William Laskin
| William Laskin | |
|---|---|
| Born |
August 23, 1953 Hamilton, Ontario |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Other names | Grit Laskin, The Masked Luthier |
| Occupation | luthier, musician |
| Title | Member of the Order of Canada |
| Website | http://www.williamlaskin.com |
William "Grit" Laskin (born August 23, 1953) is a Canadian luthier and musician, particularly notable for his high-quality instruments, acoustic guitar innovations (such as the "Laskin Armrest" and "Ribrest") and for his skill in the art of inlay. Larry Robinson, author of The Art Of Inlay, describes Laskin as "one of the most astonishing inlay artists in North America." His guitars have been exhibited as works of art by several museums.[1] [2]
Career
As a musician, he has several solo CDs, and is known as a member of Friends of Fiddler's Green. He accompanied Stan Rogers (sometimes under the epithet "The Masked Luthier of Dupont Street") both on recordings and on tour.
Laskin learned the trade though an apprenticeship with Jean Larrivée, beginning in 1971.[3] He makes on average 20 to 24 guitars a year and he has made guitars for many well-known artists such as: k.d. lang, Owen McBride, Paul Mills, Ben Mink, Garnet Rogers and Stan Rogers, Claudia Schmidt, and José Valle ('Chuscales').[4]
He wrote a book entitled Laskin, Grit; Pickell, Brian (1987). The World of Musical Instrument Makers:a guided tour. Oakville, Ontario: Mosaic Press. ISBN 978-0-88962-349-1. OCLC 16579105. that became the basis for an exhibition at the Ontario Science Centre and the exhibit also travelled to other locations in Ontario. He has written numerous other books and articles including: Laskin, Grit (2003). A Guitarmaker's Canvas: The Inlay Art of Grit Laskin. Berkeley, CA: San Francisco: Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-0-87930-756-1. OCLC 52380931. ISBN 0-87930-756-0.. Laskin was also the founder of the International Association of String Instrument Artisans.[4]
Solo CDs
- Unmasked
- Lila's Jig
- A Few Simple Words 1995
Other CDs
- Between the Breaks...Live! 1979 Stan Rogers
- The Barley Grain for Me Margaret Christll and Ian Robb with Grit Laskin 1998
Literary Reference
A character in the Charles de Lint novel 'Moonheart' owns a Grit Laskin guitar.
References
- ↑ D'Arcy, David (200-11-12). "ARTS/ARCHITECTURE; Strummed by One Hand, Sculptured by Another". New York Times. Retrieved 25 January 2009. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ "Unique! 1997 recipient: William 'Grit' Laskin". Retrieved 2009-01-25.
- ↑ Fowler, Jason (June 200). "Profile of William Laskin". Acoustic Guitar. 90. Retrieved 2009-01-25. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - 1 2 "The Canadian Encyclopedia". Retrieved 13 October 2016.
External links
- Morgan, Zak (1995). "The Larrivee Tradition of Handmade Canadian Guitars". Canadian Journal for Traditional Music. Retrieved 2009-01-25.
- Laskin Official Website
- NAMM Oral History Interview June 23, 2007