Linda, Linda, Linda. This 2007 Manzer is a masterpiece. We love the voice: focused power, even response, well adapted for fingers and picks. In hand, the guitar plays easily with a slick setup and Linda’s namesake Manzer Wedge body ergonomics. This one’s been around for a few years and has opened up handsomely; the premium Brazilian Rosewood and German Spruce are sounding oh so alive. Additionally, we found a soundport in the upper bout that comes with a removable BRW plug, for those times when you’re looking for a slightly different sound or for recording.

Other keywords: guitarbuilding, lutherie, luthier, jean larrivee, matheny, mathany, signature guitar, custom guitar, wedge body, tony mcmanus, pat metheny

A fingerstyle guitar with crispness and clarity, that responds well to both light and aggressive attacks? Look no further than our 2000 Manzer in Indian Rosewood and German Spruce. Linda’s wedge-shaped body keeps playability smooth, and the 25.625” scale length allows for a snappy response that works well for altered tunings. The treble clarity cuts through the mix, and contrasts nicely with the warmth of the mids.

Linda’s guitars are in the hands of some of the world’s finest players, from Pat Metheny to Tony McManus—if her guitars have the stamp of approval from ears such as these, you know they’ve got some serious magic cooking under the hood.

Other keywords: larivee, east indian rosewood, lutherie, manzer wedge

A blast from the past, with tone to spare: our 1981 Manzer has a pocketful of mojo, and it ain’t afraid to show it. Indian Rosewood back and sides, Sitka Spruce top, and easy playability come together to make this one a challenge to put down. We found she took to DADGAD exceedingly well, but standard tuning brought it home just as sweetly. It’s really a great example of a top-of-the-line workhorse for both fingerstyle and flatpicked approaches, and it’s such an easy player for a variety of applications that we don’t expect this Manzer to gather dust in its case for too long. Moreover, this Manzer was originally built for Red Shea’s son!

Other keywords: linda manzer, schaller, abalone, pickup, finger style, gig ready

To celebrate 25 years in the business, Linda Manzer built “The Bear” archtop, a stunning feat of Bearclaw Spruce and Maple with Kermode bears inlaid into the headstock. However, this wasn’t the only Bear she built! Linda also built a flattop version of “The Bear” for a client—making this the steel string twin to the original archtop Bear. Naturally, the top is a powerful set of Bearclaw German Spruce, and Manzer paired that with tightly flamed Koa for the back and sides, Her Manzer Wedge body, matching inlays of Kermode bears on the headstock, and the claws of a bear inlaid into the fretboard, reaching out for some berries. The fanciest gold etched “gold bug” Schaller tuners we’ve ever seen, fossilized ivory bridge pins, and a colorful Abalone, Purpleheart, and Boxwood rosette round out the beatific package.

The voice of this Manzer is very balanced, with a midrange that errs on the side of dry, and a well-defined bass to keep the bottom end crisp and responsive. Thanks to Linda’s wedge-shaped body, there’s quite a lot of space in the air chamber, which makes for great projection and sheer volume, which is sustained even with a light attack. In excellent shape, this one-of-a-kind Manzer Bear flattop comes to you with nary a scratch, except the raking claws of the bear inlaid into the fretboard, of course.

Other keywords: larivee, larrivee, lutherie, pat methany, fingerstyle, anniversary guitar

One of those rare guitars which looks as good as it sounds, this 2008 Manzer, adorned with Canadian animals inlaid across the fretboard and Manzer’s trademark wood-and-Abalone rosette, makes the business of making music one that is as pleasing to the ear as it is to the eye. For the back and sides, Linda used some of the finest Indian Rosewood we’ve ever seen, bent into her tradmarked Manzer Wedge shape for playing comfort, and paired it with a German Spruce top that has striking contrasts of color across its medullary rays.

As you’d expect, the resulting voice is equally at home with a delicate attack or played with gusto, offering a well-balanced tone in all applications that is chock full of delightful overtones and articulate warmth. The trebles have an extra dose of clarity to them as well, but don’t overwhelm the other registers, instead providing an invigorating sparkle to the voice. After Manzer built the original Endangered Animals Manzer (which resides in the Canadian Museum of Civilization), she discovered a great fondness for this style of inlay, and has since made a select handful of guitars whose fretboards glitter with various animals, not all on the endangered list, of the Canadian wilderness.

Here, you can see a Dawson caribou, racoon, bears, and even an eastern cougar. Lastly, when you’d like to show off these handsome assemblages of Paua, Abalone, and Copper, you can do so at your next gig, utilizing the included Fishman Thinline undersaddle pickup for reliable amplification, and there’s an included Calton Flight Case to make sure it survives the trip.