KULTIQ

The Maple Leaf Forever Guitar

The Maple Leaf Forever Guitar is crafted from the historic maple tree that inspired Alexander Muir to write the patriotic song “The Maple Leaf Forever.” This culturally significant instrument is kept in trust and loaned to a different Canadian musician every few years, to be toured, recorded with, and shared with audiences across the country.

In 1867, the year of Canada’s Confederation, Scottish immigrant Alexander Muir was living on Laing Street in Toronto, Ontario. It was there that a large maple tree near his home inspired him to compose “The Maple Leaf Forever,” a song that would go on to serve as Canada’s unofficial national anthem for decades.

In July 2013, that same historic tree was brought down by a thunderstorm. Initially slated to be mulched, public outcry led to a movement to preserve the wood for meaningful projects. Among the items created from the salvaged tree were a gavel for the Supreme Court of Canada and the speaker’s podium at Toronto City Council.

In 2014, Colin Cripps of Blue Rodeo envisioned crafting two guitars from the tree—one acoustic and one electric—as a tribute to Canada's musical heritage. He also proposed that these instruments be custodial, passed from musician to musician rather than being privately owned. With approval from Toronto City Council, the acoustic guitar was built by luthier David Fox, and the electric by Tom Bartlett. Both were completed in September 2015.

Since then, the electric Maple Leaf Forever Guitar has been played by numerous celebrated Canadian artists, including Bill Bell (Tom Cochrane), Steve Sladkowski (PUP), and Sam Roberts. It was first played in studio and on stage by Paul Langlois of The Tragically Hip, notably featured during the band’s final national performance in August 2016, broadcast live by CBC.

Its appearance at KULTIQ marks the first time the guitar is being publicly displayed, offering visitors a rare opportunity to see up close a living piece of Canadian history and music.