LaSiDo Inc.

Incorporated: 1978
NAIC: 339992 Musical Instrument Manufacturing

With its head office located in Montreal, Canada, LaSiDo Inc. is the largest acoustic guitar producer in North America and also carries a line of electric guitars. In addition to the North American market, LaSiDo sells to dozens of countries around the world. The company’s acoustic guitars are sold under five labels: Seagull, La Patrie (named after the small village where the company was launched), Simon & Patrick (named after the sons of LaSiDo’s founder, Robert Godin), Norman (the line established by Godin’s erstwhile partner), and Art & Lutherie (a line of entry level guitars). Electric guitars are sold under the Godin name. Unlike its major competitors, who mass-produce many of their products under a single roof (relying on cheap Asian labor), LaSiDo employs a decentralized manufacturing approach, operating four small factories–three located in Quebec and one in Berlin, New Hampshire–each devoted to specific tasks. In the village of La Patrie, one plant is dedicated to assembling headstocks and necks, while a nearby facility assembles and finishes acoustic guitars. In another Quebec community, Princeville, located 100 miles away, a variety of wooden parts are produced on the ground floor, including bridges, braces, necks, electric guitar bodies, and side assemblies. On the second floor, Art & Lutherie guitars are assembled. The New Hampshire plant is devoted entirely to electric guitar assembly. LaSiDo believes that a limited range of activities in small facilities results in great efficiency and fewer production errors, as well as promoting better communication and camaraderie among workers. Moreover, it simplifies accounting, making it easier to determine the labor cost per guitar. Maintaining a balance between cost and the quality of the instrument has been a key to LaSiDo’s success. In the words of Robert Godin, “Making a good $2,000 guitar is easy. Making a good $200 guitar is hard.” (Although its guitars start at the $200 level, LaSiDo also produces customized instruments that sell for more than $2,000.) Another important factor in the company’s growth has been its marketing approach, selling directly to smaller dealers, while generally avoiding national chains, to keep down prices and maintain “product value.” Although most consumers may not have heard of LaSiDo’s guitar lines, because the company has opted not to advertise or make a major splash at trade shows, they are attracted to the instruments at the retail level due to their superior sound and attractive price. For the store owner, margins are good and customers are satisfied, resulting in a loyalty to the LaSido lines and leading to the company’s current status as the top seller of acoustic guitars in North America.

LaSiDo’s founder, Robert Godin, learned how to play the guitar at the age of 7 and became involved in guitar making and the retailing of musical instruments as a teenager. At the age of 15, the French-Canadian worked at a guitar repair shop, where he learned the craft of the business. It was also at this age, in the early 1960s, that he took over a small Montreal music store that focused on accordions after the death of an aunt who had operated it for many years. Godin, with the help of another aunt who signed the checks and contracts for the minor, transformed the struggling business into one of the city’s top guitar stores. As rock music grew in popularity in the 1960s, and the electric guitar in particular, Godin’s shop thrived. By the end of the decade, it was generating C$1.2 million in annual sales. Still in his early twenties, Godin was already a successful businessman when he and some friends in October 1970 made a deer hunting trip to the small village of La Patrie located at the end of a 60-mile dirt road in Eastern Quebec–a visit that would change his life.

Because he did not hunt, Godin whiled away the time at the bar in the La Patrie Hotel. He listened in on the conversation of two local men seated nearby, one of whom was named Norman Boucher. Boucher had been the owner of a small, wood window-frame business that had been crippled by the market’s conversion to aluminum. A guitar player, he decided to keep his woodworking equipment in use by trying his hand at making guitars. Because he lacked access to proper materials, Boucher’s guitars were makeshift affairs. His first pickguards, in fact, were fashioned out of Formica salvaged from a kitchen counter. Despite the limitations of his situation, Boucher began to sell a few guitars under the Norman name. At the hotel bar, Godin overheard Boucher talking about the guitars he had just completed and quickly interrupted the conversation to introduce himself. The two men became fast friends and soon Godin was paying a visit to Boucher’s upstart guitar shop and trying out his Norman guitars. As he would recall years later, “Actually, they were awful guitars. The thickness of the wood was all wrong.” Nonetheless, when Godin returned to Montreal he could not stop thinking about Boucher’s fledgling guitar shop in the middle of nowhere. He soon sold his interest in the music store and bought into Boucher’s business.

