LEARN GUITAR BUILDING and REPAIR |
Nestled in the foothills of the North Georgia Mountains, Atlanta Guitar Works offers exceptional guitar building and repair instruction. Housing is included with program fee for an intensive guitar repair and building experience. The 6 week session is designed to prepare each student for a career in the Guitar Repair and Building Industry.
All of our Instructors are professional guitar builders and repairmen. Whether your goal is to build your dream guitar or become a Professional Luthier, we can show you how. Your success is our business.
Email:
admissions@atlantaguitarworks.com
or call Tim 404-374-8192
See our facebook page with testimonials
https://www.facebook.com/AtlantaGuitarWorksLutherie?fref=ts
Can You Make A Living Repairing Guitars?
Typical day at S.E. Guitar Repair
Only if you're good.
The Instructors
Gary Moore
Master builder Gary Moore will help you bring your ideas to life. He has built and assisted in the construction of hundreds of custom guitars. His mastery of the Industrial Arts, patience and practicality make him the best guitar building instructor you can find anywhere.
Brian Malone
Drummer turned Master Luthier. Long ago Brian started as my apprentice at Mars Music. He had to hit the ground running in a busy guitar repair shop in a big retail store. He had no prior guitar experience but with mechanical inclination, patience, self-motivation and bulldog tenacity he has become one of the best luthier's in the Southeast. Brian will be teaching and building his custom guitars and basses.
Tim Joy - Founder
Atlanta Guitar Works is the fulfillment of a guitar repairman's dream. A place to teach the art of guitar repair and build guitars. AGW is really a small manufacturing plant. Students are welcome to come along for the ride and learn in 6 weeks what took us decades of blood, sweat and tears to learn. Leave with a custom guitar you built from scratch. Leave with two. Leave with a new trade and profession. Enter a new life.
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Atlanta Guitar Works
Atlanta Guitar Works Building and Repair was created by a handful of seasoned professional luthiers to teach the art of guitar building and repair.
Call Brian @ 404-245-4527 or Tim @ 404-374-8192
for prices and class space. We are located in Snellville Georgia.
Custom Guitars and Basses generally cost between $3000 and $6000.
This is Marek's first attempt.
Tuition
Our 6-week, 300 hour guitar building and repair course includes housing at the Luthier's Lodge, cable tv, internet, and utilities.
Session Application and Schedule
Call Brian 404-245-4527
Email. admissions@atlantaguitarworks.com
Housing
Lodging is in a nice house near the school that we refer to as the Luthier's Lodge..
There is designated storage areas for food, clothes,
and personal items of each student.
The fruits of our labor.
Where did you get that guitar?
I built it.
TOOL LIST
This a suggested tool list to attend lutherie school and use for a career afterward.
It is not necessary to have any tools to attend the class.
* = provided for the course
Stewart-Mcdonald =stewmac.com
Chromatic Tuner .*
Capo.*
Ruler- 6 inch with 1/32 and 1/64 increments*.
String winder*.
Feeler gauge.*
Hex key sets. Standard 3/16 to 1/16 (plus .050) and Metric 5mm to 1.5mm round end hex key sets.*
Assorted philips and slotted screwdrivers #00 - #2*
Nut and saddle vise (stew-mac)*
Nut slot string spacing ruler*
Set of good Nut files* (sizes .012-.046 are included with course) you may want to get the
.050-.060 and the bass nut file set if you can.
6 inch fret leveler.*
Fret tang nipper
6 inch wire cutter pliers*
Neck rest*
Good micro file set*
fret puller pliers*
Assorted T- handle truss rod wrenches. (allen wrenches and socket set included in class will cover most)
Digital calipers
150 grit Offset Diamond fret crowning file – Stewart-Mcdonald #5053.
Fret slot cleaning tool
4 Sloan Bridge clamps
Brace jacks
Nut seating files
Bridge removal spatula
Micro chisels
3 piece inspection mirror
Cabinet scraper blades
Multi meter*
Bridge hole saw
Bridge pin hole reamer
2- step end pin jack reamer.
