The tone of a guitar is deeply influenced by its wood.
While it’s hard to pinpoint exact numbers, a significant portion of the wood used in guitar production worldwide comes from British Columbia (BC). Anyone who’s visited the forests here has likely felt an almost musical energy from the towering cedars or the sound of wind through a regal maple.
According to Mike Kurkdjian, owner of Prestige Guitars, the unique appeal of BC’s wood is a major draw for guitar makers worldwide.
“One of the biggest attractions of coming to Vancouver is the availability of tonewoods,” Kurkdjian explains during a tour of Prestige’s North Vancouver showroom and nearby production facility. “Whether it’s Sitka spruce or western red cedar for acoustic guitars, or the prized West Coast maple for electric guitars, it all comes from BC — be it from the coast or inland regions.”
This wood isn’t just used in acoustic guitars — it also plays a vital role in the electric guitar world. Major brands like Fender and Paul Reed Smith rely on BC’s maple for their instruments, especially the highly figured maple varieties such as tiger-flame, quilted, or spalted maple.
Prestige Guitars, known for its handcrafted electric guitars, uses these local woods extensively. Their best-selling model, the Elite, shares a silhouette with the iconic Gibson Les Paul but with its own distinct design. These guitars feature beautifully finished flame maple tops and eye-catching colors like Blueberry and Tiger Eye Burst.
Prestige Guitars’ products are now fully manufactured in their North Vancouver shop, a shift that started in 2023. Before that, much of the production was outsourced to South Korea, where a team of master builders still works on Prestige’s acoustic guitars.
While Kurkdjian himself isn’t a luthier, his deep knowledge of tonewoods and guitar construction comes from years of experience. He founded Prestige Guitars in 2003 after working closely with Jean Larrivée Guitars in Vancouver. Although Larrivée closed its local factory over a decade ago, the brand’s legacy is still deeply tied to the local guitar-making community.
Many of the luthiers now working in BC’s growing guitar-making scene began their careers at the Larrivée factory, including well-known names like Shelley D. Park, Jay Duncan, and Nicole Alosinac. One of them, Ed Bond, recalls his persistence in landing a job there after moving from Victoria.
“I spent nine months trying to get a job at Larrivée,” Bond laughs. “I would visit Jean every Wednesday and ask for work. Eventually, his secretary told me when Jean would be in on Saturdays, so I’d show up twice a week until he finally gave me a job.”
In 2002, Bond launched his own guitar-making brand, Tinker and Halcyon Guitars, from a small room in his East Vancouver basement. His new workshop, a spacious 1,200 square feet with tall ceilings and large windows, is a testament to the evolution of his craft.
Halcyon Guitars specializes in handcrafting 20 to 30 custom acoustic guitars per year, each designed to the customer’s specifications. Bond is part of a growing community of luthiers on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, where many small workshops are producing one-of-a-kind guitars.
The island’s guitar-building scene has been expanding steadily and now boasts a dedicated website, islandguitarbuilders.ca, and even hosts its own local trade shows. While these events may not rival the massive NAMM show in the U.S., they provide an important platform for showcasing the talents of local luthiers.
“There was a guitar show in Errington, near Nanaimo, last August with about 20 to 30 builders. We set up our guitars on long tables, and people come in to check out what’s happening,” Bond shares.
As the community continues to grow, Bond notes that the number of guitar makers in BC has likely increased dramatically. “Twenty years ago, I knew maybe a dozen people in the trade. Now, it’s probably closer to 50,” he says.
Though the independent luthiers in this community may not have the high-profile celebrity endorsements that Prestige enjoys—having produced signature models for musicians like Todd Kerns and Devin Townsend—their dedication to craftsmanship is essential to the local music ecosystem.
These artisans will help ensure that BC’s tonewoods continue to resonate in guitar-making for years to come.
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