Larrivee L-series is based on Jean Larrivee's personal preference, which is a basic Classical guitar shape.
As soon as you take a 12 fret Classical shape and pull the bouts in a bit around the neck to make it a 14 fret clear-of-the-body design, most companies wind up with something along the lines of a Martin 000 look. Other companies might call them "Concert" or "Auditorium" models.
Many companies make similiar patterns but call them by their own model designation.
Popular patterns begin to be known as "dreadnoughts," or "Jumbos," outside their original manufacturers, so in common parlance dreadnoughts begin to refer specifically to the familiar square-shourdered Martin D-shape, though originally Martin referred to their big Ditson size 12 fret models as dreadnaughts. They didn't get square-shouldered until they pulled the bouts back for 14 fret clear models.
Gibson J-45 were originally called Jumbos, before people began calling them round-shouldered dreads, and the 17" J-200's (based on L5 archtop rims, but with flat-tops) became Jumbos.
It's a confusing mess. :twisted:
