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1975 Larrivée Rosewood Steel String
This example is built of Indian rosewood and German spruce and is of Jean Larrivée’s standard steel string shape. This guitar went on to become known as the L-09 when Larrivée expanded and standardized the company’s offerings following his move to Victoria, BC, in 1977.
With Larrivée’s unique X-bracing design, body shape and depth, smaller soundhole and slightly longer 25.6” scale, early steel string guitars like this one have a rather unique and particularly special tone. This guitar is exceptionally balanced and even, offers a clean and clear fundamental, wonderful sustain, and a wash of warmth over everything. It’s quite a pretty voice with plenty of sweetness and without any strident or wiry upper frequencies to harshen things up. It’s a wonderful fingerstyle instrument but also handles a controlled flat pick remarkably well.
This guitar was brought to us by its original owner who celebrated 50 years with the same guitar recently. It has just received a neck reset, refret, and set-up by our shop and now plays as new. It presents as crack-free, but we did shore up fine top cracks along the fretboard extension while the neck was removed. There is a fairly minor older edge repair at the top’s lower treble-bout, some minor finish repair in front of the bridge and again where a clear pickguard was once stuck on. The finish shows an assortment of small dings, dents, and scratches typical of a 50 year old guitar.
15-3/4” wide body with a depth of 4-1/4” at the endpin and 3-7/8” at the neck joint. 3.5” diameter soundhole, 25.6” scale. The neck has a nut width of 1-3/4”, a medium D-shaped carved, and a 1st fret thickness of .836”. String spread at the saddle is 2-1/8”. Ebony fretboard and bridge, bone nut and saddle, Grover Rotomatic tuners.
With original hardshell case.
