| Larrivee L-10 Madagascar / Bearclaw |
| Jean Larrivee likes to get his hands dirty.
If he needs a new specialized jig or tool, he makes it himself.
If he gets an idea for a new instrument model, he doesn't hire a team of
industrial designers. He goes out into the shop and builds it with
his own hands. If he's on the hunt for some exotic tone wood, he
doesn't call a wood supplier. He buys a plane ticket and goes right to
the source. As opposed to the CEO's of other large companies,
Jean is not just the idea man. He is the man that goes out and gets
it done.
It is no wonder this man comes up with the dramatically
figured Bearclaw spruce and rare Madagascar rosewood as seen on this exquisite
new Custom L-10 guitar. Jean keeps only the highest of the highest
grade spruce for use on his 10 series instruments and occasionally produces
a custom guitar such as this, utilizing alternate back & sides
tonewood. I can only attribute the outstanding immediacy of
response, remarkable upper mid range sweetness and engaging upper
partials to this superb wood combination! |
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In 1997, when Larrivee Guitars moved from their 10000
square foot factory to the current 30000 square foot facility, they kept
the smaller building and decided to turn it into a saw mill for spruce
and western red cedar. The mill is run by Jean Larrivée and Murray
Wimble, both of whom bring years of knowledge and experience to the table.
Jean of course, brings his uncanny sense
of what properties the spruce must have to be suitable for musical instruments,
and Murray brings his knowledge of sawmill practices and machinery. Together
they produce guitar tops for not only Larrivée Guitars, but for
many other major guitar companies as well!
The photo shown at the left has a few split billets
of spruce that are ready for resawing into rough guitar tops. After
resawing, the tops are stickered and air dried. |
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| Here's a shot of Jean at one of the world's main
suppliers of exotic tonewood in Spain, personally selecting some
rough-cut Madagascar rosewood sets. Not to be confused with Dalbergia
Maritima (Bois de Rose), or Dalbergia Trichocarpa (Manipika) the
species Dalbergia Baroni exhibits not only many of the striking visual
attributes of Brazilian rosewood but mimics it's sonic characteristics
quite accurately as well! In raw form this tonewood has an exceptionally
clear ringing tap tone. |
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| Jean definitely does not spare any effort to
go right to the source in his constant search for the highest grade tonewoods
possible. He is pictured here during a trip to India on yet another
search to secure reliable sources of high-grade rosewood. His journey
starting in the town of Cochi and traveling through tropical jungles via
muddy roads through monsoon rains and flooded rivers!
It was apparently a long journey to India. The
flight from Los Angeles was 11 1/2 hours to Frankfurt, Germany and another
9 hours to Bombay (Mumbai). The following day, from Bombay, it was
another hour and a half flight to his destination: the town of Cochi.
One of the main purposes of Jean's trip was to educate
his suppliers with regards to the straightness of grain, color and
cut needed for musical instrument grade rosewood. |
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Specifications
Larrivee L-10 Madagascar / Bearclaw
* 1 3/4" wide bone nut
* grained ivoroid bound ebony fingerboard
* Deluxe Series abalone shell fingerboard inlays
* bound ebony peghead overlay
* mother-of-pearl peghead logo inlay
* hand fit dovetail neck-to-body joint
* one piece tropical mahogany neck
* premier Bearclaw Sitka spruce top
* abalone top perimeter
* inlayed ebony belly bridge
* intonation compensated bone saddle
* Madagascar rosewood back & sides
* custom label signed by Jean-Claude Larrivee
* deluxe hardshell case
* Limited Lifetime warranty
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