Guitar Repair & Building Program, Guitar School - Red Wing, MN

Thinking of enrolling in the Guitar Repair & Building Program?

2012-01-26T11:41:00.001-06:00

This is updated information from a blog post originally appearing August 2009.

If you are thinking of enrolling in the Guitar Repair & Building Program there are some helpful tidbits of information that should give you a great start in the process and hopefully increase the success rate for all new students. No matter how hard we all try there are potential pitfalls that can arise for students.

Here is critical information for anyone thinking of coming to the Guitar Repair & Building program:

#1 - Don't wait to apply to the college and get the wheels in motion. The admissions office will generally start the waiting list process by mid-February. If someone procrastinates they could very well not be able to get in for the following fall. Starting the process early will allow you time to fill out the necessary paperwork, apply for financial aid etc. Also realize that applying to the college is not the same as registering for the program. You must go through orientation & register for classes to obtain a spot in the program.

#2 - Don't wait to register!!! Each registration day begins with an orientation session required for every student at the college. There are 4 registrations for incoming guitar students. Get to the first registration you possibly can and do not arrive late. The program is usually full by the end of the July registration.

#3 - You will receive the first two tool lists at orientation. The hand tools are your assignments for the Intro to Tools class. There is no way the college can loan you tools to prepare in class (flatten, grind and sharpen). If you wait until the last registration day in August you only have a few days to order your tools. By then the vendors may be out of stock on those tools because so many other people have ordered theirs. If you don't have the necessary tools on the first day your ability to pass that class is severely reduced.

#4 - The Intro to Tools class is a prerequisite for nearly every class in the guitar program. If you don't pass that you can't continue in the program. (see #3) This class runs the first 4 weeks of the semester. Basically 1 day = 1 week of a normal 16 week semester long course. If you start 2 days late without your tools you will not be able to pass the class. Or should we say, no one has ever done it in the past.

#5 - Each class is a stepping stone to the next. Intro to Tools is required for the repair courses offered in the fall. The fall courses are required for the spring semester courses, so if a student for some reason doesn't make it through the other fall courses they are unable to come back to build a guitar in the spring semester.

#6 - Our program is a full-time commitment for 9 months. We don't have a way to offer part-time enrollment or picking and choosing only certain courses.

Check out the college website today to become a student at Southeast Technical College!!

http://www.southeastmn.edu/become_a_student/index.aspx

Win a Handmade Vincent Guitar!

2011-08-29T10:22:00.002-05:00

We are raffling a guitar built by David Vincent in class using it for demos during our Acoustic Guitar Construction class, finish applied by Matt Hannafin, Proceeds go to the Roger Benedict Memorial Scholarship Fund for String Instrument Repair Students.

Mahogany Back and Sides, Sitka Spruce top, Sloped D, 12 fret body, bracing and scale length design from a 1930’s era Gibson Roy Smeck

Raffle Tickets are $5 Drawing held Oct. 3^rd Red Wing

For tickets contact David Vincent, MN. State College-SE Tech, 308 Pioneer Rd. Red Wing MN, 55066

Make checks out to MSC-ST Foundation

For more information about the Roger Benedict Memorial Scholarship please visit the college website here: Roger Benedict Scholarship

...and to wrap it all up.

2011-05-04T13:37:00.000-05:00

It's the last week of the 2nd semester and I really cannot state enough, it really does go fast! For the past two weeks mostly everyone in the 2nd year program has gotten their guitar sprayed or is just finishing up spraying their instruments--some of those who used UV polyester or 2k polyurethane have already buffed their guitar!

I can honestly say I've just sat in the room next to the spray booth (where we all hang our guitars) and stared at all the interesting designs. There has been a multitude of colors flying around, literally.

As you can see, there really is a large variety of guitar being built and sprayed. The bass on the left is actually the second instrument that a student has made this semester. The second from the left has been buffed out and is about to get the bridge on. The next guitar has been level sanded and is soon to be buffed, and the last guitar is all sanded out and is about to receive some color (possibly a black to blue sunburst?).

On the right here is a baritone acoustic that had just been sprayed. Yes, that bridge IS in the correct spot--this is a fan-fret guitar.

To the left is my guitar, after I sprayed a sunburst and several coats of reduced lacquer. This was taken just before I started level sanding to prep for more coats of lacquer.

This last picture is an archtop guitar built by a student, coated with 2k polyurethane. This was made in archtop class, and is amoung a few others being built. Last week, for the first time in the history of the school, an archtop guitar was buffed and strung-up during class. What's more amazing, is there will certainly be a few more ready in time for the guitar show this upcoming tuesday, May 10th. A couple mandolins and possibly a violin or two will also be ready for the show--which is no easy feat.

All in all, a very productive and exciting first second year program...Let me try that again. All things considered, it was a very productive and learned opening second year program. Some things went smooth and better than expected, while others were rough and will be refined for the next class. However, the information we learned through those difficulties *cough* UV Polyester *cough*, helped us to learn things we wouldn't have if they hadn't happened.

Luke P

...And the Spraying Begins

2011-03-24T10:10:00.000-05:00

We are just over the halfway point of the second semester, and the instruments are really looking fine. As I'm sure I mentioned in my last post, the progress of all these instruments is all over the place. Most people are done, or getting close to being done with the instrument bodies and are working to finish their necks. Currently, there are two students in the process of spraying finish and more getting ready!

Our group as a whole seems to be cutting and installing inlays with a lot of enthusiasm. Pearl and abalone birds, roses, and trees are really taking shape on headstocks and fingerboards. It is cool to see the instruments get a refined look to them just by adding a bit of pearl.

In archtop class, things are just as spread out. Some guitars are getting close to being sprayed, which seems to be way ahead of the game for this early in the year, while we violin builders prepare to start the carve of the scroll! I can honestly say I have learned to use my hand tools 100% more efficiently after this class--which is great!

The CNC machine is often running, along with the constant hum of the router; these projects are really going fast!

Getting close to Valentine's Day--Did I mention we love our instruments?

2011-02-10T14:50:00.000-06:00

In room 401, guitars are starting to take shape for the second year students. This semester, we have a wide array of guitars being built, from a neck-thru electric to a baritone acoustic guitar.

The electric guitars seem to be all over the place as far as how complete each is. A student building a "SG" style guitar just finished gluing on the neck to the body, while a couple others are just starting the neck. This all seems to depend on how simple or extreme the design is. A common theme among carved top builders seems to be carving the top on the CNC machine. One text run has been done so far, and it turned out great!

On the other hand, the acoustic builders seem to be in pretty close pace with each other. Most have been starting to glue on kerfing, some even gluing the box together. It is amazing to see how large (baritone) or how small (ukulele) some instruments are!

Regardless of the type, all instruments are being constructed carefully and with a well thought-out plan.

Luke

Spring Semester 2011

2011-01-20T11:02:00.000-06:00

It's week two of the first spring semester in the Guitar Development and Production program. Our current classes include Advanced Guitar Construction, Advanced Inlay and Archtop (in which we continue the instrument we started last semester).

In our Advanced Guitar Construction classes, we are building the instruments that we previously made templates and molds for in CAD/CNC class last November and December. We have 16 weeks to complete the instrument we designed and are graded according to our weekly progress and the overall build. This class focuses on building a guitar from the ground up, while paying close attention to how much time each step will take and consequently, the whole process.

In our new Inlay class, we will all be aiming our sights on completing a number custom inlay projects both by hand and on the CNC machine. This two credit class will be a great door opener to the intricate world of inlays.

Things are being picked up where they were left off before our winter break. A lot of the guitar and mandolin builders have the final arches done with f-holes in and are getting ready to glue the box together. Those who are constructing an instrument with margins (violins/a few mandolins) are mostly finishing up final top arches--after having scraped down purfling.

-Luke

The Final Day of the First Semester!

2010-12-21T15:46:00.000-06:00

Well it's the last day of the first semester at Southeast Technical and everyone is getting ready for a well--deserved break--whether or not people give working on guitars a break is up in the air....

For the past few weeks the second year students have been hard at work finishing up projects to turn in and finish this week. Whether trying to quick string-up an acoustic or buff out a finish repair in Adv. Repair, or finish an arch or put in purfling in Archtop, things have been getting down to the wire.

