Who Else Wants To Make $50 - $100
An Hour Working From Home, Having The Time Of Your Life - AND Earning the Gratitude and Respect of the Hottest
Guitar Players Around?
You Can Do It, Once You Learn the Secrets
of Making Guitars So Insanely PLAYABLE They
Are Impossible to Put Down.
If you're passionate about guitars and the idea
of earning $50, $70 or even $100 an hour appeals to you, this message
could change your life.
(Get comfortable and read this carefully because it concerns money, guitars, and your future)
Hi, My name is Miles Jones.
For the past 25 years some of the worlds most demanding
players have trusted me to tweak, repair and rebuild their priceless
instruments. (You'll see some comments from my clients on the right).
I've earned my luthier "chops" handling thousands of guitar
challenges and built up an encyclopedic knowledge about the inner
workings of acoustic and electric guitars.
And I've distilled my experience down to the core skills, techniques, and shortcuts needed to take any guitar, in any condition, and make it
a dream to play.
Now I teach these skills to a few select students each year at the Fret Works Guitar Repair School in Calgary Alberta, Canada.
At this unique training school, I reveal to my students
The Secret of creating "perfect playability"
on any instrument.
Once you master this skill (and it's a lot easier to learn than you think) you can travel anywhere in the world and with a few simple tools be earning serious cash giving guitar players what they desire most - the ultimate guitar playing experience.
If you've ever dreamed of making a great living doing something you love (no more slaving 9 to 5 at a job you hate)... keep reading.
If finding yourself a valued member of the coveted "inner-circle" of professional, touring musicians gets you excited... keep reading
Or if you're simply driven to uncover the mysteries of making guitars play effortlessly (every guitar you own for the rest of your life will out-play anything you can buy in a store - for any price)...
Keep reading, because this page could contain your ticket to the freedom, income and guitar playing nirvana you've only imagined.
Your guitar repair program was
killer! I took the 2 month program and learned more than enough to
start my own repair shop when I got home and had the confidence that is
required to take on any repair job. Thank you for your continued
support. You are always there when I need advice or help. Thanks again! -Andrew Rzeszutek
If someone wants to learn how to
repair or build guitars, Miles is one of the greatest, his deep
knowledge surprised me more than once during my stay at Fretworks. I
truly recommend the guitar repair school!
- John Bylin, Sweden
Earn a (great) full-time or part-time living doing something you enjoy and have a passion for
If you're like me, the thought of spending the rest of your life slaving at a job you hate is enough to give you cold sweats.
As a guitar repair pro, you get to set your own hours (If you come in at 2am after a gig, you can sleep in instead of having to punch a clock).
Your days are spent doing something truly enjoyable: working with beautiful instruments, and helping musicians express themselves through their guitars.
There are other perks as well:
Imagine showing up at a packed house and the guitar player on stage announces to the crowd over the PA: "Hey everyone, give it up for my guitar guy! (or girl)". It's a great feeling when you're acknowledged and appreciated in public by talented players.
As your reputation grows (and it will) You'll find a steady stream of brilliant musicians stopping by your workshop to meet you, talk about their guitars, and shoot the breeze.
You'll get paid to work on and play every dream instrument you could imagine.
You'll get invited to concerts, meet touring pros, and get to immerse yourself in the music scene.
And best of all you're treated as a welcome guest, not an outsider, because you're one who makes it possible for these guitar masters to pull off their blazing licks night after night.
All of this is possible when you learn the secrets
of setting up guitars to be mind-bendingly
easy to play.
It's an incredibly rewarding profession, both financially and personally.
You'll have parents of children writing to thank you because their young daughter was ready to quit guitar, but because you made her guitar so easy to play she's practicing hours every day and having FUN.
And if you're a player yourself, you'll never play a lifeless instrument again.
With this training you'll be able to turn any guitar into a smooth and effortless precision instrument that responds to your touch like an extension of your body - something that comes alive in your hands.
You'll be able to buy used instruments at a deep discount and turn them into killer axes that play better than guitars worth thousands. You can keep them for yourself, or sell them for big bucks.
A Billion Dollar Industry
Most people have no idea how much money can be made fixing guitars. It's almost an "underground" industry.
Let me give you a clear picture of the opportunity in front of you.
In 2004 the fretted musical instrument industry cracked the 1 Billion Dollar mark for the first time in history , and it's still growing.
This means there are more guitars, more players (who want to get good), and more opportunity than ever before for you to service these instruments.
At my school you learn how to tap into this
massive demand for guitar repair and get the world-class skills
needed to have an endless stream of pro and amateur musicians gladly paying top dollar for your services.
For example, my shop fees start at $80 an hour. They shoot above $100/hr for rush jobs - and you'll see for yourself if you attend the training that my clients are happy to pay it.
I'm booked six months in advance, I don't advertise anymore, and it's been this way for YEARS with no sign of slowing down.
One of the reasons my repair shop is always jammed with
high paying repair jobs is because I've discovered an untapped market for repairs that almost nobody knows about but is actually where all the real money is in this business.
I've perfected a system of marketing my services (which I teach you during your training) that makes is possible to
Earn $50-$100 an hour performing "surgery",
"truing" and "perfecting" guitars - even when
they are brand new!
How?
By giving players what they really want.
Let me explain:
People don't want "A truss rod adjustment" or "Better action".
What they really want is a
killer axe that plays in tune, stays in tune, sounds awesome, and
leaves their friends (and fans) blown away when they pull off blindingly fast
licks and make it look easy.
In short they want "perfect playability" - and they're willing to pay for it. (I've got 25 years of proof to back that up).
Here's how to quickly fill your shop with
high paying repair jobs. (This could be worth thousands to you - read it carefully)
Here's an example of how it works:
A caring dad (We'll call him "Stan") brings his 10 year old son's brand new $250 acoustic guitar into my shop.
Stan has heard about me from a friend, and knows my specialty is making guitars outrageously easy to play.
