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 Larrivée L-03 was made in 2022 in Oxnard, Ca. It has an interesting body shape that makes a little different than you might expect. It's 20-1/4" long and 16" wide across the lower bout, so at first glance, it seems a lot like most dreadnoughts. But its upper bout has sloped shoulders, and the proportions are narrower than most dreadnought guitars—11-5/8" across the upper bout and 10-1/8" across the waist. Because of that, it produces a big, powerful sound with plenty of bass response, but its tone remains focused and tight throughout. Because of the tighter waist, it responds nicely for fingerpicking, too. All in all, this is a versatile big-body guitar that covers a wide range of sounds.
This 2022 L-03 features a Spruce top and Mahogany back and sides—a classic combination for warm, woody tone. The scale length measures 25-1/2", and the nut width is 1-3/4". It has a comfortable rounded neck profile with the typical flat "shelf" feel of the Maple binding that is typical of Larrivée guitars. This one has an LR Baggs Anthem installed under the hood, so it's ready for the stage and the studio.
This 2022 Larrivée L-03 is a used guitar, so it shows some minor signs of play and use. There is some wear around the edges of the headstock. There is one bump on the treble side of the top worth mentioning, but it's close to some bear claw in the Spruce grain so it hides well (see photos). Since the guitar has wood binding, the edges show some minor wear in places—basically, you can tell it's a used guitar. The previous owner installed a strap button the neck heel. It includes its original hardshell case. On our wall, $1,599 is a smoking deal for a quality American-made guitar, especially with a top-of-the-line LR Baggs pickup. The Larrivées have a lot of their own flair, and with the expanded tone range from the unique body shape, this L-03 has a lot to offer.