MOOSE JAW — In a small shop in the quiet village of Tugaske, Sask., Bill Lawson is turning old instruments into new ones — quite literally.
The retired woodworker and self-described hobbyist has been crafting guitars, ukuleles, and other handmade instruments out of salvaged materials, including wood from an early-1900s Heintzman player piano he dismantled piece by piece.
“As I told you, I’m far from being a luthier,” Lawson said humbly. “But I enjoy woodworking, and I’ve found ways to reuse some really beautiful old wood. It’s a way to keep busy and give something old a new voice.”
That voice now sings through the body of several custom acoustic guitars — one of which includes a neck made from the century-old piano’s wood, body sides of Saskatchewan birch, and a top of Sitka spruce sourced from Regina’s Sawchyn Guitars.
“It took many hours to salvage and prep the wood, but it was worth it to see the results,” Lawson said. “It allowed the piano to be enjoyed in other ways.”
The piano, too large and heavy to be removed from a basement intact, was slated for disposal until a real estate agent friend asked Lawson if he could take it apart and haul it out in pieces.
“A few years back, I was contacted by a friend and real estate agent who was in need of someone to remove a piano as a condition of sale,” Lawson recalled. “There was no possibility of removing it intact, so I was asked to take it apart and remove it in pieces. This involved many hours of work, but being a woodworker — and retired — I was interested in the wood that was available.”
That project became the spark for something more — a hobby that now includes guitars, ukuleles, toys, xylophones, cribbage boards, and more.
Lawson often works alongside his wife, Lisa, who makes handsewn quilts. “We like to keep as busy as we can making ‘things,’” he said. “She with her beautiful quilts, and me with my woodworking.”
The attention to detail in his work is striking. One guitar features a maple fretboard with rosewood markers, a K&K Pure Mini pickup, and a bone saddle and nut. Inside the body, the label carries a sketch of an old house in Mortlach — a tribute to Lawson’s roots — and a name that blends family history.
“The label says Carl May,” he explained. “It’s my father and mother’s names combined.”
Despite his craftsmanship, Lawson is quick to downplay his skills. “I just try to get the guitar ‘right’ with the knowledge I’ve gained from my woodworking hobby and some research,” he said. “My hope is that it plays and sounds good and looks good as well.”
It will take a little time for each wooden instrument to come alive, but he builds each instrument with lasting enjoyment in mind and he knows they’ll continue making music for years to come. “It may take a few hours of playing for it to achieve its true voice,” he added.
“I would likely not salvage (a piano) again, but would encourage other people to give it a go to save and enjoy these pieces of history in some shape or form.”
Though he hesitates to call himself a guitar maker, the results speak for themselves — and in the hands of a musician, his work is helping a forgotten piano sing once more.
“It’s about saving and enjoying these pieces of history,” Lawson said. “One at a time.”
Bill Lawson can be reached by email at [email protected].
