Guitar building with guitar club

Irene Astran, Sports Editor

Guitar teacher Mark Berntson hosted a lesson on guitar building, Dec. 16. The club activity featured Bill Brunton,  a professional guitar builder. He informed the students how each guitar is composed and the proper tools used to create the body, neck and fingerboard of the instrument. Each of his projects undergo many steps in order for the composition to be made just right. Brunton elaborated on how different types of wood can affect the sound and the style of the guitar. He demonstrated how each piece he uses for the neck of the guitar must be “awakened” in order for it to be useable and eventually placed onto the guitar. By using his professional ear, Brunton explains that he taps the guitar with his finger and if it does not produce the right sound then he places the piece of wood away until it is ready: which could take years. He ended his lesson by displaying a guitar he had recently made and gave a brief preview of his guitar playing abilities.