Peate mandolin and banjos were sold by Peate Musical supplies in Montreal from the early 1900s onwards. in the 1950s Peate began using the Mansfield brand for their guitars. Peate Musical Supplies was founded by George Alfred Peate, a teen-aged mandolin virtuoso, who toured North America and Europe as a concert soloist. George Peate settled down in Montreal, put together his life savings of a several hundred dollars and opened a small musical instrument shop. Montreal at the time was a city of gaslit streets and horsedrawn carriages, but there was a strong interest in music and George Peate's store prospered. By 2010 Peate Musical was the oldest family-owned musical instrument distributor  in North America, and a leading wholesaler & agent  in Canada.

Source: Peate Music (archived 2010)