Guitar Repair and Construction Program Coursework

• Woods & Materials

What goes into making a fine musical instrument? Beyond the beauty of fine tonewoods, it is important to understand wood technology and how a tree is processed to be stable enough for use in musical instruments. Tonal considerations guide the guitar maker to select the finest grade and species of wood combinations to achieve a particular sound and feel.

What sorts of glue are used in the industry and what are their strengths and weaknesses? Learning about adhesives is important to not only the guitar maker but also the technician responsible for maintaining, repairing and restoring instruments.

In Basic Materials students are introduced to the wood species and other materials involved in the repairing and construction of musical instruments. This class runs along with Introduction to Tools for the first four weeks of the year and is also a prerequisite for most of the other classes in the guitar program.