Lado Guitars
Encyclopedia
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
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Joe Kovacic and the Lado story
Joseph KovacicKovacic
Kovačić, alternatively spelled Kovacic in English or Kovacsics in Hungarian, is a common surname in Croatia. It is also very common in Slovenia where it is usually spelled Kovačič. Etymologically it is a patronymic derivative of the surname Kovač, which is a cognate of the English surname Smith,...
was born in Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
in 1945. After serving in the Croatian Army
Croatian ground army
The Croatian Army is a branch of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia.The fundamental role and purpose of the Croatian Army is to protect vital national interests of the Republic of Croatia and defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state.Basic tasks of the Croatian Army...
, he began training as a luthier
Luthier
A luthier is someone who makes or repairs lutes and other string instruments. In the United States, the term is used interchangeably with a term for the specialty of each maker, such as violinmaker, guitar maker, lute maker, etc...
at the Zagreb School of Guitar Making in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, Croatia, followed by two years additional training at Crossman Guitar Works in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
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Joe immigrated to Canada from Croatia in 1968 and began working for Turner Musical Instruments, a division of Gibson Guitars
Gibson Guitar Corporation
The Gibson Guitar Corporation, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently of Nashville, Tennessee, manufactures guitars and other instruments which sell under a variety of brand names...
for two years, followed by a job with Hagström Guitars
Hagström
Hagström is a musical instrument manufacturer in Älvdalen, Dalecarlia, Sweden. Their original products were accordions that they initially imported from Germany and then Italy before opening their own facility in 1932. During the sixties, the company started making electric guitars and later...
as an inspector for one year.
In 1971, having reached a workable level of English, Joe began his own business called Joe's Strings from a basement shop on Gerrard Street, in Toronto, ON
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
In 1973, he formed Lado Musical Inc. and opened a retail shop on Kingston Road, in Toronto. In addition to building Lado Guitars, Lado had an exclusive repair contract with C.F. Martin Guitars for all of Canada.
Around 1976, the demand for Lado Guitars had grown so much that he moved to a bigger facility in Scarborough, ON.
The 1981 Lado catalogue shows Lado Guitars to have moved again to a new facility - this time located on R.R. #1 in Uxbridge, ON
Uxbridge, Ontario
Uxbridge is a township in south-central Ontario, Canada, in the Regional Municipality of Durham, in the Greater Toronto Area.The main centre in the township is the namesake community of Uxbridge...
, with a photographed staff of 13 employees.
In 1987, Lado built a 14’ 3” tall, 309 lb “Earth” model guitar, deemed “largest built and presumably the loudest playable electric guitar” by the Guinness Book of World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
. The record was held from 1987-1991.
The 1988 Lado catalogue shows Lado Guitars to have moved from the Uxbridge factory to a new one on Warden Avenue, in Scarborough, ON
Scarborough, Ontario
Scarborough is a dissolved municipality within the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it comprises the eastern part of Toronto. It is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the west by Victoria Park Avenue, on the north by Steeles Avenue East, and on the east by the Rouge River...
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In 2003, Joe started the Lado School of Lutherie. This was a way to slow down his pace as he was reaching retirement, and also to pass on his unique craftsmanship and trade secrets to a younger generation of luthiers.
Today, Lado Musical Inc. is located in Lindsay, ON
Lindsay, Ontario
Lindsay is a community of 19,361 people on the Scugog River in the Kawartha Lakes region of south-eastern Ontario, Canada. It is approximately west of Peterborough...
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The story behind the "Lado" name
As his major final assignment as a lutherie student, he built a double bassDouble bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
which, upon completion, he gifted to the famous Croatian professional folk dance group called "LADO", named after a Slavic
Slavic languages
The Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
word often used as a refrain in ceremonial songs of Croatia, and is a synonym for words meaning "good", "love", and "dear".
In return for their beautiful handcrafted double bass, the Lado group told Joe that he had their blessing to use the Lado name for his instruments.
Traits of a Lado instrument
Most Lado instruments share some unique characteristics that have defined the company with their unique craftsmanship and styling.- The Lado headstock has always shown the image of a falcon along with the name of the company. It is not to be confused with an eagle or a hawk.
- Necks are always made of multiple laminates of hardwood, rather than one solid block. Three-piece necks are most common.
- Most of the classic Lado instruments are "neck-through-body" designs.
- The back of the headstock bears a serial number with the model name, or a short-code for the model (such as "SF-1" for a Superfalcon guitar), as well as "CDN" or "CND" to designate the instrument as being Canadian-made.
Electric guitars
1981 Catalogue- Standard I guitar model;
- Solo I guitar model;
- Solo III guitar model;
- Solo Doubleneck (6+12);
- Condor guitar model - affectionately known by Joe as "The Cock";
- Falcon (F-1) guitar model;
- Superfalcon (SF-1) guitar model;
- Zebra (Z-1) guitar model;
- Zebra Doubleneck (6+12);
- Flying V (FV 200 Series)
1988 Catalogue (new models)
- Supra I guitar model; Superstrat shape. 1 humbucker.
- Supra III guitar model - Superstrat shape. 3 single coils.
- Classic series - Superstrat guitars of numerous variations. The "Rocker", and "Golden Wing" are part of this series;
2003 Catalogue (new models)
- Earth model - a radical take on the classic Gibson ExplorerGibson ExplorerThe Gibson Explorer is a type of electric guitar that made its debut in 1958. The Explorer offered a radical, "futuristic" body design, much like its sibling, the Flying V. The Explorer was the final development of a prototype design which years later Gibson marketed under the name Futura.The...
shape, popularized by Iron MaidenIron MaidenIron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
's Adrian SmithAdrian SmithAdrian Frederick "H" Smith is an English musician and one of three guitarists in the heavy metal band, Iron Maiden. He is also one of the band's regular songwriters and, along with bassist Steve Harris, performs backing vocals on some songs.-Biography:While at school, Smith purchased his first...
; - Elite model - reminiscent of the Paul Reed SmithPRS GuitarsPRS Guitars is an American guitar manufacturer headquartered in Stevensville, Maryland. PRS Guitars was founded by guitarist and luthier Paul Reed Smith in 1985. The company is one of the leading manufacturers of high-end electric guitars.-Materials:...
shape; - JK Custom G-32 model - a Gibson Les PaulGibson Les PaulThe Gibson Les Paul was the result of a design collaboration between Gibson Guitar Corporation and the late jazz guitarist and electronics inventor Les Paul. In 1950, with the introduction of the Fender Telecaster to the musical market, electric guitars became a public craze. In reaction, Gibson...
-styled shape with a semi-hollow body.; - Vintage TL series - reminiscent of the Fender TelecasterFender TelecasterThe Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is typically a dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar made by Fender.Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music...
shape; - Vintage ST series - reminiscent of the Fender StratocasterFender StratocasterThe Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as "Strat", is a model of electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares in 1954, and manufactured continuously by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to the present. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top...
shape;
Other Models
- Hawk guitar model;
- Seagull model - possibly a one-off custom - copy of the B.C. RichB.C. RichB.C. Rich is a manufacturer of guitars and bass guitars founded by the late Bernardo Chavez Rico in 1969. Currently, most B.C. Rich guitars are manufactured in Asia, but luthiers of the company's custom shop continue to hand-make instruments. The Hanser Music Group, based in Kentucky, operates B.C....
Seagull; - Devil model;
- R-1 guitar model; more info is needed to find out what "R" is short-code for.
Electric bass guitars
1981 Catalogue- Standard II bass model - bass version of the Standard I guitar
- Signature model;
- Legend model;
Other Models
- Matrix
- Moonstone model