Official Luthiers Forum!

Hello to all. I joined this forum to learn great information from great luthiers. I am currently serving in the Army here in Iraq, and will be getting out shortly. I am currently looking for somewhere to attend luthier school in Georgia. My problem is finding one that accepts the GI Bill. I am very interested in learning what I can, and ultimately I will take my trade down to Florida where I intend to live. I have been playing guitar for somewhere around 10 years, and have picked it up quite well.

I would appreciate any help being pointed in the right direction. My goal would be to make being a guitar luthier a full time job. How is the market for custom guitars anyway? This seems like the best source, to talk to real guitar luthiers and get a feel for everything.

I look forward to talking to you all! Only 3 1/2 more months in Iraq and I'm home in Georgia!

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-Joel

I'm all for networking, so email me:

jraffety84@gmail.com

Hi Joey and welcome.
You really should read this. It's all good advice from people who know.

http://www.mimf.com/going_pro_faq.htm

Joey, I doubt you will find what you are looking for in Georgia. I know things have changed since I ETS'd and Uncle paid for school, but I'm pretty sure you need to find an accredited school or training center. Have you ever been to Minnesota? Check out Red Wing. Its a technical college that had a guitar building/repair program. It might be what you are looking for, just not where you are looking to go to.

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Aoibeann

Thank you for your service to our country Joey !

First off Joey,

As an American citizen and a veteran of the Army myself, thank you for your service!
This link will take you to a list of all the schools in the US and Canada:
http://luth.org/links/schools.htm

Here are a couple of Lutherie Schools in GA:

The Curbow School of Lutherie
P.O. Box 309
Morganton, GA 30560
706-374-2873; fax 706-374-4247
Simon@Curbow.com
Guitar design and construction

Everett Guitars http://www.everettguitars.com/
1903 Sandlewood Lane, Chamblee, GA 30341
770-454-6618; everettguitars@bellsouth.net
1- and 2-day weekend intensives, steel string guitar making

The second is more well known to me but that's not to discount the quality of the first.

I almost forgot this one which is thorough but with emphasis on Electrics:

Luthiers International Guitar Repair and Building School
http://www.luthiersinternational.com/
John Marshall
2357 Stene Dr., Lilburn, GA 30047
888-4588-4437
2-, 4-, and 8-week courses in repair; also electric guitar construction

Oh, and I know your not back yet, but, welcome home!!!

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

First of all thank you all for your support while over here. I've been here a year so far and needless to say its getting old. I will be parting soon and look forward to learning my new trade.

As far as Georgia goes, I was under the assumption that they had various Luthier schools that were somewhat known. I have been looking at Atlanta Guitar Works, but have no idea how reputable they are within the Luthier circle. Another factor again would be finding one to accept the GI Bill as payment, the new GI Bill is amazing and will kick in as I am getting out.

I have been to Minnesota, lived there for eight years actually. I would rather stay local with Georgia and the state in which to learn my trade. I already have a A.A.S. in Audio Technologies, and learning a trade to go along with it seems logical to me. How much demand is there for custom handmade guitars? Is it a regional demand, or steady work?

To me it seems like to start a small business of some sorts you would need to offer repair, custom work, and possibly sell used instruments.

My name is Joel, the screen name is horrible I know.

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-Joel

I'm all for networking, so email me:

jraffety84@gmail.com

Howdy again Joel from a Texan residing in CO

The school you mentioned is likely a decent school as well. Maybe you'd want to pay them a visit?

A lot of the schools will most likely not take the GI Bill. You may have to be willing to go to AZ and
use it at the school there. That school is at a college and I believe if I remember correctly is a 6 mo. course?
Maybe someone here with more knowledge of it can chime in on the details of that.

As far as a business goes, you've got the right idea about doing repairs, and selling used guitars. And it
would help to also market guitars for other luthiers at least to help you get started. Expect it to take several
years to get things going. I've been in business a long time and am just getting the ball rolling as a luthier.
If you work at it full time expect it to take as much as 5 years to see any kind of profit. Even then it can be
blessed to abundance, or turn out to be a meager side income. It's up to you to make it all it can be.

