THE 2012 MONTREAL GUITAR SHOW FEATURED AN ALMOST DIZZYING DISPLAY OF INGENUITY, ARTISTRY, AND TOTALLY BODACIOUS TIMBER. BY ADAM PERLMUTTER

This year, more than 100 luthiers from around the globe gathered to display the fruits of their labor at the show, held in conjunction with the Montreal Jazz Festival, from June 29 through July 1, at the Hyatt Regency Montreal.

Entering the acoustic hall was a sensory overload. The air was thick with a redolence of woods and finishing compounds, and the din of musicians and builders enthusiastically discussing the wares at hand was punctuated by the constant plinking of guitars being put through their paces. The dizzying array of tonewoods on display, all with different hues and granular patterns, truly inspired an appreciation for Mother Nature. Some luthiers, responding to dwindling supplies of traditional materials and to restrictions imposed by the CITES treaty and the Lacey Actor perhaps just wanting to try something new used uncommon timbers. The London based luthier David Antony Reid, known for his ingenious bracing systems and thoughtful use of lumber, showed a steelstring with a top made of flamed Sequoia from a century old naturally fallen tree and another acoustic guitar whose back was fashioned from Spanish walnut and English sycamore, woods that had minor cosmetic irregularities. 'Luthiers can be incredibly wasteful," says Reid, who wrote a dissertation on this subject, “scrapping a lot of wood that they find imperfect but which is beautiful in its uniqueness and which in no way compromises the tone.”

Entering the acoustic hall was a sensory overload. The air was thick with a redolence of woods and finishing compounds, and the din of musicians and builders enthusiastically discussing the wares at hand was punctuated by the constant plinking of guitars being put through their paces. The dizzying array of tonewoods on display, all with different hues and granular patterns, truly inspired an appreciation for Mother Nature. Some luthiers, responding to dwindling supplies of traditional materials and to restrictions imposed by the CITES treaty and the Lacey Actor perhaps just wanting to try something new used uncommon timbers. The London based luthier David Antony Reid, known for his ingenious bracing systems and thoughtful use of lumber, showed a steelstring with a top made of flamed Sequoia from a century old naturally fallen tree and another acoustic guitar whose back was fashioned from Spanish walnut and English sycamore, woods that had minor cosmetic irregularities. 'Luthiers can be incredibly wasteful," says Reid, who wrote a dissertation on this subject, “scrapping a lot of wood that they find imperfect but which is beautiful in its uniqueness and which in no way compromises the tone.”

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“I got the idea for the finish from a technique used traditionally in koto making," Matsuda says. “I literally set the top on fire.”