Everything began when Paul started learning music with his father’s old acoustic guitar, Henri Lairat. Very soon, Paul wanted to make this guitar look more modern and to his liking and this lead him to instinctively make his first custom instrument in the small family garage.

This is how Paul felt that he wanted to be involved in the making and creation of instruments, which pushed the future stringed instrument maker to realise his first electric guitar (the “Sanoa“, which was first named the “PL1”).

His training and experience as a cabinetmaker and the making of “Provençaux” instruments helped him achieve his goal…

The first “Paul Lairat” guitar was born. It was a great satisfaction both in terms of aesthetic and acoustic, but the imagination of the stringed instrument maker was only starting and his constant research to conceive more precise and aesthetically nicer design lead him to where he is now. During three years, he spent his time to create six confidential guitars and basses. This is how in 2000 Paul showed his own range of instruments “Paul Lairat” at the International Musique Festival of Paris (France).

Most musicians felt a strong interest in his work, but that was not enough for the stringed instrument maker who wanted to provide the musicians with the “Unique” guitar or bass available in the market.

It is in 2004 that Paul realised his wish in making the “Stega bass“, an unprecedented model , which revolutionised the world of Basses through its futuristic aesthetic, its ergonomic, while keeping polyvalence in the sound, strong, dynamic, rich in harmonic and extremely precise.

The positive feedback of this bass from musicians, and amateurs of music instruments, and his desire to share his passion, pushed him to attend and participate at one of the world most recognised fair “The Musikmesse of Frankfurt”(Germany).

It is in this dynamic that in 2006 a new model of bass, the “Gabriella“, was released: a hollow body bass fretless which offers a very close sound to a double bass. Paul Lairat obtained, by the US magazine “Bass Gear“, the award of “The Best Stringed Instrument Maker” for the conception of the “Gabriella” and the “Stega” basses model.

This reward drove Paul Lairat look forward, and he then went farther, taking part to the famous and mythic temple of Music, the “Namm Show” in Los Angeles, to continue promoting his basses and guitars worldwide.

In 2012, a new bass model was specially created for the “Namm Show” the “Syria“.

Among all basses in competition, the “Syria” was awarded “the most votes from internet users” from the American website of the magazine “Premier Guitar“.

This is how all started in 1994…