Guitar workshop is one of the many club activities that Clearfield Junior/Senior High School offers. Guitar workshop is an activity period club where you spend your time throughout the entire year hand-making your own personalized guitar. In the club you focus on creating electric guitars from 3 different prints that are available. But, making a guitar from scratch is no easy task as Mr. Pistner, founder of the club, states.  

“There is AutoCAD drawings, MasterCAM drawings, CNC Machining and hand work to be done just for the wood aspect of the build. After that you have to understand sealers, primers, paint, electrical, manufacturing, etc., etc., to complete the build. If you are not willing to research and try and try again, there is no way you could build a functioning guitar,” explained Mr. Pistner. He says that the entire process will take the entire school year’s worth of activity periods, which is roughly 34+ hours.  

Unfortunately, becoming part of the club is not much easier of a task. Only 3 people in the past have completed the guitar-making process: Herschel Johnson, Spencer Graham, and Logan Stover, and this year only 8 people have the opportunity to take up the challenge.

“Not only are there the things to think about and work with that I explained so far but for the club itself we are looking for outstanding juniors and seniors that are able to attend ALL club periods. They should also have taken at least 1-2 classes with Mr. Lytle and me (so they understand a little bit about building) and they need to apply the year before they would like to get into the club,” explained Mr. Pistner.  

Mr. Pistner says he started this club last year for the main purpose of challenging himself and the students of the school, “Mr. Scaife really made the push and put the research into effect to convince me to open the shop up to this, but we have amazing tools and a wild amount of support from our teachers and administration to pull something like this off, so it was a challenge accepted.” He adds, “I have never done a large project like this before but as a woodworker, lore says we are doomed to 2 things. One is to build an instrument, the other is to build a boat or canoe, so I guess we are half way there!”  

If you successfully manage to create a functional guitar, the guitar workshop staff will be glad to help you learn how to play it. “I always have time to jam down here in the wood lab; Mr. Scaife and Mr. Taylor are very good guitar players and will work with students when the time arises. As far as the school goes, I know the music department offers several levels of guitar and teaches a lot about playing,” explains Mr. Pistner.  

If anyone is interested in joining guitar workshop for the 2019-2020 school year, see Mr. Pistner, Mr. Scaife, or Mr. Taylor for an application to the club.