Has anyone advice/information on the best route to take to become an instrument maker/repairer. Are there worthwhile courses out there or would be along the lines of an apprenticeship?
I suppose it depends what instrument/s you are interested in making/repairing...
I recall a show that was on TG4 a few months ago that went to a different instrument maker/repairer in Ireland every week... Can't remember the name of it now though
cheird 's cheoil (sp?) was the name of the programme, still on youtube I believe.
On a related note does anyone have a link for the guy that used t do the 'build your own acoustic guitar in a week' residential course?? I believe he was located in or aroudn the burren.
But where are you ?
Not much use answering the question if you are ( for instance ) in Western Vancouver, and I'm in Australia.
Here in The Smoke, we have had a 3-year course for many years, at what was once the London College of Furniture, now, I believe, part of the University of the Arts. Most of the instrument builders in the UK have come through here, apart from those bold and early souls who worked it out for themselves, like Stefan Sobell.
Over in New Jersey, US of A, Iris Nevins, one of our regular contributors, has some experience of courses and building her own instruments, all string.
Yes, let us know where you are for starters... Anyone worth their salt as an instrument maker is also generally counting pennies, or at least for starters... Also, most have a focus to start with. What instrument is closest to your heart? There are numerous books you could start with as tasters, but hands on is the best, as it also is when it comes to learning to play this music...
Another option is to apprentice yourself to a maker you admire, offering to sweep floors and do grunt work in exchange for some guidance ~ which might be slow, but it is always better to learn a bit at a time, master that, then move forward to the next, if you can afford the patience in time, something good instrument making requires...
Fran Finocchio...I highly recommend him, even if you must travel. He will find you a place to stay locally.
I learned basic building from him, in week long (and it's a SEVEN day gruelling week!) courses, a few times, where you go home with a guitar worth more than what the course costs. Aside from travel expenses that is.
Building and repair are two different games entirely. With anything, I believe repair is more complex, and more frightening if it's someone else's intstrument. So Frank, I think he still offers a basic repair course, just like the building one. He takes about only three at a time, so you get lots of attention, and he's the greatest, loads of fun.
Though I have built four guitars and halfway through #5, and just finished a harp from a kit, since I couldn't find a "Frank" nearby to teach me....and don't take kits lightly, guitar kits, harp kits, not for the inexperienced, you can get into loads of trouble, but they are good if there is no teacher, at least you get your feet wet. My kit harp almost became pricey kindling a few times. It ended up super though. After a lot of angst, and if I had no proir building experience it would have been kindling.
I would suggets trying to learn building first, so you have a basic understanding of the instrument you want to later focus on for repairs, then a repair course. If you have far to travel, maybe combining the two into one long crash course is a good idea, though you will be tired!
Frank also teaches privately at day rates still I think, it costs more than when he gangs up three students, but you will go faster and maybe actually end up better off. These are things to ask Frank.
If you do this, email me off the list, I am not far and would try to drop in to visit Frank and see what you're doing.
So many want me to build for them, the guitars are amazing in sound. I don't consider myself ready to build for anyone else by a long shot, but enjoy building my own. The reason, mainly being that I am not a repair person, and to sell, you need to be able to troubleshoot and repair what you make. I venture into it a bit for myself, but beyond a truss rod adjustment, I don't mess with anyone else's guitars.
That said...maybe it's not guitars you want to build/repair? Frank has done some mandolin courses too! Anything with strings and frets I imagine he can do.
You are making/repairing things already, whatever your circumstances allow, aren't you? This is meant kindly, but unless you've got that "itch" "desire" etc, you might well be wasting your time. If you've got it, you will be doing something already.
and PS.... ceolachan.... I have had these offers to do grunt work from people in both my paper marbling and jewerly making jobs, and have tried it, what happens is you end up being way less productive if you take in a total novice, because you spend so much time explaining everything.
I think the better route, if you want to do this, is to learn some basic building first, so you can at least be some real use to the person you want to learn more from. They will be more inclined to agree.
RIght now I am blessed in having a friend of Frank's, who also lives a mile from me, trying to show me his methods and ways, in the context of building guitar#5, so that when he can eventually go into it full time, hopefully anyway, I can do the idiot work, and maybe eventually some of the good stuff unsupervised. It is a help though that I knew basic things already. I glued in a fair bit of kerfing, did some French Polish work on a very high end classical guitar he built....he hates that, and I have gotten pretty good at it. So have something to offer from the get go, and you may find an "apprenticeship". A course with Frank could be the ticket.
instrument making&repair
instrument making&repair
Has anyone advice/information on the best route to take to become an instrument maker/repairer. Are there worthwhile courses out there or would be along the lines of an apprenticeship?
# Posted on March 10th 2009 by tonnta
Re: instrument making&repair
I would check out Maestronet.com. Its a great site where many instrument makers gather and share information.
# Posted on March 10th 2009 by jasten
Re: instrument making&repair
I suppose it depends what instrument/s you are interested in making/repairing...
