Canadian Acoustic Guitar Brands

The brands at a glance

Brand line-ups change. The brand websites blocked our checks on 28 October 2026, so look at the maker’s current catalogue for the exact models in production.

Godin: one company, several brands

Robert Godin started building acoustic guitars in La Patrie, a small village in Quebec, in 1972; Norman was the first brand, and Seagull followed in 1980. The company is now headquartered in Montreal and builds most of its instruments in its own factories in Quebec. Rather than one brand at many prices, Godin runs separate brands for separate players.

Seagull

Seagull is the Godin brand most beginners meet first. Its guitars are known for a tapered headstock: it narrows toward the top so each string runs straight from the nut to its tuner, which helps the strings slide through the nut cleanly when tuning. Many Seagull models pair a solid top (cedar or spruce) with backs and sides of wild cherry, a North American wood.

Seagull is a sensible look if you want a solid-top guitar at an entry price. Check the neck width of the model you like: some Seagull models are wider at the nut than typical budget guitars, which fingerstyle players like and some beginners with small hands do not.

Art & Lutherie

Art & Lutherie is Godin’s budget brand, aimed at first guitars, schools and players who want a simple, durable instrument. Expect laminate construction at this level. A laminate top is less sensitive to humidity swings, which is useful for a guitar that lives in a classroom or a cold car.

Norman

Norman makes acoustics from entry level to professional models. It is a good brand to compare against Seagull if you want a similar build origin with different looks and options.

Simon & Patrick

Simon & Patrick is Godin’s higher-end steel-string line, with more solid-wood models. It is the step up for players moving on from a first guitar who want to stay with a Quebec-built instrument.

La Patrie, now Godin Nylon

La Patrie was Godin’s classical guitar brand, named after the village where the company started. In 2020 Godin moved these guitars under its own name as the Godin Nylon series, so new models carry the Godin name and older ones the La Patrie label. These are nylon-string guitars with the wide neck and 12-fret body joint of a classical design. They suit classical study, bossa nova and anyone who wants nylon strings, which are softer on new fingertips.

Godin

The Godin brand itself is mainly electric guitars. It also makes thin-body electric-acoustic hybrids for stage use, which sit closer to an electric guitar than a traditional acoustic. If that is what you need, see what an electric-acoustic guitar is.

Larrivée: Canadian roots, built in California

Jean Larrivée founded his company in Toronto in 1967. It moved to Victoria, British Columbia, in 1977 and to Vancouver in 1982, and became one of the best-known Canadian acoustic makers. A second plant opened in California in 2001, and Canadian manufacturing closed in 2013. All Larrivée models are now built in California.

So Larrivée is a Canadian-founded brand, but a new Larrivée is a US-built guitar. Older Larrivée guitars made in Canada are common on the used market; the label inside the soundhole shows where a guitar was built.

Independent Canadian luthiers

Canada also has well-known one-person and small-shop builders. Their guitars are made to order, with long waiting lists and prices well above factory guitars:

• Linda Manzer (Toronto) is known for her work with jazz guitarist Pat Metheny, including the many-stringed “Pikasso” guitar she built for him.
• William “Grit” Laskin (Toronto) is known for his guitars and his detailed inlay artwork.

How to choose between them

Brand matters less than the specs of the model in front of you:

1. Top: solid or laminate? Solid tops sound fuller; laminate tops are tougher.
2. Body size: dreadnought for strumming, smaller bodies for fingerstyle and comfort. See acoustic guitar body styles and sizes.
3. Neck width at the nut: about 43 mm suits chords and smaller hands, 44.5 mm or more suits fingerpicking.
4. Nylon or steel: Godin Nylon (formerly La Patrie) for nylon, the other acoustic brands for steel strings.
5. Setup: any guitar plays better with low, even action. See how to tell if a guitar needs a setup.

For fingerstyle in particular, what makes a guitar good for fingerpicking goes through neck width, string spacing and body size in more detail.

Canadian climate and acoustic guitars

Solid-wood guitars react to humidity. Canadian winters with indoor heating can drop room humidity far below the level guitars are built for, which can shrink the wood, leave fret ends sticking out of the neck and, in bad cases, crack the top. If you own a solid-top guitar in a cold, dry climate, keep it in its case with a humidifier during the heating season. The same advice applies anywhere winters are cold and dry.