I wouldn't even consider selling any guitars (at least with your name on them) until you've built a dozen or so.
What makes a luthier is not just some kind of formal training and tech knowledge, but rather experience through
making mistakes and improving as a result of each. The repair experience is a must because for most luthiers,
it's a mainstay of income. At least in the beginning. This forum and the MIMF mentioned above are two of the best
on the web for help and info and there's an awesome group of folks here joyfully willing to help and share info.
They encourage each other along and help keep each other in a state of reality in their thinking.

Go for it Joel! I assume you're a young man and now is the best time to get started with it

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

Hi Joel, Good to have you on board. I'm another veteran who appreciates what you're doing. I just started building guitars and didn't go to a luthier school but I would want to check out what kind of guitars are being built and techniques the students are learning. I would try to find the best school I could and location would be secondary.

Good Luck and have a safe return!

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Welcome Aboard!!!! Can you tell I spent 12 years in the Navy.
Good luck with your career plans. The OLF is a great resource for everyone from beginner to pro

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

Good to know we have some veterans out there!

Again the school I pick will have to use the GI Bill, the Arizona School is the only program I have found that accepts the GI Bill thus far. My primary goals would be to work as a guitar repair tech while building my own inventory of guitars for an eventual small business.

Anybody have any good reading literature on making tube amps too?

One other thing, if anyone is looking at buying a house in South Georgia, let me know, I happen to have one for sale!

I am begining to see this forum is a great tool to find all the information I need to become successful at guitar building!

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-Joel

I'm all for networking, so email me:

jraffety84@gmail.com

Welcome to OLF, Joel. Another vet. here. Thank you for your service. Just stick to your plan, and find what works for you. Grab a couple of good books, and gain some understanding of the process. Then you can assess the schools better.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Building guitars is, in fact, a terrible way to earn a living. It will be many, many years before you earn a decent wage. There are some luthiers who do VERY well for themselves but only after what seems a decade or two of hard work before they become recognized enough to demand significant value for their guitars. There is a strong market for handmade guitars but that is greatly dependent on how good your guitars are. They need to be excellent for you to carve a niche and make a name for yourself. In general, the competition is incredibly talented but oddly enough, very friendly towards one another (a testament to the trade). You generally find folks who either specialize in repair work or in full-time building but there are some that do both successfully.

I believe you will also begin to see a lot of hobby builders crowd the lower-end market in terms of price (and not necessarily quality). I expect that this might make it harder for folks who are wanting to build full-time to break thru to a higher price-structure.

Please understand, I am not a negative person. I am, in fact, an incredibly optimistic person. However, I am just being very blunt here because you will be entering down a difficult path. And it is a path that should only be walked by those who are passionate about lutherie. For me, the joys far outweigh the difficulties or financial realties of the trade.

My best advice would be to have something else you can fall back on. Or better yet, make lutherie a secondary vocation until you feel it makes sense to devote yourself to it full-time. There is also the matter of funding a workshop which gets very expensive. It really helps to have another job to pay the bills. To me that is the most "sensible" approach.

The reality is that life is short -- and I think one of the greatest blessings in life is to be able to do something you love for a living. But I can but almost guarantee that it will be a difficult path. For some it would never be worth it. For others, nothing else would do.

Best of Luck!!!


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SImon

I must say I am impressed with the attitude of most others involved on this forum. I have been dutifully warned against making this a career choice, but it all seems to be financially wise. The bottom line from articles and experienced luthiers is that you will be poor.
My bottom line is that audio and guitar are the two loves of my life, thus a new idea is born. I have the technical aspect, and now am in a situation where education is ultimately free. I have disected and repaired my fair share of guitars of my own.
It is great that competitors can get together and get along so well. It seems like a close community willing to share whatever knowledge they can.
I don't expect to go out and dump 50,000 into a small business creating small musical masterpieces. I do however expect to learn this trade to a degree in which I feel comfortable, work in a related field, build up some sort of inventory, and eventually own some sort of service and product business.

Good thing is youth is on my side! I am currently 24, and one daughter to worry about. Me myself, being in the military I have been used to getting paid next to nothing. The way I see it nothing will change, except I will be doing something I enjoy.
It takes a certian kind of person to take all sorts of financial hits to do what they love. I will gladly join the ranks of such people!

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-Joel

I'm all for networking, so email me:

jraffety84@gmail.com

Welcome to the Forum!

While the forum is a wonderful resource, there is nothing like spending some time with someone to show you all of the steps to building a guitar. The learning curve is shortened by years!

