout: 17",Upper Bout: 12.5", Waist: 10.25", Depth: 4.875", Scale Length: 25.5", Nut Width: 1 & 3/4" (44.3mm or 1.75"), Fretboard Radius: Compound (17" to 21"), Setup for Light Gauge Strings, Frets - Nickel/Silver, Gloss UV Polyester Body / Satin Urethane Neck. See the video on the Larrivee website to get a feel for how much this man loves his craft.

I play mostly fingerstyle. It seems like this guitar was designed for me. It produces deep, but not over-powering bass tones and rich, crisp mid's and highs. Because Larrivee's are designed primarily for light guage strings, the action is extraordinary. Every note up and down the fret board is clear and right on. The use of Elixir Nanowebs are a perfect choice in strings. I have owned and played Guilds, Martins and Taylors and was about to add a Taylor 914CE to my stable before trying a Larrivee. I have never heard a guitar sound so rich and full in mids and highs as well as bass. To sum it up, this guitar is balanced and I can sense that as the wood continues to age, it will only sound better.

Right out of it's hard-shell case, the guitar was in tune and the action was superb. It needed no adjustments. I did notice a couple of finish flaws after I got it home: (1) a knife mark on the top of the head stock near the D-Tuner. It looks like someone slipped with a blade and filled it in with stain so it would match the neck, and (2) a non-uniform color "smudge" near the abalone inlay on the bridge. These are not big problems but I would have expected an expensive guitar like this to be inspected a little more closely.

The guitar is solid and has a heft to it. I'm sure if I follow the humidity and storage instructions, it will last forever. I gig mostly solo and this guitar - its sound, its look, its electronics - make it a perfect choice for me.

I prefer to deal with factories direct whenever possible. I have done so with both Guild and taylor. Larrivee deals with the public exclusively through its dealers. I called the factory once and got a bit of a "deer in the headlights" response on the other end of the phone as if saying, "why are you calling here?... go to your dealer and he'll answer your question." This was a sharp contrast to me after having dealt with Taylor directly, who were only too happy to handle my questions. I sense that I am relegated to dealing only with Larrivee's middle-men if I have a problem in the future.

Despite the few issues I raised above, which have more to do with my preferences then anything else, I am rating this guitar and my experience with is so far a "10" If anything happened to this guitar I would replace it immediately. My local dealer was fantastic and knowledgable and he gave me an awesome price.