Stan is a guitar player himself, and wants his son to have the joy that comes from learning to play guitar.
And, Stan is SMART because he knows if his son has to struggle through the "pain" of "toughening his fingers" - then chances are his boy will put the guitar down after 10 minutes because playing it is "too hard" and he'll go back to staring at his XBox.
When that happens, a lifetime of guitar playing enjoyment vaporizes in an instant.
I ask Stan a lot of questions before I start work on his guitar so I know what his goals are.
And instead of selling Stan a truss rod adjustment for
$50, (which is probably what he'd get at the store he bought the guitar
from) I say to him something like:
"Stan, I'd like to take this guitar, bring it back to my workshop, check it out, and then systematically work out every imperfection it has."
"When you come to pick it up, I want you to try it out before
you pay me. If you don't find it to be the smoothest, slinkiest, most
effortless guitar you've ever played, you won't owe me a dime."
"Further, I guarantee that when I'm finished you can
take this guitar to any shop in town, pull down any guitar off the
wall, even if it's a $6,000 Martin - compare the action and
playability, and if your son's guitar doesn't blow it away - I'll refund
your money."
"I'll also guarantee the workmanship and materials, including the final setup - for life."
"But don't blame me if your son's social life suffers because he's spending too much time with this guitar!"
That usually gets a laugh.
Then, based on my inspection of the guitar and the amount of work I think it needs to reach perfect playability,
I'll quote Stan a price (this is usually between $250 and $400).
If stan is like 90%
of the people I offer this too, he'll hand me the guitar and tell me to
make it happen.
Do you see what I've done?
I've shown Stan that by letting me have a free hand to
turn his son's guitar into what it needs to be - FUN TO PLAY - he's not
paying for a "guitar repair" he's investing in his son's future.
And I get paid very well to do work that is actually valuable, that is going to make a difference in someone's life.
And even thought the money is great, the real reward is the satisfaction of knowing that I've helped shape the life of another player.
This process works all day long because I've taken away
all Stan's risk. If I don't do what I've said, he doesn't have to pay
me.
I'm willing to share this with you and put my "secret" on this web site because
Most repair guys don't have the balls to make
a guarantee like that.
When my students first watch this process in action at my shop, they think I'm crazy.
But because I have the skills to deliver on every promise I made, I'm actually not taking any risk at all.
And my philosophy is - if I can't deliver, I don't deserve to be paid!
It's this attitude that's made me so successful.
It forces me to be excellent at what I do, and it attracts customers who value my work and are happy to pay for it.
That's why my shop is packed with jobs all year round,
why people happily wait six months for me to get to their guitars, and
why some of the pickiest pro players in the world won't trust their
guitars to anyone else.
If this approach scares you , it's probably good that you
stop reading here
because
when you train with me, I'll be holding
you to the
same
high standards.
You'll learn the skills to make - and keep - those promises with confidence.
You'll leave this training with the real-world, hard-won experience to back up what you're saying and take any guitar and turn it into a dream instrument your clients will be thrilled to own.
If you apply yourself while you're here, if you follow my approach to quality, and decide right now that you're going to be the best you can be at this craft, you'll have the proven skills to charge at least $50 an hour for your work right out of the gate -- and you'll sleep like a baby at night knowing you're delivering great value to your clients.
$50 an hour is more than 90% of the population makes
And it won't take you years to start earning that kind of money. It can happen in a couple of months, or even weeks.
And as you do the work, and build a reputation for excellence, you can quickly raise your rates to $60, $70, $80 an hour or more.
I've had many students complete the training and within weeks have all the work they can handle.
The fact is when you can take any guitar (from a $50 garage sale special to a $5,000 Martin) and turn
it into an instrument that plays silky smooth, with ultra low action
and no fret buzz... one that opens itself to effortless bends and barre
chords, and plays (and stays) perfectly in tune - you'll have guitarists beating down your door...
Even if you've NEVER worked on a guitar in your life
People are always surprised when I tell them you don't need prior experience to succeed in this field.
You don't need to be a woodworker or even a guitar player to make a great living repairing guitars.
What you do need is to be serious and committed to learning this craft.
Guitar repair is not "Voodoo" or some
mysterious "Black Art"
Contrary to what some crusty old luthiers want you to
believe, this is not rocket science. It's a series of simple technical
skills applied in the right order to get a result.
Anyone with basic hand eye coordination and some common sense can do this.
It only seems "mysterious" because everything is mysterious until you learn how to do it.
Ancient cave people sat huddled in the cold and dark
until one of their hairy neighbors showed them how to rub two sticks
together. FIRE! It was a miracle.
Re-setting the neck on an acoustic or re-fretting and planing the fingerboard of a classic Les Paul might seem like brain surgery too - until you know the correct series of steps to take.
And even though there may be 100 steps involved in a job like that, each step by itself is relatively simple. Especially if you have a mentor, an expert there to guide you along the way.
If you approach this with focus, desire and a
willingness to make mistakes (and learn from them) you'll walk away
from this training with a sense of freedom, and a set of highly
marketable skills you'll keep for the rest of your life.
What's it really like?
there's nobody better to describe what this training is like than students who have been through it.
I had a friend of mine interview three of my students over the phone and asked them to describe what their experience was like.
I recommend you listen to all three of these interviews to get a feel for what's possible with this training:
Jim Basara needed to get good at guitar repair FAST.
he drove 6,000 miles to train here at Fret Works, and is using what he learned to start a new business.
Click the play button to listen to Jim describe what training with me is like, and how it has opened doors in his life.
Mike Bundock wanted a new career, and he started his guitar repair shop 5 years ago after training with me.
Click the button to listen as Mike describes what it was like learning how to work on guitars and how his life has changed.
David Mcfarland was frustrated watching
his guitar students quit because their guitars were hard to play. He
found Fret Works and came for a two week crash course in guitar repair.
David describes how he has had a blast working on
guitars and getting great results after only two weeks training. He's
setting himself up with a career he's passionate about for when he
retires from his "day job".
