Guitar Repair Technician 101 (GRT101): Basic Guitar Repair & Maintenance
Anatomy-Driven Playability
16 hours – 2 consecutive days – Certificate course
GRT101 is the gateway course in our Guitar Repair Technician mentorship path (GRT101 → 201 → 301), created for players and aspiring pros who want more than “follow-these-numbers” setup tips. Offered only once or twice a year in select cities, this intensive weekend moves beyond rote measurements to the why behind every adjustment—linking guitar design, physics, and repair technique so you can tackle real-world problems with confidence.
Exclusively designed and delivered by Blackwood Guitarworks, this is a one-of-a-kind class built from our Fretwise Method development—you won’t find it elsewhere.
Who It’s For
- Emerging techs aiming for shop‑ready skills.
- Players who want pro setups without guesswork.
- Repair hobbyists moving toward paid work.
Over two tightly mentored days you’ll learn precision setups, maintenance, hardware fixes, and acoustic geometry with focused nut/saddle work—using portable tools you can carry to any stage, showroom, or studio. Finish the class with a certificate, and a new way of looking at every guitar that lands on your bench.
The book, “Complete Guitar Care & Maintenance“ is required for this class and is available at Long & McQuade (Canada), Chapters/Indigo, Amazon, or anywhere else that sells books.
Enrollment is limited and dates sell out quickly.
Join GRT101, earn your certificate, and start thinking—and repairing—like a pro.
What You’ll Be Able to Do
Communicate repairs professionally with clear inspection sheets and customer-friendly language
Diagnose setup-related buzzes, fret hotspots, and acoustic neck-angle/saddle issues quickly and accurately
Execute clean hardware adjustments and common parts swaps for reliable, road-ready performance
Dial in relief, action, nut slots, and intonation based on gauge, scale, tuning, and player style
Measure & interpret every critical spec on electric and acoustic guitars (or bass!)
Diagnose & repair the most common electronic faults—in minutes, not hours
- Mastering precision setups & modification for optimal playability
- Identifying and correcting loose, broken, or poor-performing hardware
- Building confidence in diagnostics and practical on-bench fixes
- Adopting best-practice maintenance routines for showroom or tour use
- Laying the groundwork for advanced fretwork, structural and custom builds
- One working & functional electric and one acoustic guitar – arrive with strings on
- Fresh strings for each (plus a spare set)
- Cleaning/polishing supplies for fretboard & body (polish, cloths, fingerboard conditioner, steel wool, etc.)
- A protractor app on your smartphone (many free options available)
- Pen/pencil & calculator
- Neck rest + bench mat or towel
- Plug-in chromatic tuner
- Crescent wrench / nut-driver set
- String winder, capo, side cutters/wire cutters
- 6″ steel ruler (64ths)
- Multi-head screwdriver
- 32-blade feeler-gauge set (.001″ increments)
- Appropriate truss-rod & bridge-saddle wrenches for your guitars
- Textbook: Complete Guitar Care & Maintenance
- Recommended (Day 2, not mandatory):
- Full nut-file set matched to your preferred gauges
*Many tools can often be found in bundled guitar tech kits.
Recommended tools (Amazon links):
