Ron Belanger Guitars

Subject: Ron Belanger Guitars
From: Little Hawk
Date: 28 Nov 04 - 01:40 PM

A friend of mine who lives in Orillia, Ontario, Canada is becoming a topnotch luthier, turning out extremely fine guitars. His name is Ron Belanger, and he's a fellow folk musician who decided about 5 years ago to start making guitars in his spare time. Well, he is now making guitars that are so darned good that it's a real thrill to play them!

I bought his tenth guitar a couple of weeks ago. It's a dreadnought with spruce top, rosewood back & sides, and herringbone-style purfling, and it just sings! I darned near bought his 8th guitar, a beautiful dreadnought with bubinga back and sides, but one of our mutual friends beat me to it. I made sure that didn't happen with number 10. My friend Mike Latter bought the 9th Belanger guitar, another beauty with a different body style...it's shaped more like a Martin M-38, I'd say, and has mahogany back & sides. It's also a superb instrument with a beautiful tonal clarity.

It's just downright amazing to me that a person can be making guitars that are this good in his first 10 instruments. I'm selling a $3,000 Martin D-28H (and a good one) because it's simply not as good as the Belanger guitar, which cost less than half as much!

Yowsa! Ron deserves mention in the acoustic music community in Ontario, and that's why I am launching this thread. I figure his guitars can only get better, and they're already at the level of guitars that go for $3,000 and up as far as I'm concerned.

At the Orillia song circle last Monday there were more Belanger guitars present than all other types put together...6 Belangers and 5 others (Martins, Larrivees, etc.).

We joke that he is "conquering the World one guitar at a time".

This thread is my salute to a truly fine new luthier, Ron Belanger. I hope he builds a hundred more guitars, and I will probably buy one or two of them.

Subject: RE: Ron Belanger Guitars
From: Mooh
Date: 28 Nov 04 - 02:18 PM

Thanks for the headsup, LH. Is there a web presence yet? I love small shop instruments (got 6 of them, not including my own). Somehow or another his name seems familiar, maybe it's google time.

Thanks, and peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Ron Belanger Guitars
From: Little Hawk
Date: 28 Nov 04 - 04:15 PM

He doesn't appear to have a website yet, but he is listed at guitarmaker.org with address, phone number, and so on...

Guitarmaker.org

I hope the word gets passed around. Ron is making such good instruments now that it ought to be his sole way of making a living, rather than just something he does on the side. I love these guitars. I can hardly wait to see what he comes up with next.

If anyone wants to see pictures of my Belanger, PM me with your email address and I'll send you some.

Ron is going to be mighty surprised, I figure, when he hears about the free publicity I'm giving him here... :-)

Subject: RE: Ron Belanger Guitars
From: Little Hawk
Date: 28 Nov 04 - 09:30 PM

"Belanger", by the way, is pronounced "bell-lahn-zhay" in the French fashion. Despite this, I made up a slogan for his guitars:

"No other whanger like a Belanger!"

Subject: RE: Ron Belanger Guitars
From: RichM
Date: 29 Nov 04 - 08:49 AM

Good to see that another good luthier is having success.

RichM

Subject: RE: Ron Belanger Guitars
From: black walnut
Date: 29 Nov 04 - 11:54 AM

Bravo, Ron!

~b.w.

Subject: RE: Ron Belanger Guitars
From: Little Hawk
Date: 30 Nov 04 - 10:59 AM

Was talking to my pal Don Bray at the song circle last night. Don is a great aficionado of high end guitars. He has a Larrivee that's gotta be 25 years old at least. I believe he bought it at the Folklore Centre in Toronto back in the 70's. It's getting almost as well used looking as Willie Nelson's guitar. :-)

He also once had an early Laskin that some jerk stole at an open stage event in Toronto! They just walked away with it (in the case) when no one was watching.

Anyway, Don is going down to Toronto to look at some new guitar built by a luthier named Yanuzello (or something like that). This guy is apparently one of the World's foremost luthiers, and the guitar is worth about $6,500 or thereabouts, made of Hawaiian koa back and sides.

I sure wouldn't mind seeing it, but it might spoil me for other guitars... :-)

And that would be a problem.

I think I'll just continue enjoying this Belanger for a bit.

My Martin D-28H is for sale right now down at the 12th fret. Anyone needs (or wants) one, check it out. It's a good one, and it's in mint condition.

Subject: RE: Ron Belanger Guitars
From: GUEST,pat clayton
Date: 16 Feb 09 - 08:19 PM

I first met Mr. Belanger at the Mariposa Folk festival in Orillia and marvelled at his beautiful guitars. I am wondering if Mr. Belanger might do repair work on older rare guitars. ie, bridge lifting and tiny dent in edge of body?

Subject: RE: Ron Belanger Guitars
From: Little Hawk
Date: 16 Feb 09 - 11:15 PM

I think he would, Pat.

In the interim (since I last posted here in '04) Ron has continued to make better and better guitars, mandolas, weisenborns (acoustic guitar that you play on your lap like a Hawaiian), a great variety of instruments, and they just keep getting better. I don't know that they could be much better than they are now...