Recap of the day, in a few minutes

A cut from the floor at Lago, put together the week after the show.

Watch the full builders panel

A crowd around a player trying a guitar through an amp on the floor at Lago

2026

Sunday, September 13, at Dows Lake Pavilion

A sold-out room at Lago, and a group of builders who had never been in one place in Canada. Tom Murphy, Austin MacNutt, Carlos Lopez, Mike Eldred and Rich Renken sat on one panel and talked about how they build. Powers Electric, Novo, Two-Rock, Empress and the Boutique Amps crew brought their gear and their people, and Ariel Posen closed it out with his band.

The guitars were the reason to be there. Pieces that had been on order for years came out of their cases that day, most of them one-of-a-kind, and the same day every one of them went up on this site. About half a million dollars of gear in one room.

Some of our favourite pieces from the show

The headline pieces

The Chimayo Telecaster with its matching Two-Rock head and 2x12

The Chimayo set

A '52 Telecaster masterbuilt by Andy Hicks at the Fender Custom Shop, four years on order, with a Two-Rock Silver Sterling Signature 150W head and matching 2x12. Kyle Keesler of K5 Design drew the Chimayo motif, and it runs from the guitar to the amp's grille. Built as a set, sold as a set.

Castedosa Conchers double neck #581 in Antigua

Castedosa Conchers Double Neck #581

Carlos Lopez built it for the show and finished it on August 24: a twelve-string baritone over a six-string baritone on one ash body, in Antigua. Six hand-wound pickups, and Castedosa's La Raza fuzz circuit built into the guitar itself. There is nothing else like it.

See the double neck

Ariel Posen and his band on stage at the Beyond the Burst Guitar Showcase, the crowd packed in front

Ariel Posen

Closing the night

Ariel Posen closed the showcase with his full band. He plays Two-Rock amps, and Carlos Lopez masterbuilt one of his Jazzmasters at the Fender Custom Shop, so a fair bit of the bill was already in his rig.

The crowd packed in at the front of the stage for it.

Lago, from two until close

Photos from the floor, the panel, and Ariel Posen's set.

  • The Castedosa booth at the Beyond the Burst Guitar Showcase, guitars on stands in front of a red curtain
  • Players trying pedals on headphones at the Empress Effects table
  • Ariel Posen singing with his band at the Beyond the Burst Guitar Showcase
  • Guests looking over guitars on the floor at Lago
  • Ariel Posen at the mic at Lago
  • Guests among the guitar racks at the Beyond the Burst Guitar Showcase

Who was in the room

The bill

This group had never been in one room in Canada before. Ariel Posen closed the night with his full band.

  • Tom Murphy

    Gibson Custom Shop

    The Murphy Lab is named after him. He was ageing Gibsons by hand before relic'd guitars were a category.

  • Austin MacNutt

    Fender Custom Shop

    One of the small number of Master Builders at the Custom Shop.

  • Carlos Lopez

    Castedosa Guitars

    Sixteen years as a Fender Master Builder before Castedosa. He has built for Ariel Posen, who closed the night.

  • Mike Eldred

    El Cabron Guitars

    He ran the Fender Custom Shop before he started building under his own name, and he brought El Cabron guitars with him.

  • Rich Renken

    James Tyler Guitars

    General manager at Tyler. He first went to work for Jim Tyler in 1987.

  • Chad Hines

    Novo Guitars

    Built in Nashville. Chad handles sales.

  • Drew Shirley, with Aaron Dablow

    Powers Electric

    Drew spent years playing guitar in Switchfoot. Powers Electric gave the afternoon's first presentation.

  • Eli Lester

    Two-Rock and Divided by 13

    He owns Two-Rock, kept small and hand-built, and bought Divided by 13 in 2024. One booth, both brands.

  • James Garza

    Soldano, Friedman, Tone King and Diezel

    Sales rep for Boutique Amps Distribution, who build Soldano, Friedman and Tone King and distribute Diezel.

  • Steve Bragg

    Empress Effects

    Founded Empress in an Ottawa garage in 2005 and still builds there. The one name on the bill who didn't fly in.

About the show

Will there be another one?

Yes. We're planning it now. Join the list on this page and we'll email you when it's set.

Can I still buy something from the 2026 show?

Some of it is still here. Every piece went into the shop with the rest of our gear, so you'll find it in its normal collections, and the double neck above is one of them.

Where and when was the 2026 show?

Dows Lake Pavilion at Lago, 1001 Queen Elizabeth Driveway, Ottawa. Sunday, September 13, 2026, from 2:00 to 8:00 PM.

Questions

Ask us anything about a piece

Where we ship, how a piece was built, or what it is like in the hand. Someone who plays will answer it.