The Group of Seven Guitar Project

[David Wren]

Originally Posted by markrj

My poster came back from the framing shop. It looks awesome. The frame and matting cost was about half the cost of a nice used Larrivee 03. lol

Hey Mark ... the poster looks fantastic matted and framed ... thanks for attending the exhibit!

[David Wren]

Here's a video that has just been posted ... featuring a time period just after the Group of Seven days. The early '80s Larrivee shops are really under documented to say the least. This is a real find for us Larrivee buffs. The gentleman you see bending sides at around the 3:15 mark is a young G.W. Barry, early in his career. Great to see old footage of Jean and a young Wendy Larrivee engraving inlays!

[Diamondave]

Great video, watched, thx!

[JamesO]

I remember watching this in the late 90's when I was first becoming interested in lutherie and being completely glued to it. It was the first lutherie related documentary I saw. I've wanted to see it again so badly in the past year or two! Thanks for posting it.

[cigarfan]

A lot of fun to watch! Thanks David.

[David Wren]

Originally Posted by JamesO

I remember watching this in the late 90's when I was first becoming interested in lutherie and being completely glued to it. It was the first lutherie related documentary I saw. I've wanted to see it again so badly in the past year or two! Thanks for posting it.

Hey James ... I've been looking for ANY kind of documentation from this time period of the Larrivee workshop for ages. Matthew Larrivee emailed me and gave me the heads up that he's posted it on their Facebook page ... what a find!

[David Wren]

Originally Posted by cigarfan

A lot of fun to watch! Thanks David.

Glad you enjoyed it Dennis!

[David Wren]

.


Firmly under the heading "relentless self promotion" ... here's one of the posters I made for the "Acoustic Conversation" on August 27th at the McMichael gallery. For more info, go to http://mcmichael.com. I'll post more info as we get closer to the event.







.

[IBKuz]

Originally Posted by David Wren

.


Firmly under the heading "relentless self promotion" ... here's one of the posters I made for the "Acoustic Conversation" on August 27th at the McMichael gallery. For more info, go to http://mcmichael.com. I'll post more info as we get closer to the event.







.

I've got my ticket already

[David Wren]

Originally Posted by IBKuz

I've got my ticket already

That's great Ian ... glad you can make it. Just a heads-up ... the concert is held in the exhibition area, so there is some disruption when the sound check happens and the chairs are put out for the audience, so getting to the gallery early is a good idea if you want to see all of the display and the video materials for each instrument.

[David Wren]

Just a gentle reminder that this moderated discussion and concert is less than two weeks away ... apparently only around 20 tickets left!

[IBKuz]

I was out Sunday for David Wren's "Acoustic Conversations: Franklin Carmichael Guitar" discussion and concert at the McMichael gallery. Just a wonderful event all round. From David's thoughtful comments on getting started in his luthier career with Jean Larrivee, the inspirations and difficulties encountered during this build, to the music played on his guitar by Mike Francis. A very enjoyable mid day event visiting the exhibit and then the performance in the early afternoon, all on a beautiful late summers day.

It was a full, sold out crowd of about 250+ people (there were limited spots available as the event was held in the exhibit area with all the other guitars). It was a very intimate setting and the architecture of the room enhanced the presentation well. Here is a picture of David on the left with the moderator in the middle (Kerry Crawford) and Mike on the right.




As I have seen this guitar at the exhibit and the pictures of David's build, the last piece of the puzzle for me was to hear the guitar playing different genres of music; and for me, this guitar covered all the bases. It was equally pleasurable to listen too in both fingerstyle, and with a pick. The sound was both intimate in softer sections and raucous when needed. Mike was a good choice for demonstrating this guitar as he is an extremely skilled player, versed in many playing styles. It was noted by the moderator that he is likely Canada's most recorded musician with all the session and commercial work he has done, a giant talent in his own right.

Mike was able to display his skills in playing different songs and I never felt the guitar held him back. He was also accompanied by a bassist (Neil, didn't catch his last name), a friend and fellow session player I believe. He played jazz and melodic pieces while easily switching tunings. There was some southern blues style music and improvised Motown; even throwing in a stylized Beatles "Black Bird" into the mix. For me I like a guitar that sounds good playing different styles, switching over effortlessly wherever the musician's whimsy takes them.

One thing I found interesting that I have not heard before was that when Mike capo'd this guitar, to my ear, it kicked into another gear! Maybe it was the songs, his playing style or the stage setup, but the guitar seemed to really step up a notch at this time (2 of the songs). And we all talk about a guitar opening up after being played for a time, this guitar seemed to be full sounding (it was mic'd), though I'm not sure if it is played often at the gallery (likely a reflection on David's skill or forethought).

I saw other Go7GP luthiers at the show, Grit Laskin & George Gray, that I recognized. If Linda Mazner was not at the SBAIC show, I suspect she would have been there as well. I also recognized other luthiers in the audience, nice to see their support for a fellow contemporary. From his words at the show and his supportive posts here on the AGF, it is not hard to imagine that David is well respected by his peers. This exhibit is also a significant personal achievement for all involved. I would also like to note that all the people that participated in the design and staging of this exhibit have created a world class event coinciding with Canada's 150th anniversary celebrations. A testimony of magnificent skill and heart, thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended, which was evident by the reaction of this crowd.

[David Wren]

Thanks so much for the kind words Ian ... really appreciate it. I don't find it easy to talk in public like that, but it was wonderful reminiscing about the early years!

Here's a quick build video I put together for my contribution to the project. It starts off pretty slow, but (I hope) gets more interesting as it progresses.

[SJ VanSandt]

Wonderful video, David! I can only imagine how great the guitar sounds in person!

[Nemoman]

Wow--that is a cool video indeed.

It's gotta be rather nerve-racking to burn those images into the wood. After that first stroke, there's certainly no turning back.

Really a breath-taking instrument, David--well done!!!