Bio
Who is Kris Forward?
Kris Forward is a carpenter and contractor, as well as husband and father. He works in his family’s construction business (Forward Construction). He has spent much of his years acquiring the knowledge, skills, and experience that would one day come together and allow him to follow his lifelong dream of becoming a Luthier. Now he is the maker of unique and beautiful electric guitars under his own KF brand.
If you would like to purchase a guitar or have one made please contact me.
Phone: 828.777.1339
General Questions
Luthier
What is a Luthier?
A luthier ( /?lu?ti?r/ loo-ti-?r)[1] is someone who makes or repairs lutes and other string instruments. In the United States, the term is used interchangeably with any term that refers to a specific, or specialty type of stringed instrument, such as violin maker, guitar maker, lute maker, etc. The word luthier comes from the French word luth, which means “lute”. The craft of making string instruments, or lutherie, is commonly divided into two main categories: makers of stringed instruments that are plucked or strummed and makers of stringed instruments that are bowed.[2] Since bowed instruments require a bow, the second category includes a subtype known as a bow maker or archetier. –from the Wikipedia Page on Luthiers
What are the parts of an Electric Guitar?
- Bar: A metal rod attached to the bridge that varies the string tension by tilting the bridge back and forth. Also called the tremolo bar, whammy bar, vibrato bar, and wang bar
- Body: Provides an anchor for the neck and bridge and creates the playing surface for the left or right hand. On an electric, it consists of the housing for the bridge assembly and electronics (pickups as well as tone and volume controls).
- Bridge: The metal plate that anchors the strings to the body.
- End pin: A metal post where the rear end of the strap connects.
- Fingerboard: A flat, plank-like piece of wood that sits atop the neck, where you place your left-hand fingers to produce notes and chords. The fingerboard is also known as the fretboard because the frets are embedded in it.
- Frets: Thin metal wires or bars running perpendicular to the strings that shorten the effective vibrating length of a string, enabling it to produce different pitches.
- Headstock: The section that holds the tuning machines (hardware assembly) and provides a place for the manufacturer to display its logo.
- Neck: The long, club-like wooden piece that connects the headstock to the body.
- Nut: A grooved sliver of bone, but can be stiff nylon or other synthetic substance, that stops the strings from vibrating beyond the neck. The strings pass through grooves on their way to the tuners in the headstock. The nut is one of the two points at which the vibrating area of the string ends. (The other is the bridge.)
- Jack The insertion point for the cord that connects the guitar to an amplifier or other electronic device.
-
Selector: A switch that determines which pickups are currently active.
-
Pickups: Bar-like magnets that create the electrical current, which the amplifier converts into musical sound.
- Strap pin: Metal post where the front, or top, end of the strap connects.
- Strings: Although not strictly part of the actual guitar (you attach and remove them at will on top of the guitar), strings are an integral part of the whole system, and a guitar’s entire design and structure revolves around making the strings ring out with a joyful noise.
- Top: The face of the guitar. On an electric, the top is merely a cosmetic or decorative cap that overlays the rest of the body material.
- Tuning machines: Geared mechanisms that raise and lower the tension of the strings, drawing them to different pitches. The strings wrap tightly around posts that sticks out through the top, or face, of the headstock. The posts pass through to the back of the headstock, where gears connect them to tuning keys (also known as tuners, tuning pegs, and tuning gears).
- Volume and tone controls: Knobs that vary the loudness of the guitar’s sound and its bass and treble frequencies.
Here are the basic parts. This list is not intended to show every possible variation, just a good standard list.
–Taken from http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/parts-of-an-electric-guitar.html
Purchasing Questions
Purchase
How do I purchase a guitar or other instrument from you?
There are several ways you can purchase a custom electric guitar or other instrument from me. So get in touch!
- You can call me at (828) 777-1339
- You can email me at forwardguitars@gmail.com
- You can use my Contact Form.


