Which Canadian Luthier would you purchase a custom acoustic?

[Michael Watts]

Within your budget you do still have a lot of choice especially in the pre-loved market. I'd be looking at De Jonge.

I'd also echo the names Greenfield, Laskin and Manzer without hesitation.

In fact anyone involved in the Group of Seven project could make you something wonderful. It was a great project which showcased the work of the Larivee school of guitar making.



All the best

Michael

[gitarro]

To the OP, Canada has many fine luthiers but of all the luthiers I have seen on the net, none have built guitars which have differed from the norm as much structurally and as early as Sheldon Schwartz with his Oracle guitar model. From what I have read, his Oracle guitar impresses many luthiers when it was first exhibited. If you can stretch your budget to fit in his prices you should pay him a visit and see if his guitar tone suits you.

[TomB'sox]

There are so many that a topic like this, while understandable, could never come close to naming them all.

Like others, I would put my David Wren guitar up against any by anyone.

Indian Hill Mike also posts builds here and his guitars are wonderful by all accounts. How could you possibly go wrong with a Manzer or de Jonge? Dennis Kwasnycia is another that gets constant high reviews.

[Marcus Wong]

If you're able to go a biiiiit extra, Joel Michaud for $8500 USD. Though I think he is only offering 1 last slot before he heads up to $10000 USD

Originally Posted by mont_sly

Hi all,

Which Canadian luthier would you order a custom steel string acoustic, spending no more then $7000 US or $9,000 Cdn? (Note, this would exclude many of the premier Canadian luthiers - you know the ones....)

I own a Kronbauer, great guitar, though I bought new, it was not a custom order...

[mont_sly]

For sure, there are many great Canadian luthiers, which is obvious by the many examples on this thread.

I started the thread to get a semblance of who people have had positive experiences and also to get aquainted with any luthiers I may not have yet considered. For example, for some reason I had never heard of Dennis Kwasnycia. It's eye opening...

Also, as many have mentioned it would be fantastic to order a Manzer, Greenfield or Laskin, etc. but I can only keep upping my budget by so much...

BTW, I am a fingerstyle player and prefer a small jumbo shape with an arm bevel (comfort) and a side sound port. Almost, all builders have a version of this type of guitar, I have found.

Regardless, a big thank you to the AGF community and for all the great suggestions!

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

There are so many that a topic like this, while understandable, could never come close to naming them all.

Like others, I would put my David Wren guitar up against any by anyone.

Indian Hill Mike also posts builds here and his guitars are wonderful by all accounts. How could you possibly go wrong with a Manzer or de Jonge? Dennis Kwasnycia is another that gets constant high reviews.

[pattste]

I have two custom guitars from luthier Vincent Latulippe (see my signature). My Latulippe OM is the best guitar I've ever played. Vincent is in the Laurentians, north of Montreal.

My second recommendation would be Toronto luthier Tony Karol, who's name has been mentionned already. I do not (yet) own a guitar by Tony Karol but have played several of his instruments at guitar shows and they are superb.

I have also been very impressed by the work of the young Montreal luthier Maxime Baron. Finally, Fred Tellier from Windsor Ontario is a regular on the guitar show circuit and his reasonably priced guitars are just about the best value in luthiery.

All of these guys are professional yet super nice and friendly and that also counts for a lot when you're working with a luthier on a build.

[J-F C]

I bought 2 custom made guitars from Fred Tellier (FETELLIER GUITARS) .

https://m.facebook.com/FETellierGuitars. Fred is a member here.

The first one was a maple SJ, so awesome that I did’nt hesitate a second to call Fred when I decided to get a Baritone.

My experience with the process and the relation with Fred was fabulous. He is easy going, keeps you informed of the évolution of the building process, sénés pics, etc. Also his advices and communications were crucial in the outcome , wich was total satisfaction and joy with the instruments.

Of course they are beautiful, but most important they are a treat to play and a blast to hear . Have a chat with him.

