Who does the job well?

I get asked alot, "Is there a place to learn guitar repair?". Which is usually followed by, "Are there certification courses for guitar repair?"

I'm a little dumbfounded when i get asked these questions. Ultimately a teacher is important, however learning doesn't take place only in formal settings. For most, the attainment of true abilily comes from a combination of study and practice. A musician for e.g. might study some chord changes, record these changes and practice improvising over them. Later on he might do some chord substitutions etc and try the process in a similar fashion. This is what I call progressive learning. Along the way, this musician will gain experience when he takes his knowledge to a real jam session. Hence study+ knowledge application guarantees some personal challenge and progression.

Guitar repair and building like any other field, requires hitting the books regularly. Reading up on wood types, joinery, finishing, etc will contribute to the vast knowledge required in the field. However, reading alone is insufficient - applied knowledge is what's most important.

So, experience alone isn't enough. Some repair guys have been doing the same thing for the past 10 years without any refinement in their techniques. They do not build/use jigs and have a poor grasp of hand tool usage. Still they can carry on year after year without knowing how to sharpen or use a chisel properly. Is this considered real experience?

Real ability can either be a subset of experience or it they could be mutually exclusive . If experience alone was a true indicator of ability, those hawkers cooking for the past 20 years should be serving food to die for. However, this is rarely the case. The same thing applies when searching for a guitar repair tech or luthier. Certifications, experience, brand name (hype) do not mean that much when actual ability is poor.

KC