Over the next several years, Godin and the much older Boucher slowly grew the business, with Boucher in charge of manufacturing in La Patrie and Godin serving as both designer and tireless salesman. The latter accommodated traditional designs and guitar shapes to modern styles of guitar playing and then traveled around the country with a van packed with Norman guitars that he sold from one small store to another, persuading owners to take one or two. The instruments were quickly bought up, and the shopkeepers would generally order more to replenish and eventually enlarge their stock. However, the partners, unable to agree on their next step, fell out, resulting in Godin leaving in 1978 to establish LaSiDo and try his hand at running his own guitar factory in La Patrie.

Godin started out making electric guitar parts for American companies, but when some of his customers went bankrupt in the late 1970s LaSiDo came close to ruin. The banks called in loans and Godin had to sell all of his assets, including personal, in order to survive. He dropped the sub-contracting business and reorganized in 1980 as a dedicated guitar-making enterprise. In 1982, LaSiDo launched the Seagull line, which adopted the company’s trademark formula of balancing quality and price. Godin tried to use hired sales rep to sell into music stores but soon grew dissatisfied with the results and once again hit the road to visit small shops and personally sell the line. Despite his experience with Norman guitars, Godin still faced the difficult challenge of introducing an unknown Canadian guitar line, as well as problems operating in such a remote location. According to a company profile in Music Trades, “La Patrie was so remote that getting raw materials in and shipping finished products out required constant pleading with trucking lines. Harsh Canadian winters necessitated working with paint companies to develop a special lacquer that wouldn’t crack in sub-zero temperatures. On top of that, securing adequate capital to fund plant expansion was an ongoing struggle.” One primary advantage in the La Patrie location, however, was its proximity to a treasure trove of tonewoods used to make the soundboards of quality guitars: maple, cherry, cedar, and walnut. In some ways, the weather of the region also proved to be a plus. Because of the extremes, severe heat in the summer and frigid conditions in the winter, the woods used for making necks were well conditioned to react to climate changes once they had been fashioned into a guitar.

Without Godin, Boucher’s business floundered, and in 1982 LaSiDo bought the Norman line. The former partners never reconciled their differences, and Boucher died in his 70s in the mid-1990s. Around the same time as it picked up the Norman series, LaSiDo introduced its Seagull line. The purpose behind the Seagull guitar was to incorporate such important handcrafted guitar features as solid tops and lacquer finishes in an affordable guitar suitable for use by working musicians. By relying on cedar or spruce tops, rather than a laminate, Seagull produced a richer tone that actually improved with age as the wood loosened up. A genuine lacquer finish was intended to protect the wood while allowing it to vibrate and enjoy the benefits of aging. Other important features of the Seagull were a tapered headstock to facilitate tuning, a double action truss rod in the neck to better compensate for the bowing effect caused by string tension or humidity, maple dowels in the heel to reinforce the neck, and a fully compensated saddle to make sure that the guitar played in-tune throughout the neck.

Other lines would follow in the success of Norman and Seagull guitars. The Art & Lutherie line was Godin’s way to offer many of the important features of its higher-end guitars to the entry-level customer. A common practice in the industry was to focus on the look of such instruments at the expense of guitar’s sound and durability. For instance, many of these instruments were given a quick plastic finish that provided a shiny look but smothered the sound. Art & Luthrie guitars used a more painstaking process that resulted in a finish that provided protection without sacrificing sound. Moreover, the line used laminated hardwood on the back, sides, and top rather than pressboard and offered other quality features, such as precise neck pitch, fully compensated saddles, and high ratio tuners. LaSiDo’s Simon & Patrick Luthier line combined traditional acoustic guitar design with modern innovations that catered to contemporary acoustic music. The La Patrie Series was created to offer a line of classical guitars. The Godin line of electric guitars grew out of LaSiDo’s original outsourcing business. Although the necks and bodies would be produced in La Patrie, the guitars would be finished in Berlin, New Hampshire.

Establishing the LaSiDo family of guitar lines was a struggle in the 1980s. Although Godin did well at convincing North American dealers to carry his guitars, he knew that he would have to look overseas in order for the business to truly succeed. In the mid-1980s, he made a concerted effort to visit major trade shows and make contact with European distributors. A tireless promoter, he was even known to seek help from local Canadian embassies, asking for names of area dealers he could approach. As a result, LaSiDo guitar lines took hold in Europe. To manage marketing efforts in North America while he worked the international market, Grodin hired a seasoned sales executive in Brian McConnell, who had experience with a Japanese keyboard maker as well as ten years with Long & McQuade Ltd, Canada’s largest music store chain. For several years, LaSiDo’s sale force worked out of makeshift accommodations, including bedrooms and basements, promoting the guitar lines. Finally, in 1995 the company opened its Montreal headquarters and sales and marketing were finally centralized.

