Richard Séguin, Serge Fiori, Plume Latraverse, Jean Leloup, Gilles Valiquette: the list of pillars of Quebec music who have used the services of luthier Michel Fournelle is as impressive as his longevity in the profession.
Occupying a tiny premises on rue Guizot, in the Villeray district, the 74-year-old man has built a pool of renowned customers “because he prides himself on slowness, silence and the craftsmanship” , according to singer Richard Séguin.
TOMA ICZKOVITS
“A good luthier is someone who remembers that the guitar comes from the tree,” says the performer of America Day. Michel has this quality of being very respectful towards all the wood he touches. He knows its origins.”
Courtesy Michel Fournelle
The main person involved, who opened the doors of the MF Lutherie in 1982, preserves the same sparkle in his eyes when he talks about stringed instruments.
“You have to love it and I don’t get up reluctantly in the morning,” says Michel Fournelle during a visit to the Journal in his business. No two instruments are the same. There is always a renewal. We’re not bored.”
Self-taught
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Michel Fournelle’s career began at the iconic La Tosca store in the Village when he was 21. After buying a guitar he couldn’t afford, he offered his services to the owner.
“It was a lot of business,” he recalls. “Nobody wanted to fix broken instruments.”
A self-taught craftsman, he began developing the guitars and basses of great musicians such as Gilles Valiquette, Serge Fiori and Jean-Pierre Ferland, and the majority of them continued to call on him when he launched his business.
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MF’s last bastion
For many years, he shared his tasks with five other enthusiasts, including Jacques Simoneau, who “single-handedly made about 375 of the 390 MF guitars.” His death in 2023 coincided with the cessation of production of instruments from the prestigious house brand. Lacking a skilled workforce, Michel Fournelle struggled to compensate for his loss, as did that of his other colleagues who retired or changed their vocation.
“I take care of everything,” he says. “I would like to find someone to take over here. I’m going to be 75 soon. That might interest a lot of people, but the only problem is that the rents are way too expensive.”
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Like a good restaurant
Richard Séguin describes the MF Lutherie as a sacred place for musicians, “where many guitarists would have coffee if the premises were bigger”.
“When you go to the luthier, there is no spotlight. We are in the truth of guitar playing, of the complicity that we can have with our instrument.”
Michel Fournelle, for his part, compares his premises to another type of establishment.
“At the age I have reached, I repair the instruments of the children and grandchildren of my first customers,” he concludes. When people are satisfied, they come back… like in a good restaurant!”
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Renowned clients
During his long and fruitful career, Michel Fournelle developed a professional relationship with many great Quebec artists. Here are a few.
Jean Leloup
ANNIE T. ROUSSEL/QUEBEC JOURNAL/QMI AGENCY
“He’s special. He buys specific instruments and they fix them just for him. He moves air! He would sit on the bench [dans le coin du local] and played tunes all afternoon.”
Plume Latreverse
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The enigmatic Plume was one of the first regular customers of the MF Lutherie. He even painted a portrait of Félix Leclerc which he gave to Michel Fournelle… behind which it is written: “Portrait of Philippe Leclerc”!
Jean-Pierre Ferland
Archive Journal
«He came to see us at La Tosca, he opened his tank case and he took his guitar. No cash, nothing! She was eating flocks. He was a special customer. He was rather quiet and embarrassed.”
Serge Fiori
Courtesy Michel Fournelle
After repairing his instruments for several years at La Tosca, Michel Fournelle became friends with the leader of Harmonium and the rest of the group. “We went fishing together and while I had my line in the water, he played the flute! I knew his scores and Michel’s [Normandeau]so I could play with either one!”
Felix Leclerc
Photo d’archives
One of his feats of arms is to have repaired a guitar ravaged by a flood which belonged to Félix Leclerc, which the songwriter Claude Gauthier had brought him. “I received the handle in one bag and the body in another! The two of us worked on this for weeks, but Félix died a few days before it was ready.”