Not for Everyone
I need to be honest, this training isn't for everyone, and not everyone who applies is accepted.
This is a serious, accelerated program for people who want real-world skills they can use to earn a living working on fine instruments.
If you want to "dabble" in repairs, if you're trying to
"find yourself", or if you want someone to stroke your ego and make you
feel good about your skills even if you can't wind strings on a tuner,
this isn't for you.
However, if you are serious about learning, have an open mind and are willing to put in the effort to absorb and practice every trick, tip, and secret technique behind making guitars so playable they are impossible to put down - your life is about to get very exciting.
Can you really get paid to work on guitars after finishing this training? Is it hard to get started?
It depends.
If you're afraid to talk to people, if you sit at home
and wait for the phone to ring and never show other guitar players your
work, then you'll find it very hard to make money, with this or any
other skill.
However, if you can approach your guitar playing friends
and offer to work on their guitar with the condition that they only pay
you if they're happy, things will start to move quickly.
You can also visit guitar teachers and offer to work on one of their guitars for free if they'll refer you to their students.
This is a goldmine because most young
beginning players are stuck with instruments with bad action that their
parents bought them to "see if they like to play".
Of course, these kids don't want to play because their guitars suck so bad their fingers are bleeding.
Once the parents of these young musicians find out you
can make their children's experience enjoyable, they're happy to pay
your rates.
Then the parents tell other parents, and pretty soon you're busy.
More ways to make money with your new skills:
Public schools often have a bunch of guitars for their
band that are in bad shape. Offer to go in and show what you can do by
fixing a couple of those guitars. If you do a good job, chances are the
school will hire you to fix the rest.
Then you get a nice testimonial from the school and go to the next school.
Or:
Go to gigs, open mike nights, any place guitar players gather and hand out business cards.
Unless you're a total jerk, they're going to be THRILLED
to know there is someone they can trust to work on their guitars.
(Especially if you bring a guitar that you've "set up" with you and let
them play it. One touch and they're hooked!)
During the training I'll show you exactly how to
get your first clients, and how to quickly expand your business to any
level you want it to go.
You'll get all the tips and tricks I use to
keep my workshop busy year round with
high-paying guitar repair jobs.
Because you'll be learning in the middle of a live, busy
shop, you'll get to listen in as I negotiate (and get) high fees for
repairs. You'll watch as players pick up their newly fixed guitars and
see their jaws hit the floor when they feel how easy their instrument
is to play.
This is real world experience you can't get any other
way. I'll show you how to schedule your jobs, how to maximize your
billable time, and the secrets to keeping customers paying whatever you
charge without a hint of resistance.
The amount of money you start making after the training depends on YOU
As with anything in life, your income depends entirely
upon your efforts, your willingness to market yourself and your
commitment to doing excellent work.
You may choose to do repairs on weekends and put a few
hundred extra dollars in your pocket each week, or you might open a
shop and have a team of guitar techs working night and day and turn
this into a six figure business.
That's up to you.
What I can tell you is:
if you're unhappy with your current career or income
if you'd love to work on guitars and hang around great players
and if you are willing to roll up your sleeves and get down to business
I can give you the skills you need to quickly
build a reputation that will have players begging for a spot in your
busy schedule.
You get total access to every "insider secret",
trick and
technique I've "earned" over
25 years of working for some
of the worlds
most demanding players
This isn't a "classroom" situation where you're just one of 30 students sitting in the third row.
I strictly limit my enrollment to only three students at a time so you get full, personalized attention.
There is no "curriculum" to follow. You learn whatever is most important to you to reach your goals.
Want to learn how to
re-set the neck, carve a custom bridge and re do the lacquer finish on
your acoustic? Then that's what we'll do.
Want to learn how to re-fret your electric, hot-rod the pickups, and install a new bridge? You got it.
Want to learn how to re-assemble the antique Martin that was run over by a truck? No problem - just bring the pieces with you.
Want to do all of that, AND build a guitar from scratch? Fine - I'll walk you through it from start to finish.
You see, this is about YOU and what you want to learn. It's not about what I want to teach.
You tell me what you want, I'll show you how to do it and give you the tools to make it happen.
You'll have your own bench and tools as we work
side-by-side
in my busy guitar repair shop.
You'll get to "cut your teeth" working in a comfortable shop packed with every modern, up-to-date, specialty guitar repair and creation tool known to man.
Plus you'll have the option to save thousands of dollars
by making your own custom guitar repair tools while you're here, giving
you a huge boost when you return home and start your business.
You'll also get unrestricted access to my massive library of books and videos on guitar repair.
And in case you were thinking "class" was from 9 to 5, think again.
Training runs 6 days a week, as many hours a day as you can handle.
You get a KEY TO THE SHOP so you can come and go as you
please, and spend as much time as you can want learning, experimenting,
building tools, and perfecting your craft. (Except Sundays, I need at
least one day off!)
It's not uncommon for me to spend 10 or 12 hours a day with my students if they're really determined to go for it.
By being able to put in 16 hour days, you can
effectively double your learning time - getting two months worth of
training in one month!
My number one job is to give you the skills and experience to handle professional guitar repair work.
If you enjoy learning by doing, and are ready to get
serious about your craft, you'll be blown away by the unique learning
experience available for you here at Fret Works.
Here's a small sampling of what you will learn:
Flat Top Steel String Acoustic Inspection and Setup:
The anatomy of the acoustic guitar and the terminology used to describe the exterior and the interior parts or components.
Identifying the most common acoustic guitar playability problems.
How to “read” or evaluate the set up of the typical acoustic guitar
What the ideal geometry or shape should be along the neck and how to plan for and correct any issues.
Simple tests which quickly confirm what needs doing and why.
The key questions to ask a player to determine what will best suit him or her before doing any work
Tools required for performing set up work and how to use them.
