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]}

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]

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

Books

• 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.
• Laskin, Grit (1996). Angel could smell the fire. Oakville, Ontario: Mosaic Press. ISBN 978-0-88962-601-0. OCLC 35884983.
• 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.

Literary Reference

A character in the Charles de Lint novel 'Moonheart' owns a Grit Laskin guitar.

References

1. 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)
2. "Unique! 1997 recipient: William 'Grit' Laskin". Retrieved 2009-01-25.
3. Fowler, Jason (June 200). "Profile of William Laskin". Acoustic Guitar 90. Retrieved 2009-01-25. Check date values in: |date= (help)

External links

• Morgan, Zak (1995). "The Larrivee Tradition of Handmade Canadian Guitars". Canadian Journal for Traditional Music. Retrieved 2009-01-25.
• Laskin Official Website