What is the best way to become a luthier?

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chrisfab	What is the best way to become a luthier?	Lead	[-]
(01/18/09 9:15 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Tags : None What advice do you have to give a 30 year old who is great with his hands, is college educated, and can't seem to shake guitars off of his mind?
MikeHalloran		#1	[-]
(01/18/09 9:21 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Start with a kit. You will get many recommendations from others. The main reason to start with a kit is to lessen your initial investment in tools, molds etc. You will not save money until you have built a number of guitars but the satisfaction of playing something you have made will make up for that. Mike Halloran '49 00-28G, '03 000C-16SGTNE, '03 000-15S, Backpacker Mandolin, '60s Style 0 uke, '67 D12-35, '75 D-35S, Cowboy X, Cowboy II (I think that's all the Martins) Many Guilds, Gibsons and Goyas
DeRoy		#2	[-]
(01/18/09 9:38 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Chris, I fit your description to a tee. (well, 30 in April) Thank you for asking the question. I'm interested in hearing the replies. I'm starting slow myself by making my own bone nuts and saddles and doing my own setups. I know that Stewart MacDonald (StewMac) and LMI are good sources for kits as well as specialty tools and parts. Andrew 000-28H
hogwldfltr		#3	[-]
(01/19/09 12:00 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I'd recommend labotomies. J/K -Lee *********** I've been known to play with the following: '71 D-18 : '04 D-18V : Backpacker : 000-28EC : '82 D-41 : '66 D-35 (in repair) : '30 2-17 (in need of fixing) : '67 00-18C : '44 00-18 : '44 00-17 : LX-175th : '30s 0 Uke: '20s 2-M Uke: '82 MC-28 : Gibson C-0 Classic : '98 Martin D12-1 : '70 Guild F-112 : and a '98 Harley-Davidson FLTR Road Glide. Forum intro #992 *********** "What do you all look like?" Post #206 Last Edited By: hogwldfltr 01/19/09 1:03 AM. Edited 1 times.
skluthery		#4	[-]
(01/19/09 12:37 AM) Martin Warranty Service Provider Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	"What advice do you have to give a 30 year old who is great with his hands, is college educated, and can't seem to shake guitars off of his mind? " Uh, how about RUN!...get a girlfriend...take up excessive drinking... No, seriously...if you are interested in getting into luthiery right now there are lots of opportunites. If you want to go the formal learning rout there are several options including Roberto-Venn School, Red Wing Technical College, Brian Galloup's classes, classes at the Leeds Guitar School with Bill Cumpiano, summer classes at Peter's Valley in NJ and others that I'm not able to bring to mind right now or that I am simply unaware of. As far as books and DVDs go there are more now that there ever have been on all kinds of building and repair topics. Go to www.stewmac.com and you'll find they have a wide variety of print and video resources. Find a luthier in your area that you can develop a relationship with and learn from. While most of us are too busy to take in any sort of formal apprentice most of us (in my experience anyway) are only too happy to encourage the novice and share expertise with folks new to the craft. Buy junk guitars from your local music stores that need repair and practice on them. Most music stores have a closet full of crap that they are never going to fix because it simply isn't worth it and you can often buy this stuff cheap to practice/learn repair skills or to take apart to gain a working understanding of guitar craft from the process. Join one of the trade groups (the Guild of American Luthiers or Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans). Go to their events to sponge off of other people in the trade. Read their publications. Frequent one of the several online forums that deal with guitar craft (such as the guitar kit assembly forum run by Bill Cory or the Official Luthier's Forum). The Official Luthier's forum always has ongoing discussions about all kinds of luthiery topics and frequently members post tutorials on different subjects. That ought to keep you busy for a while. Steve Kovacik Kovacik guitars and Fretted Instrument Repair www.guitar-repair.com
Helisrule		#5	[-]
(01/19/09 12:44 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Get a job worthy of your college education, or keep it if you have one. Next by a Stew Mac guitar kit, build it, then if you still have this drive, buy a second kit, repeat. Get to the point of bordom with kits, scratch build a guitar. Now this is "guitar making", which is a part of the Luthier world I guess. But if you were ever thinking about repair... you'll need to go to a luthier trade school or work full time as a beginner under a journyman luthier to learn. Pay is average low "blue collar" type $, 40K a year for a JOURNYMAN not a hobby or beginner luthier. Done a little research and talked to many music store repairmen (luthiers, sort of). Dave
charlieguitarly	How to become a luthier	#6	[-]
(01/19/09 1:18 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	My first of many steps was to get a job as a salesman in a guitar store where we did repair and building. This helped me build a good foundation of knowledge of guitars and repair estimating. Then I figured out a way to compensate a very well known luithier to be his apprentice for five years before I went out on my own. As with any musical endevour there's alot of dues paying. Good luck. The trade needs new blood. Us reformed hippie types can't work forever. Charlie Longstreth, Authorized Martin Service, McKenzie River Music, Eugene, Or.