How to identify and resolve subtle tuning problems
How to clean a fingerboard in order to check out how solidly the frets are attached
How to accurately inspect frets for wear and test the fit of the frets to the fingerboard.
How to deal with prickly feeling fret ends, resulting from shrinkage of the fingerboard.
How to install strings so they actually stay in tune
How to adjust string height at the nut for soft, forgiving and easy “feel” at the first position.
How to adjust string height at the saddle for lowest possible action.
How to relieve or adjust the all too common “too tight” bridge pin(s) fit on the bridge.
How string height or action affects intonation and what to do to improve or perfect it.
How to adjust intonation on the saddle crown by compensating the string lengths for each string.
Solid Body Electric Guitar Inspection and setup:
The anatomy of the electric guitar or bass
Differences between setting up an electric guitar or base and an acoustic instrument
Common playability complaints and how to fix them
How to “read” or evaluate an electric guitar or bass neck when it's tuned to pitch and in the playing position
What the ideal or “universally desirable” shape should be along the neck and how to plan to correct any issues
Simple tactile and auditory tests which quickly confirm what needs doing and why
The key questions to ask an electric guitar player before making adjustments
How to change the neck/body angle to help maximize the playability
Tools used in this type of set up work
How to solve subtle tuning problems
How to clean a fingerboard safely
How to inspect frets for wear and fit to fingerboard
How to deal with prickly feeling fret ends
How to install strings to actually play and stay in tune.
How to adjust string height at the nut for the most natural easy and soft feel
How to adjust string height at the saddles relative to the fingerboard radius
How to service a truss rod before using it
How to adjust pickup heights for best tone and maximum string response depending on string type and gauge or size.
How to adjust the intonation of each string for maximum accuracy, especially after the octave fret in the high register
Repairing And Replacing The Nut On Acoustics or Electrics:
tools needed for installing and fitting acoustic or electric nuts
Alternate materials besides bone and plastic currently in use for making new replacement nuts.
Techniques for saving a
chipped, broken, or damaged nut. Ways of saving the original without
going to the trouble of making and fitting a replacement.
How to quickly cure open string buzz at the first fret, anytime it happens.
Adjusting the individual
string slot depths on the nut of any instrument to produce a soft,
accurate forgiving and easy feel. (This is critical for proper interval
tuning at the first position, between open string and first fret.
Accurate intonation begins at the start of the scale length and not at
the twelfth fret.)
Safely removing an unsalvageable broken or chipped nut and preparation for the new blank.
Laying out a new nut blank so that it fits the neck perfectly.
A universal method of laying out even string slot spacing on any instrument without a template.
Cutting all the string slots to size, depth, and shape for optimal playability.
How to put the finishing
touches on a new nut to complete the installation and make the nut
beautiful to look at and friendly to the touch.
Fret-“Dressing” & Fret-Replacement Using Traditional & Modern Techniques
The anatomy of a fret.
Understanding the relationship between a fret and the slot into which a fret is fitted
Traditional and modern hand
tools used to “dress” or restore the shape of existing but
well worn frets and the gear required to remove and install new frets.
Traditional and modern hand tools used to prepare cylinder or compound radii fingerboards prior to re-fretting.
How to identify when a fretted instrument fingerboard needs all frets“dressed” or restored.
How to dress out or level uneven fret crowns.
How to identify when a fingerboard needs a complete re-fret and some rules of thumb to use.
The IncredibleNeck Jig was invented by Mr. Dan Erlewine. Using
this jig you will be able to perform the most precise fingerboard
preparation possible prior to fret installations or when dressing
frets. You will have the opportunity to build your own Incredible Neck
Jig during your training and I encourage you to do so while you are
practicing the one supplied..
How to deal effectively
with loose frets which are not properly seated onto the fingerboard
surface. This is a problem plaguing almost all new fretted instruments
and most used instruments. Without addressing this, you simply cannot
set up these instruments to play with low, supple and fast action and
without any persistent string rattle or buzz!
How to re-crown frets which have flat tops from either leveling or normal wear.
How to remove pearl inlay prior to planning a fingerboard.
How to accurately measure fret slots to help you pick the best tang size.
How to clean and prepare normal fret wire prior to installation.
How to work harden fret wire up to make them up to 40% harder than the original fret wire.
How to do Traditional Hammer–In Fretting Method.
How to do Compression Fretting Method-used on fretted instruments like older Martins which don’t have a truss rod
Using the "Glue–In" Method, also known as the Teeter Method -plus additional modern methods of gluing frets.
How to fret or re-fret bound fingerboards.
How to safely cope with
re-fretting worn-out vintage guitars to avoid modifying the
fingerboard, fret slots or finish, in any significant way.
How to properly scallop a fingerboard and considerations to be made before attempting to scallop.
Plus You Can Choose To Learn About:
Acoustic guitar saddles and bridges
Acoustic guitar soundboard and brace repair and construction
Acoustic and electric headstock repairs
Acoustic guitar neck resets
Solid body guitar general repair
Electronics for acoustic and electric guitars
Painting and finishing for acoustic and electric guitars
Inlay techniques and materials
Solid body guitar or bass construction
Acoustic guitar construction
You can literally learn ANYTHING about fixing, repairing or building guitars and basses.
You get to experiment in a safe environment. You'll have
the right tools for the job. You'll get to ask me questions and watch
me in action as I complete work for my clients right beside you.
It doesn't matter if you want to learn about
electrics, acoustics, mandolins, banjos, or basses, I'll show you
exactly how to tackle the toughest repair jobs possible and provide you
the most comprehensive, hands-on, real-world training available
anywhere.
Broken headstocks, delaminated acoustic guitar bridges, custom electronics
- I've seen and done it all.
I'll show you a proven step by step system for evaluating a guitar so you can read any guitar "like a book" and know exactly what to do to complete the repair or adjustment with total confidence.
And because I've been teaching this for more than 8 years, I know exactly how to "download" those
skills directly to your brain in the fastest time possible.
