The Guitar Craft Academy offers comprehensive training in the design, construction and maintenance of electric guitars and basses. In keeping with MI’s educational philosophy of total immersion, your classroom is a fully-equipped instrument manufacturing facility. As a final project, you design and build your own instrument, learning through direct experience under the guidance of first-rank professionals how to analyze and solve the problems encountered by working luthiers. Whether your goal is to work for a guitar manufacturer, design and build your own instruments, or work as a guitar tech, GCA provides the foundation for success. Program options:
Guitar Craft Certificate (two quarters, 30 credit units)
Intensive, hands-on training in electric guitar and bass design, fabrication, maintenance and repair.
Associate of Arts – Combined Emphasis (six quarters, 90 credit units)
Combines the 30-unit Guitar Craft curriculum with 60 units of performance-based instrument training on guitar or bass (see Programs>By Degree>Associate of Arts for more information).
All programs include:
Learning from Experienced Professional Luthiers
GCA instructors share their years of experience in the manufacturing, custom shop, and repair industries as you learn your craft in fully-equipped professional facilities.
Design and Build your own Guitar or Bass
Design and build your personal instrument from scratch (no prefab bodies, no kits) using the same methods, tools and equipment used by custom builders and manufacturers.
Day and Night Schedules
Classes run on either day or evening schedules, Monday through Friday. Choose the schedule that best fits into the rest of your life.
Classes
Small classes provide hands-on training in electric instrument design and fabrication taught by professional luthiers. A sample of GCA courses includes:
Design Theory
Woodworking
Fretwork & Setup
Guitar Repair
Electronics
Finish Work
Hardware Selection & Installation
Alternate Fabrication Techniques