Guitar Technician Course

Lesson 1 • Guitar Anatomy and Component Identification

Covers every structural part of acoustic, electric, and bass guitars. Establishes shared vocabulary used throughout all subsequent repair and setup procedures.

Lesson 2 • Instrument Inspection and Documentation

Teaches systematic visual and tactile inspection before any work begins. Accurate documentation protects the technician and sets clear client expectations.

Lesson 3 • Workshop Safety and Organization

Establishes safe handling of chemicals, sharp tools, and power equipment. An organised workspace reduces errors and protects both technician and instrument.

Lesson 1 • Nut Slot and Action Adjustment

Addresses nut slot depth and saddle height to achieve correct open-string and fretted action. These two adjustments directly control playability and buzz.

Lesson 2 • Intonation Setting

Explains how saddle position affects pitch accuracy across the fretboard. Correct intonation ensures the instrument plays in tune at every position.

Lesson 3 • Neck Relief Adjustment

Teaches measurement and correction of neck bow using truss rod adjustments. Proper relief is the foundation for all subsequent action and intonation work.

Lesson 4 • String Types and Selection

Explains gauges, materials, and winding styles for acoustic, electric, and bass strings. Matching strings to player style and instrument specs is the first setup decision.

Lesson 1 • Crowning and Polishing Frets

Restores the rounded crown profile after leveling and brings frets to a mirror finish. Proper crowning ensures accurate intonation contact and smooth string bending.

Lesson 2 • Fret Condition Assessment

Teaches identification of wear, divots, high frets, and loose frets using visual and tactile methods. Accurate diagnosis determines whether dressing or full refret is needed.

Lesson 3 • End Dressing and Fret Beveling

Addresses sharp fret ends caused by fretboard shrinkage and teaches beveling for a smooth neck feel. End dressing is the finishing step of every fret job.

Lesson 4 • Fret Anatomy and Materials

Describes fret wire dimensions, alloy types, and how they affect tone and wear. Material knowledge guides fret selection for refrets and replacements.

Lesson 1 • Safe Fret Removal

Teaches heat-assisted fret pulling to minimise fretboard tearout on rosewood, ebony, and maple boards. Controlled removal preserves fretboard integrity for the new installation.

Lesson 2 • Fretboard Leveling and Slot Preparation

Addresses fretboard surface leveling and slot cleaning to ensure new frets seat fully and evenly. A flat, clean fretboard is the foundation of a successful refret.

Lesson 3 • Fret Installation Methods

Covers press-in and hammer-in installation techniques for straight and radiused fretboards. Consistent seating eliminates high frets and reduces post-installation leveling.

Lesson 4 • Refret Planning and Fret Selection

Covers assessment criteria that justify a full refret and guides fret wire selection for the instrument. Proper planning prevents material waste and client dissatisfaction.

Lesson 1 • Slotting Nut Slots to Depth

Covers string-spacing layout and filing each slot to the correct depth and angle for each string gauge. Slot depth is the most critical dimension for playability.

Lesson 2 • Nut Fitting, Gluing, and Finishing

Finalises the nut with minimal adhesive, light sanding, and polishing to blend with the neck finish. Correct gluing allows future removal without damage.

Lesson 3 • Nut Materials and Selection

Compares bone, synthetic, graphite, and brass nut materials by tone, lubrication, and workability. Material choice affects both sound and long-term tuning stability.

Lesson 4 • Shaping the Nut Blank

Teaches rough shaping, fitting to the slot, and profiling the nut to match neck radius and headstock angle. Precise fit eliminates buzzing and improves sustain.

Lesson 1 • Pickup Installation and Adjustment

Addresses mounting, wiring, and height adjustment of single-coil, humbucker, and active pickups. Correct height balances output, tone, and string pull.

Lesson 2 • Diagnosing Electrical Faults

Teaches use of a multimeter to trace shorts, open circuits, and grounding failures. Systematic diagnosis saves time and avoids unnecessary component replacement.

Lesson 3 • Guitar Electronics Fundamentals

Introduces signal flow, passive components, and basic circuit concepts specific to guitars. Understanding signal path is essential for efficient fault diagnosis.

Lesson 4 • Soldering Skills for Guitar Work

Covers iron selection, tip care, solder types, and joint technique for guitar electronics. Clean solder joints prevent intermittent faults and signal loss.

Lesson 1 • Bigsby and Vibrato Tailpiece Setup

Covers installation, roller saddle use, and tension adjustment on Bigsby-style vibratos. Proper setup maximises tuning return on these low-travel systems.

Lesson 2 • Fixed Bridge Setup and Maintenance

Covers tune-o-matic, hardtail, and wrap-around bridge adjustment and maintenance. Fixed bridges are the baseline before addressing the added complexity of tremolos.

Lesson 3 • Double-Locking Tremolo Systems

Addresses setup, spring balancing, and fine-tuner adjustment on double-locking systems. These systems require precise spring-to-string tension balance for stable tuning.

Lesson 4 • Vintage Synchronized Tremolo Setup

Teaches spring tension balancing, block angle, and saddle adjustment on vintage-style synchronized tremolos. Correct float angle is critical for tuning return and feel.

Lesson 1 • Acoustic Guitar Specific Adjustments

Covers saddle shaping, bridge plate inspection, and top relief compensation unique to acoustic instruments. Acoustic setups must balance playability with acoustic volume and tone.

Lesson 2 • Final Quality Control and Delivery

Establishes a systematic final inspection checklist before returning any instrument to a client. Consistent quality control builds reputation and reduces callbacks.

Lesson 3 • Bass Guitar Setup Specifics

Addresses the longer scale, heavier strings, and higher tension unique to bass setup. Bass setups require wider relief tolerances and different action targets than guitars.

Lesson 4 • Multi-Point Action Optimization

Addresses the interdependence of relief, nut height, saddle height, and fret condition as a unified system. Adjusting one parameter requires re-checking all others.