Larrivee F-33 Mandolin

Please note!  This instrument is out of production and is no longer available.  Contact us for other available instruments!

How many times has Jean-Claude Larrivee reinvented himself? In the ’60s and ’70s he was one of only a handful of individual luthiers building what has now become known as “boutique” guitars. The ’80s saw him growing to a medium sized shop and ultimately becoming a force in the high-end electric guitar market. With the strong resurgence of the flattop acoustic guitar from the ’90s to the present day, Jean has proved himself a major player and innovator.

There are very very few companies that I can think of that have built their reputation on fabricating superb flattop guitars … who have gone on to create a successful high-end mandolin line. With the introduction of the F-33 mandolin, Jean Larrivee has well and truly joined the ranks of the elite. Simply put, the Larrivee A-33 and F-33 mandolins are two of the finest examples of quality instrument building that I’ve encountered in my career.

The instrument that I’m featuring today is the very first F-33 that our store has received. The initial impact when I opened the case was visual … have you ever seen such a rich sunburst … hand stained directly on the wood with a stunning varnish finish? As a matter of fact, Jean’s whole mandolin project was held up for a considerable amount of time until he was completely … and I mean completely happy with it! Add engraved gold plated precision tuners, a gold plated cast tailpiece, Loar-style ebony bridge, radiused ebony fingerboard, Master Grade deeply flamed maple tonewood, a powerful chunky cutting tone and a price that is less than half of the competition … and once again Jean Larrivee has … well, reinvented himself!

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