Thomas Garnet Gillies (Gar Gillies) founded the Garnet Amplifier Company in the mid 1960s in Winnipeg, having worked in the TV and radio repair business. By the early 1970's Garnet Amplifiers were firmly established in the Canadian market and began to export to the USA. Although Garnet was best known for its Canadian made valve amplifiers there were also Garnet electric guitars and basses which were made in Japan in the 1970s. Garnet Amplifiers ceased trading in 1989.

Source: Garnet Amplifiers website (7 July 2017)