Frequently Asked Questions

How much does the program cost?

Paid-in-full tuition is $8,000.

A $1,250 non-refundable deposit reserves your seat, with the remaining $6,750 due before the first day of class.

A payment plan is also available. It consists of the $1,250 deposit plus six additional payments of $1,250, for total tuition of $8,750. The second payment is due before the first class, with the remaining payments due weekly after training begins.

What is included in tuition?

Tuition includes eight weeks of in-person professional training, access to the related online study materials, individual bench instruction, business and marketing training, and up to two additional weeks of supervised practice at no additional training cost.

Graduates also receive continuing technical and business support.

Why does the payment plan cost more?

The paid-in-full price offers our lowest tuition.

The payment plan allows students to spread the cost over the training period, but it creates additional administrative expense and financial risk for the school. The total payment-plan tuition is therefore $8,750 rather than $8,000.

All costs are disclosed before enrollment, so there are no surprises.

Is the deposit refundable?

The $1,250 seat deposit is non-refundable because classes are limited to four students. Once you reserve a seat, we remove it from availability to other applicants.

Are tools included?

Students train with our professional tools and equipment in our shop.

You will eventually need tools if you plan to work professionally after graduation. We teach you which tools are truly necessary, which can wait, and where spending more money is—or is not—worthwhile.

Guitar Tech Academy does not sell tools, however graduates will be presented with a few custom tools we’ve invented – a fret buzz probe, a fret renewal tool and special nut and neck relief gauges.

How much should I expect to spend on tools and a workbench?

A practical starter collection of tools and a suitable bench can generally be assembled for approximately $1,000.

You do not need to purchase every specialty tool at once. Many graduates begin with the tools required for setups and common repairs, then add equipment as paying work creates the need for it.

Guitar Tech Academy does not sell tools, however graduates will be presented with a few custom tools we’ve invented – a fret buzz probe, a fret renewal tool and special nut and neck relief gauges.

Is housing included?

No. Transportation, meals, and accommodations are the student’s responsibility.

However, there are numerous hotels, extended-stay properties, bed and breakfast, apartments, and other accommodations near the school. Some are located close to the Pinellas Trail and within biking distance of the shop.

Our student accommodations page provides several nearby options to help you begin planning your stay.

Do I need a car while attending?

A car is helpful but not always essential.

Many accommodations are within a bikable distance.  Rideshare, or local transportation is readily available along Highway 19. Your best option will depend on where you stay and what you plan to do outside training hours.

Clearwater, Dunedin, Tampa, St. Petersburg, and the Gulf beaches are all nearby, and available via bike, rideshare or public transportation.

Will this training qualify me to work professionally?

Our purpose is to give you the practical skills and confidence needed to perform professional guitar setup and repair work.

Completing a course alone does not guarantee anyone a job or successful business. Your success will also depend on the quality of your work, continued practice, reliability, customer service, and how well you apply the business and marketing instruction.

Unlike programs built primarily around lectures or videos, GTA gives you substantial supervised bench experience before graduation.

So far, all of our graduates have started a successful guitar repair business or gotten jobs in guitar repair.

Will I receive a certificate?

Students who successfully complete the program receive a Guitar Tech Academy certificate documenting their completion of our professional guitar tech training.  They will also receive a MasterPro Guitar Setup certificate and be certified to issue MasterPro Setup Certificates with each guitar they work on.

A certificate can support your résumé and demonstrate that you completed structured training. Your most important credentials, however, will always be the quality and consistency of the work you can actually perform.

Do you guarantee that I will get a job?

No legitimate school can guarantee that an employer will hire a particular graduate.

We can help you develop employable skills, provide continued guidance, and help you understand how to approach guitar shops and other potential employers. Ultimately, hiring decisions belong to those businesses.

Many graduates find that starting a small home-based repair business or side business is more practical and profitable than a traditional job.

Do you offer job-placement assistance?

We provide career guidance, business instruction, continuing support, and assistance in presenting your training and skills professionally.

We also help graduates understand the opportunities available through guitar stores, music schools, manufacturers, independent repair work, and home-based businesses.

We do not describe this as guaranteed job placement because we would rather give students an honest answer than make a promise no school can control.

Can I start a repair business from home?

Yes. Guitar repair is particularly well suited to a home-based business.

You can begin with a solid workbench, professional tools, a clean work area, and a relatively small number of customers. You do not need to purchase a large inventory of guitars or lease a retail storefront before earning your first dollar.

The program covers practical issues such as pricing, customer intake, repair workflow, parts, bookkeeping, websites, marketing, advertising, and generating a steady stream of work.

Post graduate business and tech support is also available.

Is business training included, or does it cost extra?

Business and marketing instruction is included.

