Hi Everyone ... New Sponsor ... David Wren

[David Wren]

Hi Everyone! I don't spend a lot of time on forums, so I'm not sure of the protocol exactly. Trevor at TAMCO asked me to start a build thread on the latest guitar I'm making for him, so I took the plunge and became a sponsor ... thought I'd introduce myself first. Hope this is OK ... here goes.

In 1973 I rode a bicycle from Toronto to Regina, with my only reading material being Irving Sloane's "Classical Guitar Construction". By the time I returned home, this book resembled a well-worn comic book more than the hard cover text it started life as. I was hooked.


Later that same year I had the incredible good fortune to be accepted as an apprentice by the father of Canadian guitar building, Jean-Claude Larrivee. This one kind act on the part of Jean has been a positive influence on my professional career every single day since. Since that time, I've come to know hundreds of craftspeople, but Jean remains the most naturally gifted craftsperson I've ever met.



Here's a few shots from the end of my apprenticeship with Larrivee ... on moving day ... the last day in Toronto in 1977.




During my tenure at the Larrivee workshop I was also lucky to be able to work with a series of extremely talented artisans including Grit Laskin, Linda Manzer, Sergei de Jonge, Tony Duggan-Smith and George Gray.

By 1977, I opened my own guitar building shop and enjoyed some success over the next 10 years, with an annual production of 20 - 24 instruments.






During the seventies and eighties I was privileged to accept orders from performers that included Bruce Cockburn, Jackson Browne and Joan Baez. I produced close to two hundred guitars in the old Elmer Avenue and Oakcrest Avenue shops ... everything from my original Concert body style to Orchestra Models and Dreadnoughts, as well as hand carved archtop jazz guitars.

From 1990 until 2009 I was a partner in the Twelfth Fret Guitarists' Pro Shop in Toronto. My responsibilities included developing the acoustic instrument roster with special emphasis on small-shop and individual luthier brands. From 1996 until 2009 I also developed and maintained all aspects of the store's website.

Working in a retail environment that specialized in high-end acoustic guitars gave me access to a wide array of instruments from all over the world. Studying these instruments in detail ... their dimensions, resonant frequencies, top graduations, plate radius details ... was an education that has been invaluable to my developement as a luthier.

In September of 2009, the call to build guitars again became too loud to ignore ... it was time to sharpen my chisels once again. At that point in time I was able to build an instrument with my friend Sergei de Jonge, who helped me get my woodworking chops back up to speed, and along with his daughter Joshia, taught me to French Polish. The de Jonge family's influence can be seen in my instruments in many ways ... my finish, spalted wood rosette and side port are all from Sergei de Jonge.





Here's a shot of Jean I took recently when he visited my current shop.





And a recent shot of Jean and his first 6 apprentices ... the first time we'd all been in the same room together in over 35 years! From left to right ... Grit Laskin, Tony Duggan-Smith, George Gray, Sergei de Jonge, Jean, Linda Manzer and myself.




Here's a random selection of instruments I've made recently.









OK ... this is WAY too much information ... sorry to blab on and on. In any event, I look forward to spending a bit more time here in the future.

Cheers!

David Wren

[D. Ramsey]

Beautiful looking work and welcome to the forum.

[mikealpine]

David,

Nice to hear the back story and get a sense of where you came from. I wish you lots of luck here and am sure you will find a welcoming and appreciative crowd. Already looking forward to watching your builds.

Thanks,
Mike

[leftybanjo]

Welcome!!! great history lesson, thanks.

[Mooh]

Nice to see you here Dave. I was glad to see you return to active building. Living history and all that.

As a fan of Canadian guitars, I have Josh House, Marc Beneteau, and Godins, I would love to add one of yours.

[membler]

Welcome to the forum and thank you for being a sponsor. I loved your story of your journey. Those are some really great looking guitars.

[mc1]

you've got the job!

[bho]

Welcome to the AGF David!

Batur

[fetellier]

Hi David welcome to the forum, I love when you drag out the old photos.

Fred

[J-F C]

Welcome. It truly is a privilege to have you here.

[Mbroady]

Great story. Always nice to have experienced builders give input.

[BKENNA]

Welcome David,

Now that you have joined the forum, the whole forum just got better!

Currently! Where is your most building happening, Classical, Steel string, etc...?

It will be great having your insights to issues.


Cheers,


Brian

[darko]

Welcome to forum. Great looking guitars.

[Diamondave]

Yes, great looking guitars, very classy... And thanks for the photos and history, pleasure to have you here! Welcome

[fitness1]

Welcome aboard - very glad to have you here!!