In CAD/CNC, we have cut out all necessary templates, bending molds, and outside molds. To finish up the class we all have been working on a "second project", which could be anything from a 3-d model of a carved-top to a blueprint of a six-string neck-thru bass.

To say room 317 is busy on Wednesday nights would be an understatment. We've all been hard at work trying to buff out eight project boards to an EXTREME shine with absolutely no scratches--and stuff is flyin'!

To wrap it up, this first semester of the very first year of Guitar Development and Production has been full of new and exciting work. We've gone from being "cnc-illiterate" to being able to cut out a fully functional fingerboard with a 16" radius and the correct slot depths. Let's not forget about a UV finish that can be sprayed and buffed the same day it the wood was prep-sanded! Just three weeks and we're on to the final semester to create some nice instruments!

Luke

As the End of Semester 1 Approaches...

2010-11-18T15:02:00.000-06:00

As we near Turkey Day next week, I think it really started to hit a few of us that we really only have a few more weeks until Christmas break and, ultimately the end of the 1st semester. If there is one thing that is said often at Southeast Tech it would have to be: "Wow, it went by so fast!"

In both Advanced Repair and Advanced Finishing classes things are really starting to get serious. With only a few weeks left, we've got A LOT of buffing to do, aiming to get that "Colling's" buff, as Brian says, on each project board. As far as repairs go--there's just A LOT of guitars that need repairing out there!

In CAD/CNC, the router is constantly running and making that high-pitched buzz we've all grown so accustomed to (whether in Second Year or not, to be sure!) as templates and outside molds are cut out.

Finally, in archtop class, things are sort of all over the place...as expected when there are violins, mandolins, and archtop guitars being built all in one room. Final arches are being planed and scraped, margins are being trimmed and corners cut, and things just keep picking up as we near the half-way point in our build.

-Luke

First week of November

2010-11-10T10:58:00.000-06:00

A lot has been going on in the Guitar Development & Production program this past month. One worthy note: we're officially halfway through the semester and it really doesn't seem like things are going to lose momentum.

In repairs class, besides doing the normal and, believe me, random repair projects, we've started to hand-bend guitar sides. This used to be the way the students used to bend them, before we had bending blankets and bending molds. Here is an example of a bridge plate that was made smaller than the bridge and the pressure of the strings forced the top to bend up and crack it.

In CAD/CNC we are all starting to, or already have, cut out our templates, bending molds, etc. Turns out, a CNC machine can be pretty loud!

Wood chips are flying down in the violin room on Tuesday and Thursday nights as most of us are in the process of rough arching our archtops, mandolins, or violins. After being rough arched, or anyone putting a margin on their instrument instead of binding, it is "spot" glued, or temporarily glued, together. It is not even close to being ready to do the final gluing, but it still is really cool to see the instrument come together as a whole.

Finally, in Advanced Finishing class, we have found the true potential of UV Finishes. Since they have such a high solids content, a project can be sprayed in as little as two coats, cured, and ready to be buffed in only a matter of hours! I would take a picture of the process but I think my camera might blow up! Maybe not, but since the UV light is so powerful we have to cover every part of our body and wear gloves and UV-special masks.

-Luke

Things are on the way...

2010-10-06T09:55:00.000-05:00

It's the start of October and things are really getting interesting in the second year guitar program.

In advanced repairs, we have all been doing a number of different repairs--whether a bridge re-glue, neck reset, fret job, or even a headstock crack. Things are getting exciting as we all work to expand our knowledge of guitar repairs.

In CAD/CNC, we have finally begun tinkering around with the actual CNC machine. I have no doubt that soon we will be cutting out molds and templates. One thing's for sure: that machine is really going to get broken in during the next few months!

Come Wednesday, we will be spraying and curing a UV conversion finish in advanced finish work--which is sure to be cool. Also, we start to venture deep into the world of finish repairs such as drop fills, color touch ups, burn-ins and practicing grain lines.

Instruments are starting to take shape in arch top class. Most are finishing up bending and gluing ribs to blocks and we start working on gluing kerfing/linings in.

Start of Week 5

2010-09-22T15:38:00.000-05:00

It's week four and things are starting to pick up for the second year guitar students. In archtop class, we've all been running around trying to get our ribs bent and glued to our head/tail/waist blocks--whether mandolin, archtop guitar, or violin!

As tools class comes to an end and the first year students start their new schedule, we start our adjusted schedule with Fridays off. With advanced finish work now only on Wednesday nights, we look forward to finishing (no, not that kind, we've already sprayed them!) our first project: a goldtop finish. Another thing
we're working on is buffing project boards and practicing our burn-ins and
grain-lines.

In our CAD and CNC classes we have finally gotten through our intro workbook and are excited to starting mapping out our future guitars from paper to the Rhino. We also look forward to using the data we have learned about this past month and putting it into a CNC machine to cut out templates and molds.

-Luke

Hit the Ground Running...

2010-09-09T17:43:00.000-05:00

After years of preparations, and even more years of planning, Southeast Technical's Guitar Development and Production program is finally underway.

The year really seems to focus on improving skills we developed previously. Whether Advanced Finish Work, Arch top class, Cad and CNC for Guitar, or Advanced Inlay class, we're all sure to be kept on our toes.

Here are a few pictures of the Cad program: Rhinoceros 4.0. In this program we've been learning to draw both 2-d and 3-d objects, all leading up to the process of digitally blueprinting the guitars we all will be building come this spring semester.

In Archtop class, we have the choice to build either a hollow-body archtop, a mandolin, or a violin. We are in the process of making and gluing our end and top blocks to our molds. Next week we'll start scraping our sides to thickness.

Advanced Finish Work is sure to be a very interesting class. We will be mixing and spraying new finish techniques. One example is using UV light to cure a conversion finish. Along with that we will be spraying a gold-top finish, as well as our own sunburst finishes!

All in all, the program seems packed with cutting-edge classes and is sure to turn at least a few heads.

-Luke

2010 - 2011 School Year has Begun!

2010-08-30T17:43:00.000-05:00

We're off & running on another new school year here at Southeast Technical College. First year students are in the Intro to Tools class in the guitar program along with a set-up lecture & guitar acoustics class.

This fall also begins our new Guitar Development & Production program! Second year students are learning CAD for Guitar, CNC for Guitar, advanced repair techniques, planning their new instrument in the Guitar Design class as well as learning cutting edge finishes used in the guitar industry during the advanced finishing class. Let's not forget the archtop construction class that begins the first week of school and runs through the end of the year where students choose to build an archtop guitar, mandolin or a violin!

Everyone is very excited the year is underway and after many years of planning we are extremely happy to be offering the additional diploma to build on what is learned the first year.

End of the Year Thoughts

2010-04-22T12:15:00.003-05:00

It is absolutely amazing how quickly each school year comes and goes. I tell students the first day of school "Before you know it, it'll be May and you'll be finishing up your instruments". I don't suspect that is believable at the time but each year someone brings it up in the final weeks as being true.

We are education for employment and the people hiring our students not only expect our graduates to have the technical skills that are required to work in this industry but also effective communication skills, the ability to get along well with others in the workplace and be able to manage their time.

Which brings to mind the final two weeks of the year. During this time a lot still needs to happen and every year there are situations where the final day, just an hour or less until "show time" some students are caught by surprise their guitar won't be ready for our annual guitar show. We try all year long to stress the importance of time management, have students track their time 1 day a week in the fall semester and also track all of the work they do in the repair class in spring. Still, some seem content to wander or "drift" through their days thinking all is fine. I want so much to help them because I know as a graduate from this program how intense things can get at the end but somehow I haven't found the way to get through to those few.

Even though it doesn't sink in for everyone, we'll never stop trying to emphasize the importance of managing ones time. It is critical to student success and when a person is charging money for their repair work or instruments they build it's of the utmost importance in todays market. Employers are equally stressing the importance of a person showing up on time, ready to work, working well with others as they are having the necessary technical skills.

Next week begins the application of finishes after many hours of careful sanding. The guitar show is always a day bursting with pride and it is what makes it all worth it. It's my favorite day of the year not because vacation is soon to arrive but because you see and feel how proud the students are of what they've accomplished. We want everyone to have the feeling and take part hearing their instrument played by some outstanding professional musicians.

Sadly a few may end up wondering how things didn't get done or wishing they had some of the time missed throughout the semester back so they had a few more hours to get their guitar done and strung to pitch.....

