Well, I never thought I'd do this, but this axe is not getting enough playing time anymore to keep it around. I've had this for a few years and it was my main gigging bass for a while, but these days I keep going for my USA Deluxe P-Bass. In any event, I'd like for this bass to go to an owner who will give it the attention it deserves. I'm posting this is as a feeler first to see if there is any interest.
This is a 1988 Larrivee LB-2 bass, made in Canada, and one of the few that were produced in the 80's when the company's acoustic guitar sales slumped. Most don't know that Larrivee produced a short run of electric guitars and basses. I picked this up used and it is one of the fastest-playing and comfortable instruments I've ever had. I found out about its birthdate on this site:
http://www.larrivee-electrics.co.uk/. It was in pretty rough shape when I bought it, but I had it fixed up by the repairman at the local Long & Mcquade - nothing serious was done, only a little soldering and fret leveling. However, I made a few modifications to the bass. The original pickups were EMG PJs, but when I bought the bass it only had a set of unnamed PJs, and the active preamp had been replaced by a passive one. The previous owner stripped the 80's-era finish and refinished the natural alder body. The original color was "p. white" according to the site. In any case, I like the natural look.
The rest of the modifications have been done by myself:
- replaced cracked plastic trussrod cover with rosewood cover
- replaced graphite nut with custom bone nut
- replaced mystery pickups with Dimarzio PJ passive pickups
- added Schaller Straplocks
- added birdseye maple "finger ramp" between pickups
(I'm sure you all know what the finger ramp does!)
Other features:
- Alder body, maple neck, ebony fingerboard
- Lightweight Schaller tuners
- Fully-adjustable Schaller bridge (variable string spacing)
- 20 frets, abalone inlays
- bolt-on neck joint
For the sake of full disclosure, there are a number of nicks, dings, scratches, and dents on the body, neck and headstock. There is also one small nick on the fingerboard itself - if any of you would like more photos, let me know.
The j-pickup positioned a little closer to the bridge than on your traditional fender. The tone of this thing is absolutely killer - it's punchy, warm, tight, and clear. You can hear how it sounds here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eze_rhpzn3k (I'm just improvising on a little groove... playing whatever it inspires me to do.)
I'm asking
$650$599 $549 or best offer on this instrument, and I'll throw in a good hardshell case. These basses were $1000+ in 1988 (there is a price list at the above link) and there are a good $400 worth of modifications done, but I need to pay some bills. It is tough to argue that Jean Larrivee is one of the greatest luthiers in the guitar world, and his small number of electrics follow that pattern. There are so many great tones on this bass, it's a real player. My loss is your gain. I really hate to see this one go... it's a great steal for any bassist.
Chris
FS/FT Feeler: RARE 1988 LARRIVEE LB-2 SOLIDBODY 
This will make someone very happy.
