We’re deeply saddened to learn of Frank Ford’s passing. What a loss for all of us.  Frank was such a dear friend and a ‘pal’ to everyone who met him.

We send our heartfelt condolences to Frank’s wife Joy, his longtime friend and business partner Richard Johnston, and the guitar tech staff and employees of Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto. Frank served on our Program Advisory Committee and as a consultant to the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery for over three decades.

As a guest lecturer Frank traveled to Phoenix to give our students a demonstration on neck resets, re-frets, pickguard replacement and many other repair operations to over 60 classes. We called Frank a ‘performance artist’ as he did these ‘demos’ in real time, while talking through each step of the process.  His knowledge and experience in the world of guitars and guitar repair is truly remarkable.  His tales of repair experiences, customer relations, tool use and everything guitar related was always fascinating, insightful and informative.

The creation and evolution of his website Frets.com is an amazing resource for luthiers and hobbyists. Choosing not to produce a fretted instrument repair book and instead offering his repair knowledge for free, through his website, was and is an exceptional act of generosity.  What a wonderful gift to leave for the stringed instrument world.

Through his dedication to training his tech staff, teaching at our school, his many appearances at the Guild of American Luthier’s and Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans conventions, appearances at Northwoods Guitar Seminar and tag team demos with Dan Erlewine, his writings in Fretboard Journal and many other publications, and all of Frank’s associations and vast network of clients, leaves a considerable legacy to his boundless sharing of information to the guitar making and repair ‘industry’ and community. His partnership with Richard and the creation of their Gryphon Stringed Instruments is legendary, and a real testament to what a music store can bring to a community.

Frank was truly inspirational in his expression, passion and love for the art and craft of repairing and making things. It is hard to imagine a world without Frank Ford. We love you always Frank. You have made such a contribution to us and so many lives. We will miss you, and cherish the memories of our times together.

 

William Eaton
Director, Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery

John Reuter, Bart Applewhite, Steve Davis, Jim Prater, Robert Manzullo, Mark Allred, Brady Shreeve, AJ Machnes, Joe Vallee, John Lippi and all of the students and graduates of Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery

 


FRANK FORD SCHOLARSHIP FUND

We are pleased to announce the launch of the FRANK FORD SCHOLARSHIP FUND.  A collaboration with Joy Imai, Richard Johnston, Gryphon Stringed Instruments and the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery to honor the legacy of Frank Ford.  Donations to this fund will allow learning experiences for aspiring luthiers for years to come.

Our Fall 2021 Guitar Making & Repair Classes Continue

Our Fall 2020 students are wrapping up their builds and getting them into the spray booth. The finishing process is fairly deep and time consuming, especially for a beginner. Once they’ve got the adequate amount of lacquer on them, and they’re flat, the instruments cure for at least two weeks before wet sanding and buffing come into play. This is an exciting time as we get to see all of their hard work begin to shine. R-V student guitars are handmade and built from seasoned tone-woods over the course of 20 weeks. For more information check out the Guitar Making & Repair Course – details page.

A Breath Of Fresh Air

Shortly before Thanksgiving we revived an old Roberto-Venn tradition by hiking up South Mountain. We met at the trailhead at 8:30am and hiked up the North side of South Mountain, breathing in the cool morning air and resting at the summit with the Phoenix Valley at our feet. We welcomed a special guest, Steve Nall, director of manufacturing at Collings Guitars who last made the hike in 1999 as a student! It was quite a refreshing and invigorating excursion which reminded us all that life isn’t always just about making sawdust… Connect to the moment you’re in. Photos by R-V instructor Steven Davis.

FOR OVER 40 YEARS WE HAVE BEEN TEACHING STUDENTS WHAT THEY NEED TO ENTER THE WORLD OF

PROFESSIONAL GUITAR MAKING AND REPAIR.

Roberto-Venn Alumni – Help us, your classmates and future grads by filling out our Alumni Questionnaire

R-V Alumni Job Opportunities

Recently we’ve shared these employment opportunities through our Graduate Bulletin, on our Alumni Job Opportunities Page, and on our Facebook Page:

If you have a job opening and want us to share it through our network visit our Employer Job Opportunities Page, share your info and we’ll help you spread the word. Connecting qualified graduates with good employers helps us all. Look to Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery to help build your workforce.

BROWSE OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTER TODAY!