Before we know it, I'll be giving the little speech again on the first day of school.

Guitar Development & Production - 2nd Year Program

2010-03-05T10:51:00.001-06:00

For almost 2 years now we've been planning & developing a full second year of our guitar program here at Southeast Technical College in response to student feedback from over the years that it would be nice to expand our offerings & get more training in the subject of guitar repair, design & building. Also with new technology making its way into the guitar industry there is an increased demand in trained workers that understand the guitar making process and have used computer numerical controlled (CNC) machines and computer aided drafting (CAD). Currently industry has to find workers to run their CNC machines and know CAD then hope they pass along enough understanding of how a guitar is made to bridge the gap.

Above: Our custom made CNC machine getting the final touches before being delivered to the college.

In the second year of guitar students will build their first archtop instrument choosing a guitar, mandolin or even a violin if they'd like to with the Archtop Construction class. Some of the courses will work together as they design their own original instrument using Rhino 4.0 CAD software, a CNC class for making templates & molds culminating with the building of their instrument in Advanced Guitar Construction. All of the planning stages will be done in a new Instrument Design course.

High tech finishes have been more and more a part of guitar making today reducing the amount of time it takes a finish to cure and reducing VOC's (volatile organic compounds). With the new Advanced Finishing class students will be able to learn popular guitar finishing techniques and use high teach coatings like 2k urethane, polyester and UV cured polyester.

There will also be another repair course covering more involved and/or complicated repair techniques not covered in the first year of the guitar program and an inlay course where students will expand their skills by incorporating a variety of materials and engraving techniques for inlay work on their instruments.

We'll be announcing here and on our facebook page when the information becomes available. This program begins fall of 2010.

Keeping Up!

2010-03-03T14:01:00.002-06:00

It's been a while since I've been able to get a post up here. So far this spring semester we have had 17 electric guitars made and 22 acoustic guitars made. This week we switched sections and have started all over again.

Currently we're working on a blog post for our second year diploma. I hope to be able to get time this week to complete that and get it posted. It begins Fall 2010 and we're very, very excited to offer classes new classes focusing on new and cutting edge technologies for guitar building.

Feel free to check us out on facebook too!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Red-Wing-MN/Guitar-Repair-Building-Program-Southeast-Technical-College/34153234855

Sounds like the program is filling up for next fall too!

Warm weather is making it's return so I hear. Looking forward to it, as is everyone.

A Fall In Review

2009-12-11T14:18:00.008-06:00

It is simply amazing how time flies when you're having fun. Make no mistake about it, this is challenging work and requires serious focus and discipline but it is fun. It seems like only a couple weeks ago we had an all new class full of aspiring luthiers coming from all over the country for as many different reasons as you can think of. Here we are just a week away from the holiday break!

I'm sure everyone is looking forward to the vacation to spend time with friends and family, catch up on some needed rest and perhaps put in some time working before we kick things off in January.

Everyone here is very excited to begin building their first instrument. Again the class will be divided into 2 sections with the classes running 7 weeks. What we call our "Section 1" classes will begin to build their first flat top acoustic guitar. They will have class 4 days a week and do nothing but work on their instrument. The other half of the class will be in "Section 2" and their classes will be Electric Guitar construction for 2 days, Finish Work for 2 days and then Guitar Repairs where we simulate a working guitar shop and students work on anything that needs fixing. After 7 weeks the students switch sections (rooms) and we do it all over again for 7 weeks.

Before we know it....this -10 degree weather will be gone, green grass will be back, students will be back in one group for the final 2 weeks of the semester when their finishing skills are put to the test on a real instrument. Then...they'll be stringing it up & playing their handmade acoustic or electric guitar filled with pride. Those of course that come to class every day, focus, don't talk excessively and do what is expected of them.

The others will scratch their head and not understand why their instrument isn't done. That however brings me full circle to some advice I give out the first week of school, and just about every week after which is...Come to class every day, on time, focus at your bench and do what's expected of you not just by your instructors, but by the professionals in the field making their living doing what they love and most importantly the people who hire our graduates. If you don't focus, work hard and always try to do your best this line of work will get the better of you.

I talk about that the very first week of school in late August, which of course, will be here before I know it.

So! We all hope the holidays find you and yours happy, healthy and looking forward to an amazing 2010.

Breather...

2009-10-16T14:31:00.001-05:00

We have a couple days off school for the MEA days. It's been a great start to the year and a very focused, hard working group of students. They've earned a long weekend and we'll be back to it Monday.

End of Week 3

2009-09-11T09:18:00.005-05:00

Wow, week three is just about done. To the rest of you reading this, you may just think that its not a big deal, but to us guitar students, its a HUGE deal! That means that the last week of tools is just around the corner. That is some exciting stuff!! But, at the same time, its also hectic because that also means that we must finish prepping our hand tools with Lisbeth and finish our power tool projects with Brian.

In hand tools, I am finished with the majority of my tools. Its a great feeling being in class and accomplishing tasks. It makes me feel...well, accomplished. I just finished flattening and polishing all my chisels yesterday in class. I thought it would take a real long time to finish, but to my surprise, I finished them all in the one class period with some time left over to work on my stinkin' burnisher. Which reminds me, my goal this weekend is to finish the burnisher at home.

And then, in power tools, I am learning a load of things. It's good stuff. I enjoy using all the quality tools in the shop. I'm starting to get more and more comfortable using them. I can't really wait until we actually start building guitars! Just thinking about it is exciting. Funny story though, not really but...here goes. I was working on my nut and sattle holder project which we take a block "blank" and sand it down to be flat and square to each and every face. And then we drill a hole down the middle, first with a forstner bit only about 3/16th of an inch deep, then second with just a regular twist bit down the center of the block. So I finished all my sanding, meaning I got my block square and flat on all sides. Brian had already set the forstner bit to stop at the required depth...or so I thought. I went to go drill my first hole and waited for the stop. Turned out that someone probably had set it to a different setting maybe the night before. So I obviously drilled too far. I went and asked Brian what I should do. He told me that I could either plug the hole with wood and glue it in, or I could start over. Gluing it in would take longer, so I felt like I wasted half of a day. Great story. And it's true. But I suppose its all part of the learning process right?

Instructor note: Making mistakes is part of learning and perhaps more importantly, how a person responds to that mistake. He did a great job!

Thinking of Enrolling? - What you NEED to know!

2009-08-27T17:22:00.012-05:00

Thank you to everyone at the college responsible for welcoming new students from the very first phone call to the college, questions about the program, visiting the college, etc...We have made every effort to be sure students coming into the program have what they need, the information gets to them with plenty of lead time and they're ready to hit the ground running the first day of school.

No matter how hard we try there are situations that pop up and present a very serious challenge to new students so I'd like to talk about potential pitfalls for anyone thinking of coming to our program.

Your success in the program is the most important thing to us and we will do everything we can do to help you get to where you're going. That's why I've written this particular blog. The sooner you begin planning your future the greater success you'll have.

Here is critical information for anyone thinking of coming to the Guitar Repair & Building program:

#1 - Don't wait to apply to the college and get the wheels in motion. We have completely filled the program for the 2009-2010 school year. If someone procrastinates they could very well not be able to get in. This will allow you time to fill out the necessary paperwork, apply for financial aid etc.

#2 - You generally receive the first two tool lists at orientation. The hand tools ARE YOUR ASSIGNMENTS for the Intro to Tools class. There is no way the college can loan you tools to prepare in class (flatten, grind and sharpen). If you wait until the last registration day you only have a few days to order your tools. By then the vendors may be out of stock on those tools because so many other people have ordered theirs. If you don't have the necessary tools on the first day your ability to pass that class is severely reduced.

#3 - Don't wait to register!!! You begin the registration with an orientation session required for every student at the college. (see#2) There are 4 registrations for incoming guitar students. Get to the first registration you possibly can and DON'T ARRIVE LATE. The program is nearly full by the end of July.

#4 - The Intro to Tools class is a prerequisite for nearly every class in the guitar program. If you don't pass that you can't continue in the program. (see #2) This class runs the first 4 weeks of the semester. Basically 1 day = 1 week of a normal 16 week, semester long course. If you start 2 days late without your tools YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PASS the class. Or should we say, no one has ever done it in the past.

