GUITAR CRAFT

MI’s Guitar Craft program offers comprehensive training in guitar design, construction and maintenance of both electric and acoustic guitars. In keeping with MI’s total-immersion approach to education, the classroom is a fully-equipped instrument manufacturing facility.

As a final project, you design and build your own instrument, learning through direct experience under the guidance of first-rank professionals how to analyze and solve the problems encountered by working luthiers.

Whether your goal is to work for a guitar manufacturer, design and build your own instruments, or work as a guitar tech, a Guitar Craft education provides the foundation for success.

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Learn from Experienced Professional Luthiers

Guitar Craft instructors bring decades of experience in manufacturing, custom shop operation and instrument repair directly into the classroom.

Design, Build, and Play Your Own Instrument

Design and build your personal guitar or bass from scratch (no prefab bodies or kits) using the same methods and equipment used by custom builders and manufacturers, including hand tools as well as top-of-the-line technology. Weekly private lessons by expert MI guitar instructors will take your own playing to a new level.

Electric Design

Students learn to build an electric guitar or bass from scratch—including design, fabrication, wiring, electronics, repair and maintenance. This program provides comprehensive preparation for professions in the fields of instrument manufacturing and repair.

Acoustic Design

With the optional 3rd quarter Acoustic Guitar emphasis, learn to design and build virtually any style of acoustic guitar.

Day and Night Schedules

Day or evening class schedules, Monday through Friday. Choose the schedule that works best for you (Acoustic Guitar emphasis offered only Mon-Fri 6-10pm).

Classes

Small classes provide plenty of hands-on experience under the close supervision of professional luthiers. A sample
of courses includes:

Instrument Design
Instrument Fabrication
Fretwork & Setup
Instrument Repair
Electronics
Finish Work
Instrument Performance

Certificate

The two-quarter/30 credit-unit Certificate program in guitar design, fabrication and maintenance provides comprehensive preparation for the instrument manufacturing and repair professions. Courses are held in a custom-designed facility containing all of the tools, fixtures and accessories required to build high-quality instruments. During the program, every student designs and builds a custom electric guitar or bass for their personal use. You also receive weekly private instruction in stylistic instrument performance techniques. Completion of all program requirements qualifies the student to earn the Certificate in Guitar Craft.

Certificate in Guitar Craft

Provides comprehensive training in the methods and techniques of professional electric guitar/bass design, fabrication and maintenance. 2 quarters, 30 credits (at an optimal course load of 15 units/quarter).

Certificate in Guitar Craft – Acoustic Guitar Design

An additional focus on steel-string acoustic guitar creation. 3 quarters, 45 credits (at an optimal course load of 15 units/quarter).

Electronics 1

An introduction to guitar and bass electronics. Topics include understanding magnetic, piezo, and active pickups, proper shielding techniques, switching options, and proper soldering technique as well as trouble-shooting and repair. You will also learn how to make your own magnetic pickups, balancing output and tone to arrive at optimal tonal properties for different instruments and stylistic applications. You are required to research a wide range of after-market electronics. Ten lecture hours and ten supervised lab hours plus projects for one quarter.

Electronics 2

Students learn electronic troubleshooting and wiring modifications, coil taps, phase switching and other more advanced electronics applications. Ten lecture hours and twelve supervised lab hours plus projects for one quarter.

Fretwork & Setup 1

Learn essential guitar maintenance techniques used by professional technicians. String height and truss rod adjustment, intonation, fret dressing and fret replacement are covered along with effective methods for trouble-shooting related problems. You learn principles of temperament and harmonics as well as how to adjust the instrument for proper musical “feel.” Eight lecture hours and 24 supervised lab hours plus projects for one quarter.

Fretwork & Setup 2

Continuation of Fretwork & Setup 1, with emphasis on final preparation for demands of professional setup. Four lecture hours and 30 supervised lab hours plus projects for one quarter.

Instrument Design 1

Every detail of an instrument’s design affects its musicality and playability. This course covers principles of neck, headstock, and body design, including the weight and musical properties of various types of tone woods, as well as pickguard and control cover fabrication and design, selecting instrument hardware, musical qualities of hardware materials, overview of instrument fabrication history and template design. Eight lecture hours and 14 supervised lab hours plus independent research assignments and design projects for one quarter.

Instrument Design 2

Design a tilt-back neck and body and research the design and fabrication of classic instruments, including the Fender Stratocaster and Gibson Les Paul. Four lecture hours and six supervised lab hours plus independent research assignments and design projects for one quarter.

Instrument Fabrication 1

Building outstanding instruments starts with understanding the tonal properties of wood and shaping it to produce the most musical results. This course is an introduction to the use of woodworking tools and techniques, including routing, jointing, milling, and shaping along with the use of large industrial and handheld tools. Six lecture hours and 33 supervised lab hours plus independent fabrication projects for one quarter.