STUDENT AID & VETERAN’S BENEFITS ARE AVAILABLE  Call: 800-507-3738 or APPLY HERE

Thanks,

The Roberto-Venn Faculty

Roberto Venn Sanding Fall 2021 Moving Forward

A few years ago, I visited Fender Musical Instruments in Corona, CA to do an on-camera interview with Paul Waller. Paul graduated from Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery in 2000. He joined Fender in 2003. He spent two years working closely with master arch-top craftsman Bob Benedetto, and became steeped in the many facets of building techniques from all the Custom Shop’s Master Builders. After an extensive seven-year apprenticeship, Waller became a Master Builder in 2010.

Paul is an affable guy with a lot of love and respect for his craft. It’s clear that he doesn’t take his work or his position at Fender for granted. Paul gave me a private tour of Fender’s fantastic facilities, and I’ve got to say, it’s really cool to see a Fender Custom Shop Master Builder still get excited over an old drill press from the 60’s.

While walking around Fender looking at a mixture of new technology and classic machinery, being run by a group of top-notch employees, Paul explained to me how they use a combination of CNC technology and hands-on woodworking skills to build the Custom Shop and Master Built guitars. From my perspective, it was apparent that Fender functions as a well-maintained mechanism with many moving parts. Fueled by an innovative history in musical instrument building, Fender still possesses the human element that ties this massive business together with real heart and ingenuity.

I hope you like this video that I put together on Paul Waller at the Fender Custom Shop. In turn, I hope that it reminds you of the connection a lot of us in the guitar universe have to the amazing instruments we build, repair, own, play, and dream of having one day. There are a lot of cool guitars and other stringed things out there, but what I like about Fender is that many of my favorite musicians have played their instruments over the years, and many of my favorite luthiers have based their designs off of Fender concepts. That’s a real tribute to this institution’s legacy.

Thanks, John “Juano” Lippi

 

For over 40 years we have been teaching students what they need to enter the world of professional guitar making and repair.

Roberto-Venn Alumni – Help us, your classmates and future grads by filling out our Alumni Questionnaire

 

Recently we’ve shared these employment opportunities through our Graduate Bulletin, on our Alumni Job Opportunities Page, and on our Facebook Page:

Roberto Venn Alumni Jobs 10.21 Graduate Spotlight: Paul Waller   Master Builder   Fender Custom Shop

If you have a job opening and want us to share it through our network visit our Employer Job Opportunities Page, share your info and we’ll help you spread the word. Connecting qualified graduates with good employers helps us all. Look to Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery to help build your workforce.

Browse Our Website For More Information And Register Today!

STUDENT AID & VETERAN’S BENEFITS ARE AVAILABLE  Call: 800-507-3738 or APPLY HERE

Thanks,

The Roberto-Venn Faculty

WELCOME TO ROBERTO-VENN

Our Fall 2021 Guitar Making & Repair classes are underway. Students hit the ground running on day one. They’ve already started making the neck and tail blocks for their acoustics, and picked out wood for their builds. They’re designing their electric guitars, prepping fretboards, and seaming tops. Upstairs, the advance repair and build classes are moving along as well. Things take off very fast around here… We’re just days into it and things are getting dusty. Stay tuned for more updates as we move forward, but here’s a quick look at where we’re at this week.

For over 40 years we have been teaching students what they need to enter the world of professional guitar making and repair.

Roberto-Venn Alumni – Help us, your classmates and future grads by filling out our Alumni Questionnaire

R-V Alumni Job Opportunities

Recently we’ve shared these employment opportunities through our Graduate Bulletin, on our Alumni Job Opportunities Page, and on our Facebook Page:

If you have a job opening and want us to share it through our network visit our Employer Job Opportunities Page, share your info and we’ll help you spread the word. Connecting qualified graduates with good employers helps us all. Look to Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery to help build your workforce.

Browse Our Website For More Information And Register Today!

STUDENT AID & VETERAN’S BENEFITS ARE AVAILABLE  Call: 800-507-3738 or APPLY HERE

Thanks,

The Roberto-Venn Faculty

If You Build It, They Will Strum!

Our Spring 2021 Guitar Making & Repair class will graduate on Friday June 25th at 1pm. Soon after, our Advanced Building and Repair classes will also move forward. What a great group of students, we certainly wish them the best, and we are always available for continued support.