#5 - Each class is a stepping stone to the next. Intro to Tools is required for the repair courses offered in the fall. The fall courses are required for the spring semester courses, so if a student for some reason doesn't make it through the other fall courses they are unable to come back to build a guitar in the spring semester.

#6 - Our program is a full-time commitment for 9 months. We don't have a way to offer part-time enrollment or picking and choosing only certain courses.

Contact the college with any questions you have, we're here to help!

And they're off!!

2009-08-20T15:22:00.002-05:00

Well not quite as I write this blog but...School starts Monday August 24th and we're very excited to welcome a full roster of students this year. There are many great times ahead as students begin their voyage into the world of guitar repair and building and this years class will be the first ones to have the option of a second year diploma. Of course ANY former student of the guitar program can come back for the "Guitar Development & Production" program starting in Fall 2010. We'll be announcing more as the final stages of the development are completed.

Here's to another great year!!

Another Successful Year

2009-05-22T11:07:00.002-05:00

Another year has come and gone with a whole new batch of hand-made student guitars. We'd like to wish all of our graduates the best of luck as they move ahead in life whether it be continuing their education here or elsewhere, working in the field or whatever is part of their plan. I'm sure they all have a plan right?

So thanks to everyone in the program, all of those at the college that help our students from the first phone call or email right on through the graduation ceremony. We have a wonderful staff here at the college at all levels which helps make this such a great place to get an education.

Thank you!!

Second Year of Guitar!

2009-05-08T15:10:00.004-05:00

This year we worked hard to put together all the necessary planning and information needed to create a second year of the guitar program, then we just waited for state approval. Recently, we got word it has been approved! The Guitar Development & Production program will begin in the fall of 2010.

This is an additional diploma program which will allow students to design an instrument more freely using computer aided drafting and CNC (computer numerical controlled) router technology. Year two will also include building an archtop guitar or mandolin, an inlay class, advanced finishing class and an advanced repair class.

All of us here at Southeast Technical are excited to offer this new diploma.

Get Ready, Get Set....Finish

2009-04-30T13:17:00.008-05:00

Although we tell students the first day of school the year will whizzzz by, it still surprises everyone just how fast things go. This week marks the final 2 week period to apply the finish to their acoustic guitars. They've spent a great deal of time prep sanding the wood, having the instructors check for scratches & repeat, repeat, repeat until the guitar is properly prepared for finish. They're spraying a seal coat, doing touch up and repair to any gaps or "wooopsies" and moving onto grain filling.

If the gaps are small they simply drop fill with some lacquer and then lightly scrape the fill level like in the picture above. Otherwise they do touch up techniques using fill sticks, burn-ins and scraping to hide any problem areas. From there they move onto applying a paste wood filler like in the picture below.

This process is critical to filling the pores of the wood while adding a decorative touch where you can make the pores really stand out or just blend in to the overall color of the wood. After the filler has dried overnight guess what.....more sanding! Once all of the excess filler has been removed the instrument is then re-sealed and any necessary grain lines are carefully painted in to hide the filled voids then topcoats of lacquer can be applied. It's a great deal of work to achieve an industry standard filled, level gloss finish. The guitar show is coming up and for the most part students are on pace. If you're in the area come on down to hear these fine hand-made instruments May 12th in room 314 on the Red Wing campus starting at 12:00pm. Another batch of great students & great instruments.

Songs from the Wood

2009-03-31T19:33:00.021-05:00

An acoustic guitar starts life as a pile of wood. Well, hopefully not a pile, exactly. In truth, we respect our woods. We sticker them up to get plenty of air. We spend hours admiring their voluptuous figures. If things go well, we take them home to introduce them to our parents.

Above all, we try to use them well. Unlike, for example, the typical "unplugged" album, acoustic construction is hardly laid back and unplanned.

For this year's class, the process started about five months ago, when Mr. V. had several past graduates bring in their guitars. It was an opportunity for us burgeoning builders to hear what all those woods had to say. We heard Sitka spruce tops side by side with Engelman. We heard mahogany say "hola" and koa say "aloha." It was also our chance to see these woods with a finish, in combination with each other, in real instruments.

Having received those glimpses of the final picture, we set about purchasing the pieces of our own puzzles. That led to the piles of wood I started this post with. Perhaps more interesting to the layman is what we've done with the wood in Acoustic Construction over the last month.

Most of the first week was spent making templates, molds and workboards, so our guitars can come out guitar-shaped. In the picture on the right, you'll see the two halves of my guitar top (Carpathian European spruce, for the curious); I was in the process of straightening their edges on the joiner plane to prepare them for gluing.

I skipped ahead a little bit and jointed and glued my back together early (Australian blackwood). It was large enough that I could cut one end off to make a book-matched rosette for my top. I lined the inside and outside of the rosette with thin strips of white and black purfling to complete it, glued the whole thing in place, and scraped it level to the top.

After that, I cut the soundhole and glued in the top braces. Just this week, I finished shaping the braces and voicing the top--that is, shaving down the braces to change the stiffness and improve

the tap-tone.

Sometime in there, I found the time to bend my sides and glue in all the blocks, braces and kerfing to hold them together. I radiused the sides to match the top and, in one of those moments of gratifying success, at one of those points where the goal becomes tangibly closer, glued the top to the sides this afternoon. I now have something that looks, from the front, like a real guitar, albeit without a neck. It's indescribably fulfilling to have put that pile of wood through a transformation into . . . well, okay, it's pretty much just a wooden drum at this point, but the point is, it's not a pile of wood anymore.

Of course, I forgot to bring my camera home, so you don't get pictures of that just yet. With any luck, I'll get my back braced and glued on next week and begin work on my fingerboard and neck. It really is nice to watch that pile shrink.

Guitar Show 2009

2009-03-24T16:03:00.006-05:00

This years guitar show will be held May 12th, Room 314 on the Red Wing Campus at 12 noon. Instruments will be on display as well as played by professional musicians. It's a phenomenal day for friends and family to enjoy hearing the work put in by our students. It's also a great day for folks to stop by if they're thinking about enrolling in the program.

The show is open to the public and is free of charge. We hope you'll be able to stop by and enjoy some great sounding instruments played by very talented players.

Electric, so Frantically Hectic

2009-02-16T20:44:00.021-06:00

Here we are in second semester, the scholastic equivalent to a rebound relationship: it's familiar but not quite comfortable, challenging for its own reasons . . . and fairly likely to end in tears. Maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but the stakes are definitely rising.

What exactly has been going on? Those of us losing the most sleep are probably those in Mr. Vincent's section, who are currently engaged in the enviable & challenging process of building an acoustic guitar. The rest of us are likely sweating a little less, being engaged the first half of the week in finishing class. Mr. B has kept us occupied with more than a dozen projects, introducing us to a broad swath of finishes and application techniques, and a *seemingly endless stream of study guides. You'll see in the photo my very first project board, wearing a few coats of brush-on shellac (and, behind it, the next several ducks in the row).

Thursdays are filled with repairs. In addition to making Fender nuts and practicing crack repair, we've been asked to bring in project guitars of our own. Say--for example--your brother tried to pull the frets out of his Ibanez with pliers and sanded most of the finish off the headstock. Oh, and it had a plastic nut to begin with. Sounds like a project, right?

And then there's Friday. --Electric Construction day-- Let's just say that it's a lot of fun, although--as I hinted earlier--at times harrowing.

"What's so scary? Don't you just buy a neck from Warmoth and a body from Stew Mac and bolt them together?" Short answer: no. Long answer: read on.

The first step in production is blueprinting. This apparently simple task of slapping straightedge to paper and drawing a few lines belies a number of important design concerns. Is there room in the neck for the truss rod? Is the body cavity deep enough for the electronics? Where do you put the flaming-skull decal? If you squint at the picture, you can see that I took inspiration from Rickenbacker's 300 series, which meant figuring out how to convert a neck-thru design into a bolt-on (neck-thru designs having been nixed by the instructor).

The first day of class (or two, in my case) spent blueprinting, we move on to making templates, and it's . . . it's a toolroom blitz. Superfluous sweet paraphrases aside, template making is a time-consuming process of roughing out shapes on the band and scroll saws and then sanding and filing them down to the desired dimensions. Most of these templates are later used for routing and flush-trimming the body, so the more time we take making them flat and smooth, the better our guitars will wind up. (Thanks to Cory C. for letting me photograph his mad filing skills.)

