Luthier School

[crazyderek]

Ok, i'm pretty much the worst person at making life long decisions, like oh i don't know, what i'm going to be. But after taking and hating your aveare first year bio, chem, phil, math, and stats classes at university and trying out econ for the second year, i've turned my attention to making guitars.
Considering i've already tryied to make 2 on my own just out of scrap wood around the house, it might be a good thing for me.

(skip to here if you want to skip all my BS)

Is anyone here a qualified or liscenced luthier?
Where did you learn the trade? book, apprenticeship, school?
If so where/what/or who

And any advice on past or present experiences would be cool to hear about. I'll admit that i am a bit scared about what kind of employment opportunities are left out there for a luthier.

thanks,
Derek

[jacobhimself]

DUDE!!!!!!

im from halifax and i have a similar problem. im graduating from high school and i wanted to build guitars. i decided that instead of rushing into a low paying apprentice job that im going to get a degree in electronics to learn more about how guitars work. i just got my acceptance letter yesterday from NSCC and im hella stoked, in a few years ill have a degree and hopefully be able to work on guitars for a living. cool man.

[jacobhimself]

also, how did the guitars turn out? the ones you made.

[crazyderek]

electrician? if you wana build guitars man you need to take a carpentry course. here's a site where you can read all about ever every possible electronic fact there is to know about guitars...

http://www.guitarnuts.com/

i spent about 2 days straight just reading that site when i first found it and i just barely got through half of it.. i think.. but that was a while ago..

If you really want to get into luthiery i think i found a good school in BC on victoria island, but it's 20grand (thank god the parents are paying) for 6 month's, but the upside is you'll probably come out of theire with 4 new guitar's made just the way you want them.... cause well... you made them lol!

http://www.luthiers-international.com/

the guitar's i made were just model's built to full scale, out of peices of ply wood screwed together, to try out some body designes i thought up.... here take a look at what i mean

http://members.accesswave.ca/~derekn/dreamguitar.jpg

i was thinking about buying some good maple, and poplar and try to actually make it, but i'll probably wait till i got to that school so i'll actually do a good job..

[jacobhimself]

ooooops.

im becoming an electrician so i can get a decant job wiring guitars as an apprentice for a local luthier. im already pretty good with wood and whatnot, and ive built a few bodies already. im working on necks but i gotta get the right equipment to do it right. but cool man, ill have to pop in your shop when it opens....

[Super_Person_X]

an electrician wires houses, an electronic engineer (that's what i do) deals more with how a guitar would operate. Anyway guitar electronics are VERY simple, just buy a couple books; plus Radio Shack has a Basic Eletronics (thats the title) book which is very good as well.