Larrivée’s output was robust enough to warrant opening a second plant, in Oxnard, California, in 2001, the site at which the company’s manufacturing is now consolidated (the company continues to base its wood milling operations in Canada).

He made his first steel-string in 1971, using the traditional dreadnought as a point of departure for his own experiments with structural details such as bracing patterns, which today form the basis of his company’s designs.īy 1976, Larrivée and seven employees were producing as many as 30 instruments per month, and the next several decades saw huge growth in the company, which moved to increasingly large factories in British Columbia. In the late 1960s, Jean Larrivée, an auto mechanic by training, apprenticed as a luthier in Toronto, Canada, focusing on nylon-string guitars. That the street price on this all-solid, US-made instrument is less than $1,500 makes the guitar seem even sweeter.

Not only that, but the guitar is one smooth play, owing to a subtle V-shaped neck profile and perfect low action and setup. But strum an open E chord, and you’re immediately struck by its uncommonly good sound-so vivid and resonant, with impressive sustain and projection.

With its understated satin finish and modest adornments, the Larrivée OM-40R doesn’t make a strong first impression.

Applied acoustics strum session