Then things get stressful. Once our templates are complete, we start working on our actual electric guitars, with our actual wood. After prepping our stock and gluing it together where necessary, we set into it with saw, sander and router, and that's when the tears might start to flow. Witness Luke R.'s "shark attack" router incident. The area circled is an area that is of the most concern, requiring a patch of wood, contouring, filling or all of the above. To his credit, he took the loss with his usual joie de vivre.

And that's the semester summary thus far. Next week, the sections will switch places, and we'll each receive a new set of challenges--and, no doubt, make a few new educational mistakes--in our ongoing development as luthiers.

*instructors note: Yes study guides, homework occasionally - this is school remember!

Red Wing Guitar Forum

2009-02-11T17:47:00.002-06:00

In the quest to step into the information age we've created an online forum for current and past students to share information, network and discuss all things guitar. It is a private forum specifically for anyone who has ever gone through the guitar program here in Red Wing. It is not necessary for you to be currently working in the industry to join. It's free!

You can find the forum here: http://redwingguitar.ning.com/

Remember, it's by invitation only!

In-State Tuition for Everyone

2009-02-04T09:57:00.003-06:00

If you're thinking about the guitar program and are from out of state you should know that all Guitar Repair & Building program students pay in-state tuition regardless of what state they reside in.

If you'd like to find out more about our program check out the guitar section at:

http://www.redwingmusicrepair.org

If you'd like to get information about admission to the college check out the admissions page here:

http://www.southeastmn.edu/admission/index.html

It's best not to procrastinate, often times by the time the snow starts to melt we're getting near full for the following fall!

We're back!

2009-01-15T11:04:00.003-06:00

This week marked the start of the spring semester. David's group has begun building their acoustic guitars and in 7 weeks the build will be complete and we'll be switching groups. Currently my group of students is in Finish Work and Guitar Repairs for the 7 week period. Tomorrow Jan. 16th I'll have folks beginning the process of blueprinting their electric guitars for the class that runs every Friday for 16 weeks.

Every year goes by so fast and even though I know that....it's still amazing how fast it goes!!!

Today was -22 degrees with a -40 below zero wind chill. Kinda tough to sell the idea of graduation being here soon but I swear, it'll be here before we know it. -22 degrees below zero!!!!! The coldest day here in 5 years. That didn't stop us from getting to work though.

Hopefully I can find a student to volunteer to blog about their acoustic build or possibly even their electric build. Stay tuned...

Semester Ends!

2008-12-18T16:02:00.000-06:00

Well another semester has come and gone. We'll be back in January to begin instrument building. No matter how much I realize it goes by fast it never fails to surprise me. Hope everyone has a great vacation and holiday.

Be safe...

-b

Promo Video

2008-11-21T11:11:00.005-06:00

Here Phil Heywood plays "Hedgehog Hedge" at the 2007 Guitar Show at Southeast Technical College. Each year we have professional musicians come and perform with the hand-made guitars built by our students. It's a great day to cap off an exciting year and friends and family come to see and hear the results of all the hard work. Often these instruments are less than 24 hours old! This performance was made into a promotional video for online use with permission of Phil Heywood. Thanks Phil!

Cutting Edge

2008-11-14T15:44:00.002-06:00

Everything starts somewhere, and in the guitar program, that somewhere is four-week tools and materials classes. Materials is, as you might expect, a course on many types of lutherie wood, from acacia to willow, as well as some discussion of adhesives and abrasives. However, the bulk of time during that first month is devoted to tools, which is itself divided into two concurrent portions.

Power tools provides an education in the basic safety and usage of several common wood-shop machines: planers, jointers, routers, sanders, saws and drill presses. The program's tool shop is equipped for nearly any step in the process of creating a guitar, from the jointer and the planer for preparing rough lumber, to band saws for cutting curves, to routers and drill presses for creating hardware and control cavities. Of particular note are the table saws; the larger, workhorse saw contains an innovative safety brake that drops the blade under the table if it contacts skin, and a second table saw that's better able to handle thin blades is used exclusively for cutting fret slots.

After we passed the safety tests, students were given a number of tasks to improve our acumen with the machines. We made bench hooks, guitar-neck rests and nut-and-saddle holders for use in later guitar repairs, and we created mock-up scarf joints and truss-rod channels.

The counterpart is hand tools, which centers on preparing all of the valuable tools the students have purchased for the precise work of lutherie. There is discussion of safety and maintenance, and of safe use of the power grinders used to prepare chisels; but most of the class is elbow grease and a few flying sparks.

We set about flattening water stones so they could, in turn, be used to flatten plane blades and chisels, and then we moved on to cutting out and beveling scrapers. We also made sure the planes themselves and even our rulers were appropriate flat and straight, since any problem with them would be multiplied in anything we made with them. Our spare time all the while was put into removing machining marks from our burnishers, and then polishing them and shaping handles from wood. Some of the final steps constituted honing chisels and burnishing scrapers, bringing them to a fine cutting edge.

Those first four, frenzied weeks weren't terribly difficult--classes are designed to bring everybody up to the same speed--but the level of dedication and discipline required meant that some of the steps became frustrating and always challenging. Regardless, the foundation they provided has already proven invaluable to me; I can't imagine trying some of the repair work we've been doing without the well-prepared tools or the attention to detail I took away from tools class.

- Jon

New Facilities & Upgrades

2008-11-07T15:10:00.003-06:00

In May of 2007 a construction process began on the Red Wing campus to update the school as well as our music repair program areas. The lab areas were reconfigured and space was added to our power tool room known as our "common shop". This renovation brought our facilities up to date complimenting our updated finishing area and new spray booth constructed a couple years ago. Here is one of the guitar labs located within the department and adjacent to both our finishing area and power tool room.

Over the last 4 years we've slowly replaced older equipment and this year added a new Timesaver thickness sander, Denray downdraft sanding table, a half dozen Dynabrade sanders and upgraded our planer with a Shelix spiral cutterhead which is the same configuration our 12" Grizzly jointer has. A brand new dust collection system was also apart of the improvements so the whole power tool area stays much cleaner than our old facility.

There are still upgrades to equipment planned and we'll continue to phase in refinements throughout the coming years but the program and facility have gone through a major evolution in just these past 4 years. Below is the other guitar lab adjacent to the power tool room.

Students each have their own workbench and our classes are arranged in 4, 6 or 7 week blocks depending on the course and semester. Even though it's a full-time 8 hour a day commitment, this allows students to have only 1 or 2 classes per week for those blocks of time. We've been able to get to more content with this arrangement, another improvement to whole program.

Saddle Sore

2008-10-22T18:59:00.016-05:00

There's an old cowboy saying that goes, "It's not what you ride; it's where you sit." Okay, I just made that up, but it sounds good, doesn't it? The point is, saddles are made for sitting on, so they need to be comfortable. Guitar saddles are no exception, only the strings do the sitting.

Ask a layman on the street to name the parts of a guitar, and you're likely to hear "head," "neck," "body" and "strings." A guitarist may be a little more savvy; he's likely to throw out "pickguard," "pick-up," "bridge," and "fingerboard." But you could probably re-string a harp in the time it takes him to get to "saddle." Saddles are so necessary that they're simply overlooked when everybody's gawking at flamed woods and three-tone finishes and lipstick-tubed squeal-increasing wired-in-series yadda yadda yadda.

Behold the humble saddle. It acts as both a fulcrum for bridge torquing and as a trasmitter of mechanical energy. In both capacities, it moves the bridge, which moves the top, which makes a guitar sound like a guitar. This particularsaddle was made by yours truly.

We're finishing saddle-making in Mr. Vincent's section this week, which means it's crunch time. I had this one prepared this morning and ready to grade, and it did well (after I replaced the broken string, naturally). We were going to move on to neck-resets class after lunch, and, with one saddle still due, I had three hours of hasty work to do.

The first step is determining need. I hope it's clear why ol' number 44 needed a new saddle.

I selected a blank. By which I mean that I asked Mr. Vincent for one, because I'd ruined all my spares. The next step was shaping; this is where most of my major mistakes have happened in the past. I don't need to go into details; just know that there's no "undo" button on a belt sander. You'll see in the picture that I've sanded and polished it to thickness, and I've started fitting it to the slot. The real trick is getting a good, tight fit, so the saddle will stay in place under string pressure and won't lose energy that it should be transmitting to the bridge.