R-V students make at least one electric and one acoustic guitar during the 20-week Guitar Making & Repair Course,  and more if they continue on with our advanced opportunities. We will post photos of our Spring 2021 Class instruments in the Student-Made Guitar Gallery soon, but for now, here are some examples of their excellent work:

 

For over 40 years we have been teaching students what they need to enter the world of professional guitar making and repair. Roberto-Venn Alumni – Help us, your classmates and future grads by filling out our Alumni Questionnaire

R-V Alumni Job Opportunities:

Recently we’ve shared these employment opportunities through our Graduate Bulletin, on our Alumni Job Opportunities Page, and on our Facebook Page:

Moser Guitars – Prescott Valley, AZ
Guitar Center – Nationwide
Gibson Brands, Inc. – Nashville, TN
Third Coast Guitar – Chicago, IL
Heid Music – Madison, WI
Bourgeois Guitars – Lewiston, ME
Paul Reed Smith Guitars – Stevensville, MD
Silesia Guitars – Seattle, WA
Ripcord Guitars – Fountain Hills, AZ
Fret Mill Music Co. – Roanoke, VA
James Hood Guitar Repair – Oceanside, CA
Sonoma County Guitarworks, Sonoma County, CA
Fender Musical Instruments – Corona, CA
Instrumental Music Center – Tucson, AZ
Palmer Music Company – Conway, AR
Beard Guitars – Hagerstown, MD
Porter Barn Wood – Phoenix, AZ

If you have a job opening and want us to share it through our network visit our Employer Job Opportunities Page, share your info and we’ll help you spread the word. Connecting qualified graduates with good employers helps us all. Look to Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery to help build your workforce.

Browse Our Website For More Information And Register Today!

STUDENT AID & VETERAN’S BENEFITS ARE AVAILABLE

Call 800-507-3738 or APPLY HERE

Thanks,

The Roberto-Venn Faculty

 

Baldacci Guitars – Mesa, AZ

Conner Baldacci (R-V Fall Class 2016) stopped by Roberto-Venn to do a video interview with our Media Director John Lippi. They talked about Baldacci Guitars flagship model, the Big Horn series, their custom Dark Moon pickups and more. Check that out here:

Roberto-Venn Alumni – Help us, your classmates and future grads by filling out our Alumni Questionnaire

Shop Life

Our Spring Class of 2021 has turned in their electric guitars for grading and the acoustics are finishing up soon. We’ve got a great mix of traditional and modern designs happening, and these folks are really doing great work! Here are just a few examples of the electrics, but you can check out what’s happening on a daily basis by visiting our Instagram and Facebook pages. We will eventually post all of the electric and acoustic guitars, from our Spring 2021 Class, in our Student Galleries. Photos by R-V instructor Steven Davis.

A Special “Shout Out” to our very own John Reuter (R-V’s Director of Training) on the completion of a brand new Garcia Wolf Guitar. He’s got several more guitars in progress, and it’s good to see him building these electrics again!

Recent Visitors to R-V:

John Eaton – Owner of Woodsong’s Lutherie in Boulder, Co. and brother to William Eaton our School Director.

Jason Kostal – Kostal Guitars (R-V Spring Class 2006).

John Thomas – Author of “Kalamazoo Gals” and field editor editor and frequent contributor to Fretboard Journal.

Antoine Gedroyc – Photographer and Guitar Aficionado.

Jeff Hoffee – Hoffee Carbon Fiber Cases.

Employment Opportunities

Recently we’ve shared employment opportunities through our graduate bulletin and on our Facebook page for these companies:

– Paul Reed Smith Guitars – Maryland
– Mule Resophonic Guitars – Michigan
– Bourgeois Guitars – Maine 
– ESP Guitars – California 
– Fender – California & Arizona
– Gibson Guitars – Tennessee & Montana
– Andrew’s Fine Violins – Arizona
– Guitar Center – Nationwide

If you have a job opening and want us to share it through our network visit our Employer Job Opportunities Page, share your info and we’ll help you spread the word. Connecting qualified graduates with good employers helps us all. Look to us to help build your workforce.

Featured Alumni

Students have traveled from every continent except Antarctica to attend our guitar making and repair program. Our graduates have branched into employment and entrepreneurial startups in guitar making, guitar repair, road tech work, and many other lutherie related occupations. Here are just some of our Featured Alumni. These folks have made a substantial contribution to our industry, and we are very proud of there work. It’s hard to feature everyone, so please visit these Alumni pages to discover some of the notable talent that has come through our school.