Bring all your guitars
One of the great side benefits of this program is you'll get to overhaul your own guitars and give them perfect playability, feel, and response.
By transforming your guitars to the peak of their playability you'll
not only learn the skills needed to make them play like butter, but you'll walk away from the training with proof of your ability.
When you let your guitar playing friends try your newly "modified" guitar and they don't want to give it back (trust me, it will happen) - then just offer to do the same thing for their guitar.
After you explain your guarantee, that's usually all it takes, and you're in business.
Don't confuse your new skills with those of a
"guitar tech" like the ones you've seen at your
local music store
Most stores aren't willing to pay for quality repair
professionals, so they settle for hiring people who think fixing your
action means twisting a truss rod.
This training is altogether different.
You'll have the skills and confidence to take any
instrument, from vintage archtops to pre CBS Strats, rip them apart and
re-assemble them to play like magic.
But you only get out of this training what you put in. It's intense, it's focused, and it WILL challenge you.
It's not a "self healing retreat" where you laze around
and put in a few minutes of work a day then pat yourself on the back
and count the money you're going to make fixing guitars.
You'll have to work at it. You'll have to face your fear
of failure and go beyond it. It can be a journey that changes you in
important ways.
But my promise to you is this - if you take this
seriously, stay open to instruction, and trust yourself to dive in and
make mistakes under my guidance,
You will absolutely leave here with the skills needed to do world-class repairs on any instrument -and get paid handsomely for it
Just decide now that you'll take full
advantage of my experience and the massive selection of tools, books, videos and
equipment you'll have access to while you're here.
Why are good guitar repair pros harder to
find than diamonds?
Manufacturers are pumping out guitars in record numbers,
yet there's a shortage of qualified repair people to serve the growing
market.
Why?
The reason is simple: There are very few schools that
teach these skills, and unless your uncle Joe is a luthier, it's hard
or impossible to find an apprenticeship.
Even if you did find a luthier willing to show you the
ropes, you'd be working under his "tutelage" for years as he
reluctantly shares his "secrets" with you one at a time.
Most luthiers aren't that interested in having someone take up space in the shop and get trained up to be his competition.
As an apprentice, yes you learn valuable skills, but you
pay for those skills by earning small change for months or years until
the master decides you're "ready" to go on your own.
Don't get me wrong, if you're going to charge someone to work on their instrument, you better know what the hell you're doing.
But it doesn't take "years" to get those skills. At
Fret Works you are fast-tracked through the learning process, focusing
on the key skills that allow you to start earning money - and doing
ultra high-quality work - the minute you leave.
There's no time wasted on unnecessary theory. Instead...
Your skills are forged every day in the fire of experience.
By the time you leave here you'll have completed so many
repairs, made so many mistakes, and gotten those priceless lessons
"locked" into your hands and your brain you can take on virtually any
repair job with total confidence.
Personally, I'm not worried about competition. There's
so much work out there you could setup your shop right across the
street from me and we'd both have more work than we could ever handle.
That's why when I train you, you get full immediate access to every "secret" I have stored away in my brain.
I've spent 25 years, 10-12 hours a day doing nothing but work on guitars.
In my head I've got thousands of tips, shortcuts, and hard-won techniques for making guitars do exactly what I want them to.
I've got a massive list of thrilled customers going back
20 years, including a stable of pro players that come back to me again
and again.
As one of my students, you get the benefit of all my experience, dramatically slashing your learning curve.
When I started learning this trade, some of my
instructors would give me vague advice and leave me to work it out on
my own. It was frustrating, and cost me years of struggling to find my
own answers.
I promised that I would never do that to my students.
I don't hold anything back. I'll show you exactly how to
do the repairs, what tools to use, and how to avoid the big mistakes
that would have you pulling your hair out.
Day by day, the guitar (or any fretted instrument) will
reveal ALL her secrets to you - until you have total mastery of every
aspect of repairing, rebuilding, or creating guitars from scratch.
How Much Does This Cost?
As I said before, you're probably never going to be a rich "fat-cat" doing this work.
However, you have the opportunity here to make a *very*
comfortable living earning $50-$100 an hour, spending your days getting
paid to "Play" with guitars, and "steering your own ship" in life.
What is that worth to you?
I know many people who have invested hundreds
of thousands of dollars on college educations, spent four years of
their life studying, are stuck in jobs they hate and STILL can't crack
the $30 an hour income bracket.
The income potential is life changing.
For example, at $60 an hour (a reasonable starting rate if you've completed the Ultimate training program below) you could work 30 hours a week, take 4 weeks vacation, and you'd make $86,400 a year.
Would $86,000 a year change your life?
How about an extra $1,000 a month, what would that allow you do that you can't do now?
You could make $1,000 working 5 hours a week at $50/hour. How does that compare to what you're doing now?
How else will having these skills make a difference for you? Think about it for a moment.
You can earn money anywhere in the world people play guitar. You'll be friends with top players, and you can choose how much you want to work and how much you want to earn.
Because everyone's situation is different, I've created
a tuition structure that allows you to learn at any pace that suits
your available time and budget.
The cost of training depends on your goals.
Here are some options:
1. If your goal is to make this your
career the moment you leave the training, and if you want to be able to maximize your earning power, then my "Ultimate Career Program" is your best option.
The Ultimate Program is three months of accelerated, intense, hands on guitar training designed to give you the skills you need to hit the ground running.
Three months of focused training here at Fret Works is like three YEARS of training at a community college or vocational school.
You'll get exposed to every possible aspect of guitar
repair, get a chance to put your hands on every type of instrument and
make each one obey your commands.
This length of training gives you the time to absorb
these skills into your nervous system so you can handle jobs that pay
you the big money with total confidence.
This also gives you a chance to immerse yourself in the business side of things.
This is critical if you want to run your own shop.
You'll learn about invoicing, managing inventory, buying and
maintaining your tools, selling and marketing your service, everything
you need to hit the ground running.
