How can I get started in lutherie?
Want a career in instrument making and/or repair? Here are a few ideas. 1. Go to school. There are a number of lutherie training programs available, from short courses to full curriculum institutions. You’ll find a short list of them on the Luthier Links Page and a much more comprehensive list at the G.A.L. web site 2. Read everything. Every book or video, no matter how badly produced, is likely to have material worth knowing. When you reflect back on it, you’ll probably agree that a single really good idea is worth the price of any book. 3. Just do it. Some of us got our start just tearing into things and getting into trouble. Make lots of mistakes and learn from them. Buy yard sale guitars and rebuild them. Buying and selling, fixing up along the way is an excellent way to learn the vintage market, too. It’s all fine to see how things are done, but the real learning comes in doing the jobs. 4. Get a job. The best way to get your techniques down smooth is to do a lot of work. A job in
