Playing Tribute

Larrivée’s new Tommy Emmanuel tribute guitar is already sending out shockwaves across the acoustic world. We speak to Tommy and Jean Larrivée to find out more

-  David Mead

As mentioned in the review of the C-03R-TE, Larrivée is quick to point out that this particular guitar is a tribute to Tommy Emmanuel’s original C-10 and definitely not a signature model in its own right. We were keen to dig a little deeper to find out the whole story behind the new instrument and who better to ask than the man himself? We caught up with Tommy as he was about to leave for a studio session in Nashville.

“Larrivée wanted to build me a tribute model because I already have signature models with Maton,” he tells us down the transatlantic line. “It’s based on my Larrivée that Jean Larrivée Sr gave me when Chet Atkins and I were playing together way back. He came to a show with his family. Chet brought me out on stage and I played a bit and then Chet and I played together and Jean Larrivée came backstage and we met.”

It was a while after that initial meeting that Tommy was to receive a very special delivery: “One day a taxi arrived at Chet’s place with this guitar and the guy was looking for me and he gave it to me. I opened the case and it was a 12-fretter with a cutaway and it was really fancy. It’s got ‘Scottish heather’ fingerboard markings and on the headstock it has a beautiful angel – it’s really ornate and a beautiful instrument. And what a tone: just unbelievable. It’s incredible.”