2. If you have some basic experience already, have a desire to work hard, and are willing to narrow the focus of what you learn - you can kickstart your career with either of my 1 month or 2 month "Pro Training" programs.
I've had students leave after a month or two and
successfully start their own shops. But - they worked their asses off to
do it.
If you're considering the 1 or 2 month programs, you'll want
to make the most of your time and spend the extra hours in the
shop building your tools, and working through as many repair projects
as possible.
With these programs, you can choose which skills you want to learn, and you'll have time to complete enough repair projects to turn the techniques into deeply embedded guitar repair wisdom you'll keep for the rest of your life.
You'll leave with the confidence and experience to handle almost any repair job and the skills and opportunity to create an exciting part time or full time business.
3. To tune up existing skills, or to get experience with the fundamental repair techniques you'll need in your business, choose the "Core Skills" 2 week program.
This program allows you to get your hands on and fix several major playability problems, including re-fretting an instrument and working with the fingerboard.
Depending on your specific goals, we can work together to create a two week program that maximizes your learning and give you a massive jump forward in your repair knowledge.
Remember: All trainings are customized to fit your unique goals and desires.
Before you attend, you and I can talk in detail about what you want to learn, what your goals are, and what skills will be most important for you to get while you're here.
That way you can be certain to come away with exactly what you wanted and needed to get you where you want to go.
Here's a full explanation of the tuition and policies:
Tuition Schedule
Winter 2006- Spring 2007 Tuition Fees:
(effective November 1st, 2006. Prices are in Canadian dollars)
Ultimate Career Training -
3 month program: $10,004.50 *
Tuition deposit and any balance due is payable inCanadian Funds.
Class sizes are limited to only three full time students at any one time, so there is plenty of one-on-one attention and coaching during each day of hands-on training.
Registration is open all year round and
is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Your paid deposit
reserves a bench for the Start-Finish dates you want most, so register early to lock in the Start-Finish Dates you want.
*Accommodation at a residence near the shop is included* in theprice of tuition involving a training program duration of one week or longer: Please contact me for specific details regarding accommodation when you apply to register.
You can save valuable start up capital if you plan on opening your own guitar shop by using the equipment at Fret Works for the pre-production and production of your own guitar shop hand tools, instrument construction molds, shop jigs and assorted shop fixtures and gadgets.
Fret Works offers you unlimited access (24/6) (no activity on Sundays please) to all the shop assets;
an extensive woodworking/tool use/wood finishing/ and guitar based
library, 50 volume library of acoustic and electric guitar repair
training videos, the use of all kinds of heavy duty powered wood
working tools and all sorts of specialty guitar repair hand tools at no extra charge
except for perhaps occasional tool sharpening, bit breakage, and
whatever materials get consumed. This truly provides "golden"
opportunities which the thrifty and the thoughtful student of Lutherie
can really take advantage of.
For the highly motivated individual who wants to truly maximize the value of the training, I will make myself available in the late afternoons and evenings to work with you on guitar shop infrastructure projects for an extra 2-4 hours each day at no charge.
For example, you can use your sweat equity to build your own complete
set of fretting tools; fret nippers, fret pullers, fret leveling beams
and fret crowning files, radiused fingerboard sanding blocks, "the
incredible neck jig" (invented by Dan Erlewine and later perfected by
Bryan Galloup) and you can save from 50-70% or more by building the
gear instead of buying it off the shelf from a trade supplier!
As a paid student, you may use any and all the gear here at Fret Works
to build yourself all kinds of very useful shop jigs and fixtures,
tools, etc., for your own professional use later on down the road. You
will not only help yourself and learn more about guitar shop life, you
will save money in the process. In other words, when you finish up here
you should be able to hit the deck running, get set up quickly when you get back home immediately following an intensive training program!
Fret Works is ideally situated in the
heart of light industry in Calgary so rounding up any of the raw
materials and hardware for your own guitar shop infrastructure projects
is fast and convenient. The materials are right at your fingertips or
within a ten minute drive!
Refund Policy
There is an expense to Fret Works in holding a bench open for you on the dates you want to train.
If you indicate you want certain dates, then we must turn away other students who may also want those dates.
I recommend you carefully investigate this training
before making a decision, the easiest way to do that is to contact me
and schedule a phone consultation. (see below for instructions).
If something changes and you cannot make it to your training, the following refund schedule applies.
Upon receipt of written notification of cancellation, the balance of your deposit will be refunded based on the following schedule:
More than 45 days in advance of start date:
Refund, less 10%
30 to 45 days in advance of start date:
Refund, less 20%
15 to 30 days in advance of start date:
Full refund, less 50%
0 to 15 days in advance of start date:
No refund
Disclaimer and a Word of Caution
There is an element of risk associated
when working with sharp hand tools, powered machine tools and exposure
to the wide variety of shop materials; lacquer thinners, glues, saw
dusts from various woods, etc.
Established shop safety practices are integrated into every aspect of training.
However, those people who elect to participate in a training program
should be both aware of and prepared to accept this element of risk as
an inherent part of the activity. Agreement to comply with the
established safety practices and the completion of a liability waiver
and health form (stating known allergies) is required for each
participant.
Unmatched Value For Investment
If you're comparing this to other
training programs (and I recommend that you do) keep in mind that a
three month program here at Fret Works means 3 months of 10-16 hour days, 6 days a week, balls-to-the wall training.
You get personalized attention because there will never be more than two other students.
And you get priceless business experience by being immersed in a working shop day in and day out.
I suggest you to research how much it
costs and how long it takes to become a plumber, a mechanic, a nurse, a
computer technician (all highly paid respectable careers, but none of
them has you hanging out with the band after the show!) and you'll see
that going from where you are today to earning $50-$100 an hour in three
months is an incredible opportunity.
The Next Step...
If you've read this far, and you feel this is a cool way
to make a living, I'm sure you have questions you need answered and we
need to get to know each other a little better.
The next step is simple, and its FREE.
