Online mentorship program

Last year I started teaching classes via zoom on voicing and wood measurement.  For the first time since the pandemic ended my run at the luthier death-star (IYKYK), I was interacting with students, and I was helping people again.  It showed me how much I really enjoy sharing my knowledge and experience with aspiring makers.

After getting the hang of teaching over zoom, I realized something about teaching luthiery.  You see, I had worked and taught at the luthier death-star for twenty years.  I watched literally thousands of people come through the door and most never would go on to make another guitar.  After starting my own shop, I realized why that was.  The model is backwards.  The first step in making a guitar isn’t going to school, it’s making your shop and making a guitar.  If you have a hard time doing those things with the wealth of information that is available online and in books, then give an in-person school a try.  All that said, the success rate was never great.

I don’t know if I can help the latter category, but if you are proficient with your hands and can make a basic guitar, I think I can help you reach your fullest potential.

Virtually every luthier I know that has reached a level of success has done an apprenticeship with a master luthier or worked at a guitar making facility.  I did the very same, but as I started my own shop, I was struggling with the apprentice model.  Simply put, unpaid work is unfair but paying for unskilled labor is beyond most independent luthiers.    

My solution became clear when I realized that I could offer the mentorship a student needs to progress via zoom, and a fee schedule so it is more of a clear relationship verses a quid pro quo.    

My new mentorship program is customized for the individual.  I evaluate the student, their shop, and previous work to create a mentorship pathway based on the students’ needs and budget.  Once established, I can guide the student through their build in their own shop with their own tools.

I have extensive experience in all processes of acoustic guitar construction from shop design, cad/cam and cnc, construction techniques and acoustic instrument measurement and voicing and design.  With my guidance, I can coach you through any problem or challenge that you face.

The class frequency is dependent on the students needs.  The classes are $100 per hour and can be booked as a complete build class that meets three times a week, or ala carte if you only need some help in a particular area.

As these classes are one on one mentoring, availability is limited.  If you are interested in learning more, feel free to reach out.