In the second half of the 1990s, LaSiDo succeeded in becoming a leading North American guitar company, enjoying double-digit growth during this period. Aside from increased revenues, the company achieved greater public recognition, the result of winning an number of awards from such music publications as Guitar Player Magazine. In addition, influential popular musicians, such as Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins and Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, played Godin guitars, providing publicity and cachet. The company became so well known among guitar aficionados that a visit to the company’s La Patrie guitar factory was akin to a pilgrimage to Mecca, and Robert Godin himself became something of an icon among guitar players.

Business was so strong for LaSiDo that in 2001 the company expanded its primary La Patrie factory, adding some 25,000 square feet to accommodate a research center, expand warehousing, and create a separate production line for upper-end acoustic guitars. The extra warehouse space was especially important in the preparation of container-sized orders to accommodate international distributors. In charge of exporting LaSiDo’s guitars were Godin’s sons, Simon and Patrick, who were being groomed to one day take charge of the business. Despite well-financed competition in the guitar industry, the LaSiDo approach was firmly established and appeared to position the company to enjoy further long-term success.

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* Radiator - A unique Godin design with a pickguard over the entire body and Godin designed single-coil pickups
* SD - Somewhat of a cross between a Fender Stratocaster and a Gibson Les Paul. This model has the pickguard, bolt on neck, and single coil pickup configuration of the “Strat”, While bearing the Bridge humbucker and Scale Length of a Les Paul. This yields a tone that is most similar to a Les Paul or SG, despite the guitar’s mostly “strat-like” appearance.
* Detour - A dual-cutaway design with a fixed bridge and two humbuckers. Some models have active EMG humbuckers and is aimed at modern metal and heavy rock players.
* Exit 22 - Similar to the SD in pickup configuration and scale length, but with a fixed bridge and solid mahogany body. The Exit 22 does not have a pickguard, and is available with a solid maple neck, or maple with rosewood fingerboard.
* Freeway series - A recent addition to the Performance line, it is a Dual cutaway body with options such as MIDI and Acoustic pickups, Locking and Non-Locking treemolo systems, and flamed maple finishes.
* LG - The LG is a fixed-bridge, mahogany solid body with p-90 pickups or Humbuckers. Like the Detour, it is also available with EMG pickups.
* Solidac/XTSA - The Solidac and XTSA are solid-bodied electrics with conventional pickups as well as acoustic pickups on the Solidac and both Acoustic pickups and MIDI pickups on the XTSA. Both feature non-locking tremolo bridges.
* Freeway bass - Available in four and five-string configurations, and active electronics.

Signature series

* LG Signature - Similar to the Performance series LG, but with a Flamed maple top and Seymour Duncan humbuckers.
* LGXSA/LGXT - Similar to the LG signature, but with Acoustic and MIDI pickups. The LGXT comes with a non-locking tremolo.
* Montreal - Semi-hollow electric with optional Acoustic pickups. Aimed more at Jazz and Blues players than hard rock players like other Godins.
* Multiac Jazz - Based on the Multiac acoustics with acoustic and MIDI options, but with a Mini-humbucker in the neck position and flamed maple tops for warm electric sounds.

Multiac and A series

The Multiac and A series are acoustic/electric guitars with thinner bodies than traditional acoustic guitars (Godin’s sister companies produce traditional Acoustic designs). They are offered with MIDI pickups as well as steel or nylon strings. The A series are similar, but offer basses and mandolins and no MIDI options. Godin is the only company that offers MIDI pickups on acoustic guitars as a standard option.

Glissentar

The Glissentar is a unique Godin design. It is a fretless nylon 11-string acoustic/electric guitar with the five high strings doubled like a 12-string guitar, and a single low-E string. It is aimed at players who want to incorporate non-western sounds into their music.

