started , if you started at the same time as us , that ’ s going to build the foundation of most of our clientele . And now we are getting a lot of beginner / intermediate players because we ’ re doing lessons and stuff too . So that helps bring out new players and young kids and younger demographics , musicians who want to learn and get serious .
CMT : Do you guys have any favourite guitars out on the floor right now ?
Bennett : There ’ s always something coming through . There are two lovely early ‘ 60s Gibson Archtops , there ’ s Larson Brother ’ s acoustics from the ‘ 30s ; there ’ s always something catching my eye .
Moy : There ’ s a Randy Rhoads Les Paul Custom down there now . That ’ s kind of nice — you might like that .
CMT : As far as your days go , is there such a thing as a typical one at work ?
Bennett : Like any job , I think there is . But we interact with our customers quite a bit through email and through phone calls and through just being in the store . So , curveballs come all the time . It ’ s always interesting .
Carrying sought-after specialty guitars from well-known brands like Gibson , Fender , Gretsch , and Taylor , as well as Canadian makers like Godin and Seagull , The Twelfth Fret definitely feels like a collector ’ s guitar store , which it is , but I was surprised to learn how beginner-friendly it is as well . I haven ’ t looked for a beginner guitar in well over a decade , so it ’ s not something I typically pay attention to as much , and I never would have considered a boutique store like this a place to get started . While I probably wouldn ’ t recommend the shop for someone completely starting out to see if they like the guitar or not , as Bennett and Moy agreed , there are lots of options for those looking to start taking their playing seriously and get themselves a guitar that will last . There may be many price tags with quadruple-digit dollar figures , but I ’ ve always thought it ’ s better to bite the bullet and just drop a wad of cash on a guitar that you ’ ll keep for the long run than to spend more replacing and repairing cheaper guitars .
There ’ s truly something for everyone in The Twelfth Fret as well . Being a rock guitarist with an affinity for V-shaped axes , I got to check out an authentic Gibson Flying V in the shop , one of my most desired earthly possessions , while knowing that if I wanted to take up country guitar , or even banjo or mandolin , this place would have me covered and I could talk to any
expert on the floor here and receive personal guidance to finding what is right for me . I ’ ve never been one to shop around for guitars , I must admit ; I think the right guitar finds the player , and with so many unique and specialty instruments in this store , I imagine lots of players come in and are immediately taken by something .
CMT : Do you see a lot of people bring in hidden gem guitars that they don ’ t know the origin or value of ?
Bennett : That happens quite often . It ’ ll be a family heirloom , they ’ ll bring it in and you give them the truthful value which you do because that ’ s the way you operate , and it ’ s usually jaw-dropping for them . They had no idea . It happens quite a bit with families and kids from families that somebody has passed away or something .
CMT : With everyone working here being a musician as well , what are each of your musical backgrounds ?
Bennett : I play quite a bit around Canada , from the east coast to the west . I ’ ve played in England and Europe and whatnot in the last couple of years .
Moy : I ’ ve been playing guitar since I was 13 and have been in local bands and stuff . I have some small , little touring experience in Ontario . Right now , I ’ m playing in a Rage Against the Machine tribute band .
CMT : As far as the future of the store , what do you have planned ?
Bennett : The store is in good hands with Max managing it , and I see my end of the business game just keeping moving along .
Moy : I think it ’ s going to be pretty much more of the same . Vintage guitars are not going to go away . It ’ s always going to be here . I think what I ’ d like to focus now on is just a lot of our stuff is online . So , I just want to clean up the back end of all that stuff and make everything more efficient on the back end for online sales and stuff like that . The future looks like it ’ s going to be more of the same , just online a lot more .
Bennett : Yeah , we shipped a $ 25,000 guitar to Germany last week , and an $ 11,000 , guitar to the Netherlands ; it ’ s constant .
Moy : It ’ s going to be bigger worldwide stuff .
It was back in June of 1977 that Grant MacNeill and Dan Charman opened The Twelfth Fret in the Toronto Beaches area .
22 CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE