Artists

Alex Lifeson

Alex is the legendary guitarist for the band RUSH. We could stop right there because that alone is a powerful statement of true brilliance and virtuosity. But we won’t because this is ALEX LIFESON! The man has created some of the greatest guitar-based songs, riffs and solos ever written. He is 1/3 of the most successful Canadian music group in history, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a bonafide guitar legend and a really down-to-earth, genuine man. We were honoured to have handcrafted not one but two guitars for Alex. An LD model which celebrates his mother with her name, “Melanjia” at the 12th fret as well as an AD100 Baritone model with “Alex” scribed in Greek letters on the fretboard. Most recently, we were entrusted with the restoration of Alexs’ very first electric guitar. The Canora semi-acoustic guitar was a Christmas gift from his parents at age 13. Incredibly, he formed RUSH just one year later.

www.rush.com
Canora Guitar Restoration Article

Zakk Wylde

Loucin Guitars is proud to have built two custom acoustic guitars for Black Label Society founder and former Ozzy Osbourne lead guitarist, Zakk Wylde. Although widely known as a lead electric guitarist, songwriter and producer of heavy metal music, Zakk is a phenomenally talented acoustic guitar player.

His Loucin LD acoustic guitars have custom hand inlaid tops (no paint or CNC) modelled after the famous Bullseye and Buzzsaw patterns.

“I can’t thank you enough for the beautiful guitars, you are gifted. Much strength and love”…Zakk.

www.blacklabelsociety.com
www.zakkwylde.com

Ian Thornley

Ian is a Canadian rock guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, educated at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He is best known for his band Big Wreck as well as Thornley.

Garren approached Ian with the idea to handcraft a one-of-a-kind LD model featuring highly figured tonewoods. The Loucin LD-Judy honours his late mother, featuring East Indian Rosewood back and sides, Bear Claw Sitka Spruce top, Brazilian Rosewood bridge and fretboard with his mothers name at the 12th fret, Curly Koa bindings, a SLANT armrest and Spalted Maple rosette.

www.bigwreckmusic.com

Andy Curran

Andy burst onto the Canadian music scene in 1982 as the founding member of Coney Hatch. The rocket-ride saw Currans’ hard rocking quartet share stages with Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Peter Frampton, Ted Nugent and RUSH.

Andy approached Garren with an idea to build a relic’d bass guitar using old timbers. During this time, Andy’s friend had purchased and renovated the legendary El Mocambo Tavern in Toronto where Andy was able to secure a select stock of rough timbers from the 3rd floor of the venue. The old growth pine dates back 250 years. Together, a 1951 P-Style bass was designed with a Swamp Ash body and an El Mocambo drop top. The bass is driven by a hand wound stacked MJS pickup, Emerson Custom electronics and relic’d hardware.

The bass is now known as the G-Bass, named by Andy and is now available as a standard model in the Loucin electric guitar line up.

“Garren is a master craftsman, so much TLC and attention to detail went into this build. I love my G-Bass, I use it live and in the recording studio. It sounds as good as it looks”…Andy.

www.andycurranmusic.com

Rik Emmett

Rik gained international recognition as the lead singer/songwriter/guitarist with the band Triumph from 1975 to 1988. Five gold and platinum records in the music business provided the Canadian power rock trio entry into the Canadian Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Music Industry Hall of Fame, the Junos Hall of Fame and the Canadian Walk of Fame with a few “Best Guitarist” awards in various categories garnered along the way. We were “absolutely” thrilled when asked to build a very unique “one-of-a-kind” electric guitar for him. A joint effort with Smitty of MJS Pick-Ups in Mississauga, Ontario. Keep checking back for a gallery of photos.

www.rikemmett.com

Richie Faulkner

Richie is an English musician best known as one of the lead guitarists for the heavy metal band Judas Priest. Faulkner has also performed with Lauren Harris, Christopher Lee, Voodoo Six, Deeds and Ace Mafia. We were very excited to build him a custom Loucin LD-RF. His model is built with Ziricote back and sides, Curly Sitka Spruce top and an Ebony fretboard with Mother of Pearl block inlays. This guitar features our SS cutaway and SLANT armrest finished in a satin nitrocellulose lacquer.

“This guitar is a piece of art. Playability, tone and personality in one beautiful piece of workmanship”…Richie.

www.judaspriest.com
www.richiefaulkner.com

Marty O'Brien

Marty is a professional bassist located in Los Angeles. His 20+ year touring career brought him to over 30 countries worldwide with some of rocks biggest acts. After 10 years on the road as the bassist for Lita Ford, Marty is currently playing for the band Daughtry. Other touring credits over the years include Tommy Lee, Methods of Mayhem, We Are The Fallen, Kilgore, Gus G, Disturbed and many more. In addition, Marty is a highly sought after session musician. He has recorded with numerous rock and pop artists such as Celine Dion, Chris Cornell, Tommy Lee, Lita Ford and Kelly Clarkson, including her #1 hit song “Because of You”.

