There are hundreds of modern guitar manufacturers in the market, all specializing in what they do, be it their unique bracing, choice of materials, deviation from the typical dreadnought shape, or something else.
Even just the design philosophy aside, there’s a lot that goes on in making a guitar that each brand does differently. Knowing certain features associated with a brand can help you decide between two popular brands like Larrivee and Taylor.
Both Larrivee and Taylor are highly sought-after in the US and are retailed by a number of dealers everywhere in the country.
And while the two brands have some key differences, they’re both equally good when it comes down to models, designs, and even the performance.
Still, if you’re having trouble picking between Larrivee and Taylor, we’ve reviewed both below and highlighted some differences. These will definitely help you make the best decision. Let’s take a look below!
Comparing Larrivee vs Taylor Guitar
| Features | Larrivee Guitars | Taylor Guitars |
|---|---|---|
| Price Point | More expensive, cheapest guitars start at over $2000. | Versatile range of price points, from $369 Baby Taylor to $10,000 ones. |
| Models | More models. | Less models. |
| Wood Options | Mahogany or Rosewood body with Sitka Spruce top. | 7 body wood options including mahogany, rosewood, maple, koa, ovangkol, blackwood, and layered wood. The top may be Sitka spruce, Lutz spruce, Hawaiian koa, mahogany, or Cedarwood. |
| Bracing | Standard Larrivee has a lateral cross (X) bracing. X-Scalloped hybrid system present in others. | A unique V-Class bracing is present in new models, though some may have X-bracing. |
Larrivee Guitars
Larrivee are some of the best guitars that you can get your hands on. These are top-notch quality, great-sounding instruments with wonderful reverb and a perfect touch of warmth.
Larrivee is known to use high-quality tonewoods in an innovative design with superb construction and fine bracing.
Larrivee isn’t a big name like Taylor or Martin Guitars, but their products still have the same level of performance, efficiency, and durability. Most guitarists end up enjoying Larrivee as much as a premium Taylor, like the 700 series.
Larrivee has an exponentially growing inventory with hundreds of guitar models that include variations of each one.
Some of their models also come in two signature kinds of wood- mahogany, and rosewood, each having its own separate series but with the same models. However, some styles only adhere to one wood type.
Rosewood and Mahogany
Rosewood and mahogany both have their plus sides and are good quality choices. Rosewood is more popular thanks to its unique chocolate-colored grain patterns.
It delivers a crisp higher-end sound with punchy low notes. Mahogany on the other hand is more golden-hued and easily recognizable.
It has a warmer sound and is ideal for rhythm guitarists. The wood creates a lovely warm sound focused in the mid-registers.
Design
Take an example of the Larrivee 03 models. This series is their best-selling for decades. The instruments are of a manageable price point (between $2200-3200), yet combine fantastic build quality of the mahogany and Sitka spruce together.
The trim frames are Maple. OM-03E is the highlight of the series- it has luxurious mahogany wood sides and back and a Sitka-topped orchestra shape. This guitar is the epitome of elegance and versatility.
The model creates both strong and direct sounds for the lead parts and reverberating overtones that create the best rhythm for backdrop singing.
Sound
Larrivee not only manufactures some of the best acoustic guitars with room-filling sounds but their electric guitars are also worthy of appraisal.
These modern guitars have the perfect shape for transporting and playing. Larrivee also produces an extensive range of parts and accessories for its acoustic and electric instruments.
These additions significantly improve your guitar strumming sessions. Larrivee guitars are sold by dealers across the US so if you purchase a model, you get access to a diverse support network too
Taylor Guitars
Taylor Guitars is an American guitar manufacturer based in California. They’re one of, if not the largest manufacturers of acoustic guitars in the country.
Their guitars are loved by users because of their simplistic yet complete designs. But Taylor isn’t limited to acoustic guitars- their bass guitars and electric guitars are equally popular.
With decades of experience in crafting guitars for students, composers, singers, live performers, and more, Taylor knows precisely what guitarists are looking for, and it includes those features in every guitar of any price point, from $350 to over 10 grand.
Taylor has been creating electric guitars for several years now, and they’ve made the perfect hybrid as well in the flexible T5 series guitars.
These take elements of both modern acoustics and classic electric tones and blend the two very well. Their T3 guitars are also some of the most sonically versatile electric guitars around today.
Design
One of the most notable features of Taylor guitars that separates them from competitors is the modern V-Class bracing system.
Taylor ditched the X-braced system in acoustic guitars for their innovative V-class system, which produces a louder tone with better sustain. This improves your Taylor’s intonation greatly.
But how does it do that exactly? Well, X-bracing (which is still used in Larrivee) creates a trade-off between sustain and volume, both of which are the key elements of an acoustic guitar’s sound.
Both these elements rely on the soundboard’s different qualities- volume comes from flexibility while sustain comes from stiffness.
Because they’re antagonistic, there’s a significant trade-off in traditional bracing. V-class bracing is cut in a way that there’s the required stiffness in one part and flexibility in the other. You don’t suffer the loss of either sustain or volume.
Dealerships
Another advantage in favor of Taylor Guitars is the number of dealers. As the company is a large-scale producer compared to Larrivee, it has more dealers, making it more accessible to buyers
Plus, their inventory is usually bigger and more models are in store, so you don’t have to wait for releases.
Material
Now let’s talk about the material options. Like Larrivee, Taylor has models using both rosewood and mahogany. However, it’s not limited to solid, and some layered wood models combine the two or some of the other woods they use.
Besides mahogany and rosewood, Taylor uses Koa wood, which is a caramel-colored grain with a little more chime sonically.
Its tone is more centered and with a sharp top-end. Blackwood is also used in some series, which has a bold top and midrange and excels in providing clarity.
It’s used in the low-cost 300 series since it cuts down on the luxury feel, but it’s paired with warm mahogany sides and back.
Ovangkol is another tonewood used by Taylor. It’s very similar to rosewood but has some additional low-mid clarity and information which rosewood lacks.
Shapes
Finally, let’s look at the shapes Taylor Guitars offers. You get to pick from 5 shapes- Grand Concert, Grand Auditorium, Dreadnought, Grand Orchestra, and Grand Symphony.
Dreadnought is the most popular one, thanks mostly to its punchy and bold sound that both flat pickers and strummers enjoy.
Grand Concert is a more compact shape designed for smaller stature players, though anyone can use the guitar easily. It creates a very focused voice with little to no rumble.
Grand Auditorium is similarly compact, but it has a greater depth in tone and creates a surprisingly larger sound.
The Grand Symphony is a little bigger but sounds similar to the Grand Auditorium. However, it has a better punch and low end, so it’s ideal for strumming and creating background rhythms.
The last one, Grand Orchestra, is good for those who want a larger-than-life volume paired with a soft low end. The highs are punchy and the midrange is somewhat scooped.
The Winner
So that concludes our comparison list. While both Larrivee and Taylor produce excellent guitars with solid, warm wood and have finely sketched bracings, we have to give it to Taylor Guitars when it comes to picking a winning side.
Taylor caters to a wide population of guitarists around the country with greater versatility in everything– price points, wood options, sizes, bracing designs, fingerboard materials, and much more.
Taylor always has the right guitar tailored for someone.