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

 

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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.

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:

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

 

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:

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

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