Robert Anderson's love affair with the guitar began in the attic of his uncle's farmhouse on the Canadian prairies one wintry morning when he was 4: He strummed until he blistered his thumb. His first attempts at luthiery have not survived due to the impermanence of cereal boxes, yardsticks and rubber bands.

In 1996, Robert completed his first "real" guitar under the tutelage of Mike Jones, one of a number of early apprentices of Jean Larrivee. Robert is now one of a select group of luthiers building Schoenberg guitars in addition to creating his own designs and methodology which have an emphasis on hand-work and hide-glue.

Lightweight and small-bodied, with scalloped braces, wood bindings and traditional dovetail neck joints, Anderson guitars are hand-finished with environmentally friendly French polish.

The Anderson Guitar Co.
1209 Alderman Rd, Victoria, BC
V9A 4A8

Phone: (250) 383-5659
Email: info@robertandersonguitars.com
Website: robert@robertandersonguitars.com

Marcus Dominelli started building guitars 10 years ago. He is well known for his classical guitars, which can be found in many of the finest shops in Canada and the U.S.

Aside from making about 10 guitars a year, Marcus also specializes in repair and restoration of fine classical guitars, and teaches workshops in French polishing to other guitar makers.

Phone: (250) 381-2263
Email: marcus@dominelliguitars.com
Website: www.dominelliguitars.com

Hugh Greenwood is a retired geologist formerly of the Department of Geological Sciences at U.B.C. He has been building guitars for ten years and specializes in concert-sized classical guitars. The instruments so far have all been made with cedar tops and Indian rosewood backs and sides and ebony fingerboards, mainly because these are the instruments he likes to play as an amateur. Hugh will build to suit almost any requirements upon request.

Email: hughgr@shaw.ca

Steve Heizer has been fooling around building musical instruments for some time, but has gotten much more focused since he retired from his career as a marine biologist. Steve builds classical and steel stringed guitars of several sorts, and dabbles in banjos, mandolins and bouzoukis. He has a penchant for building out of local woods, when possible. Steve is a long-time member of the Guild of American Luthiers.

2937 Crane Road
Ladysmith, BC CANADA
V9G 1C8

Phone: 250-722-3115
Email: sheizer@telus.net
Website - www3.telus.net/public/sheizer

Melanie Heizer is the 14 year old daughter of Steve Heizer. At first, she thought girls couldn't build guitars. When her dad showed her what some renowned Canadian women had done, building guitars, she reckoned she would build one too: A sweet little copy of a Martin 1-18. It's too early to know if she will build just one, but she has been talking about a solid-body electric, to her dad's consternation.

2937 Crane Road
Ladysmith, BC CANADA
V9G 1C8

Sigmund Johannessen is a Norwegian who immigrated to Canada in 1994. Sigmund is a self taught luthier. His dedication and passion for building led him to join the widely respected Summit School of Guitar Building and Repair, in 1994, as Senior Luthier, instructor and owner. Besides teaching, he is also the designer and builder at Summit Guitars, where he builds hand-crafted custom guitars, specializing in hand-carved arch top jazz guitars. Sigmund's guitars will call attention to you because of the alternate wood he uses. At the show, he will be exhibiting a traditional 17" arch top jazz style guitar with a scale length of 25".

Summit School Of Guitar Building and Repair
Email: sdjohannessen@shaw.ca

John MacDougall grew up in Northern Ontario and graduated from Lakehead University in Electrical Engineering before moving to British Columbia in the early 80's. He always loved working with wood, from the push buggy he made at ten years old, to a cedar strip canoe and kayak, and finally to luthiery. As his three children got older he found a little more free time and began building Steel String Guitars almost five years ago. He enjoys the craft as much as the music the instruments produce.....in the right hands, of course

825 Wren Place
Victoria, BC
V9B-3B7

Email: john@savanaguitars.com
Website: www.savanaguitars.com

Scott McKee built his first guitar in 1978 and his first dulcimer some years before that. He has studied guitar building with Charles Fox and classical guitar innovator Richard Schneider. He builds steel string, classical and resonator guitars and also mandolins and harps.

