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These one-of-a-kind guitars at ETSU blend craftsmanship and innovation  

The soft glow of the lights reflects off the unfinished wood as the workshop hums from the sound of drills.  

 One student leans intently over a wooden frame, gently smoothing the edges with fine sandpaper.   

 Across the room, another student applies adhesive to intricate bracing.  

 What these East Tennessee State University students are doing: creating beautiful, one-of-a-kind guitars, some of which will be used on the stage by performers in the university’s world-class Bluegrass, Old Time and Roots Music Studies program. 

 “There’s something really special about watching these students take raw materials and turn them into instruments that carry craftsmanship and soul,” said Bill Hemphill, an associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences who is teaching one of the guitar-making courses this semester. “Every guitar built here tells a unique story, and it’s an honor to guide them through that process.”  

 Established in 2011 with a $5,000 start-up grant from the ETSU Instructional Development Committee, the ETSU Guitar Building Project has drawn over a hundred students to Wilson-Wallis Hall.   

 Shortly after the project started over a decade ago, instructors added electric guitar-building into the engineering technology curriculum. In the “Manufacturing Technologies” class, upper-level engineering technology students leverage their skills to design and build custom electric guitars.  

 By 2019, the university included an acoustic guitar component. In partnership with the bluegrass program at ETSU, students and faculty build and customize a professionally manufactured acoustic guitar kit with their choice of numerous ETSU-designed top and back bracing styles.   

 The polished instruments reflect an art form that bridges engineering and creativity.   

 “ETSU is the leader in developing and offering alternative bracing options to first-time student builders,” said Hemphill. “With Holger Olesen, a bluegrass instructor and performer, we have developed and built numerous new and innovative bracing designs, some of which have been sent out to select educational partners across the country for evaluation by STEM Guitar Project faculty.”  

 Education leaders across the nation have taken notice of ETSU’s program.  

 In the summer of 2021, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) teachers from across the United States came to ETSU’s main campus to build acoustic guitars. 

In just five days, they transformed a kit of spruce, mahogany, ebony, laser-cut plywood and hardware into finished guitars. This workshop of the STEM Guitar Project based in Dayton, Ohio, was part of an initiative funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to increase student engagement in the STEM disciplines by instructing teachers in how to incorporate electric and acoustic guitars within grade school and college-level STEM programs. 

 “The impact of this program extends far beyond the walls of our workshops,” Hemphill said. “We’re not just teaching students how to design and build guitars. We’re inspiring the next generation of makers, innovators and musicians.”   

Follow the ETSU Guitar Building Project’s social media site for regular updates.