Anyone purchase a recent Larrivee US-40MM (or other model Larrivee soprano)?

CommonCurt

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I found some older threads where people talked about Larrivee ukuleles, but I'm wondering if anyone has purchased one of their sopranos lately, and what are the thoughts about them?

In some of the older threads some people mentioned that his sopranos are a little "bigger" than most.

I really like the sound of the all Mahogany soprano I've heard in videos, and would like to hear what the sitka/rosewood version sounds like.

Their older soprano models had no frets past the 12 fret (which is what I mostly prefer).

https://www.larrivee.com/products/us-40mh
 
I'm surprised no one weighed in on this for you. I'm in Arizona for a bit and I have three ukuleles here with me: a Larrivee concert UC-MH spruce top/ mahogany body a few years old, a Kanile'a K-1 soprano ~10 years old, and a recent Kanile'a K-1 concert. We'll see if I measure what I have, if it can help you out.

All measurements are approximate as I only have a tape measure here. The Kanile'a soprano measures 5" upper bout width, 6 7/8" lower bout, 4 1/4" waist. Depth of body varies from 2 1/8" upper bout to 2 3/8" lower bout- the back is not flat but gets deeper as it goes from the upper to the lower bout. So, based upon the specs shown in the link you gave, the Larrivee would be a tad wider on the top and bottom bouts. A little more of a dreadnought shape, for lack of a better description, than my Kanile'a K-1 soprano.

On the Larivee spruce/mahogany concert the back is flat, so if the Larrivee soprano is also flat, it would average about the same depth as my Kanile'a soprano. The Larrivee concert measures about the same width on the top bout to my Kanile'a K-1 concert, the Larrivee is an 1/8" wider on the lower bout. The depth on the Larrivee concert is just about 1/16" under 2 1/2", the specs say 2.45" from here: https://www.larrivee.com/products/uc-40mh. The depth on the Kanile'a concert varies, because the back is not flat, and seems to have a little more overall volume, as in cubic inches.

Now, for my two cents. Larrivee ukuleles are really nicely built, and they have great appointments- body and fret-board binding, a nice border around the sound hole and along the top edge, and lovely engraved tuners. The Larrivee is 12 frets to the body, while the Kanile'as are 14. My Kanile'a soprano is older, so its fully aged in. Since it is koa, it does not have that mahogany soprano bark, but a deep, full, mellow sound. I string them all the same, fluorocarbons, so string differences are not an issue. The K brands have traditionally had better re-sale values. Unless, you are wedded to 12 frets to the body, or can find one of the much older Larrivees used, the Ukulele Site has a few leftover Kanile'a sopranos, with the pre-2019 bracing system for $769, which is about the same as the street price is for a new Larrivee. I would give them a call. They have played instruments for me over the phone; their customer service is great. That's where I bought the recent K-1 concert, also as a leftover- I think it was a little over $800. If it would help you, PM me and I would be happy to arrange a video call with you, so you may hear the ukuleles I have here in Arizona. Good luck in your search.
 
I'm surprised no one weighed in on this for you. I'm in Arizona for a bit and I have three ukuleles here with me: a Larrivee concert UC-MH spruce top/ mahogany body a few years old, a Kanile'a K-1 soprano ~10 years old, and a recent Kanile'a K-1 concert. We'll see if I measure what I have, if it can help you out.

All measurements are approximate as I only have a tape measure here. The Kanile'a soprano measures 5" upper bout width, 6 7/8" lower bout, 4 1/4" waist. Depth of body varies from 2 1/8" upper bout to 2 3/8" lower bout- the back is not flat but gets deeper as it goes from the upper to the lower bout. So, based upon the specs shown in the link you gave, the Larrivee would be a tad wider on the top and bottom bouts. A little more of a dreadnought shape, for lack of a better description, than my Kanile'a K-1 soprano.

On the Larivee spruce/mahogany concert the back is flat, so if the Larrivee soprano is also flat, it would average about the same depth as my Kanile'a soprano. The Larrivee concert measures about the same width on the top bout to my Kanile'a K-1 concert, the Larrivee is an 1/8" wider on the lower bout. The depth on the Larrivee concert is just about 1/16" under 2 1/2", the specs say 2.45". The depth on the Kanile'a concert varies, because the back is not flat, and seems to have a little more overall volume, as in cubic inches.

Now, for my two cents. Larrivee ukuleles are really nicely built, and they have great appointments- body and fret-board binding, a nice border around the sound hole and along the top edge, and lovely engraved tuners. The Larrivee is 12 frets to the body, while the Kanile'as are 14. My Kanile'a soprano is older, so its fully aged in. Since it is koa, it does not have that mahogany soprano bark, but a deep, full, mellow sound. I string them all the same, fluorocarbons, so string differences are not an issue. The K brands have traditionally had better re-sale values. Unless, you are wedded to 12 frets to the body, or can find one of the much older Larrivees used, the Ukulele Site has a few leftover Kanile'a sopranos, with the pre-2019 bracing system for $769, which is about the same as the street price is for a new Larrivee. I would give them a call. They have played instruments for me over the phone; their customer service is great. That's where I bought the recent K-1 concert, also as a leftover- I think it was a little over $800. If it would help you, PM me and I would be happy to arrange a video call with you, so you may hear the ukuleles I have here in Arizona. Good luck in your search.

Thanks for the info :)
 
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