jzach46		#7	[-]
(01/19/09 1:52 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I understand you can make a small fortune in luthiery; simply start with a large fortune. Jon Z.
Buck		#8	[-]
(01/19/09 2:08 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	jzach46 wrote: I understand you can make a small fortune in luthiery; simply start with a large fortune. That reminds me of the farmer that won the lottery. When asked how he would spend the money, he replied, "I'm going to keep farming until it's all gone." Todd
chrisfab		#9	[-]
(01/19/09 5:11 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	thanks for the replies guys im having a hard time finding employment with my biology bachelors, and was thinking of taking up another trade in the meantime/on the side.....
FRETS	Here are a few ideas:	#10	[-]
(01/19/09 5:25 PM) Authorized Martin Repairman Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	1. Go to school. There are a number of lutherie training programs available, from short courses to full curriculum institutions. You'll find a short list of them on the Luthier Links Page and a much more comprehensive list at the G.A.L. web site 2. Read everything. Every book or video, no matter how badly produced, is likely to have material worth knowing. When you reflect back on it, you'll probably agree that a single really good idea is worth the price of any book. 3. Just do it. Some of us got our start just tearing into things and getting into trouble. Make lots of mistakes and learn from them. Buy yard sale guitars and rebuild them. Buying and selling, fixing up along the way is an excellent way to learn the vintage market, too. It's all fine to see how things are done, but the real learning comes in doing the jobs. 4. Get a job. The best way to get your techniques down smooth is to do a lot of work. A job in a large busy repair shop is the ideal way to learn about all kinds of operations and instruments. You'll have the opportunity to see more experienced hands at work, and you can ease into the difficult procedures with a bit of a "safety net." 5. Learn to eat beans. One thing for sure about building and repairing instruments is that it's a hard way to make a living. If you're on fire to learn and work on instruments, you may not need the reward of high pay. That's good, because (particularly at first) there is no high pay! The woods are littered with the bones of repairers and builders who had to give up. . . 6. Forget retirement. This is a great career for anyone who is afraid of retirement. As long as you can do the work, you'll probably be in demand. At 70, my friend, Mario Martello, tried to retire. In a very short while he got bored, and wanted to get back to the old workbench. Good thing, too, because there were lots of folks who didn't want to lose his services! Mario is living proof that you can support a family, buy a house, drive a nice car and put a kid through college all on the income from fixing instruments. He built his career working at home doing repair for guitar stores. "Before I let that CNC beat me down, I'll die with my chisel in my hand, Lord, Lord, die with my chisel in my hand. . ." Cheers, Frank Ford, Gryphon Stringed Instruments Last Edited By: FRETS 01/19/09 6:28 PM. Edited 1 times.
