What To Look For In A Guitar Luthier

Consider a guitar luthier, who is someone who has received extensive training in repairing and building guitars and other stringed instruments. Some luthiers specialize in acoustic guitars, some in electric guitars. But this title generally declares them to be a skilled guitar repair specialist and a master guitar maker, which is recommended if you’re looking for quality repairs.

If you’ve never looked for a professional guitar luthier, it helps to know something about the profession and the training they’ve received. It’s also suggested that you get to know luthiers, especially any in your area, who you potentially can work with for years.

This means feeling comfortable with their training, plus their proposed solution, their price, and their timeline.

For instance, some may have acquired their knowledge traditionally by spending years with a single luthier. Perhaps they have luthiers in their family and have learned a thing or two just by working on them without formal training.

If you’re interested in someone with more formal training, there are a variety of degree programs that teach a standard, comprehensive education for an elite guitar builder.

How to Find a Good Guitar Luthier

It’s not too difficult to find a guitar that’s in bad shape out there – probably in more than a few garages or at least garage sales. Often, they’re battered, broken, and maybe weren’t even made that well in the first place.

But if you’re looking for a new guitar that’s in good shape or have an older one that needs to be fixed, what do you do?

FACULTY

HONORS & EDUCATION: Brian has also appeared on The Tonight Show, Conan O’Brian, Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Today Show, The Ellen Degeneres Show, Good Morning America and countless other TV and award shows. He has earned several gold and multi-platinum records and has been part of over 10 million singles.

Buckingham, Bruce

COURSES: Instrument Performance (Guitar)

SPECIALTIES: Jazz, Latin, Funk, Contemporary, Pop and Rock styles of music

CREDITS: Bruce has worked with a wide variety of musicians including Helen Ready, John Pattitrucci and has recorded with Michael Jackson’s production company for the play “Sisterella” as well as many independent projects. Bruce has taught and written MI curriculum for many courses at Musicians Institute Hollywood and MI Japan for over 30 years.

Butler, Kelly

COURSES: Instrument Repair, Fretwork Setup, Electronics, Instrument Design, Instrument Fabrication, Finish Work
SPECIALTIES: Designed & prototyped Gibson Custom Models
CREDITS: Gibson Custom Art & Historic Pro Shop designer, custom builder, lead repair; First Act Custom Division General Manager & Chief Luthier
HONORS & EDUCATION: Graduate of Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery; patented inventor of guitar parts

Gallman, Daren

Johnson, Dave

COURSES: Instrument Design, Instrument Fabrication, Fretwork Setup, Electronics, Instrument Repair, Finish Work

SPECIALTIES: Vintage guitar repair, designing and building guitars, neck resets, refrets, nuts & saddles, setups and electronics

CREDITS: Featured in Guitar Player Magazine, Feb 2013, American Songwriter Magazine, jan/Feb 2013, American Songwriter Magazine, July/Aug 2012, Premier Guitar Magazine, Dec 2012, and Guitarist Magazine (UK), March 2010

HONORS & EDUCATION: BA Eastern Illinois University

Jones, Phil

Lacy, Mark

COURSES: Instrument Repair, Fretwork Setup, Electronics, Instrument Design, Instrument Fabrication, Finish Work
SPECIALTIES: Building archtop, flattop and semi-solid guitars; repair/restoration of vintage guitars; designing guitar hardware with 3D metal printing method
CREDITS: Repairman for Norsk Musikk, Norway’s largest distributor of instruments; featured in Guitar Aficionado, Guitar Player and Vintage Guitar magazines; worked with Aerosmith, U2, Pink Floyd and Stevie Ray Vaughan; worked at top-rated luthier Gruhn Guitars; owner of Lacey Custom Guitars
HONORS & EDUCATION: Graduated with distinction from London Guildhall University’s Musical Instrument Technology program

Experienced Guitar Luthier Training

For instance, the Musicians Institute Guitar Craft Academy in Nashville is an authorized post-secondary educational institution that offers certificate programs via a variety of classes for credit along with supplemental workshops.

These cover many of the technical aspects of being an expert guitar luthier and custom guitar builder, such as the physics of sound; woodworking; metalworking; and electricity.

When considering a luthier, it’s appropriate to ask him or her more about themselves, their interest in music, what courses they took, and what kind of instruction they received.