View Posts By Category

career2 inspiration2 projects3

My Guitar Building Experience at AM Guitar Works

By -

I assembled this Telecaster-style guitar at a class at AM Guitar Works in the fall of 2015. (Photo Credit: Hannah Liddell)

In the fall of 2015, it had been two years since I completed my first guitar.  I was a year out of High School at that point and was wanting to find a way to keep moving forward in my guitar building dream.  At that point, I had been in contact with a guitar shop owner in Davenport, Iowa named Alan Morrison.  In addition to selling instruments and performing guitar repairs, Alan’s business AM Guitar Works offered guitar and amp building classes.  I decided that one of these classes would be a great next step.


The class was held in the repair room at Alan’s guitar store.  The class size was small with just a few other students.  I had the option of choosing between a variety of guitar models and colors.  I chose to build a Telecaster style electric with a Sea Foam Green body.  The kit came with a pre-made neck, body, and all necessary hardware.


The class was a very helpful and educational experience.  We learned the proper process for guitar assembly and setup.  We bolted on the neck, carefully aligned the bridge, and soldered up the wiring connections.


This class gave me more confidence in my knowledge of the building process.  It was very helpful to have the oversight of an experienced guitar technician to guide me through the steps.  


The most exciting moment of the day was when we plugged our newly constructed instruments into an amp.  Playing that first chord is always the most rewarding part of any guitar project.


In addition to what I learned that day, I made a valuable connection with Alan.  He’s been a great resource for me as I’ve continued in my learning process.  I’ve also gained a lot from reading his book How to Make Money in the Guitar Biz.  There he gives practical advice on the ins and outs of running a guitar shop from his own real world experience.


If you’re in the market for buying a new guitar or need a repair, I would highly recommend AM Guitar Works in Davenport, IA. https://amguitarworks.com/index.html


This class was a valuable next step in my development as a luthier.


Plugging in the guitar is the most rewarding part of the process!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why A Luthier?

By -
Image
Antonio Stradivari in his workshop. (Photo courtesy of Wikicommons) According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a luthier is defined as “one who makes stringed musical instruments (such as violins or guitars).” As I reflect upon this definition, I have to consider, what is it about this particular trade that has so captured my passion and imagination?   This morning I came upon a picture that may offer some answers to my question.  The picture is of Antonio Stradivari, sitting at his work bench, holding a violin in one hand and resting his pondering face on the other.  After some research, I discovered that Antonio Stradivari was a luthier in the late 1600’s and early 1700’s.  Many of his highly valued works are still in use today, over 300 years later.  His innovative designs broke ground in violin, cello, and viola design.  The name Stradivari still invokes ideas of expert craftsmanship to this day. The thing that first caught my attention in the pi...
Read more

My Story

By -
Image
My first guitar build is being played. My third guitar is in process on the workbench in the background.  (Photo credit: Hannah Liddell)   Hello, my name is Ty Feigenspan.  I'm from Kalona, Iowa, a small town just a few miles south of Iowa City.  Growing up, I've always had an interest in creating things with my hands.  From an early age I made all sorts of creations with cardboard, paper, modeling clay and wood.   Being so creative, it wasn't long until I started working for my dad in his cabinet shop.  There, I learned to use basic tools and developed my Iowa work ethic.  My dad taught me how to focus on detailed cabinet work even when it got hard.  Eventually, I learned that time spent sanding, scraping, and finishing can pay off in big ways. I was a senior in high school when I had the idea of building a guitar.  By then I had developed an interest in learning how to get the perfect tones out of my instrument as I played electri...
Read more

A Guitar Called Freesound Is Born

By -
Image
This solid body electric was my first guitar build. Inspiration It was a beautiful day in the Iowa countryside.  I was a high schooler taking a run past open fields and Amish farms, dreaming about the future.  I asked myself, “If I were to open a business in this area, what would it be?”  Then the idea just came to me - a custom guitar shop.   I didn’t really know what the process of building guitars involved, but the idea was so inspiring that I had to try. Research Research Research Has anyone ever told you, “You can learn anything on Youtube”?  It’s actually not too far from the truth.  I spent countless evenings scouring the internet for information on guitar building, determined to figure out the process.  After viewing many Youtube tutorials and guitar forums, I felt decently confident to start designing my project. Design My guitar plans. This was where it started to get fun.  I set up my dad’s big drawing easel in our house and sketched up...
Read more