All you do is send an email to me and arrange a time to talk by phone.
Click here to email me , or send an email to miles@fretwork.com with the subject line: Guitar School
In your email please include the following:
Your name and a little bit about your background.
What your goals would be for the training - what do you want to get out of it?
The length of training you are interested in
Any specific questions you want to ask me
Your phone number(s) and a good time to reach you.
Once I've received your email, I'll respond within 24 hours to schedule a time for you and I to talk on the phone.
There will be no pressure from me.
The last thing I want to do is "convince" you to come. This is too important for you to make a snap decision about.
Some of my students call and talk to me a few times before they jump in. That's fine. I want you to be SURE before you commit.
And if it turns out this is what you want to do,
I'll be with you from day one, giving you everything
you need to succeed.
This could be your ticket to a bright future.
Your friends will be jealous of the satisfaction and
enjoyment you get from going to "work" every day while they deal with
cranky bosses, low pay, politics and all the other crap that goes along
with a 9 to 5 job.
These skills command a fee that allows you to pay off
mortgages, take cool vacations, and ensures you have an endless stream
of dream guitars to play on.
And the relationships you'll build with the musicians who rave about your work are priceless - just read the comments along the side of this web page and you'll know what I mean!
The first time a big dog player hands you his prized axe
to work on, your heart will pound, but you'll find you have the skills
to do the job with confidence, and you'll blow his mind with your work.
Your training doesn't end when you
walk out the door.
It's just the beginning.
And as one of my students, you'll have access to me by
phone whenever you run across a tricky problem in your shop. You'll
never be alone in this business once you've completed this training.
Don't let this pass you by. If it feels right, take action now, email me, and lets talk.
Happy Pickin,
Miles Jones
P.S. Because
I only work with 3 students at a time, spaces fill up fast. If you want
to succeed in this career, email me right now at miles@fretwork.com to get the start dates you want.
Here are some unsolicited comments from satisfied clients:
"Miles -- 'to-die-for' tweak job on my tele last week--will sing your
praises in the U.K. this summer. Thanks-Amos" -Amos Garrett, Living guitar legend.
(Amos has recorded with
Stevie Wonder, Bonnie Raitt, Maria Muldaur and more than 200 others.
Amos has been a long time client of Fret Works and is one of my favorite
human beings. - Miles)
"Thanks Miles, for the great work on my
guitars. Your dedication, attention to detail,and excellence, goes a
long way. The old Gibson and the Strat are playing better than ever.
Thanks again. The Force Is With You...." -Lester Quitzau
"Wow! Miles turned my Franken-Tele parts guitar into
something as good or better than the 'real deal'. He's also turned what
I thought to be a pretty rad Strat into something that almost plays
itself! Thanks Miles!" -Brian McClennon, Aktivate
"Hi Miles, Cool site. Thanks for all the
years of extra work that you have done to keep my 67 Precision still
singing like it never has before. I am a fan of your endless insight to
the problems that I have had with my bass. The times you have come out
to the gig to tweak little things I don't even pickup on. What a
consummate professional you are. Thanks pal, Glen" -Glen Yorga
"Hi Miles. I just wanted to thank you for
the great work you did on my Fender Acoustic. My guitar and I have
developed a new relationship! I'm practicing every day and really
digging the sound and its playability. I wish I had came across
Fretworks 10 years ago because I was unaware that a guitar could be set
up so it wasn't such a workout to play on. But one only learns when
they are ready and I'm ready to learn now! Thank you." -Geoff Jones
"I have personally known Miles for over 34
years, and I do not believe that anyone could find a craftsman/mentor
(alive today) in ANY field that is more COMMITTED to the TOTAL
SATISFACTION of his customers and students than is Miles Jones,
Proprietor, Fretworks. Anyone sincerely interested in making more
beautiful music on their instruments, with their hands, and in their
hearts would do well to seek out Miles' caring knowledge and expertise
in all that is and will be 'GUITAR'." -Brent Rintoul
"Dear Miles, The black Johnson you repaired for me used to kill my hand after ten minutes.
I didn't know the guitar didn't play well because it's
my first and I thought it was normal until a friend here in Fernie told
me you could doctor it up.
Now I can play for at least an hour and it sounds better
too. Best of all you didn't juice me on your prices. Thank you so much." -Jonathan MacDougall
"Wow, Miles, and Fretworks, are truly one of a kind.
Miles took my brand new factory setup Ovation and tweaked it into the
guitar it should have been in the first place. What a tremendous
difference on the action and playability. From barely playable to
smooth as silk. I still can't believe it.
"As if this wasn't enough, he did the work on New Years
Day and delivered it to my residence personally so that I could take
the axe with me on an extended stay in Germany. This is service that is
totally beyond the call of duty.
"Miles, you have made me a believer and I know that all
of my axes will benefit from that level of quality care. I have now
asked Miles to completely customize my 1990 PRS. Based on what I have
seen, our personal discussions, and the many testimonials from others,
I have no doubt that the end result of this "little" project will be a
screaming hot rod axe second to none anywhere."
-Richard
"Thank You Miles for making my guitar into a great
instrument. It is amazing how much difference the setup has made in
releasing my inner Jimmy. Thank you for treating me and my guitar like
we mattered." -Doug Unrau
"Thanks Miles! You are the first luthier ever who has
done work for me as advertised. I could not find anyone in my own
country (the U.S.)who seemed to understand what "make it play in tune"
means. You did excellent work and did not try to sell me a load of
extras to milk my wallet. I will be doing business with you again..
exclusively." -Frank Melbar
"I will never trust anyone but Miles with my guitars.
Great service, care and concern. It is nice to see someone who has a
passion for what they do and truly cares about the customer and their
instruments. Thanks again." -Jeff Hiscock
"I've known Miles for over thirty years and have been
playing for thirty seven years. Over the past fourteen years, I have
been a frequent client of Fretworks for everything from the ground up
restoration and custom finishing of a Gibson Flying V to my current
custom guitar project which is a graphite neck Stratocaster style
guitar.
