Brua Phantom

New Brua Phantom – made in the south of France, by boutique builder Pierrick Brua. After more than 20 years of experience with repairs and manufacturing, Pierrick Brua wanted to create a new model of electric guitar…

Pierrick Brua learned lutherie at the Roberto-Venn School in Phoenix, Arizona. Pierrick builds archtops and acoustics, as well as electrics, and in 2007 earned the title of “Meilleur Ouvrier de France,” or “Best Craftsman of France.”

The project took about a year and a half from his first drawings on the computer to the final realization of the model. An almost complete prototype was built before the completion of the project.

The Brua Phantom was designed with ergonomics as a consistent concern, along with the playability and practicality for the musician. A comfort curve allows the musician a clear view of the fretboard when he has the guitar on a strap. The upper horn is elongated, allowing different possibilities for fixing the strap and optimal balance of the guitar when played standing. The neck is attached to the body by means of a 3 point system of inserts and 8mm screws providing more convenience in the maintenance of the guitars than that of a set neck, e.g. refrettings, but also making a more permanent and stable attachment than the conventional 4 screw arrangement.

The Gotoh vibrato bridge has been modified with a hydraulic oil spring that is placed on the other side of the standard springs, which enables the vibrato to reposition itself perfectly. Along with the Hipshot lockable tuners and the rail based neck joint, the hydraulic spring enhances tuning stability of the guitar and allows setting up the bridge in a floating position on the instrument. The musician can then loosen or tighten the strings by the action of the vibrato.

Focusing on convenience and efficiency, the electronic wiring is deliberately simple. There is a double wafer switch with 5 different combinations of sounds along with the volume and tone. All components are top quality, including CTS potentiometers and high resolution tone control. Knobs and switch are located on the guitar to fall well under the hand and the jack plate has been positioned at the rear of the instrument.

The pickups were specially manufactured by Benedetti on Pierrick’s recommendations. Based on the blues pickup, Pierrick asked for Alnico 3 magnets on the neck pickup to replace the Alnico 5. He also asked Benedetti to build a 3 point pickup base to allow the player to adjust the angle of the pickups relative to the strings. The pickups are adjustable from the back of the guitar, thus avoiding having the adjusting screws on the face of the instrument. Pickup covers are custom made by Pierrick himself. Changing the strings is very simple thanks to the locking tuners. The string is passed thru the head, the screw is tightened and locking is complete.