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Edited by Oneironaut: 4/29/2013 7:48:22 PM
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How hard is it to become a Guitar Luthier?

After about a year and a half of doing nothing and being lazy, I've finally decided to enroll in a college, however I'm not quite sure what classes I want to take that can help me on the path to getting a career. I don't really know what I want to do in the first place, but one of the things that comes to my mind is guitar luthier. I like to make things and guitars seem like something I'd really enjoy making. So is there anyone here that knows anything about luthier or the processes of becoming a luthier? Edit: I forgot to mention, I suck with measurements and I took a wood shop class my Senior year, but didn't stay at the school long enough to actually learn anything about making things with wood. Does that drastically affect my chances? Thanks for the input guys. I hope some others can come across this thread and provided more information.

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  • As you can see, these are just some of the guitars I have built. I have been doing this for over twentry years. You will need math. Particularly, trigonometry, and algebra. Attention to detail. Acute sense of awareness. Guts. I mention guts because once you start building, everyone who thinks they know about guitars is going to tell you to give up and that you are lousy, even though they have never built a guitar ever. I started building at the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery and then went on to apprentice with Paul Gudelsky and Abe Wecther. Paul Gudelsky was considered the best in the world before his death. So many people think that this job is cool. It is. It's very hard work. I do 16 hour days in my shop several times a month. All hand work. No CNC machines. Yes, 1/16 of an inch off on the fret board and you are screwed. It's like brain surgery. One slip and you are done. Start over.

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    • I'm going to have to make multiple posts because this site doesn't let me make multiple links on a mobile phone.

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      • It's a LOT of work. Not only do you need to be a great craftsman, but you need to know how to play and adjust the instruments you make. A proper luthier will apprentice for years.

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      • It's hard as shit. You need all the basic skills with woodworking, and knowledge of the tools, as well as knowledge of guitars, woods, and materials. And the trick part is you have to be super fricken precise. Don't plane the fretboard correctly and the guitar is barely playable without an expensive fix. Make the scale wrong and the notes wont fret properly. A few minor mistakes can make the guitar feel or sound poor. There's an insane amount of detail and knowledge involved, with things like kerfing (i think that's what it's called) and bracing on the inside that seem super small, but are crucial to making a quality instrument. It's a lot of hard, precise work that requires a lot of knowledge. But it also seems like the kind of thing that would be insanely fun and rewarding. My advice would be to research it (just google 'how to build a guitar" and read some of the results) and see if it's something you think you can handle. Even as a guitarist, i was surprised by all the steps involved. But it's something that interests me a lot and i'd like to attempt some day myself, as a hobby. If you're interested in making a career out of it, i say go for it, but make sure you know what youre in for.

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      • It's really time consuming. It's hard but not terrible, especially if you're gifted with crafting skills.

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      • You need to talk to [url=http://www.bungie.net/7_delta-15t/en-us/view/profile/index#!page=index&mid=36445]this guy[/url]. Seriously, pm him. It's what he does.

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