Inside a guitar shop planted in an industrial-commercial corridor on North Vancouver's Main Street there is an intimate connection to a bevy of world-famous musicians from Slash to Shania Twain.
You would be forgiven for not being familiar with Prestige Guitars, as the brand has surged in popularity primarily south of the 49th parallel.
"Even in our backyard people come into our store and go: 'Prestige, is that a brand?'" says Prestige Guitars proprietor Michael Kurkdjian.
Yet the custom-made axes and acoustics fashioned from B.C.-raised trees - maple varieties, spruce and cedar - are conceived and masterfully built in the back of the Main Street guitar shop and then shipped to the far reaches of the world.
"Our most exotic (shipping) location is going to be the South Americas, of course," reveals Kurkdjian.
What started as humble beginnings in Burnaby in 2003 has grown into a bustling business for Prestige - which today produces about a hundred guitars a month, destined for the hands of mainstream artists and music enthusiasts alike.
The craftsmanship Prestige puts into the guitars, right down to the inlay work handcrafted out of mother-of-pearl and sparkling abalone, has afforded the brand some endorsement from music industry heavyweights and some hardware from the Guitar World magazine awards.
Kurkdjian singles out Twain as being the biggest artist to strum a Prestige semi-hollow, and recalls seeing one of his acoustics front and centre during the country star's series of televised heart-to-hearts with Oprah last year.
"It was pretty exciting, people were noticing our acoustics more (after the Oprah interviews)," says Kurkdjian, adding it's an honour to having someone of Twain's stature playing a Prestige.
On the electric side, former lead Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash and his current bandmates rock out on Prestige guitars while on tour and in the studio.
In fact, Slash has commissioned Prestige to customize an electric axe for him. A luthier will start with Prestige's "heritage standard" solid body design and add a black matte finish adorned with tattoo-like drawings.
"It's a guitar that you would picture Slash playing, actually," chuckles Kurkdjian.Legendary guitarist Joe Walsh, of Eagles fame, has also picked up a Prestige axe, along with musicians from the Matthew Good Band and Wide Mouth Mason. And in February, guitarist Will Evankovich joined the Prestige club. Evankovich had this to say about his new Prestige Heritage Hollow TR: "Plays like a dream, sings like a bird, and is as stunning as a super model."
The guitar-making magic, or "cool things" as Kurkdjian puts it, happens inside a 2,000-square-foot workspace at Prestige's Main Street headquarters. The process starts with raw wood bought in Chilliwack, which is then shipped to South Korea where it is manufactured using machines before being sent back to North Van for the wiring and final assembly. "And so we get the naked guitars and continue building them in our back room," explains Kurkdjian.Music enthusiasts can stop by the store and watch the luthiers work their magic in the back, fine-tuning a new guitar - or peruse the finished products gleaming from their racks in a handsomely appointed showroom complete with a grand chandelier. There is also a special room in the back, called the vault, where iconic Gibson guitars from the '50s and '60s are on display.
A little known secret is some of these major recording artists that are Prestige's clients have randomly stopped by the store in recent months and put on free, intimate and interactive shows for whoever showed up. Guns N' Roses guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, Matt Good, and the guys from Slash, have all put in an appearance at Prestige.
Given the musicians' hectic schedule, Prestige can't announce the shows in advance. However, anyone that is interested
in seeing these world-class guitarists up close and personal should subscribe to Prestige's Facebook page for the latest news, says Kurkdjian, who promises the shows don't disappoint.
"Oh yeah, anytime we host one of these events, it's quite the party for us," he attests.
Kurkdjian has come a long way since cutting his teeth in the '90s with Vancouver-based guitar maker Larrivée. As a 21-year-old luthier apprentice, he learned how different types and densities of wood create unique tonal characteristics: guitars made from maple trees, for example, create a brighter, chime-ier sound, while rosewood has a deeper tone.
Kurkdjian's music roots can be traced back to when he was a teenager living in North Van. One Christmas break, the then Carson Graham secondary student took a job at a second-hand guitar shop.
"At the end of it, (the owner) gave me 400 bucks and I turned around and bought a guitar and amp - and never looked back," recalls Kurkdjian.
These days, the dad plays more "Baby Beluga" than the blues, but still "whips out the electric guitar every now and again."
Prestige Guitars is located at 1332 Main Street, and online at prestigeguitars.com.