Roberto-Venn Alumni – Help us, your classmates and and future grads by filling out our Alumni Questionnaire

Road Tech Class

The instructor for this course is Joe Vallee, who has 25 years’ experience as a Road Tech for the Doobie Brothers, and has worked for Willie Nelson, Nokie Edwards and others. Joe was recently featured in The Tone Quest Report. In this workshop you will learn some tricks of the trade and what it takes to get into road tech work. Classes will be a mixture of lecture and hands on activities including making an instrument cable, amp speaker testing and more. Students will also receive a starter Road Tech Kit. This class is open to the public, and Joe is a really interesting and fun instructor. You’ll learn so much more than what is outlined in the course description, from a great guy who knows this industry from the inside out.

Shop Life

Our Spring Class of 2021 is really moving along these days. They’re carving acoustic necks and their electric builds are in the spray booth. We’ve got a great mix of traditional and modern designs happening, and these folks are really doing nice work. Here are a few photos, but you can check out what’s happening on a daily basis by visiting our Instagram and Facebook pages.

Employment Opportunities

Recently we’ve shared employment opportunities through our graduate bulletin and on our Facebook page for these companies:

– Paul Reed Smith Guitars – Maryland
– Mule Resophonic Guitars – Michigan
– Bourgeois Guitars – Maine 
– ESP Guitars – California 
– Fender – California
– Silesia Guitars – Washington
– Fret Mill Music Co. – Virginia
– Guitar Center – Nationwide

If you have a job opening and want us to share it through our network visit our Employer Job Opportunities Page, share your info and we’ll help you spread the word. Connecting qualified graduates with good employers helps us all. Look to us to help build your workforce.

Linda Lesperance from Gibson Guitars visits our Spring 2021 Class

Browse our website for more info on our 2021 classes and COVID-19 School Plan. Stay healthy and be safe.

Thanks – The Roberto-Venn Faculty

MOJOTONE TUBE AMP BUILD WORKSHOP

The Mojotone Tube Amp Build Workshop is an engaging and informative two-day full immersion experience where you will build a hand-wired 5E3 Tweed Style Deluxe. Hosted at the Roberto Venn School of Luthiery and lead by Mojotone’s Production and Tech Manager Andy Johnson, this two-day program will take you through a classic “Tweed Style” amp build where you will learn soldering techniques, general amp circuit theory and an overview of what makes the “5E3” circuit a ubiquitous blueprint for countless amplifiers.

You will spend two days with our instructors who will guide you through the build, explain amp circuit concepts, and basic electronics. You will be soldering, assembling and genuinely getting your hands inside an amplifier. By the end of this two-day workshop, you will have hand wired your very own tube amp to enjoy for years to come and have a better understanding of what makes a tube amp so special. This is popular class, so claim your spot today.

LAP STEEL CONSTRUCTION COURSE

The Lap Steel Construction Course includes: lecture, demonstration and hands on experience in the construction of a lap steel guitar. Students will have the option of two models and will end up with a fully functioning lap steel. Students have the option of designing their own body shape or working from several pre-existing templates. All lap steel projects will be a 23 inch scale length. What’s cool about this workshop is that it teaches you how to build something that can be done at home in a minimal shop environment.

Roberto Venn lap Steel video thumb Upcoming Specialty Classes

GUITAR EFFECT PEDAL – SERIES

The Roberto-Venn Guitar Effect Pedal Series is journey into analog effect pedals taught over five weekends.  The student may elect to attend the entire series or individual weekend seminars.  Each weekend seminar consists of twenty hours of instruction including a lecture on Friday evenings followed by hands-on training on Saturday and Sunday.

An introductory seminar in basic electronics is the first in the series. All students take this seminar to acquire the electronics knowledge required for success in the following seminars.  The student will be given a list of tools to purchase for this class that will be used in all other pedal classes.

Roberto Venn Guitart Effect Pedal Series Upcoming Specialty Classes

ADVANCED GUITAR MAKING

These three individual Advanced Guitar Making (10-week) courses will help to advance your building knowledge and woodworking skills. These courses are available to students that have graduated the 20 week guitar building program.

– The Archtop guitar building course students will build a Benedetto or Gibson style archtop guitar.
– The Resonator guitar building course students will build Dobro or National style resonator guitar.
– The neck-through building course students will build a neck-through guitar or bass guitar.

