GUITAR CRAFT ACADEMY BLOG
Student Spotlight: Brandt Jewell
Brandt Jewell jokes that he's the black sheep of his family. Although his family members aren’t musical at all, he says he found himself drawn to guitar from an early age. After hearing an iPod commercial featuring the U2 song “Vertigo,” Brandt decided he wanted...
How to Repair a Back Bowed Guitar Neck
(Mark Lacey is an instructor at Guitar Craft Academy Nashville and the owner of Lacey Guitars.) What Causes a Guitar Neck to Back Bow? Ideally, a guitar neck should have a small amount of forward relief, approximately 0.008 inch, so that the strings won’t...
Tech Tip from Dave Johnson: Steaming Out the Heel of an OM-18
(Dave Johnson is an instructor at Guitar Craft Academy Nashville and the owner of Scale Model Guitars in Nashville.) I'm currently working on a restoration of a 1931 Martin OM-18 for Carter Vintage Guitars in Nashville. This job will include a neck...
Luthiery Student Profile: Minghao Zhu
If you're trying to learn guitar repair, lessons on the internet can only get you so far. For Minghao Zhu, 32, the desire to deepen his understanding of luthiery led him all the way from his hometown of Guangzhou, China, to Nashville to attend Guitar Craft Academy....
Tech Tip: How to Keep Your Guitar Humidified
(Marty Lanham is an instructor at Guitar Craft Academy Nashville.) As the summer ends and we prepare for cooler weather, it's important to pay attention to the effect that heat in our homes can have on acoustic instruments, including guitars. Low humidity can...
Student Spotlight: Nicholas Worch
After picking up the drums at age 9, Nicholas Worch quickly realized that drum kits aren’t the most portable instruments. Yet, when he switched to guitar a few years later, his drum style became an influence on his chugging, beat-driven guitar playing,...
Product Spotlight: Premium Tool Kit from Music Nomad
If you're looking for a comprehensive guitar maintenance and repair tool kit, Music Nomad's Premium Guitar Tech Screwdriver and Wrench Set is a great choice. It's designed specifically for guitars and comes with 18 screwdriver bits, 7 hex wrench sizes, a...
Playing Tip from Ryan Madora: Know Your Instrument
Ryan Madora is a bass performance instructor at Guitar Craft Academy Nashville. Each instrument has character — the tonal possibilities, setup and overall feel of the instrument will inspire you to play a certain way. I enjoy knowing what each instrument in...
Student Spotlight: Dave Sabella
Dave Sabella comes to Guitar Craft Academy with an entire career already under his belt. After working in the advertising industry his entire professional life, he’s branching out into a new career as a luthier. Even as he’s still learning the basics of guitar...
Faculty Spotlight: Brian Bonds
Brian Bonds' name will be familiar to Florida Georgia Line fans — he played guitar and was musical director for the Nashville-based country group for five years. Now an in-demand Nashville session player and producer, Brian has joined the Guitar Craft...