waterpoet57		#11	[-]
(01/19/09 5:32 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Well Chris, you've just had it straight from the horse's mouth, as it were. If you don't take advice from Frank Ford, well..... Actually, whatever your college qualification, I admire your lateral/out of the box thinking. Good luck to you CONOR 2005 D-18GE (Lady Gwendolen) \| 2006 000-15S (Lady Grania) \| Backpacker (Miranda G) \| Forum Intro P70 For the Great Gaels of Ireland are the men that God made mad For all their wars are happy and all their songs are sad from The Ballad of the White Horse by G.K. Chesterton
Johnny Canso		#12	[-]
(01/19/09 5:40 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I attended a luthier school last yr at the age of 34. I've been tinkering for a few years & got hooked. It was only a week course, but it was one of the best weeks of my life & never a dull moment..loved it!!! Drug down my ol' D-28 & repaired the intonation problems with the saddle, did a neck reset & made a new brazilian rosewood bridge on my 000-18, learned how to scallop braces on a Yamaha FG700...still blown away by the sound diff. from that box & i also learned about installing pickups. So, yes....go for it...find a course...it helped me alot & i can;t wait to get back down this summer for a refret course!!! You won't regret it & have nothin to lose & everything to gain. Its a very pleasurable feelin to play a guitar or to hear the guitar being played after you've had a hand in bringing it back to life or bringing it back to its full potential. I never get tired of that smile on my face....darn hard to get it off to i might add...lol! Johnny / 74 D-28/ 71 000-18/ 64 LG-1/ 75 D-18 (Soon)
brazil66		#13	[-]
(01/19/09 5:47 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	This is one place a fellow may look. I recommend David Nichols for getting your feet wet (and your whistle) with Building and Inlay. http://www.custompearlinlay.com/Classes.htm www.rakeandsplay.com
chrisfab		#14	[-]
(01/19/09 5:51 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Thank you for the words Frank. I highly respect you and your work.....I have learned so much from your website! Actually, thank you all for the advice.....I'm really taking everything to heart. --Chris
chrisfab		#15	[-]
(01/19/09 5:51 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Thank you for the words Frank. I highly respect you and your work.....I have learned so much from your website! Actually, thank you all for the advice.....I'm really taking everything to heart. --Chris
chrisfab		#16	[-]
(01/19/09 5:51 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Thank you for the words Frank. I highly respect you and your work.....I have learned so much from your website! Actually, thank you all for the advice.....I'm really taking everything to heart. --Chris
brazil66		#17	[-]
(01/19/09 6:03 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Wow....3 times. you really mean that. www.rakeandsplay.com
bryankimsey		#18	[-]
(01/19/09 7:05 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I used the Ford Method, #2, 3, 4, 6. Repairwork is actually my second job and my first is running the family's cattle ranch so I eat ribeye instead of beans. I also have a college degree (M.S.), but I honestly don't know what value that is in lutherie, assuming you have the ability to learn. Three things that I think have helped me a bunch that haven't been mentioned yet are: 1) mechanical skills- I've been working on engines and dirtbikes and such since I was 12-13. I'm very comfortable with screwdrivers and wrenches and drills and so forth, and I'm good at mechanical work because I'm good at: 2) figuring stuff out- troubleshooting is a huge part of repairwork. What's the problem, why is it doing this, and how'm I' gonna fix it? You need to understand how the thing works, why this part does that, and how parts affect each other. I suggest really sitting down and studying how a guitar works. 3) Patience to get it right. If I'm not happy with it, it doesn't go out the door. Not to say I haven't missed some things like dried glue or what not, but my criteria are geared more toward playing and sounding good. You can see this on my dirt bike- the stickers are not brand-new and the bike is not spanky clean, but it's jetted to perfection, all the bearings are tight and greased, and all the bolts are right and tight. IME, Frank's #2, 3 were the most important. Bryan Kimsey http://www.bryankimsey.com Coram Deo Last Edited By: bryankimsey 01/19/09 7:08 PM. Edited 1 times.
tippie53		#19	[-]
(01/19/09 7:21 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I started with a guitar kit. Steve Kovacik mentored me , and I got into repair. Dave Nichols taught me how to inlay and CF Martin helped train me for repair. It was an easy 10 years. Frank Fords advice is sound. So is Steve's. This is not something you will learn overnight. It takes years to learn this trade . There is one thing a pizza can do that a luthier can't , and that is feed a family of four. Good luck to you sir and hopefully you will succeed john hall Blues Creek Guitars Authorized Martin Repair Center Hegins PA http://www.bluescreekguitars.com
I Strum		#20	[-]
(01/19/09 9:29 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I have one solid piece of advice. Go to Custom Pearl Inlay online. Look up some information on David Nichols. Then call him and take his enjoyable and extremely educational 1 week class on inlay and on guitar building. Not only is he personable and a great guy, and he know more than anyone about guitars and guitar inlay. He's also a great picker. Then after buolding your 1st guitar - Decide for yourself if the life is for you and if you want that or something else. Ira Dreadnought being unheard!

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