Difference between revisions of "Larrivée History"

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m (New page: (Sources include Larrivee's website, WikiPedia, and Larrivee customer service emails.) * 1967: An old house in Toronto, ON, Canada * 1968-71: Basement of Jean’s Townhouse in Toronto, ON...)
 
 
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* 2010: went to a stacked heel with the -03 series, then reintroduced the -02 series with stacked heel, and went back to one-piece necks for the -03 series
 
* 2010: went to a stacked heel with the -03 series, then reintroduced the -02 series with stacked heel, and went back to one-piece necks for the -03 series
  
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* 2012 [[Larrivée 45th Anniversary Model]]
  
  
 
Ongoing discussion on the [http://www.larriveeforum.com/smf/index.php?topic=31982.0 Larrivee Guitar Forum]
 
Ongoing discussion on the [http://www.larriveeforum.com/smf/index.php?topic=31982.0 Larrivee Guitar Forum]
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=== California ===
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:Virtually all gloss guitars have been made in california since 2001. From 2001 to 2003 many of the bodies were made in Canada and then completed in America. The first truely completely American Made Larrivee is an L-09 with Serial #80000 which resides in the Larrivee Collection for sentimental purposes.
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:While there are some parts that made or shaped by CNC, I wouldnt nessesarily call that automation. There are no robots assembling parts, or spraying finishes, or buffing. There are no conveyor belts moving instruments from one step to another. The work is all hand done. I know in many cases many of the parts that have moved to the CNC machine have been done so because i'm terrified of using a machine called a shaper (A 5" tall, 3.5" diameter router spinning at 7500rpm).
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:As a family (and a company), we have a policy that we will not alter the instrument for the sake of technology - I.e. we will not change the core design of the guitar for the sake of "fitting" it to a piece of technology for the sake of increased production.
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— Source: [http://www.larriveeforum.com/smf/index.php?topic=38981.msg352762#msg352762 Matthew Larrivée] January 7, 2012
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== Larrivée History page on larrivee.com ==
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<iframe src="http://www.larrivee.com/features/history.php" width="1024" height="2000">
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<!--
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                <TD><IMG src="http://www.larrivee.com/features/images/HISTORYTITLE.jpg"
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                <TD vAlign="top" align="left">
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                  <P>This section of our website covers the history and making
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                  of Jean Larrivee Guitars:</P>
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                  <P>1) History<BR><A class="navText" href="http://www.larrivee.com/features/labels.php">2)
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                  About Our Guitar Labels</A><BR><A class="navText" href="http://www.larrivee.com/features/locations.php">3)
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                  Our Locations/Facilities</A></P>
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                  <P>The History of Jean Larrivee Guitars</P>
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                  <P align="justify"> Jean Larrivée first became interested in
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                  the guitar as a teenager,  trying to play Duane Eddy licks on
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                  an $18 guitar. At twenty, with no  other musical training in
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                  his background, he made the decision to take  up a serious
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                  study of classic guitar. Four years into this study, he  was
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                  introduced to German classical guitar builder Edgar Mönch, who
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                  was  then working in Toronto. Jean expressed interest in
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                  learning how to  build, Mönch invited him to visit his shop,
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                  and so began an  apprenticeship.</P>
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                  <P align="justify"> Jean built his first two guitars under
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                  Mönch's tutelage before setting  up a workshop in his home,
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                  where he continued to build and study. The  energy which had
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                  fueled nightly five hour practice sessions was now  directed
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                  toward learning to construct instruments. He had found his 
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                  life's work.</P>
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                  <P align="justify">From  1968 to 1970, Jean continued building
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                  classic guitars in his home shop  before moving into his first
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                  commercial space, the second floor of a  theater. His work
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                  brought him into contact with many people involved  with
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                  Toronto's thriving folk music community. At their urging, Jean
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                  built his first steel string guitar in 1971.&nbsp;</P>
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                  <P>This was a period of much experimentation. Following  the
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                  tradition of European classic guitar builders, Jean designed
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                  his  own distinctive shape, bracing patterns, and structural
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                  specifications.  When he began to build steel string
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                  instruments, a task for which there  were fewer
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                  well-established models, the experimentation became 
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                  especially intense. His first steel strings were small
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                  dreadnoughts,  braced in the Martin style, with an elongated X
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                  (the "railway crossing  sign" design) and tone bars running at
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                  about a 45† angle. Sensing from  his work with classic guitars
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                  that a symmetrical bracing pattern might  result in better
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                  tonal balance, Jean tried a bracing pattern consisting  of a
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                  true 90† X brace and tone bars running parallel to the bridge.
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                  The  guitar had a strong, well-balanced sound. It was, as Jean
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                  says now,  "success through ignorance." Twenty-five years
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                  later, a much-refined  version of this bracing pattern is
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                  still the heart of all Larrivée  steel-string guitars. The
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                  sound it produces is distinctive. The bass is  solid and
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                  tight, with great projection. Mid-range is strong, and highs 
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                  are crystal clear. Overall balance is excellent, with the body
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                  size and  shape determining the "tilt" of the balance.</P>
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                  <P> Best of all, twenty-five years and over twenty thousand
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                  steel string  guitars have proven conclusively that this
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                  design has great structural  integrity. Bulging of the top
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                  behind the bridge or sinking around the  sound hole are not
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                  uncommon problems with traditionally braced guitars, 
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                  particularly those with scalloped braces. With Larrivée
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                  symmetrical  bracing, these types of problems are virtually
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                  non-existent.</P>
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                  <P> From 1971 to 1977, Larrivée Guitars grew steadily, moving
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                  four times to  ever larger spaces. There was a continuous flow
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                  of apprentices through  the shop, some of whom would also go
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                  on to become successful builders  on their own. In 1972 Jean
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                  and Wendy Jones were married. Wendy would  make her own unique
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                  contribution, designing and engraving the exquisite  picture
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                  inlays for which Larrivée guitars are famous.</P>
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                  <P> By 1976 eight people were producing twenty-five to thirty
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                  instruments a  month. Most of these instruments were sold in
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                  Canada or exported to  Europe, where their classically
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                  inspired look won quick acceptance. The  American market would
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                  prove to be a tougher nut to crack. Larrivée  guitars, with
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                  their wood binding, marquetry rosettes, clear pickguards,  and
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                  Renaissance-style inlay designs, were a bit out of step with 
