The Guitar Maker - Test 2

B2 First · Multiple Choice Reading · Cambridge English First 3, Cambridge University Press

You are going to read an article about a man who makes guitars. For questions 1–6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.

Jonny Kinkead, one of the best known makers of hand-crafted acoustic guitars in the UK, talks about his career. As a boy, when Jonny Kinkead wasn't making things using the tools in his dad's garage, he was messing about with a guitar. And the two preoccupations have been his living for the past four decades: building steel-string, acoustic guitars by hand. 'The guitar still holds me in thrall,' he says. 'Making a sound out of planks of wood – it's amazing what you can do. By using different combinations of timber, for example, you get a different sound, and that is what musicians are interested in – a sound that can do what they want it to do.' Jonny learned to play his brother's guitar when he was eleven. Then, when he was sixteen, he wanted to learn the bass guitar. 'Some people would have got a holiday job and saved up and bought one,' he says, 'but I was of a mindset that if you wanted something, you made it.' Although the bass was the first instrument Jonny built from scratch, he and his brothers had long been doing essentially the same thing with other items. 'I made model boats and aeroplanes as a child, so I was familiar with that process. My father had taught me and my brothers how to use tools, and we had free rein in the garage.' Jonny had also been customising and repairing instruments for his mates. Jonny's bass guitar turned out well, but the idea of a career building guitars had yet to cross his mind. 'My ambition in those days was to be a sculptor,' he says. His interests evolved further and on finishing school, he chose to study architecture at university. Halfway through the course, however, he dropped out, but he left with a clearer idea of what he wanted to do and started to think seriously about guitar making. 'I was still interested in painting and sculpture but I realised that when you are building guitars you're actually sculpting sound.' In addition he explains, 'I thought this might be more reliable than being an artist as it's craft-based.' Ever since then, Jonny has made guitars for a living. For the first ten years, he supplemented his income by cleaning windows part-time. 'The first guitars he sold only went for the cost of the materials, but as he developed a reputation as one of the best guitar-makers around, he was able to charge a little more. But even now, almost forty years later, Jonny describes what he does as 'still scratching a living.' He admits he can never actually turn out more than ten guitars a year, which inevitably restricts his earnings. In the early years, the key thing was to make the effort to get himself known. He would go to music festivals most weekends if he could and get musicians to try out his guitars and talk about him to their friends. He also had to learn how to price his instruments – when it came up in conversations with musicians, he hadn't got an answer because focusing on such things didn't come naturally to him. Jonny believes developing a career is more straightforward for today's new guitar-makers in the UK. 'When I started it was hard because people thought that the guitars I was making were only made in America and that people in the UK didn't know how to make them. Now there is a culture of hand-making guitars that has grown up over the past 40 years in the UK. It is easier now for them,' he says. 'You may be able to learn valuable techniques in the classroom, Jonny concludes, but there is no substitute for trial and error. 'Make 100 guitars and you learn a lot.'

He regarded it as the natural thing to do.

He saw it as good practice for making other guitars.

He feared that he would never be able to buy one.

He thought he could ensure it was in the style he wanted.

Why did Jonny choose to make a bass guitar for himself when he was a teenager?

creating something from nothing

working with his brothers

doing things for friends

getting tools ready

What does 'that process' in line 25 refer to?

It gave him the opportunity to explore different types of art.

It provided him with ideas for guitar design.

It enabled him to decide on a career path.

It helped him become more independent.

What does Jonny say about the architecture course he attended?

the cost of the materials he makes his guitars with

the small number of guitars that he produces

the limited demand for hand-made guitars

the competition between guitar-makers

What does Jonny suggest is the main reason for his low income?

deciding how much to charge for his guitars

working out how to advertise his services

building up relationships with musicians

finding the time to visit music festivals

What does Jonny say he found hard in his early years as a guitar-maker?

The training they receive is of a higher standard.

A wider range of tools and equipment is available.

Attitudes towards what makes a good guitar have moved on.

Work methods have been introduced from America.

What does Jonny think has changed for guitar-makers in the UK?

The guitar maker

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