Roberto Venn Advanced Guitar Making Upcoming Specialty Classes

Employment Opportunities

Recently we’ve shared employment opportunities through our graduate bulletin and on our Facebook page for these companies:

– Mule Resophonic Guitars – Saginaw, Michigan
– Bourgeois Guitars – Lewiston, ME
– ESP Guitars – North Hollywood, CA
– Fender – Corona, CA
– Ripcord Guitars – Fountain Hills, AZ
– Silesia Guitars – Seattle, WA
– Fret Mill Music Co. – Roanoke, VA
– Guitar Center – Nationwide

If you have a job opening and want us to share it through our network visit our Employer Job Opportunities Page, share your info and we’ll help you spread the word. Connecting qualified graduates with good employers helps us all. Look to us to help build your workforce.

Browse our website for more info on our 2021 classes and COVID-19 School Plan. Stay healthy and be safe.

Thanks – The Roberto-Venn Faculty

Guitar Making & Repair

Our Spring 2021 Guitar Making & Repair Class has started to carve their acoustic braces and electric guitar necks. They’re fitting their acoustic backs to their frames. Plus, they’re routing neck pockets and cavities in their electrics. They’ve also received their first round of grades. Our Guitar Repair (10 Week Intensive) Class is busy with fretwork, set-ups and so much more… We’re definitely in the thick of it now. Snapshots of Luthiery life at R-V brought to you by Steven Davis  John Lippi and Joe Vallee.

Pickup Winding with Rob Timmons of Arcane Inc.

Roberto-Venn’s Pickup Winding Workshop is one of our most popular Specialty Classes. It’s held twice a year, and students receive top-notch instruction from Rob Timmons. Rob is a Roberto-Venn graduate and noted pickup making expert from Arcane Inc. in Los Angeles, CA.

Employment Opportunities

Recently we’ve shared employment opportunities through our graduate bulletin and on our Facebook page for these companies:

– Pisgah Banjo Company – Fairview, NC
– Bourgeois Guitars – Lewiston, ME
– ESP Guitars – North Hollywood, CA
– Fender – Corona, CA
– Sonoma County Guitarworks – CA
– Guitar Center – Nationwide

If you have a job opening and want us to share it through our network visit our Employer Job Opportunities Page, share your info and we’ll help you spread the word. Connecting qualified graduates with good employers helps us all. Look to us to help build your workforce.

Browse our website for more info on our 2021 classes and COVID-19 School Plan. Stay healthy and be safe.

Thanks – The Roberto-Venn Faculty

Our Spring Class 2021 Moves Forward

After a few weeks, these folks are “cruising in the demo lane”… They’re bracing their acoustic tops and backs, carving back braces, installing kerfing and side strips, shaping their electric bodies and necks, gluing on fretboards and so much more. It’s becoming a balancing act at this point. There’s a lot to do.

To stay in tune and in time with the instructor demonstrations, our students must adhere to an efficient and consistent work ethic. Guitar Making & Repair can be demanding, especially when things go wrong. But, this is also the best place to learn how to fix those inevitable mistakes, and if you have to remake something, it usually goes much quicker the second time around. Snapshots of Luthiery life at R-V brought to you by Steven Davis and John Lippi:

Eisenberg Instruments at Roberto-Venn

Steve Eisenberg, an R-V graduate and guitar company owner/luthier, dropped in to talk Instrument Design, Marketing and Business with our students. It’s great when our alumni visit. They can offer up advice and experience to our students from the perspective of being out there in the industry – https://eisenberginstruments.com

Jon Rauhouse Lap Steel Demonstration

We’re always delighted when Jon stops in to show our students the power, the magic and the beauty of lap steel guitar. Jon Rauhouse (Neko Case, Billy Bob Thorton’s Boxmasters, Jakob Dylan, and many more) was recently featured in “Arizona’s 40 Most Influential Musicians” listed by The Phoenix New Times

Check out this fantastic video – A Reuter Acoustic Lap Slide Guitar For Rauhouse

Employment Opportunities

Recently we’ve shared employment opportunities through our graduate bulletin and on our Facebook page for these companies:

– Pisgah Banjo Company – Fairview, NC
– Blackbird Guitars – San Francisco, CA
– Allparts Music – Houston, TX
– Fender – Corona, CA
– Sonoma County Guitarworks, CA
– Guitar Center – Scottsdale, AZ

If you have a job opening and want us to share it through our network visit our Employer Job Opportunities Page, share your info and we’ll help you spread the word. Connecting qualified graduates with good employers helps us all. Look to us to help build your workforce.

Browse our website for more info on our 2021 classes and COVID-19 School Plan. Stay healthy and be safe.

Thanks – The Roberto-Venn Faculty