Official Luthiers Forum!

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Doug

Don't let fear or common sense stop you from trying to build something

Just a bad week for Canada : Shane closing shop, Larrivee moving, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford...well we just apologize to the world for that one.

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Doug

Don't let fear or common sense stop you from trying to build something

This news was first broken on the AGF about a month ago.

At the time, there was no confirmation to be had anywhere on the net about this news, which led to some scepticism regarding its veracity, but obviously the OP did have inside info.

What I find incomprehensible is that Larrivee , even to this very day, have not seen fit to post an announcement on their website regarding the relocation.

Hey guys I met jean at the NAMM show in LA . 1993 .I was running a gtr/vln shop at the time. He mentioned that he was interested in moving to CA at that time and asked me how I did it from vancouver. I left Van in 1990 I have not given up my cdn citizenship. But i left for the same reason jean did .I was getting hammered on my taxes and had a wife and 2 small children, livin paycheck to paycheck . I haven/t looked back . My wifes family is all over the lower mainland, saltspring, and van Island .My family is in mtl and yes I speak french. I am grateful to live in the usa because it has opened so many doors for me my wife and children that unfortunately would not be available to us had we stayed in Van. Yes , there are many negative things here which cdns love to point out . But hey guess what, there are many positives as well too many to mention., Doug all those places closing means folks are just moving ahead and changing.Hope your not taking it personally.

Everyone knows that Jean Larrivee has been building guitars in the US for a long time, right?
He has a nice shop in Oxnard, CA.

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

Yo, Jean...

by and good luck.

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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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How many people does Larrivee employ in Canada? Heinz foods is closing they're Leamington, Ont. processing plant after 104 years, putting over 1,000 full and part time people out of work, not to mention all of the local farmers who supplied the plant.

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

Is this move related to the difficulty of documenting everything that crosses the border? (exotic woods, shell inlays, etc.)

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

Shane closing shop? Which Shane? Did I miss something? Hopefully not HMT Shane.

Yup hmt is movin out

A company can move to or maintain manufacturing in the US and still avoid some US tax rates. Just locate the corp headquarters in a favorable country. I work for a global industrial manufacturer "based" in Ireland.

This is what Jean's son stated on the news last night. He said that it costs $150 per guitar with shell inlay to get it across the border and they were shipping about 150 per week so the costs ($22,500 per week) were enough reason to move. But I also believe that there is a labour component to his decision. In any regard it is a bit of a sad day for us as we will no longer be able to be proud of one of our Canadian Manufacturers. I was on a landing looking at some logs for a client of mine the other day and saw three logs that were destined for Larrivee so at least a portion of his top wood will likely still be Canadian!

Shane

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Canada

The top wood will likely always be Canadian. Unless it's from Alaska.

That's all you're gonna say on the matter??

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My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

As stated earlier, the company should say some things, not people that have worked there. I was hanging with a couple of ex Larrivee employees last week, Mark Thibeault from Rayco Resos and Kevin Kane from The Grapes of Wrath and neither were aware of the move so Larrivee has been pretty quiet about this.

Shane

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Canada

Ok, lemme see this. Vancouver, rainy, cloudy, cold. California, sunny, warm, bikinis...yeah, I'd stay in Vancouver...not! It's almost as bad as the weather here in Newfoundland.

Sent from my GT-P3113 using Tapatalk

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Under Compensated Nut!

Dang. I'm late for work. Oh bother.

You wont be able to get to California until Monday. Better call in sick for today.

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http://www.CostaGuitars.com
PMoMC

It's a shame, though business is business, I guess. I'm just in the middle of writing an article for American Lutherie about Larrivee and his apprentices, some of whom include David Wren, Grit Laskin, Linda Manzer and Sergei deJonge.

His influence on Canadian Lutherie is immeasurable.

Steve

Don't forget David Ianone...Morgan Guitars. The Last Official Apprentice.

Or you Ed, or Mark Thibeault at Rayco and a whole raft of others who were really production workers but were doing it because they wanted to make guitars and now are. Jean has certainly left a long legacy in this country!

Shane

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Canada

When I lived in Washington DC we had one Mayor Marion Barry who would have gotten along just fine with yours. And guess waht? The good people of DC voted him back in after his jail time anyway hahahah

I know, I know, but I had to cut it off somewhere, otherwise it would fill the whole magazine

Steve

Oh man. I just saw the post from Shane about HMTC. I'm saddened to see this happen (just as I'm saddened to see Larrivee go).

JS there's also Jay Duncan who has gone on to help establish a guitar factory in Africa to help fight poverty there. http://duncanafrica.com

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My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson