The Ste‑Cat permanent guitar collection
Given the vital importance of recognizing the huge talent of guitar luthiers
and of helping musicians develop their art and technique, the Montreal Guitar
Show saw fit to create the Ste-Cat permanent guitar collection, a collection
of exclusive instruments designed by the famous guitar luthiers participating
in the Show. These top-quality high-value instruments are loaned for one
year to musicians handpicked for their promising talent, thus giving them
access to high-calibre instruments that would otherwise be out of their reach
or unaffordable.
At each edition of the MGS, at least two luthiers, chosen randomly from among
those participating in the Show, are each asked to make a guitar exclusively
for this cause. Whether classical, acoustic, jazz, archtop or manouche (gypsy),
the guitars are crafted from the finest tone woods and the highest-quality
materials. In addition to bearing the luthier’s signature and the year
in which it was made, each guitar also displays the logo—or a symbol
suggestive of the logo—of the endearing Ste‑Cat cat, the familiar
emblem of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. The new instruments
in the exclusive instrument bank that are loaned each year to talented musicians
will be on display during the MGS.
Luthiers Peter Hopkins (archtop), Jean Rompré (classical),
and Rick Davis and Tim McKnight (acoustic) are thus the first to
have crafted superb, matchless guitars for this original collection, specially
created as a concrete means of promoting music making. They then passed the
torch to three other renowned artisans, randomly chosen during the 2007 Show: Jeff Demers
(archtop), Michael Dunn (gypsy) and Michael Lewis (archtop).
2008
Visit the Photo Gallery section to see how an acoustic guitar in
the Ste-Cat collection is made by the participating luthiers.
2007
Visit the Photo Gallery section to see how an acoustic guitar in
the Ste-Cat collection is made by the participating luthiers.