Linda Manzer
Encyclopedia
Linda Manzer is a Canadian
master luthier
renowned for her archtop, flat-top and harp acoustic guitar
s.
She received her training from Jean Larrivée
between 1974 and 1978 and later studied with the late Jimmy D'Aquisto
in New York.
She has built many custom guitars for jazz
musician Pat Metheny
including the Pikasso
which has 42 strings and four necks, the 30 Guitar Metheny-Manzer Signature 6 project, and several baritone guitars which Metheny plays exclusively on his album One Quiet Night
along with his Pikasso on What It's All About. Many professional musicians own one of Manzer's guitars including (among others): Julian Lage
, Carlos Santana
, Henrik Andersen, Stephen Fearing
, Gary Larson
, Milton Nascimento
, Liona Boyd
, Heather Bishop
, Bruce Cockburn
, Paul Simon
, Roy Patterson, Marie-Lynn Hammond
, Susan Crowe
, and Gordon Lightfoot
.
Manzer currently builds about 15 to 18 instruments per year in her Toronto, Ontario
workshop and has a wait list of several years. Her instruments typically sell for $25,000 to $35,000. Her latest creation is a 36 string Pikasso
.
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...
master 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...
renowned for her archtop, flat-top and harp acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
s.
She received her training from Jean Larrivée
Jean Larrivée
Jean Larivée is a Canadian luthier specializing in guitars.He was originally trained as an auto mechanic, but began making guitars in 1967.-Early career:...
between 1974 and 1978 and later studied with the late Jimmy D'Aquisto
Jimmy D'Aquisto
James L. D'Aquisto was an American guitar maker best known as the premier maker of custom guitars. He served as an apprentice to John D'Angelico from 1952 and was considered his successor after the latter's death in 1964....
in New York.
She has built many custom guitars for jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician Pat Metheny
Pat Metheny
Patrick Bruce "Pat" Metheny is an American jazz guitarist and composer.One of the most successful and critically acclaimed jazz musicians to come to prominence in the 1970s and '80s, he is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works and other side projects...
including the Pikasso
Pikasso guitar
The Pikasso Guitar, or Pikasso I, is a custom made harp guitar created by Canadian luthier Linda Manzer.Its name is ostensibly derived from its likeness in appearance to the cubist works of Pablo Picasso.-Players:...
which has 42 strings and four necks, the 30 Guitar Metheny-Manzer Signature 6 project, and several baritone guitars which Metheny plays exclusively on his album One Quiet Night
One Quiet Night
One Quiet Night is a solo album by Pat Metheny, released in 2003. The album was recorded in one night and provides a raw sample of Metheny's skill on acoustic and baritone guitars. It features interpretations of Norah Jones' hit "Don't Know Why" and Gerry & The Pacemakers's "Ferry Cross the...
along with his Pikasso on What It's All About. Many professional musicians own one of Manzer's guitars including (among others): Julian Lage
Julian Lage
Julian Lage is an American jazz guitarist and composer.A former child prodigy, Lage began performing in public at the age of six. His talent led him to be the subject of the 1997 Academy Award nominated documentary Jules at Eight. At age 13 Lage performed at the 2000 Grammy Awards...
, Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
, Henrik Andersen, Stephen Fearing
Stephen Fearing
Stephen Fearing is a Canadian folk singer-songwriter.Fearing was born in Vancouver, British Columbia and raised in Dublin, Ireland. He returned to Canada in 1981 and began pursuing a career in music. In addition to his solo career, Fearing was one of the founding members of Blackie and the Rodeo...
, Gary Larson
Gary Larson
Gary Larson is the creator of The Far Side, a single-panel cartoon series that was syndicated internationally to newspapers for 15 years. The series ended with Larson's retirement on January 1, 1995. His 23 books of collected cartoons have combined sales of more than 45 million...
, Milton Nascimento
Milton Nascimento
-Biography:Nascimento's mother was the maid Maria Nascimento. As a baby, Milton Nascimento was adopted by his mother's former employers: the couple Josino Brito Campos, a banker employee, mathematics teacher and electronic technician; and Lília Silva Campos, a music teacher and choir singer...
, Liona Boyd
Liona Boyd
Liona Maria Carolynne Boyd, LLD, D.Mus, CM, O.Ont, is a Canadian classical guitarist, composer, songwriter and singer. Boyd was born in London, England on July 11, 1949, moved to Canada with her parents when she was eight years old and became a naturalized Canadian citizen in 1975...
, Heather Bishop
Heather Bishop
Heather Bishop, OC is a Canadian folk singer-songwriter primarily known for her work in the field of children's music.- Biography :Bishop has been active in the folk community since the late 1960s. In 1976 she founded Mother of Pearl Records. She recorded her first children's album, Belly Button: A...
, Bruce Cockburn
Bruce Cockburn
Bruce Douglas Cockburn OC is a Canadian folk/rock guitarist and singer-songwriter. His most recent album was released in March 2011. He has written songs in styles ranging from folk to jazz-influenced rock to rock and roll.-Biography:...
, Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
, Roy Patterson, Marie-Lynn Hammond
Marie-Lynn Hammond
Marie-Lynn Hammond is a Canadian folk singer-songwriter, broadcaster and playwright. Born in Montreal to a Franco-Ontarian mother and an Anglo-Quebecer father, she is fluently bilingual and writes and performs material in both English and French.She began her career as a founder of the folk music...
, Susan Crowe
Susan Crowe
Susan Crowe is a Canadian folk singer-songwriter born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She lived for many years in Toronto and Vancouver but now has returned to her birthplace Halifax....
, and Gordon Lightfoot
Gordon Lightfoot
Gordon Meredith Lightfoot, Jr. is a Canadian singer-songwriter who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music, and has been credited for helping define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 1970s...
.
Manzer currently builds about 15 to 18 instruments per year in her Toronto, Ontario
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....
workshop and has a wait list of several years. Her instruments typically sell for $25,000 to $35,000. Her latest creation is a 36 string Pikasso
Pikasso guitar
The Pikasso Guitar, or Pikasso I, is a custom made harp guitar created by Canadian luthier Linda Manzer.Its name is ostensibly derived from its likeness in appearance to the cubist works of Pablo Picasso.-Players:...
.