Guitar Repair Technician 101 (GRT101): Basic Guitar Repair & Maintenance
Anatomy-Driven Playability & Applied Electronics
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.
Over two tightly mentored days you’ll master precision setups, minor finish and hardware fixes, and practical electronics work, all with portable tools you can carry to any stage, showroom, or studio. Finish the class with a certificate, a reusable inspection sheet, and a new way of looking at every guitar that lands on your bench.
What You’ll Be Able to Do
Communicate repairs professionally with clear inspection sheets and customer-friendly language
Measure & interpret every critical spec on electric and acoustic guitars
Dial in relief, action, nut slots, and intonation based on gauge, scale, tuning, and player style
Diagnose & repair the most common electronic faults—in minutes, not hours
Install popular upgrades (treble-bleed, series/parallel, coil-split) cleanly the first time
Perform fret-end dressing and finish touchups that boost playability and resale value
- Mastering precision setups for optimal playability
- Identifying and correcting loose, broken, or poor-performing hardware
- Building confidence in soldering, diagnostics and simple mods
- Adopting best-practice maintenance routines for showroom or tour use
- Laying the groundwork for advanced fretwork, structural and custom builds
- One electric and one acoustic guitar – arrive with strings on
- Fresh strings for each (plus a spare set)
- 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):
- Compact soldering iron & supplies
- Full nut-file set matched to your preferred gauges
*Many tools can often be found in bundled guitar tech kits. Some supplies may be available for purchase—please contact us for details or a class supplies shopping list.
Enrollment is limited and dates sell out quickly.
Join GRT101, earn your certificate, and start thinking—and repairing—like a pro.
