Larrivee D03R

I've been playing guitar for 41 years. For my 50th birthday my wife presented me with the funds to finally buy a high-end guitar after years of playing brands like Hohner, Alvarez, Jay Turser, Spencer, Washburn, Yamaha, etc. So I was determined to buy the best guitar for my money. I'd always wanted a Guild or a Martin, and in more recent years a Taylor, so those were the brands I concentrated on for the next few days at various stores until a salesman suggested a Larrivee (the brand he plays). The moment I strummed it, I knew it was the one. I spent two hours in the place playing what I had narrowed my choices to: a Martin, a Taylor, and a Larrivee (each within $300 of each other, the Larrivee being the least expensive). It quickly became apparent that the Larrivee was superior in action and sound (my opinion) to the other two in that price range. I bought it, put new strings on it, and got goosebumps playing it. Holy Sweet Zeus does it sound good! Compared to the Martin Taylor I considered in the store, the Larrivee was louder and had a fuller, more balanced sound from top to bottom than the other two, with particularly good bass. Two days after I bought it, I went to another store and played a Martin and a Taylor (each costing more than twice my guitar) just to verify my hunch that the Larrivee D03R is as good as any guitar at any price. In my opinion, it is. Sure, it's a plain-Jane when it comes to cosmetics, but that's what I like about it. No flash - all business. It has class with its understated beautiful satin finish. I would strongly recommend that anyone considering the big-name guitars check out Larrivee. For the money, it's the best instrument out there, equal to guitars costing much more.