Watch for Marty rocking out on stages with his Loucin G-Bass.

“One of the best sounding instruments I own. Amazing craftsmanship. I love this G-Bass”… Marty.

www.marty-obrien.com

Jamie Dupuis

Jamie recorded his first studio album “Inspired by a Dream” in 2011. An international scholarship competition winner placing 1st out of 1,000 competitors in the “Full Ride Scholarship” at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, California, he is also a graduate from Cambrian College in classical guitar performance, studying under Philip Candelaria. He has won 2nd place in Lee Ritenour’s international Six String Theory competition and 1st place in the country category. Jamie came to us requesting an LD model with a SLANT armrest excluding an SS cutaway. We constructed his guitar with highly figured Curly Maple back and sides and a Sitka Spruce top. A first for us, his rosette and headstock overlay are made from striking Redwood Burl.

www.jamiedupuismusic.com

Phil X

Phil is the secret weapon behind the awesome sound you hear on albums by Daughtry, Methods of Mayhem, Kelly Clarkson, Avril Lavigne, Adam Lambert, Rob Zombie and many others. He has also toured with Aldo Nova, Frozen Ghost, Triumph and has his own band “The Drills” who perform regularly in the LA area. Phil is now a permanent member of the band Bon Jovi. Phil needs to have a range of guitars that can achieve a wide variety of sounds at any given moment. To complement his playing style, he selected Hawaiian Koa back and sides for his Loucin LD-PX model. This guitar also features the SLANT armrest and SS cutaway.

“This guitar sounds amazing, I was really impressed by the tone and how it played. I could’ve stayed in that room and written 100 songs”…Phil.

www.bonjovi.com

Watch Phil test drive a Loucin LD

Jason Hook

Jason was the lead guitarist in Five Finger Death Punch. He has also recorded and toured with Alice Cooper, Vince Neil and many others. His technique is drenched with incredible feel and picking precision beyond comprehension. He is a perfectionist in the most positive sense of the word and worked closely with us every step of the way. With exacting precision, we created his custom Loucin AD-100 Baritone guitar with Claro Walnut back and sides, Sitka Spruce top, SLANT armrest and an SS cutaway.

“I look for 4 things in a guitar. Solid tuning, perfect intonation, smooth action and incredible tone. Loucin guitars have all those qualities and more. I love this guitar”…Jason.

www.jasonhook.net

Serj Tankian

Serj is the front-man and song writing force behind System of a Down. When we learned that Serj shared the same Armenian heritage as Loucin founder Garren Dakessian, we wanted to create a custom guitar that was international like Tankian, a Lebanese-born Armenian residing between Southern California and New Zealand. For the back and sides we chose Curly Claro Walnut, a tonal wood native to California. For the top we used Bear Claw Sitka Spruce from Canada and for the appointments around the body and headstock perimeters, Paua Abalone shell from New Zealand. The result was just like his music, spectacular, original and with lots of depth and character.

“An extremely well designed and adorned guitar with rich resonant tones and great action”…Serj.

www.serjtankian.com
www.systemofadown.com

Jaclyn Kenyon

Jaclyn is a 25 year old singer/songwriter originally from Burlington, Ontario who now resides in Nashville, Tennessee. She began performing professionally at the age of 12 and gained national media attention as the youngest performer in Canada’s all female artist showcase. This led to opportunities with major record labels and co-writing sessions with top Billboard writers, including members of Bon Jovi, The Eagles, Aerosmith, Crosby, Stills and Nash and others. Jaclyn’s music is a fusion of country and rock influences, and she released her new EP, featuring her Boots and Hearts Emerging Artist 2021 single “Heart Says No” with the goal of inspiring and touching peoples lives through the gift of music.

We crafted a beautiful all Hawaiian Koa LD model. This guitar features our SLANT armrest, SS cutaway with a very special 12th fret inlay designed by Jaclyn. A treble clef, the letter “J” and a cross.

Nathan Carr

Nathan is a gifted 19-year-old musician, guitarist, singer/songwriter born and raised in Ajax, Ontario. He’s been carrying a guitar around since the age of 3, and writing his own music since he was 11 years old. With an interest in the production side of the industry, Nathan attended Metalworks Institute for Audio Production and Engineering.

He fronts his own solo project “The Nathan Carr Band” and as an active musician in the Toronto scene, he has supported the likes of Kim Mitchell, Greg Godovitz, Frank Soda and Blue Coupe.

We built Nathan a Mo’Caster “Cabo” with a roasted Ash body and a Maple neck with a Rosewood fretboard. This custom guitar is equipped with a pair of amazing sounding MJS pick-ups, a Rotary in the neck position and a Kick in the bridge.

“This Mo’Caster has very quickly become my favourite guitar of my collection. Garren’s amazing craftsmanship has made it possible for me as guitarist to connect to the rich musical history engrained in the wood of this very special guitar”…Nathan.

Nathan Carr Official