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                  American fashion. Still, there were some bright spots. Several
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                  high-profile artists purchased guitars and word began to get
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                  around.  More than a few American musicians made the trip to
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                  Toronto in search  of a Larrivée guitar, and some American
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                  dealers began stocking them.</P>
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                  <P>In  1977, Jean and Wendy pulled up stakes and moved the
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                  company to  Victoria, British Columbia. The wet coastal
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                  forests of Canada's Pacific  Rim produce some of the finest
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                  spruce and cedar in the world, and Jean  realized that future
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                  growth could hinge on access to these tone woods.  Of course,
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                  there was also the allure of Canada's mildest climate and  the
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                  spectacular scenery of British Columbia.</P>
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                  <P align="left">In Victoria, Jean began to concentrate  on the
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                  problems of manufacturing instruments in larger quantities. 
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                  Setting up shop for the first time in space that was purchased
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                  rather  than rented made it practical to install a climate
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                  controlled  construction room and an industrial paint booth.
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                  Jean designed and  built specialized machines and tooling
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                  which made it possible to build  more guitars, and to achieve
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                  a higher level of precision at the same  time. Within a year
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                  of the move, fourteen people were producing four  guitars a
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                  day.</P>
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                  <P> While the  company continued to grow and prosper in
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                  Victoria, eventually the  problems inherent in being on an
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                  island became too much. In 1982, a  decision was made to
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                  relocate to the mainland. It was the era of  electronic
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                  keyboards and day-glow electric guitars, and a tough time  for
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                  nearly all acoustic guitar builders. Rather than cut back on 
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                  production and lay off employees, Jean decided to take the "if
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                  you  can't beat 'em, join 'em" route. In 1983, he began to
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                  build solid body  electrics.</P>
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                  <P>By 1989, the market  for acoustic guitars had begun to
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                  improve. Jean once again turned his  full attention to his
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                  first love. The knowledge gained from electric  guitars proved
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                  invaluable as Jean reinvented his acoustic guitar  production
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                  techniques. New tooling was built. Computer-controlled 
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                  milling machines were brought into the process. New models
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                  were added.</P>
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                  <P> In 1991, when the Acoustic market had made a full come
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                  back, Larrivée  moved to a bigger building. At first it seemed
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                  a little difficult to  fill 11000 square feet. (At the time
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                  only 25 guitars a day were being  made by 35 people) However,
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                  it soon became apparent that that 11000  square feet wasn't
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                  enough...</P>
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                  <P> An  the beginning of 1997, Larrivée introduced a model
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                  called the D-03. It  was originally intended to be a limited
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                  run of 1000 but, as soon as  people caught on to the fact that
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                  it was the only all solid wood guitar  for under $800, the
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                  demand increased and it&nbsp; became a standard model.</P>
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                  <P> In early March 1998, Larrivée Guitars moved to a new 33000
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                  square foot  facility in the heart of Vancouver, where 100
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                  highly skilled people in  the Guitar industry made 60-72
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                  guitars a day. Much of this production  was to accommodate our
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                  largest client at the time. On September 1st  2001 Larrivee
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                  expanded again, and opened the door on it's new factory  in
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                  southern California. Ten days later the events of 9/11
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                  occurred. As  you can imagine this was not a time for
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                  companies to be expanding. The  following two years were quite
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                  turbulent for the guitar industry as a  whole. People where
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                  not spending money on acoustic guitars. Almost  every major
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                  manufacturer was having layoffs - Including ourselves. 
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                  Production dropped to 35 guitars a day. Over the next two
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                  years,  Larrivee would go through of number of production
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                  changes including: a  refocus towards high-end guitar, A
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                  redesign of the -03 Series, and the  development of the
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                  Traditional Series.</P>
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                  <P> Today Jean, his wife Wendy, his son Matthew and daughter
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                  Christine all  work in the California plant producing the
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                  gloss finish guitars. Jean's  other son John Jr runs the
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                  Canadian plant which produces our satin  models.</P>
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                  <P> Since the move, our  company has continued to grow.
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                  Reflecting this growth, and our  continued deployment of
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                  leading-edge production tools, we also acquired  two new Fadal
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                  CNC machines in spring, bringing our total CNC complement  up
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                  to 8, as well as a Laser cutter. These additions to our
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                  factory have  allowed us to achieve even higher levels of
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                  efficiency and quality  control which benefit buyers and
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                  players of Larrivée guitars.”</P>
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                  <P align="justify">&nbsp;</P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR>
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        <TR>
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          <TD class="bottomnav" vAlign="middle" colSpan="2" align="center"><A
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            class="nav2" href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jean-Larrivee-Guitars/104036859643329">
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            Larrivee on Facebook </A> | <A class="nav2" href="http://www.myspace.com/jeanlarriveeguitars">Larrivee
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            on Myspace</A> | <A class="nav2" href="http://www.larriveewearables.com/">Online
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            Store</A></TD></TR>
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        <TR>
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          <TD class="copyright" bgColor="#000000" vAlign="top" colSpan="2"
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          align="right"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD>
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    <TD class="rightshadow" vAlign="top" align="left">&nbsp;</TD></TR>
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    <TD class="bottomshadow" vAlign="top" colSpan="3"
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align="left">&nbsp;</TD></TR>
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  <TR>
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    <TD class="copyright" vAlign="top" colSpan="3" align="right">© 2009 Jean
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      Larrivee Guitar  Inc. All Rights Reserved </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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[[Category:Larrivee]]
 
