Larrivee A-33 Mandolin
Jean Larrivee has taken a lot of heat for not releasing his new mandolin series sooner, but this man will just not let any instrument leave his shop unless he is 100% happy with it. I admire that kind of dedication and perfectionism as does his legions of happy customers around the world.
Mr. Larrivee showed a few mandolins at the winter NAMM show a couple of years ago and got some extremely positive reviews from people in the industry. I remember walking up to the Larrivee display at one point, and realizing renown historian & retailer George Gruhn was playing one of Jean’s display mandolins. When I asked him what he thought he indicated that he was as impressed as I was … and this coming from a man who once owned a full set of Loar-made mandolin/mandola/mandocello!
Larrivee’s interest in mandolins goes back to the mid 1970′s. I can remember when I was a young apprentice in the small Larrivee shop during that time period, we would play mandolin & fiddle after work every chance we got. Jean guided me through building my first few mandolins in 1975-76 … his knowledge of these intriguing instruments was encyclopedic even back then!
With this new series of A-style mandolins, Mr. Larrivee has taken his considerable skills to an entirely different level. The top & back carving on these instruments is exquisite with the graceful arching & deep recurve around the edge. The striking grained ivoroid binding with its delicate side pinstripe fillet sets off a rich Cremona stain, which itself is enhanced with an expertly applied ultra-thin lacquer gloss finish. As you would expect, Jean has equipped these instruments with the best hardware … gold plated 1:18 ratio tuners, a Loar-style floating ebony bridge and a rugged cast tailpiece.
How do they sound? The words that spring to mind are “throaty”, with a great bark when chopping out chords, unbelievable dynamic range & headroom and loads of that beautiful mandolin high-end chime!
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Specifications
* 1 1/8″ wide bone nut
* bound & radiused ebony fingerboard
* suspended fingerboard extension
* bound ebony peghead overlay with side fillet
* mother-of-pearl logo peghead inlay
* adjustable truss rod
* 13 13/16″ scale length
* dovetail neck joint
* gold plated 1:18 ratio precision tuners
* flamed maple neck with traditional V profile
* carved & graduated spruce top with tone bars
* carved & graduated flamed maple back
* flamed maple sides
* grained ivoroid body binding with side fillet
* Loar-style ebony adjustable bridge
* rugged gold plated cast tailpiece
* Cremona stain under Varnish finish
* deluxe arched top hardshell case