Many of us own something that has been passed down to us from
family members, an heirloom or historical memorabilia. We often
keep things; hold onto what may seem like random objects - a
letter, a ring, a photograph, in order to remind of us someone or
something from the past. We tend to value these things on a
personal level since they tell some part of our individual story.
However, it is rare that we posses one object which exists solely
to document and explain such stories. Fortunately The Guelph
Guitar does just that.
Starting in late April 2007, guitar maker Doug Larson decided
to build a guitar which would represent Guelph and the important
stories that lie within its community. By selecting specific pieces
of wood, bone, metal and shell Larson started to construct an
entity which not only serves as instrument but as a history lesson,
a story, a social narrative of this community.
Initially, Larson’s Guelph Guitar Project was inspired by a
small group of people including Jowi Taylor and George Rizsanyi.
Taylor and Rizsanyi had decided to build “The Six String Nation
Guitar”, a guitar built specifically from pieces of wood, bone,
stone, and other items from all across Canada. The idea was that
each of these individual pieces were to be representative of
Canadian history. Including a piece of Wayne Gretzky’s hockey
stick and a part of a doorframe from Parliament Hill, the guitar
was constructed using 63 pieces of Canadian history and heritage
from all across Canada. Since its completion, “The Six String
Nation Guitar” has toured Canada relentlessly and has been
played by over 5000 people.
In Spring of 2007, the Six String Nation Guitar was brought to
Guelph. Organized by Larson himself, this event took place at
Manhattans Bistro and showcased local artists such as Ambre
McLean, Kevin Breit, Kent MacMillan, Jeff Bird as well as Larson