* Lee Aaron – jazz and rock singer-songwriter
* Bryan Adams – singer-songwriter
* Susan Aglukark – pop singer-songwriter
* Bruce Aitken – jazz and rock drummer
* Pierrette Alarie – opera singer
* Emma Albani – opera singer
* Coco Love Alcorn – pop singer
* John Alcorn – jazz singer
* Toya Alexis – R&B singer
* Barbara Amesbury – singer-songwriter
* Charlie Angus – alternative country singer-songwriter, writer and politician
* Paul Anka – 50’s pop icon
* Alan Anton – bassist (Cowboy Junkies)
* Violet Archer – composer
* Jann Arden – pop singer-songwriter
* Carolyn Arends – Contemporary Christian pop singer
* Susie Arioli – jazz singer
* Julian Armour – cellist
* Talena Atfield – bassist (Kittie)
* Athésia – pop/dance singer
* Melissa Auf der Maur – rock guitarist (Hole, The Smashing Pumpkins)
* Eva Avila – singer (winner of Canadian Idol 2006)
* Marcel Aymar – singer-songwriter
* Caroline Azar – singer-songwriter-keyboardist (Fifth Column)

B

* Sebastian Bach – the rock musician not the German composer
* Randy Bachman – singer
* Tal Bachman – singer and the son of the above
* Long John Baldry – British-born blues singer
* Jill Barber – singer-songwriter
* Matthew Barber – singer-songwriter
* Steve Bell– guitarist, singer-songwriter
* Daniel Bélanger – Quebec singer, pop, electro, rock, ambiance
* Willie P. Bennett – folk/alternative country singer-songwriter
* Barney Bentall – rock singer-songwriter
* Rob Benvie – alternative rock musician (Thrush Hermit, The Dears, Tigre Benvie)
* Moe Berg – singer-songwriter, lead singer for The Pursuit of Happiness
* Art Bergmann – punk/alternative singer-songwriter
* Mario Bernardi – conductor and pianist
* Geoff Berner – klezmer/folk accordionist and singer-songwriter
* Ed Bickert – jazz guitarist
* Dan Bigras – singer-songwriter
* Billy Talent - rock band
* Kim Bingham – rock/ska singer and songwriter
* Jully Black – R&B musician
* Paul Bley – jazz pianist
* Madame Bolduc – singer, songwriter, harmonicist, violinist
* Brian Borcherdt – singer-songwriter
* John Bottomley – singer-songwriter
* Gerry Boulet – rock singer
* Liona Boyd – classical guitarist
* Russell Braun – operatic baritone
* Paul Brandt – country singer-songwriter
* Beverly Breckenridge – bassist for Fifth Column and Phono-Comb
* Lisa Brokop – country singer-songwriter
* Michael Brook – guitarist, producer, film scoring
* Dan Bryk – singer-songwriter
* Jim Bryson – singer-songwriter
* Michael Buble – singer
* Buck 65 – hip-hop artist
* Basia Bulat – singer-songwriter
* George Burdi
* Malcolm Burn – singer and record producer

C

* Meryn Cadell – rock singer-songwriter and performance artist
* Torquil Campbell – singer-songwriter (Stars)
* George Canyon – country singer
* Craig Cardiff – singer-songwriter
* Wilf Carter – country singer
* Andrew Cash – singer-songwriter
* Peter Cash – singer-songwriter
* Keshia Chanté – urban/R&B singer
* Chantal Chamandy – pop/dance singer-songwriter
* Champion – DJ and electronic musician
* Robert Charlebois – Quebec singer, rock, funk
* Rita Chiarelli – blues singer
* Choclair – hip-hop artist
* Christophe – pop singer
* Jarvis Church – R&B singer/producer (real name Gerald Eaton)
* Annabelle Chvostek – folk singer
* Terri Clark – country singer-songwriter
* Classified – rapper
* David Clayton-Thomas – singer
* Kevin Closs – singer-songwriter
* Tom Cochrane – singer-songwriter
* Bruce Cockburn – singer-songwriter
* Leonard Cohen – singer-songwriter, poet
* Holly Cole – jazz singer
* Jason Collett – singer-songwriter (also member of Broken Social Scene)
* Dorothy Collins – pop singer
* Ray Condo – rockabilly singer
* Chantal Condor – singer
* Stompin’ Tom Connors – country singer-songwriter
* Jim Corcoran – singer-songwriter and radio personality
* Deborah Cox – pop/R&B singer
* Sara Craig – singer-songwriter
* John Crossingham – rock singer (Raising the Fawn)
* Allison Crowe – singer-songwriter
* Jim Cuddy – rock singer (Blue Rodeo)
* Lori Cullen – pop/jazz singer
* Burton Cummings – rock musician (The Guess Who, solo)
* Bobby Curtola – singer

D

* Dalbello – rock singer
* Heather Dale – Celtic and Celtic Rock singer-songwriter
* Rick Danko – musician in The Band
* Mychael Danna – film composer
* Aselin Debison – celtic pop
* Richard Desjardins – Quebec singer, rock, pop/poet/ecologic (see the movie “L’Erreur Boréale”)
* Shawn Desman – pop/r&b singer
* Dave “Rave” Desroches – singer-songwriter (Teenage Head, The Dave Rave Conspiracy)
* Scott Dibble – singer-songwriter (Scott Dibble and Watertown)
* Céline Dion – pop singer and diva
* Glen Drover guitarist, (Megadeth, Eidolon)
* Shawn Drover – drummer, (Megadeth, Eidolon)
* Melanie Doane – guitarist, singer
* Fefe Dobson – singer-songwriter
* Denny Doherty – singer in The Mamas and the Papas
* Julie Doiron – singer-songwriter
* Luke Doucet – singer-songwriter
* Jerry Doucette – guitarist/singer-songwriter
* Gordon Downie – singer in Tragically Hip
* Damhnait Doyle – pop singer-songwriter
* Dumas – Québécois singer
* Matt Dusk – jazz singer-songwriter

E

* Fred J. Eaglesmith – alternative country singer-songwriter
* Chris Eaton – indie rock singer-songwriter
* Kathleen Edwards – singer-songwriter
* James Ehnes – violin virtuoso
* Peter Elkas – singer-songwriter
* Esthero – singer-songwriter
* Andre Ethier – rock singer-songwriter
* Christine Evans – singer
* Gil Evans – pianist and arranger
* Rik Emmett – singer/songwriter (former member of the rock band [1]Triumph)

F

* Percy Faith – composer
* Todd Fancey – bassist with The New Pornographers and singer-songwriter
* Mylène Farmer – singer
* Stephen Fearing – singer-songwriter
* Leslie Feist – pop singer-songwriter
* Kate Fenner – singer-songwriter
* Maynard Ferguson – jazz band leader, trumpet
* Ferron – folk singer-songwriter
* Bob Fink – classical (tonal) counterpoint composer
* Jon-Rae Fletcher – rock singer-songwriter
* Sue Foley – blues singer-songwriter
* Roy Forbes – folk music singer-songwriter
* Maureen Forrester – contralto
* Judith Forst – operatic mezzo soprano
* David Foster – composer
* George Fox – country singer-songwriter
* David Francey – folk singer-songwriter
* Matt Frenette – drummer (Loverboy, Streetheart)
* Lewis Furey – rock singer-songwriter and film music composer
* Nelly Furtado – pop singer

G

* B.B. Gabor – Hungarian-born new wave artist
* André Gagnon – pianist and composer
* Lennie Gallant – singer-songwriter
* Richard Gauthier – aboriginal singer-songwriter
* Billy Georgette – jazz pianist
* Joel Gibb – singer-songwriter (The Hidden Cameras)
* Adam Gontier – lead singer of (Three Days Grace)
* Matthew Good – singer-songwriter (Matthew Good Band)
* Rex Goudie – singer-songwriter (2005 Canadian Idol runner-up)
* Glenn Gould – pianist, composer, philosopher
* Robert Goulet – singer, actor
* Lawrence Gowan — rock singer (solo, Styx)
* Sebastien Grainger (Death from Above 1979)
* Dallas Green – singer-songwriter (Alexisonfire, City and Colour)
* Joey Gregorash
* Adam Gregory – country musician
* Mitchell Grobb – violinist, fiddler
* Emm Gryner – singer, songwriter, pianist, guitarist

H

* Emily Haines – singer-songwriter (also member of Metric and Broken Social Scene)
* Marie-Lynn Hammond – folk singer
* Gerry Hannah – bass player of Subhumans
* Hagood Hardy – jazz vibraphonist
* Sarah Harmer – singer-songwriter
* Mike Harrison – bassist
* Corey Hart – singer
* Hayden – low-fi folk singer
* Jeff Healey – blind guitar virtuoso and singer
* Thomas Hellman – jazz/pop singer
* Ben Heppner – operatic tenor
* Dan Hill – pop singer
* Veda Hille – singer-songwriter
* Jacob Hoggard – lead singer of Hedley
* Paul Horn – flute player
* Garth Hudson – musician in The Band
* Heather Hutchison – singer-songwriter and pianist
* Ron Hynes – Newfoundland folk singer-songwriter

I

* Norman Iceberg – pop singer
* Chin Injeti – R&B singer
* May Irwin – vaudeville singer