Next comes a careful process: lowering the saddle height to bring the strings to a playable distance from the fingerboard, without taking them so low that they buzz. It takes good measuring and cautious sanding. Ideally saddles should be a bit taller than what you see here but for this particular guitar, this is where the saddle height ended up to have the correct string height or "action".

After the saddle is mostly shaped, its top, where it contacts the strings, needs to be contoured to set each string's intonation. That is, the end of the string needs to be placed at the exact point where it sounds correctly, offsetting its stiffness, the bending that happens when it's fretted, and the general tonal fudging of fretted instruments. You can see that I'm inserting an old string end under each string to create a high spot and then marking where it sounds best.

All that completed (and a little polish sanding, to boot), I presented the saddle to this nice gentleman for grading. It turned out very nicely, only missing one point because the high E string was too close to the fingerboard. My total fabrication time was about two hours, forty-five minutes, out-pacing my previous effort by over two hours. (Still twice the time a professional would take, I'm told, but they've had more practice than I have.)

You can ask people what the best pieces of furniture they own are, and they may bring up antique dressers or Grandma's dining-room table. But ask them what they use the most, and they'll almost always pick one chair or another. Much like saddles, chairs are so essential and unassuming that we rarely appreciate them for all they do. But, in the end, it's about where you sit.

- Jon

Repair Work is Key...

2008-09-10T11:25:00.015-05:00

Most guitar makers I've talked with feel experience with repairing and restoring instruments leads to a better understanding of design. What has worked over the years and what hasn't. While I no longer am able to repair instruments daily, I still have repair shop & get calls to repair something no one else wants to. I'm also always making sure as an instructor I'm up to date on current repair techniques and keeping my skills sharp.

Here is a guitar that, in a way, survived a house fire. The owner has had this guitar for a very long time and is attached to it. I wanted to help him out and get it back to playing condition and if possible, looking pretty good in the process.

The process involved disassembling the head stock and piecing it back together (and to dimension) with a spline made out of the same species of wood as the neck. The fingerboard was loose from the neck about half the length of the neck and that had to be cleaned up, heated and re-glued to the neck stock. Since a piece of wood was missing from the bass side of the neck a new piece was made, glued and shaped to match the original design. Finally a piece of figured maple was used to cover the face of the headstock a bit thicker than the original to further strengthen the repair. The final stages of repair were matching the color, spraying the clear coats, buffing, and completing the work with a fret job, a new nut and a set-up.

Not too bad in the end if you ask me.

Advanced Finishing 2008

2008-09-02T16:30:00.029-05:00

What a great run of instruments for the graduating class of 2008. Again we had the opportunity to run the advanced finishing class where students were able to dream up the color and look in their mind and then make it happen.

Pictured to the right is a beautiful hand applied sunburst on swamp ash with a dark grain filler to highlight the pores.

Next color is used to enhance a piece of wood with some great curly figure.

Here is a mahogany instrument with light colored pore filler under a sprayed blue/purple toner. The options are pretty much endless when you understand the methods and materials that go into high quality finishing.

Ah and here are some fine looking mandolins! One is a hand applied color using red as the foundation with subtle shading techniques along the edges and the other is a more traditional sprayed sunburst that looks great.

Here are some other fantastic instruments as well. (I haven't included all the instruments that were done simply because either the pictures didn't turn out or I have yet to crop and adjust their file sizes.)

Back to school!!!

2008-09-02T16:23:00.001-05:00

Whoah, what happened to summer? We're back to work and currently in the Basic Materials class and our Intro to Tools class. Our shops have all new floors bringing our renovation to a conclusion (knock on spruce) and things are running smoothly (knock on rosewood).

These two classes are prerequisites for the whole year and lay the foundation for what is to come. It's great to be back and we're very excited for the 2008-2009 school year!

Late "update" - Matthews acoustic

2008-05-28T15:17:00.004-05:00

My apologies...Each year the final month gets very hectic & I didn't have a chance to keep up on the blog. Here Matthew blogs about getting the neck ready for the body and getting it closer to completion. Soon I'll get the process of making the fingerboard up on the blog.

Next David used this jig to route dovetail fittings into our neck blocks.

Later I will fit my neck to sit in the slot.

Next I voiced my back much like the top. But instead of notching the sides by hand I used a jig that was set up, with the other jigs I have used, to route the perfect size notches.

Now the back fits just like the top and is glued up in the same fashion.

While this glued up I didn't have much else to do so I squared up the neck black for my guitar. This block makes 2 necks.

I traced out my template and cut a rough shape.

I unclamped the back of the guitar.

It's time to glue in binding on the edges of the guitar. Binding serves many purposes... It hides the braces that go through the ribs, it can protect the guitar if it is dropped, and it, along with purfling, can make the guitar very attractive. Binding is usually made of plastic or wood. I am using plain, cream colored, plastic binding and no purfling because it is quicker and easier and I am on a time limit.

First I route a slot in the sides of my guitar for the binding to sit. I want the binding to sit at a near perfect 90 degrees to the top. So I place the guitar in this sled that holds it at such an angle.

Then I use this laminate trimmer to route into the sides of the guitar. It has a bearing on it that routes the perfect depth and it sits on this jig that holds it to the top of the guitar

Next I am going to route a slot for my end graft. End grafts can get very complicated and beautiful but once again I am going very simple because I am on a schedule. First I use this router jig to make the slot.

It clamps on the top of the guitar and then rests on the table.

and between my legs as I route.

The result is a straight slot just the right size for a piece of my binding.

Next I used a vinyl glue to glue the plastic binding onto the guitar. Because it isn't a wood glue, I put a sealer coat in the slot and let it soak in for 15 min before gluing the binding in. I put the binding in gluing small sections at a time and pressing them in with strapping tape to put pressure vertically and horizontally.

Once that is done I put 3 cam clamps to hold down the ends of the binding.

Once that is dried I carefully remove the tape and fit some binding into the end graft slot.

But instead of strapping tape I used a caul and 3 cam clamps.

Returning after the weekend, I got to see how my binding and end-graft turned out and they turned out pretty darn good I think.

Next step is to scrape down the binding.

And sand the ribs flush with the binding. I also used a flat block to sand a flat spot for the neck to sit against... this is important for setting the neck.

Next I am going to start working on the neck... first I am going to cut the block to the right angle for my neck extension height. This is the height off the top, at the bridge location, of the straight edge resting on the neck, down the centerline. Here I'm resting a straight edge so I can find the precise angle that is needed.

Then I used the bevel to cut the angle into the heel of the neck.

Then I re-checked that it worked, hold the neck on the top and checking with the straight edge.

Next I drew a centerline and drilled a 1/8" hole in the center.

I use the hole to attach the neck to the dove tail jig.

Here David routes the dovetail.

Now the dovetail fits in the neck block.

Next I shape my heel. First I use the spindle sander to get the exact shape of the heel.

Then I use a template to draw the shape of the heel.

Next I use my saw to cut off a majority of the excess.

Then I use my chisels, rasps, and sandpaper to shape the heel.

I sand it out to 220 grit... and I will not touch it again until the final sanding.

The problem now is that it doesn't fit perfectly....

The next step is Setting the Neck.

First you undercut the heel so that the dovetail doesn't bottom out.

Then you used chalk to mark out what is touching and what needs to be shaved off.

You use chisels and sandpaper to take off as much or as little as is needed.

The goal is to get the neck angle correct, centerline even, and the fit tight by shaving the heel.

and have no twist and the neck match up flush by shaving the dovetail.

Advanced Finishing 2008

2008-05-23T16:16:00.005-05:00

We're just winding down another class of Advanced Finishing. This years group has really done a great job of coming up with original colors and great finishes. Today they've begun "finishing the finish" on their acoustics by doing a final wet sanding and buffing. I'll be taking loads of pictures on the final day and post some for you to come back and see soon.

Matthew's Guitar Coming Together

2008-04-23T15:03:00.006-05:00

Next I started notching the sides so that the x brace and the upper transverse braces can go all the way through the sides. I set the ribs on the top and marked there width and depth.

I notched the sides so that the top would fit on flush.

