Strato-various

>> The MMMIS’s new offshoot, the Montreal Guitar Show, showcases the art of building six-strings

AXE AND YE SHALL RECEIVE: Jacques-André Dupont

by JONATHAN CUMMINS

Sitting in the Montreal Jazz Fest’s press area with Jacques-André Dupont, I quickly realize that my ostensibly in-depth knowledge of guitars pales next to his. This guy truly lives and breathes guitars. I’ve tried to hide my fetish for carved maple tops and mahogany bodies, Brazilian rosewood fretboards and mother-of-pearl inlays from the un-callused masses, but when I admit to Dupont that I attack Vintage Guitar magazine every month the way most healthy boys salivate over Hustler, he knows exactly what I’m talking about.

Dupont is the founder and general manager of the Montreal Musician and Musical Instrument Show, an offshoot of the Jazz Fest that now boasts an offshoot of its own, which Dupont also oversees—the Montreal Guitar Show.

Dupont’s fascination with guitars begins like that of many of us obsessive string-benders and closet shredders. The bug didn’t bite him right off the bat, but when it did, it bit hard.

“My first guitar was a Stratocaster copy from Japan,” recalls Dupont. “I kind of fooled around on that for awhile, and then when I got a little more serious about guitar, I graduated to a 1978 Gibson Les Paul Custom. I kind of put that under the bed, but when I went into a shop in Toronto and bought another guitar, it really stirred something inside of me.”

Knock on wood

Dupont now currently owns 48 vintage and custom guitars, and this weekend, he feels especially chuffed—he’ll be plunking down a cool $10,000 at the Montreal Guitar Show for a custom-made archtop that he’s been lusting after. “I admit I am a collector, but I’m not the guy who keeps them in cases, because then you aren’t going to play them. I have them all over the walls of my recording studio, and when friends come over, I always encourage them to take them off the wall and play them. I mean, they’re definitely works of art to me, but they’re also meant to be played.”

The upcoming MMMIS and MGS are a godsend for the high-end guitar buyer, as 70 of the best craftsmen in North America will be making the trek and slinging some of their custom six-strings, giving people the chance to buy a guitar immediately and skip the usual 10-year waiting list for a custom instrument.

Despite hefty price tags, the boutique and custom guitar-building market has experienced quite a boom lately. This can be attributed to the fact that most large companies such as Gibson and Fender continue to outsource production. Quality control has largely gone out the window as more and more companies replace hand-carving and expertly chosen wood with conveyer belts of lumber and computerized cutting, in order to compete in the current market.

“It’s really sad to see more and more of these companies do that,” says Dupont, “because to me, guitar-making is very much an art form and people like Leo Fender used to use a personal touch. You’re seeing less of that from those big companies. I hate to say it, they just don’t make them like they used to. I think that’s why the custom guitar market has gotten so popular.

If you watch a really good luthier build a guitar, you will see him tap wood to check its resonance, consult the player it is being made for and really take a lot of pride in his work. Successful companies like Godin could easily outsource to cheaper labour, but Robert Godin is a very proud man and really takes a lot of pride in what he puts his name on. He still maintains his production in North America, and I really respect that.”

Blues you can use

This is the third year for the MMMIS and its biggest one yet, and there are plans for adding vintage guitar dealers next year. Easily the biggest ongoing guitar show in Canada, the MMMIS has also started making waves on the international scene, with more and more custom guitar builders and collectors making the trip. As big as it is getting, though, Dupont insists that the show is just not for the jetsetters with fat wallets.

“Probably the proudest part of the show for me is the Blues Camp we’ve started. Over seven days, we pick 55 13- to 17-year-olds, give them nice instruments and enlist pros to teach them how to make music together in a band context.

“It really teaches them at an early age to work together while learning about the history of the blues form and gaining enthusiasm, discipline and achieving some of their dreams along the way. At that point, the instruments are just the tools to help them reach that.”

The Montreal Guitar Show is at the Hyatt
Regency Montréal’s Salle Alfred Rouleau, Friday,
July 6 to Sunday, July 8, 11 a.m.– 6 p.m., $10.
The MMMIS runs from today, Thursday, July 5
to Sunday, July 8, noon–9 p.m., free, at
Complexe Desjardins