J

* J-Rize – rapper
* Susan Jacks – pop singer
* Terry Jacks – pop singer-songwriter/producer
* Jacynthe – pop singer
* Colin James – blues/rock musician
* Mendelson Joe
* Alexz Johnson – pop singer
* Carolyn Dawn Johnson – country singer-songwriter
* Molly Johnson – rock/jazz vocalist
* France Joli – disco singer
* G.B. Jones – guitarist/drummer (Fifth Column)
* Sass Jordan – rock singer, judge on Canadian Idol

K

* K’naan – rapper
* k-os – rapper/hip-hop musician
* Michael Kaeshammer
* Kardinal Offishall – rapper/rap producer
* Kathleen – Quebec pop singer
* Sherry Kean
* Jesse F. Keeler – (Death from Above 1979, Femme Fatale, MSTRKRFT)
* Simeonie Keenainak – accordionist
* Kid Koala – hip-hop artist
* Billy Klippert – rock musician
* Diana Krall – jazz singer/pianist
* Chantal Kreviazuk – singer
* David Kristian – film composer, electronic musician
* Chad Kroeger – singer/guitarist for Canadian rock group Nickleback

L

* James LaBrie – singer-songwriter Dream Theater
* Mary Jane Lamond – Gaelic singer
* k.d. lang – country punk and diva
* Daniel Lanois – composer, produced U2 albums
* Eric Lapointe – Quebec rock
* Pierre Lapointe – Quebec pop, rock, funk
* Carole Laure – Quebec pop/folk singer
* Avril Lavigne – singer-songwriter
* Grant Lawrence – rock singer and radio personality
* Félix Leclerc – Quebec singer-songwriter
* Jean Leclerc – Quebec singer-songwriter (formerly Jean Leloup)
* Lederhosen Lucil – singer-songwriter
* Geddy Lee – singer, bassist, keyboardist Rush
* Jess Lee – country singer-songwriter
* Sook-Yin Lee – rock singer-songwriter and broadcaster
* Glenn Lewis – R&B singer
* Alex Lifeson – guitarist Rush
* Gordon Lightfoot – singer
* Aaron Lines – country musician
* Guy Lombardo – Big Band leader
* Oscar Lopez – Latin folk guitarist
* Alexina Louie – pianist
* Luba – female pop singer
* Loma Lyns – country singer

M

* Maggie MacDonald – singer/keyboardist (The Hidden Cameras, Kids on TV)
* Fiona MacGillivray – singer/instrumentalist (The Cottars)
* Ashley MacIsaac – violinist
* Tara MacLean – singer-songwriter
* Gene MacLellan – singer-songwriter
* Buddy MacMaster – violinist
* Natalie MacMaster – violinist/stepdancer
* Rita MacNeil – country and folk singer
* Travis MacRae – folk and blues artist, singer-songwriter
* Maestro – hip hop musician
* Raine Maida – singer for Our Lady Peace, songwriter/producer
* Kate Maki – country rock singer-songwriter
* Ryan Malcolm – lead singer for Low Level Flight, first Canadian Idol winner
* Manafest – hip hop musician
* Dan Mangan – singer-songwriter
* John Mann – rock singer (Spirit of the West)
* Richard Manuel – musician in The Band
* Richard Margison – operatic tenor
* Amanda Marshall – singer-songwriter
* Jeff Martin – singer-songwriter (The Tea Party)
* Dutch Mason – blues artist
* Ken Masters – Toronto rapper
* Loreena McKennitt – celtic-inspired musician, vocalist and entrepreneur
* Sarah McLachlan – singer-songwriter
* Melissa McClelland – singer-songwriter
* Holly McNarland – singer-songwriter
* Don Messer – fiddler
* Lynn Miles – folk singer-songwriter
* Amy Millan – singer-songwriter (also member of Stars and Broken Social Scene)
* Frank Mills – pianist
* Matt Minglewood
* Ben Mink – guitarist, violinist k.d. Lang, Geddy Lee, Rush
* Ruth Minnikin – singer-songwriter
* Joni Mitchell – folk and jazz artist, painter
* Kim Mitchell – guitarist
* Mitsou – pop singer
* Alanis Morissette – rock singer
* Anne Murray – country singer
* Alannah Myles – rock singer

N

* Bif Naked – punk/pop singer
* Namullim – indie pop/dance
* Nardwuar the Human Serviette
* Nickelback - rock band
* Bob Nolan – country singer-songwriter and member of the Sons of the Pioneers
* Craig Norris – rock singer and radio personality
* Aldo Nova – rock/pop artist
* George Nozuka – singer

