Ask any normal guitar player, “How many guitars do you need?” and you may get the answer, “Just one more.”
What is it about the shape, color, and of course the function of a guitar that makes it an irresistible collectible for some people? Some people believe that a guitar, whether traditional, acoustic, or modern and electric is simply the perfect synthesis of music’s form and function. If the conversation turns to modern guitar manufacturers, Connecticut must be mentioned. Names like Ovation, and Guild might come up. But there are small one- and two-man operations as well...and one of them is located in Sherman, CT, near the shores of Candlewood Lake.

Frank Broklehurst and Joe Kenneally are the “B” and the “K” of B and K Instruments. Joe Kenneally operates Candle Woodworks as a successful custom cabinet shop in the garage of his home in Sherman. In 2006, he began looking for a shop man to assist in the construction and installation of his work. Frank Brocklehurst was introduced to him by a mutual friend, and he was hired. Frank worked as a musician, music teacher and occasional guitar repairman. Working with Joe, Frank learned the basics of cabinetry, and when there was an occasional slow day, he would bring in an instrument that needed some repair. As Joe puts it, “It wasn’t long before I realized that I had hired Frank so that he could teach me how to build guitars!” So began the genesis of a classic “cottage industry”.
For Joe, the challenge was to work on an entirely new scale. “With cabinets, I’m working with measurements of 1/16’, or 1/32’. Instruments require measurements of 1/64’ and 1/128;”. After all, the owners of these instruments are going to be holding them right in their hands, so there is no room for error. In fact, there’s a large block of granite in the shop that has been machined to within less than .00017” of perfectly flat! Frank explained that it was used for sanding wood parts that would be joined together, and to get the strongest joint possible, the mating surfaces needed to be as flat as possible.

 “The really interesting thing about Frank is that he should really be doing this,” Joe is quick to point out that. It’s easy to see that Frank equally enjoys working on a valuable Fender Telecaster repair or explaining the process of building a new guitar from scratch.
This guitar shop doesn’t just build instruments like 5 string basses or custom guitars with new shapes and colors; they build guitars to the requirements of the player. They’ve built short scale, narrow neck guitars for younger players along with guitars for people with extra large fingers.

According to Frank, “When someone comes to see me about a custom guitar or bass, I like to sit down with them and really pick their brains about it. If someone is going to pay good money for a custom item, you really have to get it right.” He goes on, “80 to 100 years ago, most objects were made by hand, maybe made by yourself. At the very least you knew the person who made it and you understood the process by which it was made. Nowadays, we don’t understand the object, we’ll never know the person who made it, and it was made to last only until it could be replaced by a newer model. B and K has a lifetime warranty. A person who buys one of ours can meet me and talk to me.” So how many guitars have they sold? “We’ve sold eleven customs, and we’ve got some standards in shops around the area.”

 B and K Instruments uses exotic woods like African Mahogany, Purple Heart, and Wenge, as well as more traditional species like Swamp Ash, Flame Maple and Alder. Special attention must be paid to the finish to bring out the natural beauty of all these materials. The complicated swirls and eddies of the wood grain become accented and enhanced by the application of the protective “French Lacquer” finish. Frank emphasizes that although they use unusual types of wood, they make a special effort not to use endangered species of wood. They even find wood salvaged from wood pallets and debris piles with special qualities that make it an excellent choice for a musical instrument. In keeping with its environmentally-friendly approach, they use water-based, water-soluble lacquer.
So how do these two entrepreneurs with such disparate backgrounds work together? Incredibly well, it seems. Joe comes up with production ideas that streamline the process. Frank says, “He may be learning guitar building from me, but his experience comes into play everyday.”

And what does Joe say? “Well at the end of the day, we can say ‘what did we make today?’ and the answer is that there’s a very nice pile of sawdust over there in that corner and over here we have this beautiful piece of art, whether it’s a custom cabinet or a custom guitar.”