Email: scott@nwlutherie.com

Veronica Merryfield is self taught, making her first instrument at age 17 when she wanted a headless fretless bass but didn't have much money. She moved to Port Alberni from the UK in 2004. Veronica only builds to commission and prefers unusual designs and particularly designs to solve playability issues players may have due to physical limitations, injury etc. She is happy to take commissions for a wide range of stringed instruments, acoustic or electric. In the show, Veronica has a couple of electric upright basses with her, including a headless design.

Email: luthier@veronicamerryfield.com

Dan Minard claims to be a middling player at best, so he pursued a career as an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer, instead. In 1981, Dan met his long time friend & "guitar guru", Scott McKee. He built his first guitar in Scott's shop in Powell River. After building four more instruments in the early 80's, Dan shelved luthiery until after his lay-off in 1998, from his long time job with Pacific Coastal Airlines. Since 1998, Dan has operated a small tonewood company (Raincoast Tonewoods) producing soundboards for the guitar building industry. The seasonal nature of Dan's business has left him with time to return to his love for building musical instruments.

Email: rctonewoods@shaw.ca

Lawrence Nyberg started instrument making as an extension of an interest in folk and alternative music in his late teens. He studied traditional stringed instrument construction at Douglas College, in New Westminster, for two years, and completed his first instrument, a classical guitar, in 1989 at the age of 19. Concluding this training he moved on to work with Larrivee Guitars for an additional two years where he honed tool skills and production techniques. After leaving Larrivee in 1993, he set up as an independent luthier and has been surviving as such. In 1997, Lawrence moved to Hornby Island. His specialties are mandolin family instruments including Irish Bouzoukis, Gypsy jazz guitars, and steel-string guitars for standard and open tunings.

Nyberg Instruments
Phone: 1-888-335-0487
Email: llnyberg@telus.net
Website: http://www.guitarmaker.ca

Richard Pielou lives on Quadra Island, BC where he passionately builds guitars in many different sizes and shapes. He has worked in the fine woodwork field for thirty years, since graduating from the Nova Scotia College of Fine Art and Design. For relaxation he can be often found out mountain biking on the many beautiful island trails. He lives with his wife Joyce, a social worker, and has three daughters and one grand daughter.

Email: rich@richguitars.com

Dylan Rovere has been building steel-string acoustic and resonator guitars for 15 years. He began his career and developed his craft under two icons of luthiery, Michael Dunn and Jean Larrivee. Dylan works alone and builds his instruments one at a time in his specialized luthiery shop in Victoria, British Columbia

Rovere Guitars
Email: dylan@rovereguitars.com
Website: http://www.rovereguitars.com

Douglass Scott was born in Paris, France and until age 12 lived and traveled around the world with his family before moving to Canada. A classical guitarist since age 7, he has a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Victoria. Educated in luthiery first at Timeless Instruments Lutherie School (Tugaske, SK), then through nearly two years of fretted instrument repair with Dave Cahill at Old Town Strings (Victoria, BC), he also studied French polishing, among other skills, with Geza Burghardt (Vancouver, BC), and has had the opportunity to study guitars by some of the world's finest makers. Douglass now builds concert classical and flamenco guitars full time in Ladysmith, BC where he lives with his wife and young son

Phone: (250) 245-3052
Email: dsguitars@gmail.com
Website: www.scottclassicalguitars.com

Martin van Humbeck lives on Sproat Lake near Port Alberni with his wife Janis and his two children, Jarid and Ashley. He's been building all types of acoustic, steel string and classical guitars for 14 years. He started teaching guitar building about 8 years ago and it is now his passion. Martin has been a member of the Guild of American Luthiers since 1999.

Martin Beck Guitars
Phone: 250-723-2960
Email: martinbeckguitars@shaw.ca
Website: www.martinbeckguitars.com

Terry Warbey has been playing stringed instruments since he was 8 years old: He built his first guitar when he was 11. Terry is known internationally for his hand built mountain dulcimers, mandolins and guitars which he plays all over the world. Terry's musical interests include Celtic, traditional blues and slide guitar. He has been an active participant in the Salt Spring and Victoria music scenes since he moved to the Island some 29 years ago.

Email: terrywarbey@shaw.ca