Knob puller.
Fret bevel File.*
24'' Fingerboard leveling steel tube bar.
Small dead blow hammer.*
Variable speed Dremel tool.
Stew-Mac #1180 fret slot cleaning bits.
Stew-Mac #5260 Precision Router base.
Cam clamps and clamps of any sort.
Pick up routing templates.*
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Imagine working on guitars for a living. Old Martins, Les Pauls, Fender Telecasters and Stratocasters. You can learn to make them sing.
Christian Martin, Leo Fender, Paul Reed Smith, Bob Taylor, George Gruhn....
They all started at the beginning.
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The Program is suited to serve the complete novice to the seasoned repairman. You will learn the secrets of the buzz-free refret and fretdress. But even if you do not know how to restring and tune a guitar that is where we start.
The six week guitar building and repair session consist of over 300 hours of supervised hands on instruction.
Construction instruction 150 class hours.
Repair instruction 150 class hours.
Generally, repair instruction is in the morning
and construction in the afternoon and evening.
Week One-
Orientation and Introduction
Arranging your workbench.
Discussion of you guitar designs.
Introduction to acoustic and electric guitar parts terminology
Discussion of available guitar hardware.
Drawing a design to scale.
Tone wood and tool shopping trip.
 
Tool orientation and construction of lutherie tools.
Introduction to wood re sawing and dimension sanding.
Finishing scale drawings.
Begin template construction
Introduction to proper restringing and tuning.
Professional guitar setup
Diagnosis of common and complex guitar problems.
Glue class.
Wood joining and glue up.
Continuation of Set up instruction.
Start first guitar build.
Floyd rose floating tremolo setup.
Bone nut construction.
Day 6:
All day building. 
Day 7:
Free day. Shop closed
Week 2
:Introduction to refretting 
:
Fret dressing your refret
Bone nut and saddle construction.
Start of 2nd Guitar
Introduction to acoustic guitar construction and setup
Free shop time at night starting in week 2.
Electrics soldering class
Electrical troubleshooting.
Using and understanding schematics
Soldering practice
Bone nut and saddle practice.
Free shop time at night
Emphasis on improving construction of second guitar.
Neck construction
Bridge placement and scale length
.
Wood hydration..
Guitar cracks causes and cures.
Broken headstock repairs.
Continuation of custom guitars construction and finishing.
Advanced lutherie tools.
Construction of jigs, templates, and machines.
Acoustic Guitar Refret
Bone nut and saddle construction.
Pickup Winding and Construction
Fretdress Acoustic Guitar
Bass nut materials and construction
Bass pickups and electronics
Suppliers.
Day 14 Rest you arm. Shop closed
Week 3
Bolt on neck and neck-through construction
Dremel tool instruction and practice.
Continuation of custom guitars construction and finishing.
Fingerboard construction
Saddle slotting
Vintage guitar repair.
.
Bluegrass night!
The small home shop
Alternative materials
Unassisted troubleshooting and diagnosis.
Test on suggested remedies.
Working speed.
Methodical thoroughness
Bridge construction and repair
Day 21:
Shop closed.
Week 4:
Fretting 1st custom guitar.
Bridge construction, and repair.
routing for pickups and electrics.
Fret dressing custom guitar.
Lacquer and oil finish
Adding hardware and electrics to 1st. guitar.
Bone nut and setup 1st custom guitar.
Playing the first guitar.
Acoustic guitar pickup install.
Broken headstock repair instruction.
Crack and loose brace repair
Day 28:
Shop closed
Week 5
Archtop and hollow body rewiring.
Continuation of custom guitars construction and finishing.
:
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Finishing 2nd custom guitar
Personal guitar repairs
Adding hardware and electrics to 2nd custom guitar.
Day 35:
Shop Closed
Week 6
This is the final week.
Complete any unfinished projects
Build Lutherie tools for your shop.
Day 41:
Graduation Day
"
This truly is the Best Job in the World
Free counters provided by Andale.
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