I recall a show that was on TG4 a few months ago that went to a different instrument maker/repairer in Ireland every week... Can't remember the name of it now though
# Posted on March 10th 2009 by jlocky
Re: instrument making&repair
cheird 's cheoil (sp?) was the name of the programme, still on youtube I believe.
On a related note does anyone have a link for the guy that used t do the 'build your own acoustic guitar in a week' residential course?? I believe he was located in or aroudn the burren.
# Posted on March 10th 2009 by Jams_O'Donnell
Re: instrument making&repair
But where are you ?
Not much use answering the question if you are ( for instance ) in Western Vancouver, and I'm in Australia.
Here in The Smoke, we have had a 3-year course for many years, at what was once the London College of Furniture, now, I believe, part of the University of the Arts. Most of the instrument builders in the UK have come through here, apart from those bold and early souls who worked it out for themselves, like Stefan Sobell.
Over in New Jersey, US of A, Iris Nevins, one of our regular contributors, has some experience of courses and building her own instruments, all string.
# Posted on March 10th 2009 by Guernsey Pete
Re: instrument making&repair
Yes, let us know where you are for starters... Anyone worth their salt as an instrument maker is also generally counting pennies, or at least for starters... Also, most have a focus to start with. What instrument is closest to your heart? There are numerous books you could start with as tasters, but hands on is the best, as it also is when it comes to learning to play this music...
# Posted on March 10th 2009 by ceolachan
Re: instrument making&repair
Another option is to apprentice yourself to a maker you admire, offering to sweep floors and do grunt work in exchange for some guidance ~ which might be slow, but it is always better to learn a bit at a time, master that, then move forward to the next, if you can afford the patience in time, something good instrument making requires...
# Posted on March 10th 2009 by ceolachan
Re: instrument making&repair
http://www.finocchioguitar.com/home.html
Fran Finocchio...I highly recommend him, even if you must travel. He will find you a place to stay locally.
I learned basic building from him, in week long (and it's a SEVEN day gruelling week!) courses, a few times, where you go home with a guitar worth more than what the course costs. Aside from travel expenses that is.
Building and repair are two different games entirely. With anything, I believe repair is more complex, and more frightening if it's someone else's intstrument. So Frank, I think he still offers a basic repair course, just like the building one. He takes about only three at a time, so you get lots of attention, and he's the greatest, loads of fun.
Though I have built four guitars and halfway through #5, and just finished a harp from a kit, since I couldn't find a "Frank" nearby to teach me....and don't take kits lightly, guitar kits, harp kits, not for the inexperienced, you can get into loads of trouble, but they are good if there is no teacher, at least you get your feet wet. My kit harp almost became pricey kindling a few times. It ended up super though. After a lot of angst, and if I had no proir building experience it would have been kindling.
I would suggets trying to learn building first, so you have a basic understanding of the instrument you want to later focus on for repairs, then a repair course. If you have far to travel, maybe combining the two into one long crash course is a good idea, though you will be tired!
Frank also teaches privately at day rates still I think, it costs more than when he gangs up three students, but you will go faster and maybe actually end up better off. These are things to ask Frank.
If you do this, email me off the list, I am not far and would try to drop in to visit Frank and see what you're doing.
So many want me to build for them, the guitars are amazing in sound. I don't consider myself ready to build for anyone else by a long shot, but enjoy building my own. The reason, mainly being that I am not a repair person, and to sell, you need to be able to troubleshoot and repair what you make. I venture into it a bit for myself, but beyond a truss rod adjustment, I don't mess with anyone else's guitars.
That said...maybe it's not guitars you want to build/repair? Frank has done some mandolin courses too! Anything with strings and frets I imagine he can do.
# Posted on March 10th 2009 by irisnevins
Re: instrument making&repair
You are making/repairing things already, whatever your circumstances allow, aren't you? This is meant kindly, but unless you've got that "itch" "desire" etc, you might well be wasting your time. If you've got it, you will be doing something already.
# Posted on March 10th 2009 by TomB-R
Re: instrument making&repair
Sorry...that should be Frank! Not Fran!
and PS.... ceolachan.... I have had these offers to do grunt work from people in both my paper marbling and jewerly making jobs, and have tried it, what happens is you end up being way less productive if you take in a total novice, because you spend so much time explaining everything.
I think the better route, if you want to do this, is to learn some basic building first, so you can at least be some real use to the person you want to learn more from. They will be more inclined to agree.
RIght now I am blessed in having a friend of Frank's, who also lives a mile from me, trying to show me his methods and ways, in the context of building guitar#5, so that when he can eventually go into it full time, hopefully anyway, I can do the idiot work, and maybe eventually some of the good stuff unsupervised. It is a help though that I knew basic things already. I glued in a fair bit of kerfing, did some French Polish work on a very high end classical guitar he built....he hates that, and I have gotten pretty good at it. So have something to offer from the get go, and you may find an "apprenticeship". A course with Frank could be the ticket.
# Posted on March 10th 2009 by irisnevins
Re: instrument making&repair
tonnta- check out some of these
http://www.guitarplans.co.uk/ViolinMakingCourses.htm
# Posted on March 11th 2009 by Here Lyeth