"I prefer to do set ups, pickup wiring and minor work
myself. I would not have learned to do these things as well were it not
for the help and insight Miles has shared with me over the years.
"In my growth and progress as a human being and as a
guitar player over the years, Miles Jones and Fretworks have been
valuable beyond measure. Three words sum it up well from my point of
view - Dedication, Diligence, and Integrity. Thanks Miles." -Brad McHugh
"I’m not a celebrity, a professional guitar
player, nor even a good guitar player, as anyone who has heard me play
will attest, I’m just an ordinary guy who likes his guitar.
"I bought my 1976 K-Yairi YW-700 guitar new in late
’79, found it in a guitar store in Halifax where it had been
hanging on the wall for 3 years. It has accompanied me to 4 Provinces,
spent time with me at sea while serving on a Destroyer, saw me through
4 years in Germany, and 99 days in the ‘90\’91 Gulf War,
and I’ve grown attached to it.
"So, although it’s not an expensive guitar, when I
noticed the bridge was starting to separate from the body, I knew I
wanted to repair it rather than buy a new one. I found Miles Jones
quite by accident while surfing the Internet for guitar repair shops in
Calgary, and what a serendipitous find it turned out to be.
"From the moment I met Miles, he treated me as if I were
an Amos Garrett, or a Jan Arden. He looked over my guitar, asked me
about my playing style, told me what he thought needed repairing and
what did not, and gave me what turned out to be an accurate estimate.
"Miles re-affixed the bridge, made a new saddle, fixed a
loose tuning key, filled in a minor wood compression on the back of the
neck, at my insistence (he said I didn’t need them done yet) he
replaced the frets, he repaired some minor cracking in the gloss finish
on the back and polished the whole thing to a nice water gloss finish.
"Miles even fixed the loose covering on my old guitar
case, and because the job took slightly longer than he had planned,
when it was completed, he hand delivered it to my house. My old guitar
plays better and easier than it ever did, and sounds fantastic, even
with me playing it. Thanks for everything Miles." – John Stewart
"It was time to re-fret my vintage 1964 SG Special, the
one I've had for 25 years. I was really worried about finding the right
pro for the job.
"Though I love tinkering with my other guitars, and have built a few, I wasn't about to hack my SG's bound fingerboard.
"I found Fretworks through the internet. Talking the job through with Miles, I knew I had found someone who really cared.
"The re-fret with jumbo tall frets has returned my SG to a condition better than I've ever known it.
"Miles did such a nice job that I won't hesitate to send
my others to him when their turn comes. Miles' attention to detail and
customer service is a model for any business." -Steve Bassett
"Hi Miles, I used my 7 string archtop in the studio
yesterday and it was great...super clean and super presence. Another
thing is the balance you've achieved vis a vis the strings and the
pickup. It's sounding and playing the best it's ever been. I thought
you should know. Thanks a bundle." -Barry Hawkins
"Miles, You've serviced five of my instruments now and I
have yet to find any fault with your work. You are a valuable asset to
any musician. Not only have you done great work on my guitars, but your
freely imparted wisdom has helped me discover more about these
cherished tools and how to get great sound out of them. You, my friend,
are worth more than money. Always drive carefully :) " -Michael Gothreau www.fatbottomband.com
"Miles setup my Strat to play like it never played
before. He also reprofiled the neck of my Yamaha acoustic, planed the
bridge and setup it up so that it plays and sounds great! I highly
recommend Miles' professional and affordable work." -Brent Rawlings
"Miles turned my ailing 35 year old acoustic into a guitar that plays like b-u-t-t-e-r! Thanks Miles!" -Fred Palmer
"I received it yesterday. Magnificent! Incredible! I
can't imagine how it could have been done better. Great action and
wonderful sound. Both my son and I are delighted. You were right -- we
are competing for playing time." -Ron Russell
Other Musicians who's guitars I've had the privilege to work on include:
Jann Arden
A multiple Juno award winning local Diva, internationally known for her rendition of Anne Loree's hit song Insensitive
Gaye Delorme
Gaye Delorme is certainly one of my favorite guitarists of all time,
and he was the first live guitarist I ever heard play up close. He had
a profound impact on me that got me attracted to guitars in the first
place....Gaye is a one of THE consumate entertainers of our time,
always amazingly original and generous in his performance. He is able
to weave complex rhythms and lead work in a spell binding effect. To me
and the legions of his loyal fans, Gaye is truly one of Canada's most
awe-inspiring guitar players and who remains very unpretentious,
passionate, with a very funny sense of humor to boot.
Russ Broom
Another huge favorite guitar player of mine. Fortunately for us, Russ
is still a local Calgary guy. He has a deft touch and is oh so very
much in command of his guitar and has his own sound, like Eric Clapton
or Stevie Ray Vaughn. He is also a multi-stylist, multi-dimensional
guitarist and when Russ is not working on tour with Jann Arden, he can
be found working on any one of a variety of professional sessions
crafting jingles or applying his golden talent and keenly honed chops
and illuminating the collective work on various recording projects.
Watch out for Russ Broom, he will sweep you off-a you feet!
Spencer Davis
Legendary British R&B band leader of the Spencer Davis Group and probably most famous for the tune I'm a Man
Tom Knowles
Long time bassist and friend for aeons, Tom is now a happy family man
and on top of the short list when mucicians need someone to hold down
the bottom end. Find him accompanying acts which include: Long John
Baldry, Auntie Kate and many others.
Other great clients include:
Tim Williams,
Ellen Mcilwaine,
Eddy Clearwater,
Cam Malloy,
Long John Baldry,
The Peter Tosh Organization, General Public,
Johnny V,
Pat Simmons,
Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson,
Ray Montana,
Carl Weathersby,
Johnny Nitro,
Zuckerbaby,
Silent Partners,
Nigel Mack,
Robbie Laws,
Eddy Vann Shaw.