OUTSIDE THE BOX

Innovation, artistry and elbow grease – how women luthiers are rewriting the rulebook

- Adam Bradbury

What connects Paul Simon, Carlos Santana, and Milton Nascimento? Answer: they all own guitars made by the same pair of hands. Well into her fifth-decade building guitars, Linda Manzer is one of the most esteemed luthiers of modern times. A pioneer and inspiration to generations of other guitar makers, she creates instruments that command ardent fans, decent money, and the occasional museum plinth. Convention-defying flat-tops, archtops, sopranos, baritones, sitar guitars and jawdropping one-offs such as the 42-string Pikasso for Pat Metheny – Manzer’s oeuvre and impact are all the more remarkable when you consider she’s done what she’s done in a business that might at times appear to have operated a ‘no girls’ rule.

So, what makes Manzer – and other luthiers who chose to ignore that rule – tick? Boutique builders from North America and Europe reveal their inspirations, signature models, choice of materials, and thoughts on working in a world where women are still out-numbered, though not outdone.

MAKER #1

LINDA MANZER

Manzer Guitars
TORONTO/ALMONTE, CANADA

It all started when…