Private Instruction
We consult individually on an hourly basis with persons wishing to make guitars or learn French polishing. The "student" builds his or her own instrument on their own.
In order for this to work, it is necessary for the student to have tools, a place to work, and all the materials necessary. (We can consult on getting to that point.) Having woodworking experience is also extremely helpful. We also recommend written resources like Cumpiano and Natelson's, Guitarmaking, Tradition and Technology, an excellent guide for building either classical or steel string guitars.
We charge $65/hr. for persons building their first instrument and $130/hr. for those with more experience. We have a daily rate of $400 and $600, respectively. We've been providing this service for several years and the results have been very good.
If you live outside the area, we can recommend accommodations close-by or consult by phone. If you have any questions, please call us at 503-233-0836 or select "Contact" and send us an e-mail.
Getting Started on Your Own *
We receive many calls and letters from people wanting to know more about guitar making. Very often they are guitarists who realize how special their particular instrument is. They begin wondering about "what makes it tick," and that leads to dreaming about actually making one. Because of the excellent resources available now -- magazines, books, and videos -- it is quite possible to make a good quality guitar, with a little strategic help. Whether you're just curious and want to know more about guitar making, or actually want to make a guitar, or are even thinking about a future career, these resources will get you started.
Joining the Guild of American Luthiers (GAL), an international organization of stringed-instrument makers, is a very basic way to access the kind of information a potential guitar maker is looking for. Their quarterly journal, American Lutherie is full of an incredible variety of high quality information. As a member you'll instantly be in touch with all kinds of luthiers (not just guitar makers), you'll have access to a wealth of information related to guitar making, access to plans for some of the most outstanding guitars of our century (not to mention plans for historic lutes, an Irish Bouzouki, the Hardanger fiddle, and so on), and at their convention/exhibition held every two or three years, usually in Tacoma, WA, you can meet many other makers and attend workshops and lectures on topics of interest to you. (The next convention is will likely occur in 2008.)
We can't emphasize enough how important GAL membership can be for someone starting out (or still dreaming about the first instrument). It costs $48 a year (to GAL, 8222 South Park Ave., Tacoma, WA 98408; phone 253-472-7853); e-mail: tim@luth.org. The website is a wonderful resource all by itself: www.luth.org. As a member you receive four issues of American Lutherie magazine and discounts on back issues and plans.
Sometimes informal apprenticeships can be set up. These are usually highly individual arrangements and probably best found by reading American Lutherie where an occasional ad appears or by seeking out a guitar maker and simply asking. He or she will probably say "No," because it's usually not practical for them. In other words, it costs them more to train someone than they get back in work or money. A far more common solution to the problem of learning how to make guitars is to attend one of the many schools or short courses offered in this country and Canada. The GAL has a list of schools at their website which is updated regularly.
We recommend starting a library of your own, and after you join the GAL, the first two books we suggest buying are Guitarmaking: Tradition and Technology by William Cumpiano and Jonathan Natelson (available in paper from large book stores and lutherie supply sources) and Lutherie Tools: Making Hand and Power Tools for String Instrument Building by GAL members and staff. Guitarmaking will show you step-by-step how to make a classical or steel string guitar. Lutherie Tools will help you determine which tools you need and which you can make yourself. Since publishing Lutherie Tools, the GAL has published six addtional books, including Woods and Steel String Guitars by GAL members and staff, Historical Lute Construction by Robert Lundberg, and four comprehensive compliation books of previously published American Lutherie journals. For the latest information on a host of lutherie subjects and publications, visit www.luth.org..
Suppose you're working on your first instrument and get stuck or have several questions; or maybe you've finished your first guitar and would like a critique; or maybe you'd just like to talk shop with an experienced craftsperson. We recommend you contact someone whose work you respect and see what you can arrange. For example, many guitar makers would be glad to share information, especially if you pay them a consulting fee. An hour or two with someone who really knows what they're doing can save you literally hours and hours of banging your head against a wall! If you offer to pay someone for their time and effort you have a much better chance of getting what you need. Many of us are happy to help someone out if the amount of time required is brief, and we are not losing income while doing it. (How much? Here in Portland, where we have a great wealth of guitar makers, $60 an hour would not be inappropriate.)
*This article was adapted from one Cyndy Burton wrote for American Lutherie #34. Updated 1/26/07
