Christopher Williams ’92, a Nashville-based songwriter and storyteller, got his start at Bucknell writing songs and running a coffeehouse and acoustic series. The religion major enjoys a thriving career that takes him to venues around the country. “Now I do everything from playing house concerts in people’s living rooms unplugged, all the way up to playing theaters and big spaces for a couple thousand people,” he says. For a quarter-century, his constant companion has been his guitar.
It has a sitka spruce top, which is a Canadian wood. The woods have a lot to do with how the guitar sounds and how the tones come out. The guitar’s sides and the back are koa, a Hawaiian wood known for having a really deep tone. The spruce top gives it brightness, then the koa creates a low depth. I do a lot of of alternate tuning, instead of the standard guitar tuning, so I wanted a guitar that would be able to hold a really solid low end, but without losing the crisp top. As the guitar ages, it becomes even sweeter sounding.
It is one of a kind, and it’s been through the wringer, with tons of shows. And it’s worn down after 25 years of playing shows. My guitar is almost like an appendage at this point and feels so natural to hold and play. It is very much a part of me, after all these years.
— As told to Sherri Kimmel