Members thefyn Posted July 26, 2006 Members Posted July 26, 2006 Anyone know about La Patrie guitars from Canada? There is one for sale near me for $250 Is this a good deal?
Members Bruce Bennett Posted July 26, 2006 Members Posted July 26, 2006 Yeah, Our store sells them. They are really very nice for the money. 250. is about half price. depending on the model.
Members thefyn Posted July 26, 2006 Author Members Posted July 26, 2006 Thanks for the info. There is no info on it, apart from that it is a nylon guitar with a hard case.
Members MyM.O. Posted July 26, 2006 Members Posted July 26, 2006 You need more info to judge. Ask for it.
Members Rickkkk Posted July 26, 2006 Members Posted July 26, 2006 Originally posted by thefyn Anyone know about La Patrie guitars from Canada?There is one for sale near me for $250Is this a good deal? Hey Fyn ... La Patrie is Godin's line of Classical guitars (same manufacturer as Norman, Seagull, Simon & Patrick and Art & Lutherie on the acoustic side). They are very well regarded and as Mr. Bennett mentions above, a good deal for the money. La Patrie is actually the name of the (very) small town in the Townships east of Montreal where the guitars are made. $250 sounds pretty good.
Members thefyn Posted July 26, 2006 Author Members Posted July 26, 2006 sweet info. You guys rock (gently)
Members brahmz118 Posted July 26, 2006 Members Posted July 26, 2006 The only thing I know about the guitars is that they're apparently pronouced La-puh-TREE, not luh-PAT-ree. I felt kind of stupid ordering one over the phone and saying it wrong. I have one of their guitars on order (Hybrid CW), supposed to arrive in the next month. That will be the first time I've ever tried one.
Members Bugsgalore Posted July 26, 2006 Members Posted July 26, 2006 I've played a few of these and they have all sounded good...some better than good. However, two of the L'patries' I've played (out of 4 total, including the one that had the best sound) had some pretty serious build problems. The first (the really good sounding one) had its bridge pop off, which was repaired fairly easily (and no, the owner did not put steel strings on it!). The second, which I played this last Sunday, sounded pretty good (a little bassy for my taste) but had a major fretitng issue. The 11th fret was not seated properly and caused a BAD buzz accross all 6 strings when fretting between 9 and 12. I immediatly noticed this when picking up the guitar (by eyeball, beore strumming a chord). The fret had a bow in the middle, which was obviously the result of not being pressed or hammered into place properly. I didn't have the heart to point this out to the owner as I had just met him, he is a newbie guitar player, and has had the guitar long enough that I don't think he'd get warranty service. Mostly I didn't want to seem like an ass or be insulting to his guitar. I may mention it to him next time I play the guitar....perhaps I'll offer to fix it. SO......based on my experience, I like the guitars, but would never consider buying one sight unseen and would want to be able to go over it with the proverbial fine tooth comb prior to laying down the cash. I find this especially curious as I have never had any problems with the many Seagulls and Godin's I have played.....different factory or QC folks....i don't know. Cheers, Matt.
Members gtrdave Posted July 27, 2006 Members Posted July 27, 2006 My wife owns a La Patrie Concert. We've had it about 3 years and had an L.R. Baggs transducer and Remote Control installed. It's never given us a bit of trouble and has a deep rich tone, much like her Carmencita nylon string. Every guitar line seems to have the occasional QC issue and the blame could lie anywhere from the factory to the store where it was shipped. I've never known Godin/Seagull to not deal with an issue when it's brought to their attention. We own 5 of their guitars; Godin Solidac, Godin A6, Godin Freeway 5 bass, Seagull S6+CW, La Patrie Concert and used to own an Art & Lutherie Cedar and another Solidac. They build great stuff for the $$$.
Members Bugsgalore Posted July 27, 2006 Members Posted July 27, 2006 I didn't want to give the impression that I was "hating" on La Patrie guitars.....and I certainly didn't mean to discourage the origninal poster from checking out the guitar in his/her local area. I may have had bad luck with the few I've played (like I said none of the other Godins I've played have had issues of any kind). And structural issues aside I was consistantly impressed with the quality of the instruments (sound, playability, materials, and finish). Also one thing I should have mentioned was that the first guitar, (the one with the bad bridge) was fixed under warantee no questions asked. To qualify my statement about playing before buying. Unless the guitar was a known "fixer upper" or super rare, I don't think I'd EVER buy a guitar without first playing it and going over its construction. Like all the Godin guitars, you get a lot for your money.....solid top and good woods used throughout. I've helped serveral friends pick out seagull guitars over the years, and they have all been quite happy with their guitars. Cheers, Matt.
Members brahmz118 Posted July 27, 2006 Members Posted July 27, 2006 D'oh! I'm already concerned about the long wait for my La Patrie, and all sorts of conspiracy theories are already going through my mind about possible build issues. And I'm usually the type who would want to play before buying, but the Hybrid CW is so new, and it seems like it's the only guitar with the features I want (wide 2" nut, radiused fretboard, adjustable truss rod, electronics that blend mic + pickup, etc. etc.) It just might be my grail guitar. Which I suppose sets me up to be disappointed... I will post a review when / if it arrives.
Members Rickkkk Posted July 27, 2006 Members Posted July 27, 2006 Originally posted by brahmz118 The only thing I know about the guitars is that they're apparently pronouced La-puh-TREE, not luh-PAT-ree. I felt kind of stupid ordering one over the phone and saying it wrong.I have one of their guitars on order (Hybrid CW), supposed to arrive in the next month. That will be the first time I've ever tried one. ... hey Brahmz ... don't let yourself feel stupid on that one. Your pronunciation was close enough. Just the accent on the wrong syllable. The true pronunciation would be lah-pah-TREE, with a french roll on the R. Ciao !
Members expertune Posted July 27, 2006 Members Posted July 27, 2006 I have a La Patrie parlor size classical. Sounds good. I like the smaller size cause I can really hold it even when I am sitting in the couch.
Members Bugsgalore Posted July 27, 2006 Members Posted July 27, 2006 Originally posted by brahmz118 D'oh! I'm already concerned about the long wait for my La Patrie, and all sorts of conspiracy theories are already going through my mind about possible build issues. And I'm usually the type who would want to play before buying, but the Hybrid CW is so new, and it seems like it's the only guitar with the features I want (wide 2" nut, radiused fretboard, adjustable truss rod, electronics that blend mic + pickup, etc. etc.) It just might be my grail guitar. Which I suppose sets me up to be disappointed... I will post a review when / if it arrives. Sorry if I fed your paranoia at all....... I'm sure your guitar will be fine (especially if it is a custom order and a higher end model to boot)...and if it's not, then you are buying from an outfit with an excellent customer service rep., so they should take care of you. As far as buying without playing.....I'd think from your description of what you wanted it would classify as one of those "rare" guitars you (unfortunately) can't find to play first. Also the La Patrie guitars I've played were on the lower end of their spectrum....and I would assume their QC would be several orders of magnitude greater on their pricier axes. Cheers, Matt.
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