What The Tweflth Fret Means to Me Jeff Cowling Vice President – Sales & Marketing Yorkville Sound
As an indie-rock musician from the ‘ 90s , the Fret was a destination for every guitar player I knew . I have spent many dollars there , including buying a replacement Telecaster at the eleventh hour of the retail day ( after having my guitar stolen the night before ). I literally walked in , played a couple of guitars , decided on the one I wanted , and then they closed up the shop for the day . Great service , and great product knowledge , but every staff member had a gig that night , and it was time to go .
As an industry guy , The Twelfth Fret was always an important customer , and a landmark location for all your vintage and new instrument needs . I very much enjoyed my time with Grant MacNeill and Dave Wren , as they were both titans of the guitar market and great partners for our brands .
MacNeill and Charman met at Fender , where they worked together in the Fender warranty workshop . In 1982 , Charman left The Twelfth Fret and moved to the Gulf Islands of British Columbia with his ’ 57 Martin D-18 guitar , where he operated an organic farm . Charman passed away in September of 2021 .
Sill in the city ’ s east end , The Twelfth Fret is now located steps away from Woodbine subways station , where it has been for over two decades . The original building had been a mandolin and guitar workshop since the 1950s and the two business partners saw it as an ideal setting for a guitarists ’ pro shop .
The Twelfth Fret repair team is made up of a handful of luthiers , totalling over 100 years of combined building and repair experience . The luthiers take on jobs ranging from simple set-ups to complex restoration work on vintage instruments . The repair facility includes a woodworking shop , meaning the team has tools at hand for any size project , with all work done in-house .
In the beginning , the business ’ focus was entirely on instrument repairs , restoration and custom guitar building . While the store was operational , retail sales of guitars and amplifiers were done more on the side , and not the main emphasis . Many of the shop ’ s guitar makers from the original days are still in the workshop today . It ’ s hard to find a staff member who hasn ’ t stuck with the business for years , further reinforcing the community and family feel that surrounds The Twelfth Fret .
CMT : How old and what qualities does a guitar have to have to be considered a vintage guitar ?
Bennett : For me , it used to be like the mid- ‘ 60s . Now , customers say I ’ ve got an ‘ 84 strat — things change . The demographic changes with that , too . Dealers all over North America tend to set the prices so you keep your eye on that and watch that change .
CMT : Do either of you have any dream guitars that you wish you could see come through here ?
Moy : I ’ m still waiting for a ‘ 74 Les Paul Custom or something like that . A nice white Les Paul Custom — a really nice one .
Bennett : I ’ ve been lucky in the fact that I ’ ve got some nice guitars — I didn ’ t buy them here though . Just kidding !
CMT : It must be hard when you get to see some really cool things coming through , and you just kind of want them .
Bennett : Yeah , you do . But you ’ re here to work for the customers and for the store .
CMT : What ’ s the feeling like when you help a customer pick out that special guitar for them ?
Bennett : Oh , that ’ s satisfying . It ’ s great . It ’ s always the best when they leave happy , you know ?
Moy : Yeah . And you want them to have their input and know that they ’ ve got something that means something to them ; you ’ re not just forcing something on them .
CMT : If someone is maybe just starting to get serious and they need help choosing something , what are the things you consider when you ’ re helping them out with that ?
Bennett : The age , the size of the person — a lot of things .
Moy : Good question . That stuff and specific stuff . If they ’ ve played with guitar before or not , we like to see how they play . Then that way we can actually set up the instrument to how they play as well to make it easier for them because the turnover rate for guitar when you ’ re first starting is high . A lot of people get disgruntled or frustrated when they ’ re first learning guitar because it hurts their fingers and it ’ s too hard . And that ’ s really just the setup , like the guitar is not set up for them . And the big box stores , they don ’ t do anything about that . But here we try to make it so that you have a lifetime with this instrument to learn it . And that ’ s kind of the goal : to make sure that they know that and they ’ re willing to look forward to that for the long run .
Bennett : We ’ ve watched players come through and upgrade as they get older and get better and that ’ s interesting .
CMT : In your words , what does The Twelfth Fret mean to the community it serves ?
Moy : I think one of the special things about this place is , this is one of the only places where you can buy an instrument from someone that you trust . That ’ s important .
Bennett : We do want to make sure the customer is happy and it ’ s not just a sale . We sell enough products that we can feel comfortable doing without any pressure or anything .
It ’ s a relief to hear that The Twelfth Fret is in good hands and looking to a prosperous future . Guitar collecting , especially vintage guitars is not a trend , and more and more guitars are becoming vintage items as time passes . While the MI retail business has its constant ups and downs , The Twelfth Fret is a staple of the Canadian market and has been for decades — and it ’ s not a store anyone of us wants to lose . For any of our readers in Toronto or visiting the city for any reason , if you haven ’ t , please go and check out the shop . And if you have , go for another visit . You just might find something you fall in love with .
CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE 23