Grand Complications: 50 Guitars and 50 Stories from Inlay Artist Grit Laskin
By William "Grit" Laskin
Grand Complications explores the stunning masterworks of William "Grit" Laskin, one of North America's greatest luthiers and inlay artists. This is the story behind the story of fifty original designs from 2003 to the present. It is a look inside Laskin's creative process—how he teases out a client's interests and intentions, how he develops and refines his ideas, and how he brings them to life in his mind and on paper.
From "Short Stories" that fill only the headstock of a guitar to full narratives that run the length of the neck, each inspired design is the product of research, deep thinking, and a little alchemy.
Featured here are projects ranging from an homage to John Lennon to a paean to humpback whales to a tribute to the fall of the Berlin Wall.
No two are alike, and their starting points are as varied as the people who play them.
About the Author
William "Grit" Laskin is a master guitarmaker, a musician and songwriter, an artist and a storyteller. He's been hand-building guitars for more than forty-five years for such luminaries as Stan Rogers, Jesse Cook, Rik Emmett, and k.d. lang, inlaying many of these instruments with his personalized designs.
A member of the Order of Canada, winner of the Saidye Bronfman Award for Excellence (Canada's most prestigious craft award), co-founder of the Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans (A.S.I.A.) and both Borealis Records and the Canadian Folk Music Awards, Laskin is a true craftsman, and his insights make fascinating reading for lovers of art, music — and the creative process.
244 pages, hardcover.