Luthery schools in the UK? (for Feline maybe?)

[FernandoDuarte]

or teach yourself.  ok, its not the fastest or most obvious way to become a guitar builder but it does mean you can still earn a living doing a well paying job as you learn.  the advantage of that is that you still have other skills to fall back on

The tools here in Brazil are freaking expensive and I don't have a place to put them now, nor money to rent it... Trying to use other's guys tools has shown to be like a time at 4 or 6 months (as all my projects are very late... don't know there, here this "help" renting machines and tools are not very well sight)

i dont think you can train for this shitee!!  :)

:lol: What shitee do you refer???

[WezV]

i was being flippant with my first comment - but the point is that even a training course could not cover everything.

i have built guitars with minimal tools for the last few years and it is only now i am able to think about bigger tools and more professional ways of doing things.  its not the tools you have, its how you use them!!!

[FernandoDuarte]

i was being flippant with my first comment - but the point is that even a training course could not cover everything.

i have built guitars with minimal tools for the last few years and it is only now i am able to think about bigger tools and more professional ways of doing things.  its not the tools you have, its how you use them!!!

Yes, but I would like to learn how to make a GOOD carved top, etc...  Mind also that I've a love/hate relation with Brazil and would like trying living abroad (I have portuguese nationality, so the problem today is the recession :?)

[GuiTony]

would like trying living abroad

I think most people would like to trying living abroad.  It's called "the grass is always greener"

Europe's a horrible place to live.  Full of foreigners living abroad ...

>>>     <<<

[FELINEGUITARS]

No course in itself will make you a guitar builder
In a short course you may well be lucky enough to make a guitar that plays nicely and that you are happy with.
But it will not put you in a position to call yourself a builder
It is all down to practice (just like playing the guitar)

I would say it takes about 10,000 hours of practice to become really good at anything  that you chose to do
(like practicing guitar 3-4 hours a day, every day for 10 years)

There is some very interesting research into this - Malcolm Gladwell talks about it in his latest book: Outliers
fantastic book - well worth reading!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Outliers-Story-Success-Malcolm-Gladwell/dp/1846141214/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242577371&sr=8-1

Obsession and dedication seems to be the key ingredient

Here is my pathway:

I did a course for a year at London Met - was London College of Furniture (1986)
I then got a years training in a repair workshop, which was a great learning curve (1987)
I then worked in guitar factories (1988-9)
I also bought every book, video, magazine etc on guitar making I could find (1989- today)
In many ways I count Dan Erlewine (www.stewmac.com) as someone who taught me the most- via his books and videos, and I am pleased to know him personally as well
I spent the next 8 years making/repairing/setting up guitars in every spare waking hour (much to the disgust of girlfriends)
I spent all my money on tools and stuff (much to the continued disgust of girlfriends)
I set up my own company and went full time in 1997 (8+ hours every day, 5-6 days a week)

23 years later I am still learning new stuff, still reading magazines and books on it, discussing stuff with other guitar makers.


If I had time I would still go on courses, where I might learn new stuff
Sometimes I learn new stuff from guys who work for me and who I give training to (I usually always recruit from Merton College, or London Met)
You can never know it all (You can know enough to get by), but there is always something new and fascinating to learn.

But you don't have to do a course - like I said I learnt a huge amount from books and video.
My friend Doug from Black Machine never did a course in Guitar making, although he had a background in Engineering
He and I have spent the last 20 years getting together and swapping ideas and trading guitars and parts with each other
What he has is obsession and dedication,(and a love of F1 motor-racing) not unlike myself!

[FernandoDuarte]

I don't have the fantasy of be as good as any of those guys direct from the course, but I may have a idea of how I should make the things and them save the first 10 tops that would go to firewood (unfortunatelly there will be more, I know... :( )... Lets see what happens! :)

[Bob Johnson]

I went to the London College of Furniture- now part of London Metropolitan University

But to be fair most of what i learnt and practice is from continuing that study via books , videos, evening classes, personal training in guitar workshops and lots and lots of practice

My own advice is get your degree in something that you can fall back on to bring in a good wage and study the guitar tech stuff in your own time- like the marketing degree

You may find that you will be grateful for that in the future
A degree in a science for example does you more good than any kind of degree or diploma in guitar making

To do anything sensible in guitar making you will end up self employed and I doubt that you will be too bothered about your degree certifcate - just the know how that you have to create stuff, whether you learnt it at college or from reading and practising

Whereas with the right degree an employer may give you a good job, should you realise that  you don't want to make guitars or that you wont be able to earn enough doing it

That's really good advice; it can be difficult to make a living at this game to kick off with. My son Tom has just come into the business but luckily has an electronics degree that keeps in him in work to pay the rent etc till he get's established.

[FernandoDuarte]

Thanks guys, I shall keep on thinking for a while!