After more than 30 years of building guitars exclusively in Canada, Jean Larrivée established a state-of-the-art facility in Oxnard, California, in 2001. In the early days, this new facility allowed Larrivée to explore new avenues and produce greater numbers of guitars with the same level of quality and workmanship that built the company's reputation. In 2013, Larrivee ultimately closed the doors of its Canadian operations to concentrate all of its production in its California location.
This PV-09 was made in 2006 in Oxnard, CA. But don't let it's small size fool you—this Larrivée packs a bigger sound than you might expect. Inspired by the small-body 12-fret guitars of the Parlor Music era, the PV-09 has a lower bout measuring 13-1/4" across. With only 12 frets clear of the body, it feels small on your lap, but it has a big voice that is nicely balanced.
The PV-09 features a Sitka Spruce top and East Indian Rosewood back and sides. It has an articulate, clear sound with more bass response than you usually find in a small-body guitar. It's a great fit for fingerstyle, but it can also handle a flat pick and steady strumming. Constructed with a dovetail neck joint, curly maple body binding, and an abalone rosette, the PV-09 is hard to beat.
This 2006 PV-09 has two top cracks straddling either side of the center seam. Both are properly repaired, and the guitar is otherwise free of repairs or any severe cosmetic blemishes. It shows some signs of play and use, but fortunately no severe scruffs, bumps, dings, or scratches. Under the hood, it has a factory-installed LR Baggs pickup and MIX preamp, which is like having an onboard PARA DI. It gives you tons of flexibility plugged in, and it does an excellent job recreating the natural acoustic sound.
This 2006 Larrivee PV-09 also has a cutaway, which opens up access all the way down the fingerboard. It is set up to play like it should with low action. For some reason, it came to us in a Lowden-branded Hiscox case, which is probably a bit of an upgrade from the original case.