Nov. 2007
LUTHIER SPOTLIGHT

Located 30 minutes from the two largest cities in Wisconsin, Paramount Guitars is creating one of the largest and most eclectic collections of luthier-built guitars in the Midwest. While the roots of the business date back to the early 1980s, its current manifestation began in 2005. Owner Kenn Fox and his wife, blues vocalist Mare Edstrom, have a passion for exotic guitars, not only selling them, but also playing them live and on their many acclaimed recordings.

The Paramount website explores many new and interesting ways to present their array of one-of-a-kind guitars. This online gallery format offers full picture portfolios as well as sound bytes, written and performed by Fox, for every guitar. Featured builders include Kronbauer, Webber, Northwood, Rayco Resonators, Kilpatrick and Morgan from Canada, Mcilroy and Larkin from Ireland, and Sanden from Sweden.

While most of these in-demand builders have a significant wait time, Paramount has a wide selection available at all times. Customers can also observe the process of guitar building on the site via the "View the Process" photos supplied by many of the luthiers. Guitars can also be auditioned by appointment seven days a week in their state-of-the-art showroom located in a lovely two-story turn-of-the-century building in downtown Watertown, Wisconsin.