BUILDING AND REPAIR PROGRAM

404-374-8192

timjoy@atlantaguitarworks.com

 
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Link to the Repair shop

 

 

I have 1 opening for November

 

2009 Course Schedule

 

Application

 

Fees

 

 

 

 

  Every student has a private room
 
 

 

here at the Luthier's Lodge

 

Stone Mountain 5 miles south

 

 

Warrior Guitar Factory Tour

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brian at Martin Guitar Factory

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kelly Butler from First Act Guitars on a recruiting visit to AGW.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to the Repair shop

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 
 

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:

timjoy@atlantaguitarworks.com

 

 

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

Yours truly. 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.

 

 


  Atlanta Guitar Works

 

Atlanta Guitar Works Building and Repair was created by Tim Joy together with a handful of seasoned professional luthiers to teach the art of guitar building and repair.

Call Tim @ 404-374-8192 for prices and class space. We are located at 4071 Wash Lee Ct. Lilburn, Georgia 30047. . Drop by and watch us bring wood to life.

 

 

Custom Guitars and Basses generally cost between $3000 and $6000.

This 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 for $5600.00 per session.

Session Application and Schedule

 

Call Tim 404-374-8192

Email. timjoy@atlantaguitarworks.com

Housing

Lodging is in a nice 6 Bedroom 3 Bath Lake House near the school.

 

 

There is designated storage areas for food, clothes,

and personal items of each student.

 

The fruits of our labor.

Jam room

Typical view from bedrooms

 

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. 

* = included with 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 Sloane Bridge clamps

Brace jacks

Nut seating files

Bridge removal spatula

Micro chisels

3 piece inspection mirror

Cabinet scraper blades

Multimeter*

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.*

My ol buddy Foz.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 
 

WHAT'S YOUR DREAM
Imagine working on guitars for a living. Old Martins, Les Pauls, Fender Telecasters and Stratocasters. You can learn to make them sing.

Become The Next Christian Martin, Leo Fender, Paul Reed Smith, Bob Taylor, George Gruhn....

They all started at the beginning.
 
 

 

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-

Day 1:

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.

 

Day 2:

Tone wood and tool shopping trip.

Tool orientation and construction of lutherie tools.

 

Day 3:

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.

 

Day 4:

 

Glue class.

Wood joining and glue up.

Continuation of Set up instruction.

 

 

.

Day 5:

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

Day 8

:Introduction to refretting

:

 

Fret dressing your refret

Bone nut and saddle construction.

Start of 2nd Guitar

Introduction to acoustic guitar construction

Free shop time at night starting in week 2.

 

Day 9:

Electrics soldering class with Brian Malone.

Electrical troubleshooting.

Using and understanding schematics

Soldering practice

Bone nut and saddle practice.

Free shop time at night

 

Day 10:

Emphasis on improving construction of second guitar.

Neck construction

Bridge

 

.

Day 11:

Wood hydration..

Guitar cracks causes and cures.

Broken headstock repairs.

Continuation of custom guitars construction and finishing.

Free shop time at night

 

Day 12:

Advanced lutherie tools.

Construction of jigs, templates, and machines.

Acoustic Guitar Refret

Bone nut and saddle construction.

Continuation of custom guitars construction and finishing.

Free shop time at night

 

Day 13:

Pickup Winding and Construction

Fretdress Acoustic Guitar

Bass nut materials and construction

Bass pickups and electronics

Suppliers.

Bone nut and saddle practice.

Continuation of custom guitars construction and finishing.

Free shop time at night

 

Day 14:

Rest you arm. Shop closed

 

Week 3

Day 15:

Binding and inlay.

Dremel tool instruction and practice.

Continuation of custom guitars construction and finishing.

Free shop time at night

 

Day 16:

Fingerboard construction

Saddle slotting

More binding and inlay.

Continuation of custom guitars construction and finishing.

Free shop time at night

 

Day 17:

Vintage guitar repair.

.

Continuation of custom guitars construction and finishing.

Free shop time at night

 

Day 18:

Field Trip to

Highland Hardware in Atlanta

Continuation of custom guitars construction and finishing.

Bluegrass night!

 

Day 19:

French Polishing

Buffing techniques.

Nick and scratch touch up.

The small home shop

Alternative materials

 

Continuation of custom guitars construction and finishing.

Free shop time at night

 

Day 20:

Four setup day II.

Unassisted troubleshooting and diagnosis.

Test on suggested remedies.

Working speed.

Methodical thoroughness

Bridge construction and repair

Continuation of custom guitars construction and finishing.

Free shop time at night

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Day 21:

Shop closed.

 

Week 4:

Day 22:

Fretting 1st custom guitar.

Bridge plate removal, construction, and repair.

routing for pickups and electrics.

Continuation of custom guitars construction and finishing.

Free shop time at night

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Day23:

Fret dressing custom guitar.

Buffing out 1st custom guitar.

Continuation of custom guitars construction and finishing.

Free shop time at night

 

Day 24:

Adding hardware and electrics to 1st. guitar.

Bone nut and setup 1st custom guitar.

Playing the first guitar.

 

Day 25:

Acoustic guitar pickup install.

Banjo setup

Mother of pearl nut for Banjo..

Continuation of custom guitars construction and finishing.

Free shop time at night.

 

Day 26:

Neck Resetting

Neck heat treating

Continuation of custom guitars construction and finishing.

Free shop time at night.

 

Day 27:

Broken headstock repair instruction.

Crack and loose brace repair

Continuation of custom guitars construction and finishing.

Free shop time at night.

 

Day 28:

Shop closed

 

Week 5

Day 29:

Archtop and hollow body rewiring.

.

 

Day 30:

Mandolin Setup and repair.

Continuation of custom guitars construction and finishing.

Free shop time at night.

 

Day 31:

Let's get out off here!

Field trip to Warrior Factory (When available)

 

Day 32:

.

Continuation of custom guitars construction and finishing.

Free shop time at night.

 

Day 33:

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Buffing 2nd custom guitar

Adding hardware and electrics to 2nd custom guitar.

 

Day 34:

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Buffing 2nd custom guitar

Adding hardware and electrics to 2nd custom guitar.

 

Day 35:

Shop Closed

 

Week 6

Day 36 - Day 40

This is the final week.

Complete any unfinished projects

Build Lutherie tools for your shop.

 

Day 41:

Graduation Day

"Best of Class" presentation.

Completion Awards Ceremony.

Concert and Cook-out.

Day 42:

Shop closed.

 

This truly is the Best Job in the World

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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    Copyright Atlanta Guitar Works 2008