[[Category:Larrivee]]

Latest revision as of 05:52, 26 March 2017

(Sources include Larrivee's website, WikiPedia, and Larrivee customer service emails.)

  • 1967: An old house in Toronto, ON, Canada
  • 1968-71: Basement of Jean’s Townhouse in Toronto, ON, Canada
  • 1971-72: Above the Tarragon Theatre in Toronto, ON, Canada
  • 1971: First steel-string guitar
  • 1972-73: Storefront on Mount Pleasant in Toronto, ON, Canada
  • 1973-75: Portland Street Shop in Toronto, ON, Canada
  • 1975-77: Dwight Street in Mimico, Toronto, ON, Canada
  • 1976: 8 people, 25-30 guitars/month
  • 1977-82: Esquimalt Shop, Victoria, BC, Canada
  • 1977: 14 people, 4 guitars/day
  • 1982-92: 267 E. 1st Street Shop in North Vancouver, BC, Canada
  • 1983: First solid-body electric
  • 1984: switched from hot lacquer to catalyzed modified polyurethane finish
  • 1989: First use of CNC
  • 1991: 11,000 sq ft, 35 people, 25 guitars/day
  • 1993-98: Victoria Diversion shop in Vancouver, BC, Canada
  • 1993: 50/60/70 series introduced with large sound holes, 383 built
  • 1995: switched from polyurethane to McFadden UV polyester finish
  • 1996: 50 people, 20 guitars/day
  • 1997: 60 people, 40 guitars/day
  • 1997: D-Lite, D-03 introduced
  • 1998-Present: Cordova Street Factory in Vancouver, BC, Canada
  • 1998: 33,000 sq ft in Vancouver, 100 people, 60 guitars/day
  • 2001-Present: Yarnell Place Factory in Oxnard, CA, USA
  • 2010: switched from McFadden UV polyester to a new dual-cured finish (partial catalyzation with cobalt & peroxide, and UV light)
  • 2010: went to a stacked heel with the -03 series, then reintroduced the -02 series with stacked heel, and went back to one-piece necks for the -03 series


Ongoing discussion on the Larrivee Guitar Forum

California

Virtually all gloss guitars have been made in california since 2001. From 2001 to 2003 many of the bodies were made in Canada and then completed in America. The first truely completely American Made Larrivee is an L-09 with Serial #80000 which resides in the Larrivee Collection for sentimental purposes.
While there are some parts that made or shaped by CNC, I wouldnt nessesarily call that automation. There are no robots assembling parts, or spraying finishes, or buffing. There are no conveyor belts moving instruments from one step to another. The work is all hand done. I know in many cases many of the parts that have moved to the CNC machine have been done so because i'm terrified of using a machine called a shaper (A 5" tall, 3.5" diameter router spinning at 7500rpm).
As a family (and a company), we have a policy that we will not alter the instrument for the sake of technology - I.e. we will not change the core design of the guitar for the sake of "fitting" it to a piece of technology for the sake of increased production.

— Source: Matthew Larrivée January 7, 2012

Larrivée History page on larrivee.com




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