Some of the best guitar-builders in the world will be in Errington Oct. 22 for the Guitars by Hands Luthiers Show, according to organizers.
Errington Hall will once again host the free and family-friendly event, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m, after a two-year hiatus, according to a news release.
This year’s exhibition promises to maintain the same welcoming environment with free admission to the public. It also provides an opportunity to see beautiful instruments up close and meet the 20 participating instrument makers and luthier suppliers from across Vancouver Island, Vancouver, the Interior and the Sunshine Coast.
“We try to put a little more attention to individual details,” said Dan Vincent, an organizer and part-time luthier, who will travel from Powell River for the exhibition. “We can do that because we’re doing more one-offs than a factory setting, where they’re just mass producing.”
Building a guitar can take anywhere from 80 to 120 hours for Vincent, but the time spent can vary a lot from luthier to luthier, he added.
“Everybody has their own little artistic flair,” Vincent said. “I tend to build more functional instruments, built strictly for playing, with the beauty of letting the natural beauty and wonder of the wood speak for itself.”
The gathering will bring in world-class luthiers in both the acoustic and electric traditions.
A special presentation is planned by instrument repair gurus Richard Leighton and Rufus Stewart, according to the release.
The exhibition is the direct results of the hard work and visionary commitment of the late Bob Herbison, who started the event a decade ago.
“To quote Bob, getting luthiers together is like herding cats,” Vincent said. “Wonderful, wonderful gentleman who unfortunately passed away during COVID.”
Vincent and a friend decided to continue on with the luthier show in Herbison’s memory.
This year’s event will mark the 10-year anniversary of the first Errington Hall Exhibition of Fine Guitars.
The popular community event continued as an annual Island-wide institution for eight years until put on hiatus due to COVID-19 pandemic concerns.
— NEWS Staff