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. Currently manager of Southeast Guitar Repair, Brian will be teaching and building his custom line of basses and mandolins here at AGW.
My old buddy Foz
We worked at Southeast Guitar Repair together years ago. He's busy these days being a real live rock star with the band Rehab. But he is a heck of a luthier and guitar builder. He will be a guest instructor when in town working on his latest creations.
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.
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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 $5400.00 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-Kyser.*
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 T- handle truss rod wrenches. (allen wrenches and socket set included in class will cover most)
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*
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.*
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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.
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.
Tool orientation and construction of lutherie tools.
Day 2:
Introduction to proper restringing and tuning.
Professional guitar setup
Diagnosis of common and complex guitar problems.
Discussion of refret methods and tools.
Finishing scale drawings.
Begin template construction
.
Day 3:
Tone wood and tool shopping trip. 
Refretting Lesson One
Day 4:
Introduction to wood re sawing and dimension sanding.
Glue class.
Wood joining and glue up.
Refretting lesson two: fingerboard leveling and radiusing.
Fret slot cleaning and chip repair
.
Day 5:
Cutting out your guitar using templates.
Neck construction.
Fret wire sizes and effects
Preparing and installing fret wire
Introduction to bone carving.
Day 6:
Four guitar setup day.
Floyd rose floating tremolo setup.
Bass Setup
Acoustic guitar setup.
12 string setup
Discussion of alternate tunings and string gauge.
Preparing first guitar for finishing
Day 7:
Free day. Shop closed
Week 2
Day 8:
Fret dressing your refret 
Bone nut and saddle construction.
Start of 2nd Guitar
Sanding and grain filling first 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.
Bridge removal, repair and construction.
Brace repair
Warrior Factory Tour
.
Day 11:
Wood hydration and curing seminar.
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.
Bass Refret
Bone nut and saddle practice.
Continuation of custom guitars construction and finishing.
Free shop time at night
Day 13:
Pickup Winding and Construction
Fretdress Bass
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 practice
Bone nut and saddle practice.
Continuation of custom guitars construction and finishing.
Free shop time at night
Day 16:
Fingerboard construction
Saddle slotting
More binding and inlay.
Dremel practice
Bone nut and saddle practice.
Continuation of custom guitars construction and finishing.
Free shop time at night
Day 17:
Vintage Guitar identification and lore.
Vintage restoration techniques.
Bone nut and saddle practice.
Continuation of custom guitars construction and finishing.
Free shop time at night
Day 18:
Field Trip to,
Southeast Guitar Repair
Guitar Center
Highland Hardware in Atlanta
Continuation of custom guitars construction and finishing.
Free shop time at night
Day 19:
French Polishing
Buffing techniques.
Nick and scratch touch up.
The small home shop
Bone nut and saddle practice.
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
Bone nut and saddle practice.
Continuation of custom guitars construction and finishing.
Free shop time at night
.
Day 21:
Shop closed.
Week 4:
Day 22:
Fretting 1st custom guitar.
Bridge plate removal, construction, and repair.
Bone nut and saddle practice.
Continuation of custom guitars construction and finishing.
Free shop time at night
.
Day23:
Fret dressing custom guitar.
Buffing out 1st custom guitar.
Bone nut and saddle practice.
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.
Rest of the Day Jam.
Day 25:
Acoustic guitar pickup install.
Banjo setup
Bone nut and saddle practice.
Continuation of custom guitars construction and finishing.
Free shop time at night.
Day 26:
Neck Reset Seminar
Bone nut and saddle practice.
Continuation of custom guitars construction and finishing.
Free shop time at night.
Day 27:
Broken headstock repair practice
Setup Day
Bone nut and saddle practice.
Continuation of custom guitars construction and finishing.
Free shop time at night.
Day 28:
Shop closed
Week 5
Day 29:
Arch top and hollow body rewiring.
This is an all day plus.
Day 30:
Mandolin Setup and repair
Bone nut and saddle practice.
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.
Day 32:
Portfolio construction
Putting together Job Applications
Bone nut and saddle practice.
Continuation of custom guitars construction and finishing.
Free shop time at night.
Day 33:
Apprentice day at Southeast Guitar Repair.
Buffing 2nd custom guitar
Adding hardware and electrics to 2nd custom guitar.
Day 34:
Apprentice day at Southeast Guitar Repair.
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
Free counters provided by Andale.
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