Fred’s FB page provides pictures and sounds , but for myself I can offer these two recordings . One is with the baritone, the other one with my maple SJ.

[mont_sly]

Originally Posted by J-F C

I bought 2 custom made guitars from Fred Tellier (FETELLIER GUITARS) .

https://m.facebook.com/FETellierGuitars. Fred is a member here.

The first one was a maple SJ, so awesome that I did’nt hesitate a second to call Fred when I decided to get a Baritone.

My experience with the process and the relation with Fred was fabulous. He is easy going, keeps you informed of the évolution of the building process, sénés pics, etc. Also his advices and communications were crucial in the outcome , wich was total satisfaction and joy with the instruments.

Of course they are beautiful, but most important they are a treat to play and a blast to hear . Have a chat with him.

Fred’s FB page provides pictures and sounds , but for myself I can offer these two recordings . One is with the baritone, the other one with my maple SJ.

Wow, Jean-Francois magnifique.

[otis66]

Judy Threet Custom guitars

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by mont_sly

For sure, there are many great Canadian luthiers, which is obvious by the many examples on this thread.

I started the thread to get a semblance of who people have had positive experiences and also to get aquainted with any luthiers I may not have yet considered. For example, for some reason I had never heard of Dennis Kwasnycia. It's eye opening...

Also, as many have mentioned it would be fantastic to order a Manzer, Greenfield or Laskin, etc. but I can only keep upping my budget by so much...

BTW, I am a fingerstyle player and prefer a small jumbo shape with an arm bevel (comfort) and a side sound port. Almost, all builders have a version of this type of guitar, I have found.

Regardless, a big thank you to the AGF community and for all the great suggestions!

I've always wanted to visit Dennis Kwasnycia (in Ontario) but I've never made it his way. Unfortunately I've never played one of his guitars but I've read great things about him. We interacted a lot here on this forum.

As many others have mentioned, you should also reach out to Marc Beneteau.

[Ryan Alexander]

Another vote for Marc Beneteau. I received a custom SJ from Marc in late 2018 and it has been a revelation. I owned three preowned models previously at different times and was very impressed with all of them. Marc is a pleasure to work with and has over 40 years of experience. His base price was too low for years and IMO he's probably still priced below where he should be. There are many very fine builders in Canada that have also been mentioned, and it would be hard to go wrong if you do a bit of research and start some conversations with the luthiers to see who you connect with. Good luck and have fun!

[Spirit]

I know Larrivee is now in LA but Mr. Larrivee is Canadian born. I own a Larrivee D-05 which is not considered the top-of-the line by any stretch but it plays and sounds great. I also knew someone who ordered a custom Larrivee and it was an exquisite instrument. Good luck!

[fetellier]

Thanks for the kind words Jean (J-F-C) it was a pleasure to work with you on the builds and a good friendship evolved though the distance between makes it hard to hang out. You were my 1st client with a second guitar though now I have several more with second builds.

To others looking at this thread I take pride in communicating and am always open to clients ideas and input.

Fred

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by Ryan Alexander

Another vote for Marc Beneteau. I received a custom SJ from Marc in late 2018 and it has been a revelation. I owned three preowned models previously at different times and was very impressed with all of them. Marc is a pleasure to work with and has over 40 years of experience. His base price was too low for years and IMO he's probably still priced below where he should be. There are many very fine builders in Canada that have also been mentioned, and it would be hard to go wrong if you do a bit of research and start some conversations with the luthiers to see who you connect with. Good luck and have fun!

Hey Ryan - how are things? Great to hear that you got your Beneteau. I remember you were at one point gathering the funds .

[J-F C]

Originally Posted by mont_sly

Wow, Jean-Francois magnifique.

Merci , très gentil. Ma rencontre avec les guitares de Fred au salon de la guitare de Montréal en 2012 a été une source de plaisir constant depuis. C’est un chic type avec un talent fou. Retraité de son emploi, Il construit des guitares par simple passion ; le plaisir, la passion on l’entend dans ses guitares.