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EndorsersDave Barton
Dave Barton first studied guitar by trying to copy Chet Atkins records at the age of 10, and started gigging professionally at 16. He went on to study classical guitar at Queen’s University with Elli Kassner and Aaron Skitri. Self-study in jazz was a constant theme throughout his formative years, and Dave is a busy guitarist, arranger/composer and teacher in Kingston, Ont. Active in live performance and studio work, Dave has been fortunate to perform with many of Canada’s great jazz players: Sonny Greenwich, Ed Bickert, Phil Nimmons, Sam Noto, Brian Dickenson, John MacLeod, Phil Dwyer, Jon Ballantine, Denny Christianson, Mike Murley, Rob Campbell, Chris McCann, Dave Young, Barry Romberg, Aaron Davis, Bernie Senensky, Roddy Elias, Rob Frayne, Kenny Wheeler, Greg Runions, Jim Galloway, Oliver Jones, Ranee Lee, Richard Ring, and many others... Dave has been kind enough over the last few years to test drive some of my archtops. He told me one day, after a session playing the "Workhorse": "you know JP, if Diana Krall were to call me to get on tour, that's the guitar I would take with me...". Nothing to add. Case closed. Dave Barton Signature model (see Archtop gallery for more pics)
A few months ago, Dave and I finally managed to find the time to sit together and talk about building a guitar to his specs. Here's Dave's recollection of how it all happened, and what he had in mind: “JP had invited me over to try his guitars out often. I was always impressed by the workmanship and tone of his guitars. I had owned some factory-made archtops in the past, and always ended up selling them – they were too big (I'm classically trained- I like a smaller body) and lacked sustain on the lower strings. JP's' guitars always sounded amazing – lots of warmth and even sustain – but they were still too big for my preferred posture. On one of my visits, JP said “I want to make you a guitar! Let's talk! A few visits later, we had a concept – a 15 inch archtop, with a slightly wider neck. All I can say is , Wow! The results were amazing – JP's incredible workmanship and tone, in a smaller body that fits me perfectly! This model will appeal to players that like to rest the guitar on the left knee in the classical style, or just like a more compact body. It sounds huge – not at all lacking in fullness. JP, you are an artist!” What can I say. Still not convinced? Hear Dave in two recent recordings with his brand new (a few weeks old!) Dave Barton Signature (recorded Direct out to PC from his Evans amp). BIBLIO (copyright SOCAN 2009) Autumn Leaves You can also hear Dave test drive "Autumn Leaves" in the Clips below. And for more from Dave, visit his MySpace website: Dave Barton Site
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