Instrument Fabrication 2

The ultimate proof of a luthier’s knowledge and skill is in the instrument itself. As the centerpiece of the program, each student designs and fabricates a personal electric guitar or bass from raw materials, including instrument bodies, necks and pickups as well as painting and buffing. Four lecture hours and 35 supervised lab hours plus independent fabrication project for one quarter.

Instrument Repair

This course covers the methodology and organization of materials and procedures for basic guitar repair and modification. Includes building the relationship between musician-client and technician and communicating in musical and technical language. Twelve lecture hours plus projects for one quarter.

Finish Work

An instrument’s finish is not only cosmetic, but can have a profound effect on its musical properties. Class covers procedures and techniques for finishing and repairing musical instruments, including preparation, painting and buffing. Twelve lecture hours and 24 supervised lab hours plus projects for one quarter.

Instrument Performance 1

Private instrument instruction on electric guitar or bass with a focus on understanding the relationship between musical style, technique, sound and instrument design. One private lesson hour per week for one quarter.

Instrument Performance 2

Continuation of private instrument instruction on electric guitar or bass with a focus on understanding the relationship between musical style, sound and instrument design. One private lesson hour per week for one quarter.

Certificate in Guitar Craft – Acoustic Guitar Design

The three quarter/45 credit-unit Certificate in Guitar Craft (Acoustic Guitar Design) provides guitarists with comprehensive practical training in the field of guitar design, fabrication and maintenance with additional emphasis on acoustic guitar design. Classes are held within a professionally-equipped facility containing all of the tools, fixtures and accessories required to build high-quality instruments. Practical application-oriented courses culminate in a design project during which you design and build a custom acoustic guitar. You receive weekly private instrument performance instruction throughout the program. Completion of all program requirements qualifies you for the Certificate in Guitar Craft (Acoustic Guitar Design).

Acoustic Guitar Design

Every detail of an instrument’s design affects ergonomics, function, sound and playability. This course covers principals of acoustic guitar neck, headstock and body design, including selection of hardware and template design. Eight lecture hours, 14 supervised lab hours, research assignments and design projects.

Acoustic Guitar Fabrication

Each student builds a complete acoustic guitar from raw materials. Includes wood selection, sizing stock and surfacing, bracing, neck and body construction, scaling, marquetry, inlay work and setup. 20 lecture hours and 39 supervised lab hours plus projects.

Acoustic Guitar Fixtures

Design and manufacture of all necessary fixtures for the construction of an acoustic guitar. Includes molds, clamping fixtures and layout templates. Six lecture hours and 28 supervised lab hours.

Acoustic Guitar Finishing

Techniques for finishing acoustic guitars, including wood preparation, filling, masking, sealing, top coating, sanding, color sanding and buffing. Eight lecture hours and 14 supervised lab hours.

Instrument Performance 3

Private instrument instruction on acoustic guitar with focus on understanding the relationship between musical style, technique, sound and acoustic guitar design. One private lesson hour per week for one quarter.

GUITAR CRAFT EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS

Electronic tuner (Strobe type preferred)

Instrument cable with 1⁄4” plugs (minimum length of 3’)

Mechanical pencil with lead size of 0.5 or 0.7

Eraser

3-ring binder

Paper notebook or laptop for taking notes

Musicians Institute Student BYOD Policy

As of October 6, 2014, each student at Musicians Institute must have a device that allows for access to our Learning Management System (LMS) and corresponding materials. This is a requirement of enrollment at Musicians Institute. Musicians Institute has made every effort to ensure that this material is available on a multitude of different devices/operating systems.

As such, you will need a device that meets the following specifications below:

General Requirements:

A smart phone, tablet or laptop computer
Internet connection for device/computer (wi-fi or ethernet recommended).
Built-in or external speakers, headphones, or similar for audio playback.

Apple Devices:

iPad (iPad2 or newer recommended**)
iPad Mini (Retina display suggested**)
iPhone (4s or newer recommended**)

iOS 7 or above is recommended.

** All device versions are technically compatible with the delivery application. However, older devices may be limited by memory and CPU requirements of a given book/file size. It is likely that students with iOS devices pre-iPad 2/iPhone 4 will experience diminished functionality the deliver application.

Android Devices:

Phone & tablet devices utilizing the Android OS are compatible with the deliver application. Due to the wide variety of manufacturers and models, a standardized list of actual devices cannot be issued.

Android OS 4.4 or above is recommended.

Desktop Readers (Mac and Windows):

These desktop reader applications require Adobe AIR to be installed and current on the machine. All tech specifications are related to same minimum requirements for Adobe AIR installation: http://www.adobe.com/products/air/tech-specs.html

Windows

2.33GHz or faster x86-compatible processor, or Intel Atom™ 1.6GHz or faster processor for netbook class devices
Microsoft® Windows Vista® Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise (including 64 bit editions) with Service Pack 2, Windows 7, or Windows 8 Classic
512MB of RAM (1GB recommended)