Next I marked where the top would be cut to.

Then I sanded it down to about 1/8" over-sized so that the over hang would not crack the top when I clamped it up with bungee cord.

I slid the top out of the mold at an even amount.. Since the back changes in depth I had to support it through the clamping.

So I made some blocks to fill the gap.

Next I put sheet rock screws in the holes that I drilled during that first week.

Next I glued the top to the side kerfing and clamped the neck and tail block areas. Then I wrapped a 40' bungee cord around the body using the sheet rock screws to even the out the pressure.

After it is clamped for 2 hours I took off the bungee and it's really starting to look like a guitar.

I still have some of the top hanging over.

David shows us how to trim it flush with the router.

Nicely done.

Matthew Refining the Top

2008-04-23T14:50:00.006-05:00

Before gluing in the top, I took the clamping caul I made for gluing in my bridge plate a few weeks ago and made a new caul. I will use that to glue on the bridge after my guitar is finished. I added some more plywood, cork and plexi so it will fit over the braces.

The last step before gluing on the top is called "voicing the top". The braces on the back of my top are meant for not only strength and stability but play an important role in how the guitar sounds. So voicing involves a process of checking for stiffness as shown by my teacher David Vincent.

Tapping the board and listening for the value of the tone.

Then shaping and resizing the braces to get the best possible sound.

Here is a before and after...

Matthew's Rib Structure

2008-04-01T08:40:00.006-05:00

Now lets get to backs & sides... first we thicknessed the backs.

Next I shaped the ribs. First I found the book match that I wanted on the bottom of the guitar.

I double stick taped them together. Jointed one end, traced the outline and band saw/sanded them to the shape of my template.

I marked the outside of the guitar and marked which side would connect to the top and which to the back of the guitar.

Now it was time to bend the sides. We did this with heat and a mold. First we wraped the sides with a wet paper towel, then wrapped it in aluminum foil.

Then I measured and marked the spot where the center of the waist was going to be.

I matched this with the waist line.

I then sandwiched my rib with a heat blanket and 2 pieces of spring steel.

I heated it up for 45 seconds. Then I clamped the waist in.

smoothed down the sides very carefully and clamped them with jorgenson clamps.

I let it cook for 1.5-2 minutes more. Then let it sit for 15 min. Re-adjusted the rib and re-clamped it. Cooked it for another 2 minutes and let it sit for 10 minutes. and then,,,,,,,,,, whah-lah!

Then I put into the mold that I made and clamped it up.

Earlier I used a turnbuckle and some maple blocks to hold the center cauls in place.

Cutting into the maple, drilling holes and filling them with glue and dowels.

I did the same thing to my other rib and then it sits in there like that.

So after I shaped my sides I had some extra side wood left over. So I marked the centerline and sawed off the excess so that the 2 sides fit perfectly in the mold.

Then I made a tail block and a neck block for the guitar. Mine are made out of mahogany and they are cut 1/8" tall to over compensate. The thick block is for the neck. Later I will route a dovetail fitting into it so that I can set the neck.

Before gluing them in I need to make them sit flush against the sides. So I took out the sides and placed some adhesive sand paper on the area where the block will sit. Then I sanded the back side of the block to fit.

When the blocks fit well. I shimmed up the mold 1/16" to spread the 1/8" extra on the top and back of the guitar. Then I used a number of clamps and titebond 2 glue. I use Titebond 2 because it is water proof and if I ever need to reset the neck I can steam it off without ungluing the neck block.

After that is dry I sanded the sides and prepared them for gluing side braces.

Side braces are thin pieces of wood that run from the top to back of the guitar evenly. I used a tape measure to spread them out easily placing 4 on each side.

I used titebond glue. I clamped each brace with 1 spring clamp to clamp to the rib, and 1 cam clamp to clamp to the mold. I also used a thicker piece of wood for a caul.

Afterwards I cleaned up the glue squeeze out and sanded it smooth.

Next I prepped my back for braces. I cut out the back and drew in the brace pattern with a template.

Then I used more strips from my top make a back graft with the grain running perpendicular to the grain of the back.

I used the Go Bar deck with a 20' radius to glue the graft in. First I used a straight edge to line the graft up and removed it once the go bar sticks were in. I also used a go bar stick as a caul.

Next placed the aforementioned template on the back and clamped it down.

Then I used the flat edge of my chisel to cut down into the graft.

Next I used a skinnier chisel to remove the slots for the braces.

I radiused some brace material and used a jig to taper the ends. We used a jig because we have another jig from slotting into the sides later.

Here I've made up some more radiused cauls.

Next I placed the back on the deck with the template clamped over it.

Then I glue the braces in with the template on so the are perfect. I used Titebond.

Then after 15 minutes or so I came back, removed the template, cleaned up the glue squeeze out and reclamped for an hour.

Next I began to glue in the kerfing. The kerfing is used to glue the top and back to the sides.... because I have the side braces in... I have to notch out the kerfing so the braces fit and the kerfing sits flush. I do this by using a thin strip of adhesive sandpaper on a piece of plexiglass. This helps me to notch it the perfect depth.

I clamp up the kerfing with about 100 clothes pins and rubberbands.

I used Titebond glue and leave the kerfing 1/32" - 1/16" over the rib.

And there it is!

Next I put a radius into the edge of the sides and kerfing. I marked the edge with a china marker.

For the top, I put sandpaper on a radius bar, balancing one end on a block and sanding down the other edge til the mark dissapears. I use a 20' radius for all the top except the neck block near the upper transverse brace where I use a 25'.

Then I turn the radius bar and sand the center.

For the back which has the same radius of 20' I use an abrasive radius dish. I place the sides in and turn it back and forth until the marks disappear.

Now its all ready for the top to be fitted and glued in!

Matthew's Acoustic Top

2008-04-01T08:32:00.021-05:00

Next we thickness sand the top...

Then we used a jointer plane and a shooting board to trim each piece perfectly straight.

We used a light board to check to make sure there were no gaps.

This jig is used to glue the top together using pressure from the sides. We use hide glue for the majority of the building process.

and the result... 2 becomes 1.

Then I went to my top in which was joined together last night and I am happy to say has a great looking, nearly invisbale glue-joint.

I then thickness the top (again) to a frightening 3.5mm. You can really feel the stiffness along the grain now and you can feel an amazing flexibility across the grain.... spruce is cool.

I cut my top to a rough shape and kept the left over pieces which I will use for different braces and grafts later.

Next we started to install our rosettes. First I clamped my top to my workboard and I drilled a hole in the center of where my sound hole would end up.

So I used a compass and drew out my soundhole, 3 7/8 diameter, and my rosette, 1/4 inch outside of the soundhole. I stuck a short pin through the hole and into the work board.

I then set up a router using a circular jig that sat on the pin. I set it for about half the thickness of the top wood (1.5mm).

And the jig gave me a perfect circle.

I set my rosette in and glued it with titebond.

It glued in pretty nice.

I scraped and sanded the rosette flush with the top. Now its time to cut out the sound hole. I set up the router again. This time setting it deep enough to go through the top wood and into the workboard. I set the jig up and locked it into place for my 3 7/8 sound hole diameter.

So I went ahead and routed it and now you cant even tell.

So I flipped the top over and sanded the inside to 150 grit from the 80 grit scratches from the thickness sander... drew my center line and marked the lines for my braces.

I then started to put together braces. I cut down brace stock to the approximate size using very straight grained Engleman spruce stock. I used quarter sawn pieces so that the braces won't want to twist or distort. We then sent them through the thickness sander so that they would be the perfect width. We had to radius the braces with this jig. I am building a Gibson style so I am using a 20 foot radius.

After I put a radius in the braces I want to glue them in. I have to glue them in different groups and shape them in between gluing... so first I started with my X brace... The most important of the top braces.

First I used a carpenters protractor to get the exact angle of my x brace... which for the Gibson bracing style is 103 degrees.

Then I marked it on my braces... I marked it on the top of one and the bottom of the other so they will fit together..

Then I used my Japanese saw to cut the grooves in them.

It took a while to fit the braces so that they were snug and at the perfect angle... but eventually I got it.

Now its time to glue them in. To get the most amount of downward pressure we use a go-bar deck.

It has a radius dish in the bottom.

And you use these long sticks to create firm downward pressure.

