We produce handmade vintage reproduction electric guitars from the 50's and 60's; and hand-built hand-wired tube guitar amplifiers. We also sell most of the parts used on our guitars.guitars, vintage guitars, electric guitars, custom guitars, guitar manufacturers, amps, guitar amps, amp manufacturers, guitar parts, lindy fralin pickups, tremolo blocks, callaham tremolo blocks
Belair Guitars:
Jean and Jacques Belair twin brothers have been making guitars in their small shop in north of Montréal {Québec} for customers coast to coast since 1995. They have a special interest in the great vintage instruments of the 1940's, and do a superb job of reproducing the details of style and workmanship. Balance and strong midrange with the sparkle and clarity that many players prefer ...
With every guitar, our goal is to deliver pure tone, even sound, subtle dynamics, and incredible sustain in an instrument.
Using techniques such as tap toning and hand scalloping all braces as light and responsive as possible to provides high quality custom acoustic guitars ...
Nous, Jean et Jacques Bélair, fabriquons des guitares dans notre petit atelier situé à Laval au nord de Montréal (Québec) et ce pour des musiciens de partout dans le monde depuis 1995. Nous avons un intérêt particulier pour les instruments prestigieux des années 40' et 50' et reproduisons fidèlement ces détails dans l'exécution de nos intruments ...
Pour chaque guitare, notre but est d'obtenir une tonalité pure, une dynamique saine et subtile et un "sustain" incroyable.
Nous pratiquons des techniques telles que le "tap tuning" et le sculptage à la main des croisillons internes de façon à ce qu'ils soient aussi légers et sensibles que possible afin d'obtenir des guitares acoustiques de très haute qualité ...
Alan Carruth, Luthier:
You've been perfecting your sound for a long time......So have I.
An experienced player knows that there is nothing quite like the sound of a great guitar. No other instrument has the broad palette of tone colors, subtlety, responsiveness, or dynamic range. You worked a long time to learn to hear it, and even longer to learn to use it.
I've worked for over 25 years as a builder to understand and control the tone of the guitars I make. I was a pioneer in the use of “plate tuning” on the guitar, and one of the first people to use it regularly on steel string flat top and archtop guitars. From the physiology of hearing to the characteristics of tone woods, and beyond, I’ve worked hard to find out “where the sound comes from”, and applied that knowledge to building over 350 instruments of all kinds ...
Stephen Holst Stringed Instruments: archtops, mandolins.
Like many luthiers, I spent quite a bit of time involved with repair and restoration work early in my career. These experiences were invaluable in helping me understand the complex variables involved with instrument construction and have influenced my work deeply. Wonderful older Gibsons, Epiphones, and D'Angelicos were available for close scrutiny and evaluation through this process. In the early nineties, as orders for my instruments increased, I decided to limit the repair work I did to Holst instruments and other interesting projects. Currently I make between 8 and 10 guitars and mandolins per year in my shop in Oregon's beautiful Willamette Valley.
By working full time by myself I am able to meticulously construct each instrument on an individual basis. This approach allows me to focus on extremely specific variables, controlling them to complement the finished piece and the customer's need for tonality and responsiveness. The result is a truly custom instrument.
Each guitar and mandolin I make reflects the specific needs and wishes of its owner. This manifests itself in the form of custom neck widths and shapes, special finish colors, choice of scale lengths and fingerboard radius, unique and personal inlay designs, and above all, the appropriate response, tone, and feel that is desired. I am also always open to discussing unusual projects such as custom body shapes, custom visual themes, and multi-string instruments ...