Learn Guitar Repair with Harry Becker

 

I’m 62 years old and have been involved with art, crafts and music for as long as I can remember. My journey of self realization through painting, sculpture, photography, songwriting and guitarmaking has been an interesting one and I’ve been rewarded with a wonderful sense of fulfillment. Though I continue to create and make music, my time is primarily devoted to the repair and maintenance of fretted instruments.

I’m proud to serve the community of guitar players and cherish their respect and confidence. All the instruments I service receive the upmost respect. Whether it’s simply making an adjustment on a beginner’s guitar or performing extensive reconstruction on a masterpiece, the activity is essentially the same. It is a process of identifying problems and applying appropriate solutions in an effective and artistic manner. A skillfully repaired and carefully adjusted instrument can sound and play better than it did originally. The art of guitar repair is very much an act of re-creativity.

Instructor	Harry Becker
Location	North Hampton, MA
Class size	individual
Style of Instrument	Acoustic steel string guitar
Duration	4 -8 hour tutorials
Contact	website

I received my formal training in art and design from the Industrial Design Departments of Brooklyn Technical High School and Pratt Institute. After receiving my Bachelor of Industrial Design degree in 1968, I taught high-school-level drafting and design for three years. This was followed by several years of research studying philosophy and various disciplines of self awareness. I drove a NYC taxi cab, worked in a fishery in Provincetown Mass. and built a bicycle shop in Williamstown Mass. It was there in 1974 that I reconnected with my close friend from college Bill Cumpiano.

I helped Bill establish his first guitar making studio and in the process began to learn the art of luthiery. The craft offered a perfect balance of the various skills I acquired in the first thirty years of my life. Now thirty years since, our partnership is stronger than ever and I will always be grateful to Bill for introducing me to the craft. Any sense of fulfillment I may enjoy today is due, in no small measure, to my good fortune in meeting Bill Cumpiano in 1964 at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn N.Y.

 

Basic Guitar Repair Course Outline 

 

Basic Set-up / Acoustic Steel String or Classical                       4 hrs

Relocating a Saddle / Acoustic Steel String or Classical           4 hrs

Removing / Replacing the Bridge                                              4 hrs

Reconstructing a Worn Bridge Plate                                         1 hr

Re-gluing Loose Braces                                                           1 hr

Installing Under Saddle Pick Ups                                             2 hrs

Repairing / Refurbishing Frets                                                2 hrs

Removing / Installing New Frets                                              4 hrs

Leveling the Fingerboard                                                         2 hrs

Repairing Soundboard Cracks and Seams                               4 hrs

Repairing Back and Side Cracks and Fractures                       4 hrs

Repairing and Replacing Binding / Purfling                             4 hrs

Repairing / Restoring the Finish                                              4 hrs

Removing  a Neck / Steel String Acoustic Dovetail Joint           4 hrs

Resetting a Neck / Steel String Acoustic Dovetail Joint           4 hrs

Removing / Replacing Pick Guards                                           2 hrs

Learn to build and repair an instrument with a master