Hailing from the backwoods of Illinois, Jim Prater honed his woodworking skills by carving carousel horses prior to studying Engineering and Rhetoric at the University of Illinois. He attended the Fall 2010 class at Roberto-Venn and came aboard as a workshop assistant the following semester.
Jim’s creative designs and “never fail” attitude made him a shoo-in for an instructor position. In 2018 he became the new head of the acoustic program, under the direction of Head Luthier & Director of Training, John Reuter. In addition, Jim teaches Lap Steel construction with instructor Joe Vallee.