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Charles Fox -
Contemporary
Guitar Making
(See instructor
BIO on the "Meet Our Team" page)
CONTEMPORARY
GUITAR MAKING
is a window on guitar making's dynamic new reality. Today’s high-quality guitar making is based on an accurate grasp of the acoustical behavior
of the instrument and a working knowledge of the most effective means
of the craft. Armed with these two things, a growing number of world
class luthiers are able to systematically optimize important qualities
of their guitars, and to build enough of them to both advance steadily
in their craft and make a comfortable living. CONTEMPORARY GUITAR
MAKING invites you to share the understanding and the techniques that
make this creative work possible.
OVERVIEW
CONTEMPORARY GUITAR MAKING is a comprehensive five-day survey of
the craft as it is practiced today. This lecture/ demonstration
course's study topics range from nuts-and-bolts skills to fundamental
theory and principles, with an emphasis always on their direct, professional
application to state-of-the-art guitar making. Every aspect
of the guitar's function, design and construction - both steel string
and classical - is demonstrated and explained in detail. CONTEMPORARY
GUITAR MAKING examines the guitar's acoustical, structural, and aesthetic
design factors as well as materials, construction methods, voicing,
tooling, shop design, marketing, and other topics critical to the practice
of lutherie in today's world.
IS
THIS FOR YOU?
For the beginning
guitar maker, this unique seminar is the best possible introduction
to the field - a strong foundation for working ultimately at an accomplished
professional level. This course will take years off your learning curve
by starting you off right at the top, ready to work with a clear awareness
of the state of the art. Although it's not required, some familiarity
with tools and materials is useful, as this program is not a general introduction
to the art and craft of woodworking.
For the more experienced
guitar maker, this seminar will dramatically broaden your frame of
reference. It is an opportunity to review your own approach
to the craft in a new creative light; a chance to further refine the quality
and direction of your work and to resolve the guitar building problems
that remain for you.
For the full-time luthier, this intensive re-examination of the
craft will help you both to break out of the old habits that we all get
stuck in and to take your work to its next level with renewed inspiration
and increased productivity. The information and techniques from
this seminar should allow you to measurably increase your output.
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THEORY
We'll concentrate
throughout on the basic physics that inform the guitar's design.
Every important principle is identified, explained, and underscored by
demonstrating it's direct application. The aim is for you to be
guided in your work by a clear understanding of the phenomena that govern
the behavior of the instrument.
DESIGN
The
creation of a guitar begins with design work and pattern making.
The logic and thoroughness of this process are rewarded throughout the
building of the instrument. You'll learn simple procedures that
will produce an integrated design and a complete set of working patterns
in just a few hours.
TOOLING,
JIGS AND FIXTURES
The
best choice of tools for guitar making depends on your personal style,
resources and available space. We'll examine an extremely versatile
and compact setup that's perfect for the small guitar-making shop.
Well-designed jigs and fixtures are a key to efficiency and to consistent
high-quality work. We'll explore the few basic principles around
which most jigs and fixtures can be designed and we'll examine many affordable
time-saving guitar making devices.
SHOP
SETUP AND PRODUCTION
Working efficiently is important to anyone who
values his or her time. There's more than one way to set up an efficient
workshop, but there's only one best way for you to do it without
compromising either the quality of your work or your enjoyment of it.
We'll discuss tooling up and organizing the one-person shop for smooth
productivity, with an emphasis on economy and appropriate means.
CONSTRUCTION
METHODS
Fundamentally, there are two basic ways to build guitars: free-form
on an open work board, for prototyping and other custom work, and
fixed-form, using solid molds and other specialized devices, for
efficiently reproducing your standardized designs. Familiarity with
both ways is essential for creative, efficient lutherie. We'll examine
a variety of approaches to every construction process, from traditional
hand methods to up-to-date time-saving production techniques. You'll
learn ways of guitar building designed to maximize the quality of your
work while minimizing your time and effort. All of these methods
are presented in the context of a logical, integrated approach to the
craft.
A MESSAGE FROM CHARLES --
"The amount of lutherie information that's available today
is staggering and often confusing for its apparent lack of agreement.
CONTEMPORARY GUITAR MAKING charts the way through this thicket of
fact and opinion. My responsibility as a teacher is to thoughtfully
distill the collective wisdom, to present each important principle
as clearly as possible, and to demonstrate it's direct application
to state-of-the-art guitar making. My teaching style is direct
and personal with an emphasis on lively dialogue.
"Guitar making is among life's most challenging and deeply
satisfying activities. If you wish to embrace this work in
it's fullness, CONTEMPORARY GUITAR MAKING can contribute hugely
to your success as a guitar maker. As a teacher, It will be
my privilege to have assisted you in achieving your lutherie goals."
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If you've been contacted and accepted a spot in a particular session, go to
registration form, print it out, complete it and send it in
along with your tuition deposit. Tuition for this 5-day workshop
is $1000 - tuition deposit is $200.
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