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John Ressler

Hoo Ahhh!!! That's the spirit Joel! You've exhibited that you have the metal and determination
to do what it takes to succeed. And you're attitude is superb. As an experienced business man
of many years, my encouragement to you is, go get 'em troop! You've seen and experienced
some tough things over there and survived them. Now you can come home and exercise the
blessing and freedoms you've fought for us all to keep.

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

Hi Joel . . . . vet (173rd airborne brigade viet era) and a new guy to this forum, but I am an old time home builder/cabinet maker/wood worker and I can say with a certain amount of truth that anything you choose to do in the artistic field is going to be a hard row to hoe in this McDonaldized country.................But

Real world is when you get back here you are going to be lucky to find a job period, let alone in the luthier/artistic field.

and you will be a hero for only a day or so until reality catches up to you. (This ain't making me popular, I know:-)

Saying all that you will have plenty of evenings and weekends to practice what you love.. . . . . go to school and keep VA med coverage..................

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http://jimwaltersblog.wordpress.com/

Howdy Joey,
Welcome to the OLF.

When will you redeploy from Iraq? I will be at the CRC at Ft. Benning 01 Jun 09. Our reserve unit is mobilizing there for one year. If you come thru look me up in A Co. SFC Huchison
E Co handles all the redeploys.

Kent Everett has a shop near Atlanta but I doubt the GI Bill will pay for it.

Watch your 6 Bro and hope to see you soon.

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"After forty-nine years of violin building, I have decided that the search for a varnish is similar to the fox hunt. The fun is in the hunt."
Jack Batts Maker and Repairer of Fine Violins

Well Mr. Walters I believe you actually are 100% correct. I have no intention of claiming a hero status upon return. I know that once you are on the outside, you really are on the outside. The service is strange like that. Ultimately my objective right now is to establish a career I love. I understand the steps to get there may be in the double digits, but none the less will happen eventually.

You all will see my plan evolving over the next few months, and will eventually see how it evolves into what will happen. To me, if your going to start a business you have to start while you know the market. No offense to the old timers, but it seems all the custom made guitars have an old time touch to them. While charming, people today want something else, in my opinion. I myself love the a classic Les Paul and Stratocaster, and will always own one of the two.

Good to see various responses come in. Again, I'll be posting regularly, because sometimes deployments are slow. I know all the vets out there will agree with me on that one. And Mr. Walters is right, I do need to find a day job, and keep up my va coverage. I have been out of touch with the United States for quite some time. I am stationed in Germany, and have been back to the states a total of three weeks in four years! However Mr. Walters, I can always decide how to spend my nights. As I have said I do have a two year degree, just lacking in the four year department. I know alot of friends with four year degrees and no work, but the ones with a trade are always in demand. Bottom line is nobody produces anything anymore, its all done at the stroke of a key. There has to be those of us brave enough to create things!

But please, keep offering advice, I will soak it all in. I always take advice into consideration, its the only way to make an educated choice!

_________________
-Joel

I'm all for networking, so email me:

jraffety84@gmail.com

Joel,

there are a lot of well seasoned luthiers in this forum who can offer you great advice. How many of them will
actually see this post and reply is another question. The ones who do though, I would listen to them with
more than a grain of salt. I'd apply the whole bag

Best to you young Brother!!!

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

Hi, Joel,

I don't have anything to add to what the others have said about schools, just wanted to thank you for your service, and wish you (and Chuck, BTW) a safe return to our shores.

Joe

I will have to look into the school closer once I have a firm grasp on all the concepts of the building process. I am starting out with electrics, because I am more electronically inclined and I understand all the concepts of wiring and so forth. Right now I am finding as much literature there is on different pickup windings and how to rig a pickup winder.

As far as electrics go, does anyone have any difinitive literature that would help me grasp the carpentry side of electric guitar building?

Right now I am very interested in how differences in pickup poles, windings, and flatwork affect various tonal features of the guitar.

Pickups seem easy enough to make, but I want to master the concept of everything before moving forward.

Chuck H:

I am active duty, returning to Germany in three to four months. From there I will be ETSing the army. If you ever get to go to Kaiserslautern Germany look up SGT Raffety with the 464th MED Co

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-Joel

I'm all for networking, so email me:

jraffety84@gmail.com

Didn't Chris Verhoeven (screen name:verhovenc) have a book he did on electric guitar building?

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars