Linda Manzer is a Canadian luthier known for her archtop and flat-top acoustic guitars. Manzer trained with Jean Larrivée between 1974 and 1978 and later with Jimmy D'Aquisto in New York. She has many well known clients including Pat Metheny and Carlos Santana. In 1984 Manzer pioneered use of the Wedge (on her famous Pikasso Guitar made for Pat Metheny) - a feature which she now uses on all her steel string guitars. The Wedge is an original Manzer idea which uses a tapering of the guitar's upper body making the strings easier for a player to see, and the guitar more comfortable to play.

Northwood guitars are handmade in Canada by John McQuarrie. While at school John studied classical guitar with the Royal Conservatory of Music. He made his first guitar as a high school wood shop project. John continued building and repairing instruments throughout high school and was hired by Jean Larrivee in the 1980's. This job lasted seven years and provided valuable experience building both electric and acoustic guitars. John left Larrivee in 1994 and began Northwood Guitars in Langley, B.C.. He continued to build and repair guitars and other instruments and began attending trade shows worldwide to promote his product. He now has a loyal dealer network in locations around the world. In 2006, John and his family moved from Langley to the small hamlet of Sorrento, in the British Columbia interior. He is also the on-site luthier at The Nimblefingers Bluegrass Festival held every August in Sorrento.

Jean Larrivée started out as an apprentice to classical guitar maker Edgar Munch Junior in Toronto in 1967. In 1970 Larrivée aquired a workshop above the Tarragon Theater and began making steel stringed acoustic guitars. He developed an X-bracing system still used today. Larrivée's business grew steadily, which meant several changes of location.  Many talented luthiers spent time working for Larrivée in the 1970s, including: William "Grit" Laskin, Linda Manzer, Sergei de Jong, David Wren and Tony Duggan-Smith. In 1977, seeking a warmer climate, Larrivée moved the business to Victoria on Vancouver Island, BC.

Peter Hopkins first became interested in carved archtop instruments back in 1973 when his father built a Gibson A-5 mandolin. He was in awe of the process of carving a solid piece of wood into an instrument of sublime beauty. Peter continues to impart that reverence for the creative process into each one of his hand-crafted archtop guitars.

Source: Hopkins Guitars website

The Fury brand was founded in 1962 by ex Blue Cadillac guitarist Glenn McDougal. McDougal's playing career was cut short by a car accident, but he turned his attention to guitar design and manufacture.  Fury is thought to be Canada's oldest electric guitar brand, and the guitars are still made in Sasakatoon, Saskatchewan. There are six current models (according to their website) , with styling reminiscent of Fender or Mosrite. Look at the "F" in the Fury logo, I'm sure I have seen that somewhere before!

In the early 1990s Mario Beauregard started guitar building with luthier Robert D’Crivouir, while working at Tom Lee music in Vancouver. A few years later he moved back home to Quebec where with the help of a grant from  “Le Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Quebec” he was able to attend the Roberto-Venn school of luthery where he met Ervin Somogyi in one of his master classes. He was later invited to study with him, which represented a turning point in his career.During weekdays he would work and study with Ervin Somogyi and during the weekends he would drive up to Taku Sakashta’s shop to learn about archtops. He also went on to work as the designer in the R&D department of Lasido for a period of 4 years. Mario is presently a one-man operation in the small town of St-Denis-sur-Richelieu near Montreal, Quebec and continues to act as a consultant in the industry.