Official Luthiers Forum!

I have question for all the repair guys out there. I was reading one post the other day which the discussion was about the cost of fret replacement, and had an idea. I have done some fret replacement, but only 4 or 5 times and I have a luthier in the area who teaches, one of his classes is frets. I was thinking of taking his class to learn and to be able to market my new knowledge to do fret repair, say through the local guitar shops. does this seem like a good way to learn more about the guitar business, make a few bucks for building tools. Does taking a class from a known luthier add to my resume? I'd like to hear what you guys think.
Mike

I'd say it probably does, yeah. If you're interested in fretwork, one of the best small investments you can make is Dan Erlewine's StewMac book "Fretting Step by Step". Lots and lots of information, details on complex fretjobs, simple fretjobs, fingerboard prep, radii, crowning, levelling, etc. Very dense, full of info. I suspect the vids are good too, and after that...practice seems like the way to go. Fretwire's pretty cheap. I'm slowly getting better at it, but doing top-notch fretwork is one of the harder aspects of building, IMO. The woodworking bits are easier.

[QUOTE=mikev] Does taking a class from a known luthier add to my resume? I'd like to hear what you guys think.
Mike [/QUOTE]

I don't know about building your "resume" but live instruction (to me) is irreplacable. I have learned more in 1:1 classes with top notch luthiers than I could have learned in several years of going it alone.

These forums are great, but in my opinion live instruction is always worth it.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

Yes Mike,
when you think about the money that is available to be made in repair vs the cost of the education that is out there it seems silly not to take every class or book or video out there. I offer classes in fretwork, setups, nut replacement ,guitar electronics etc. They have helped several people get started in repairs. I actively will buy any and all videos/books on guitar repair. The reason being is I have made so much doing this that the cost of my education (not talking experience) has been tiny. Any chance I get to learn something the easy way through a book or class I jump at the opportunity.
Evan

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http://www.NewYorkGuitarRepair.com