O

* Mary Margaret O’Hara – pop/rock singer-songwriter
* Melissa O’Neil – pop singer (winner of Canadian Idol 2005)
* Oh Susanna – alternative country singer
* Maren Ord – pop singer
* Walter Ostanek – polka musician and accordionist
* Peter Oundjian – violinist and conductor
* Jessica Owen – pop singer-songwriter

P

* Owen Pallett – indie pop singer and violinist (Final Fantasy)
* Jon Kimura Parker – classical pianist
* Mark Parry – guitarist
* Neil Peart – drummer, percussionist, lyricist Rush
* Colleen Peterson – country singer-songwriter
* Oscar Peterson – jazz pianist
* Stu Phillips – country singer
* Paul Piché – Quebec singer
* Joel Plaskett – alternative rock musician
* Jason Plumb – singer-songwriter
* Steve Poltz - singer-songwriter (known for collaboration with Jewel)
* Carole Pope – new wave rock/pop singer
* Kalan Porter – singer-songwriter (winner of Canadian Idol 2004)
* Daniel Powter – singer-songwriter
* Don Pyle – drummer (Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, Fifth Column)

Q

* Sara Quin – singer-songwriter (Tegan and Sara)
* Tegan Quin – singer-songwriter (Tegan and Sara)

R

* Alcvin Ramos – shakuhachi, solo & ensemble
* Jan Randall – film composer
* Josh Reichmann – singer-songwriter (Tangiers, Jewish Legend)
* Sam Roberts – rock musician
* Robbie Robertson – singer-songwriter and musician in The Band
* Andrew Rodriguez – singer-songwriter
* Garnet Rogers – singer-songwriter
* Stan Rogers – folk musician
* Justin Rutledge – alt-country singer-songwriter
* Serena Ryder – folk/pop singer-songwriter

S

* Buffy Sainte-Marie – singer, songwriter, artist, activist
* Chase Sanborn – Canadian jazz trumpet player
* Ivana Santilli – R&B singer
* Jack Scott – early rock and roll singer
* Jennifer Scott – jazz singer and pianist
* Jonathan Seet – singer-songwriter
* Lorraine Segato – singer-songwriter
* Jay Semko – singer-songwriter and bass player
* Ron Sexsmith – singer-songwriter
* Paul Shaffer – musical director
* Jane Siberry – singer entrepreneur
* Nathalie Simard – pop singer
* René Simard – pop singer
* Shane Simpson – guitar virtuoso and singer-songwriter
* Sarah Slean – singer, songwriter, pianist
* Bob Snider – singer-songwriter
* Snow – reggae musician
* Hank Snow – country & western singer
* Theresa Sokyrka – best known as Canadian Idol semi finalist
* Harry Somers – composer
* Martina Sorbara – folk-pop singer
* Stefie Shock – Quebec pop, funk
* Kinnie Starr – singer-songwriter
* Lucille Starr – singer
* Cassie Steele – singer-songwriter and actress
* Andy Stochansky – singer-songwriter and former drummer for Ani DiFranco
* Kim Stockwood – singer
* Amanda Stott – singer
* Byron Stroud – bassist for Strapping Young Lad and Fear Factory
* Skye Sweetnam – singer-songwriter
* Tomi Swick – singer-songwriter
* Ember Swift – singer-songwriter
* Kurt Swinghammer – singer-songwriter
* Harold Sumberg – violinist

T

* Tamia – R&B singer
* Eva Tanguay – vaudeville singer
* Tariq – singer-songwriter and radio personality
* Tebey – country singer and general market songwriter
* Theory of a Deadman - rock/country band
* Three Days Grace - rock band
* Don Thompson – jazz musician
* Devin Townsend – metal guitarist, songwriter
* Pat Travers – rock guitarist
* Shania Twain – country/pop singer
* Ian Tyson – folk singer
* Sylvia Tyson – singer-songwriter, guitarist

U

* David Usher – rock singer-songwriter (formerly of Moist)

V

* Elizabeth Anka Vajagic – post-rock singer and guitarist
* Chad VanGaalen – singer-songwriter
* Gino Vannelli – rock singer
* Reg Vermue – singer-songwriter (”Gentleman Reg”)
* Jon Vickers – operatic tenor
* Daniel Victor – rock musician (Neverending White Lights)
* Gilles Vigneault – singer-songwriter
* Florent Vollant – Quebec aboriginal singer
* Roch Voisine – singer-songwriter

W

* Martha Wainwright – folk-pop singer
* Rufus Wainwright – folk-pop singer
* Brad Walst – bassist (Three Days Grace)
* Andy Warren – singer-songwriter
* Patrick Watson – singer-songwriter
* Jim West – guitar player for “Weird Al” Yankovic
* Phil Western – drummer, programmer for Download
* Nancy White – singer-songwriter and musical satirist
* Andrew Whiteman – singer, songwriter and guitarist (Broken Social Scene, Bourbon Tabernacle Choir, Apostle of Hustle)
* Jenny Whiteley – folk/country singer-songwriter
* David Wiffen – folk singer-songwriter
* David Wilcox – singer
* Simon Wilcox – singer-songwriter and daughter of the above
* Tom Wilson – singer-songwriter
* Jesse Winchester – singer-songwriter
* Bob Wiseman – pianist and songwriter
* Karl Wolf – R&B singer-songwriter
* Royal Wood – singer-songwriter
* Hawksley Workman – singer-songwriter
* Michelle Wright – country singer-songwriter

X

Y

* Zal Yanovsky – member of The Lovin’ Spoonful
* Lori Yates – country singer
* Neil Young – singer-songwriter and guitarist

Z

* Maurice Zbriger – violinist, composer & conductor

Godin Guitars’ head office is located in Montreal, and they build their instruments in six factories in four different locations, three in Quebec and one in New Hampshire.

Godin Guitars makes instruments under several different labels. Norman makes mid to entry level acoustic guitars. Art & Lutherie makes entry level budget guitars. The Simon and Patrick brand make mid to high range steel-string acoustics. La Patrie manufactures classical guitars. Seagull known for manufacturing solid wood entry to mid range acoustic guitars. Guitars under the Godin brand are primarily mid-range to top of the line electrics that are made of high quality wood from the northeastern part of North America. They have many models that feature synth pick ups and some with piezo pick up equipped bridges. Godin are notable for their use of synthesizer pickups as a standard feature in their high end models, and many of their electric models use a piezo acoustic pick ups integrated with the bridge assembly. Aside from their technical innovations, Godin have a strong reputation among guitarists for their product quality. Most Godin guitars have the same distinctive, yet traditional, body shape, which has been described as a hybrid of the Gibson Les Paul and a Fender Telecaster bodies.

Godin’s guitars have won several awards, including a Guitar Player Magazine’s Editors Pick for the LG, Exit 22, and Freeway Classic.

Notable Godin players include John McLaughlin, Steve Stevens, Rumesh De Mel and Vinnie Moore. They are also very common among session players and sidemen. Robert Godin was also mentor to Master luthier Mauro Liberatore

Many folks tune it G-D-A-E, an octave lower than a mandolin. That was easy for me to grasp, not because I play mandolin, but because I could visualize the mirror image of the bottom four strings of my guitar.

G-D-A-D is also a common tuning. My bouzouki spends most of its time in this tuning. It’s great for establishing a bagpipe-like drone and really lends itself to fingerpicking.

And if you just want to have fun, you can tune A-D-A-D get an alternating bass going with your thumb on the lower two courses while playing melody on the two upper courses.

Since the Irish bouzouki is a fairly recent invention (it’s existed in its current form since the late 1960s) it still seems to be going thru an evolution in the standardization of its tuning.

PLAY ALONG, NOT COMPETE!

that is my biggest beef with “guitar players” they are inferiority complex laden, talk a good line of BS even when they don’t know and forget that guitar is about music and not about guitar playing.

Take some of these shredder types as an example. I’m blown away by the physical power, my hat is off to them. But after the technical shock is over and after listening for about 2 or 3 songs the whole thing becomes empty, there is little music there. They have my deep respect. We are bound together by the same instrument.

My love for wood and steel continues to grow and the music being created by some of those players. I’ve been at the guitar for many years and I’m not foggy in “new love” with the instrument, so I think I can say. They seem more in touch with music even in many cases if they have great technical and physical power. They seem more in control, more about the spaces between the notes than how many notes, more about how long notes last.

I watched a G3 video the other night with my son. Again, he is only 9. He was questioning “how do they get that sound?”, but he drops out as soon as me musically shortly after. There could be other reasons for that but I hope he needs greater musical stimulation they the average Joe blow. I pray it is because he needs music with his fireworks and not just firework playing. Because that tells me something about his mind.

Do you guys out there understand what I’m saying? I hope he needs music with his firework. I hope that when there is silence, when there is no sound, when there is emptiness, he appreciates what that sounds like.

For it is no sound that defines sound, and when you don’t hear the “no sound” you are only hearing “half a music” and when you create music without “no sound” you really don’t create a “whole music” so to speak.