[mplpost] Canadian Guitars

[Peter MacDonald (Nutshell Music)]

A very interesting thread, indeed! While I'm not a performer per se, and
rarely summon the courage to even jam at conferences and whatnot, I LOVE
playing guitar. It is a great outlet for my latent artistic side. I remain
an ardent student of guitar hackery.

My first guitar was a run-of-the-mill Yamaha nylon-string model. Probably
about $250 in 1980, bought used at ABC Music (now defunct) in Ottawa.

The second was a steel-string Takamine built in 1978 (I'm told, and has
been verified by a couple of people that I think know more than me about
such things...). It was a super jumbo bodied model. Apparently there were
250 made. It contained the first generation of acoustic preamps that they
used (again, I've never verified this to be so...) and had a LOVELY sound,
for a guitar in the $600 range. Given the opportunity, I would buy it back
from the guy that now has it in an instant!!

My third guitar was purchased at the Ottawa Folklore Centre, by
consignment. It's a pretty Beneteau cutaway built in 1983. Its provenance
was unknown to me at the time of purchase, and email correspondence with
Marc didn't shed any new light on it recently. Wow. This instrument matured
my playing, partly because it sounded so darn fine, and partly because I
felt a need to play up to it's potential as an instrument. I doubt I ever
will. A nice rounded midrange, with clear, crisp top notes and a big sound.
Ideal for my limited range of playing and I thought I would never want or
need another instrument.

Things changed when I saw and heard guitars played by Steve Bell, Gord
Johnson and Jon Buller, all Winnipeggers. Astonishingly beautiful
instruments with the richest range of overtones I'd heard in a long time.
They were made by Winnipeg luthier Daryl Perry
http://www.perryguitars.com/index.html who is known much more widely in
certain circles for his creation of concert classical guitars. I've had my
Perry since 1998 and have been challenged constantly to become a better
player. It wins rave reviews among the many "real" players - professionals
all - who come into contact with it. I ventured once again to say that this
would be my final guitar purchase.

But then...I bought an Epiphone electric from Terry Tufts last
winter...does it ever end? Now, I'm learning more about amps, new-old-stock
pick-ups, effects pedals and the like. It's fun, and very different from
pure acoustics, for sure!

I'm curious to know from others on the list - players and industry types
alike - what was the FIRST instrument that you owned? Do you still have it?

Best regards,
Peter



 


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