I just thought that I’d make a list of Canadian Guitar Makers or Luthiers. I feel that we, as a guitar playing community, should be aware of who and where these mast craftsmen/women are and most importantly support them! So here is a small list of them that I am aware of.
Toronto Area
http://www.manzer.com/guitars/ Linda Mazner
http://wrenguitarworks.com David Wren (made 3 for Bruce Cockburn)
http://furanguitars.com Furan Guitars Edgar Munch
http://williamlaskin.com/index.php William Laskin
B.C.
http://robertandersonguitars.com/Home.html Robert Anderson
http://richguitars.com/index.html Rich Pielou
http://wrayguitars.ca Wray Guitars
Manitoba
http://mcconnellguitars.com/ Jordan McConnell
Quebec
http://www.saumierguitars.com/english/ Marc Saumier
I know that there are tons of other guitar Luthiers out there that I have obviously missed. If you know of any, please tell and I’d love to check them out and place them in this post!
Interesting post, I agree that we should be aware of Canadian guitar manufacturers and support them. I wonder about the quality, not because they won’t be any good but they don’t have the brand power associated with them, like a Gibson or Fender.
Word of mouth is the best way for marketing now a days John. I know most of us go with a tried tested and true name but the little guys tend to surprise us all the time.
For example, when I was looking for an acoustic I had a huge budget or up to 5,000.00 but I chose a far less expensive one over some big name companies that have been around the block forever.
The one that I chose sounds 100 times better and plays far better then the big guys guitars! I went to the 12th Fret in Toronto and played literally for days before I came to my final pick.
The staff there was fabulous to me and gave me lots of room to play in their little sound booth. I went into this store for 5 days and spent around 4-5 hours there. I always went to the 12th Fret as soon as they opened up and bought them a few coffees. They knew I was serious and from time to time they brought me some other guitars that I never heard of and found them a treat to play on.
As I get older, I tend to not trust big companies. I want to support these men/women luthiers. Next time your in a guitar shop, pick up some Canadian made guitars that you have never heard of before and start jammin’, you might surprised and what you hear!
Thanx for the comment John!