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  Balkun Guitars was founded in 2010 by luthier/musician/artist Stephen V. Balkun. Hailing from Hartford, Connecticut, Steve has spent over thirteen years providing the greater Hartford area with professional guitar repair, maintenance, restoration and custom work of the highest quality. Servicing instruments for beginning musicians and seasoned pros alike, Steve has built a reputation as a go-to repair and restoration shop for the Hartford areas most prized string instruments. Steve’s experience as a professionally trained luthier, a life long artist, a craftsman and a professional musician, gives him a unique set of skills and perspective to create truly one of a kind instruments that have a look, feel and sound all their own.

 

“Every instrument is hand crafted using fine hard woods that are specifically selected for their aesthetic and tonal qualities. Paying the greatest attention to detail, I aim to create unique instruments of exceptional artistry, quality and playability. It is my dedication to the beauty, feel and tonal excellence of each instrument that makes a Balkun Guitar one of the best you’ll ever own. “

-Steve Balkun, Luthier   2020

 

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 ABOUT STEVE

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Growing up in West Hartford, CT, Steve began exploring his creativity from a very young age. His parents are both artists; his mother is a multi-talented visual artist and his father is a master woodcarver. Drawing and painting was his first natural medium, then came music, and eventually woodcraft and luthiery.

After attending Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, Steve became an active musician in the North East music scene, forming and touring with several bands. In 2010 Steve and his younger brother Nick formed the rock ‘n roll power-duo ‘Balkun Brothers’ and regularly tours throughout the U.S. and Europe.

     Steve began tinkering with guitars while living in Boston and eventually drew up blue prints for his own designs. In the summer of 2009 Steve enlisted the help of his woodworker father ‘Big Steve’, and the two of them worked in their West Hartford workshop to create his first custom guitar prototypes. Immediately bitten by the guitar building bug, Steve went on to study with luthier John Marshall at Luthiers International Guitar Building and Repair School in Georgia. There Steve spent day and night learning the craft, expanding his knowledge and skills while getting hands on experience repairing, restoring and building custom instruments.

After months of training, Steve returned to Hartford in 2010 and set up shop as ‘Balkun Guitars’ where he has worked as a luthier for over 13 years. In 2020 Steve and his lovely wife Sara moved to Bloomfield, CT where Steve has expanded his custom instrument building operations.

            When he’s not in the Balkun Guitars workshop or on the road touring with Balkun Brothers, Steve can generally be found hiking up a mountain, floating down a river, or studying the fine art of delicious Pizza flavors.