It also helps to glue a lot of things a once.

So I used hot hide glue again and glue each brace in one at a time... then wait for 2 hours.

Unfortunately after I glued I noticed that I had a cracked brace...

I tried gluing it back together with more hide glue and a smaller clamp..

But it broke apart again during shaping.

I decided that this brace is just too important... since it was the bottom brace I had to get rid of both of them, so I planed them all the way off and started over. re-sand, make new braces, thickness, knotch together and glue.

Once the new x braces were in.... I planed them to height, shaped them and scalloped the ends using my block plane, finger planes, chisels, and sand paper. I will do more to this later when I "voice the top".

Next I preped my lower transverse braces and my finger braces. These taper to 1/8" and sit right against the X braces.

Since I scallop these before gluing I have to use clamping cauls so that I have a level surface and I dont dent the soft spruce.

Next I glued in my upper transverse brace.... since this brace is near where the neck meets the body... I cant have too much radius, so I glue this brace in at a 25' radius instead of 20'.

Next I am going to make my bridge plate. The strings of the guitar go through the bridge and through the top of the guitar... They are pulling at the top with around 180 lbs of pressure.... so I use a hardwood to reinforce the bridge... in this case Indian Rosewood.
First I use paper to make an outline for how big and what shape the plate will be so it can fit in between the X braces and lower transverse brace.

Then I trace it on the plate.

Cut it out and fit it.

Then I use some of my leftover topwood to make 3 soundhole braces and the upper transverse graft.

I also use it to make a cap for the x brace with the notched top.

Then I glued them all in using cauls made of wood and plexi.

Then I shaped the cap to reinforce the X braces.

Matthew's Blog - Getting Started

2008-04-01T08:27:00.008-05:00

My name is Matthew and I am currently building a Orchestral Model acoustic guitar. First we started making templates for our instruments out of 1/8" plexi-glass. We made blueprints for our guitars and templates for the body shape, neck, headstock, and the sides.

Then we began making outside molds. These will be used to shape the ribs (sides) of the guitar after we bend them. They are made by stacking and gluing plywood.

Cutting them to shape.

Here we're using a template pinned in place to rout them flush so the ribs will be held to their shape until the the point where the top is glued on.

Now we glue the first cut out to another rough cut piece of plywood and repeat the routing process.

Here the outside mold is tall enough to support the rib structure.

Meanwhile I also made a work board for my guitar. It's used for holding the instrument as I build.

Next I made some cauls to fit inside the the outside mold for my guitar so that I can keep the ribs clamped after shaping them.

Guitar Show!!!

2008-03-26T14:22:00.009-05:00

Each year we have a guitar show featuring professional musicians performing with the instruments students have constructed during the school year. This is an amazing day seeing the students beaming with pride as they display their work.

This year the guitar show will be Thursday May 8th from 3-5pm on the Red Wing campus. The show is open to the public & free so if you're in the area and want to listen to some outstanding musicians playing new handmade instruments please join us!

Jason's Acoustic

2008-03-26T10:50:00.003-05:00

Here are a few pictures from the first part of the acoustic construction class and the slope-shoulder dreadnought style acoustic guitar that I am in the process of getting ready to finish. This is a shot of shaping the top X-Braces on the guitar top:

Bent sides with kerfing, blocks, and side braces installed:

Gluing the top on:

An inside of the guitar with the top glued on showing the braces:

Gluing the neck on:

Shaping the neck:

The nearly finished guitar ready for finish sanding and fretting:

Jason's Electric

2008-03-26T10:49:00.007-05:00

Here is the electric that I've been building. This shows the neck in early construction stages, with only the trussrod intalled and fingerboard glued on. The body has been shaped and cannot be worked further until the neck gets closer to completion:

The headstock has been cut out and thicknessed and the neck has been routed flush to the fingerboard. The guitar is almost ready to have the neck pocket routed in the body:

Jason's Archtop

2008-03-26T10:49:00.006-05:00

And here are a couple of photos of my archtop in progress. This is a shot of the assembled rib structure in the mold:

And the archtop back:

An Introduction

2008-03-21T17:01:00.014-05:00

My name is Jason and I am a current student in the guitar repair and construction program for the '07-'08 school year. I am contributing to this blog to give anyone who reads it an idea of what it's like to be a student in the program, including some of the really cool things that we do here, what classes are like, and how much work is involved. Right now, I am taking all three of the construction courses offered, which are flat top acoustic guitar construction, archtop guitar construction, and electric guitar construction. This is a lot of work, but there is also no other way that I'd prefer to spend my time.

Throughout the month of January and February, I completed the first part of the acoustic construction class and was in class for about 48-49 hours per week total including the electric archtop construction, but it has dropped down to about 40 hours per week now. I still have electric and archtop construction a few days a week, but I am currently enrolled in finish work and repairs class until the beginning of May when the acoustic will get finished. Both classes will give me some good skills to be able to get a nice looking finish on the acoustic itself.
I may have written more than you care to read here, check out my blog entry's to see each of the instruments I'm making.

Advanced Finishing

2008-03-21T12:55:00.046-05:00

The year is going by so fast before we know it Advanced Finishing class will begin. I created this class through the customized training division at Southeast Technical. During the regular finishing class in spring students learn the fundamentals of fine wood finishing.

For our guitars we use nitrocellulose lacquer and traditional paste wood fillers. Generally we have the final 2 weeks of the semester to apply the finishes and with the number of instruments being sprayed, using color on the acoustics isn't an option.

With Advanced Finishing however students can create custom colors and use different coloring, filling & spraying techniques to take what's in their mind and put it to use on their electric guitar or archtop instrument.

We also do several different project boards using urethane and polyester finishes and spray bronzing powders used for "gold top" finishes or "candy apple red" colors made popular in the 50's and 60's.

I believe most guitar makers will tell you the finish is one of the most challenging aspects to get "right" and buffing to a high gloss certainly presents its own set of challenges. By the half way point of Advanced Finishing the acoustic guitars have had the necessary time to cure and are ready to be buffed which completes the process of taking raw wood, cutting, planing, scraping & shaping them into musical instruments and gives the look and feel customers expect.

As a graduate of the program in 1994 it has been an honor to come back and teach starting in 2000 and being a part in how the program has grown. We have an all new facility from the labs, power tool room, finishing area and spray booth. Being able to see the students go from the first day of school through to completing their first instrument never gets old for me. Seeing the process unfold and their creations take shape is inspiring and this class has given me ideas for finishes on my instruments!

(Below) This student chose a spalted maple cap and their idea was to give it the look of coming out of a swamp. He could picture it in his head and I was part of teaching him what finishing materials to use and how it can be applied but this was his creation and when it was completed he told me "It's exactly how I saw it in my head!".

Here (left pic) a student hand applies the color to his f-style mandolin he built in the archtop construction course and then the (right pic) clear coats have been sprayed:

This 50's inspired finish was done spraying the color with pigment based toners to get a super cool retro look on a classic design. Left to right: The guitar body sealed, the first stage of coloring, the final burst, and fully assembled. (Subtle color differences in the pictures are from different light sources when pictures were taken)

This is a classic "Lake Placid Blue" that inspired the finish for a recent guitar I built. Here the student did a phenomenal job of using bronzing powders added to lacquer to achieve this very challenging finish. For an added "pop" he applied the color over a white primer. Here in Minnesoooota this is a "Lake Pepin Blue" finish.

Stay tuned for pictures from Advanced Finishing 2008. I can't wait to see what the students have in mind for this years batch of excellent instruments.

The blog debuts...

2008-03-09T10:40:00.013-05:00

Welcome to the guitar program blog! This winter we've begun work on creating a website for the musical instrument repair programs at Southeast Technical in Red Wing, Minnesota. The guitar, violin and band instrument repair programs already enjoy a great reputation and draw students from all over America (and even some international students). As the guitar program blog develops we hope to tell our story beyond the scope of the new website.

We're approaching the midway point of the the Spring Semester 2008. In the fall our students learned many of the techniques and skills necessary to maintain & repair guitars and other fretted instruments - such as making nuts, saddles, bridges, performing neck re-sets and fret jobs as well as wiring electric guitars. Now in spring they are applying those skills (and gaining new skills) to build an acoustic guitar from scratch!

Come back soon to see how work in the guitar repair and construction is progressing.