Frenchman Loïc Le Pape started out as a  signwriter and airbrush painter, who then went into general engineering, motorbike building and electrical engineering. An accident put a stop to his heavy engineering career so he went into making guitars, first out of wood and then steel bodied guitars. He met several luthiers, including Jerome Casanova who helped him set up and refine his designs. Today he offers a wide range of metal bodied electric guitars, including his own versions of the Les Paul and SG

Source: Loïc Le Pape Steel Guitars website (15 January 2018)