Knowing how to repair guitars is not enough if no one knows you exist, your prices are wrong, your jobs are disorganized, or customers do not trust you.

We teach students how a real repair shop attracts customers, evaluates incoming jobs, prices services, tracks work, orders parts, communicates with customers, performs quality control, and builds repeat business.

Does GTA help graduates build an online presence?

Yes.

Graduates receive help with their professional online presence, including website and marketing assistance through Guitars Done Right and a featured listing in GuitarShopDirectory.com.

Our goal is not simply to teach you a skill and wish you luck. We want to help you turn that skill into actual income.

How much money can a guitar tech earn?

Income varies according to location, skill, speed, pricing, demand, reputation, marketing, and whether you work for someone else or operate your own business.

Guitar repair has relatively low material costs, and many common services can produce strong gross margins. However, we will not promise a particular income or pretend that every graduate will produce identical results.

We teach realistic pricing, production, business, and marketing principles so you can make informed decisions based on your own goals and market.

Our shop jobs average between $120 and $140 profit per job on a monthly basis.  Each tech can comfortably complete three jobs a day, working our 7-1/2 hour days, with interruptions, etc.  When work levels rise, we can generally increase output to four jobs per day per tech.

The biggest problem our latest grads have had is worrying they might get more work than they can handle.

Working from home involves very little overhead, so most service income is gross profit.

Will I retain access to training materials?

Students retain access to the online materials provided with their program so they can review important procedures after the in-person course.

The videos & lessons serve as refreshers and references. Your core education, however, comes from performing the work yourself under direct supervision during the eight-week program.

We also have an online help board for both tech and business questions.

What if I need more practice before I feel ready?

After graduation, at eight-weeks, you are encouraged to remain for up to two additional weeks of guided practice at no additional training cost.

Those weeks allow you to repeat procedures, build speed, strengthen weaker areas, and gain additional confidence. They are recommended but not mandatory because some students have work, family, or travel limitations.

We would rather give you additional bench time than rush you out the door simply because eight weeks have passed.

As a practical matter, we’re getting free labor from you during these extra weeks, so it’s probable you could stay as long as you like.  We had one grad who stayed five months just because he enjoyed the camaraderie and working on guitars, but didn’t want to start his own business.  

In truth, students are usually eager to get started on their own business and often stay just one extra week to build confidence and speed.

Can I contact instructors after completing the course?

Yes.

Continued support is one of the benefits of graduating from Guitar Tech Academy. We want graduates to succeed and to continue improving as they encounter new instruments, repairs, customers, and business challenges.

We run a tech and business support board for graduates and Guitars Done Right member shops.  All graduates get a free 6-month membership to Guitars Done Right and MasterPro Guitar Setups.

Can guitar repair really be learned online?

Videos and online lessons are extremely useful for preview, review and demonstration. They can show you what a procedure should look like and allow you to revisit information later.

What they cannot do is watch your hands, see whether your file is rocking, notice that you are using too much pressure, hear what you missed, inspect your finished work, or stop you before a mistake becomes expensive.

That is why GTA uses online lessons to support in-person instruction—not replace it.

Why not learn guitar repair from YouTube?

YouTube contains a great deal of useful information, but it also contains bad information, contradictory advice, missing steps, oversimplified repairs, and methods presented without a complete diagnostic system.

The larger problem is that a video cannot evaluate your work or tell you what you misunderstood.

At GTA, you learn a complete process, practice it repeatedly, and receive correction while the work is still in front of you.

Why not attend a guitar-building school?

A guitar-building program may be an excellent choice for someone whose primary goal is to build guitars.

GTA is intended for people who want to service, set up, troubleshoot, and repair the stringed instruments for a living – for profit. That means concentrating on the jobs customers request every day and the skills that can begin producing income quickly.

Frankly, guitar builders usually build because they love crafting guitars – not for the money.  Unless a builder has spent decades establishing a stellar career of building instruments, is extremely difficult to compete profitably.

How should I compare GTA with another guitar repair program?

Do not compare schools only by counting videos, course modules, certificates, or the number of years you can log into a website.

Ask more practical questions:

How many hours will I personally spend working at a bench?

Will an instructor be there to inspect and correct my work?

Will I work on varied, real-world instruments?

How many students will compete for the instructor’s attention?

Will I learn a complete diagnostic process or isolated repair tricks?

Will I learn how a working repair business actually operates?

What help will I receive after graduation?

Most importantly, ask whether hands-on training is the actual program—or merely an optional add-on.

Can I visit Guitar Tech Academy before enrolling?

Yes. Serious prospective students are welcome to arrange a visit, see the shop, meet members of the team, and ask questions.

You may also speak with recent graduates about their experience. We believe prospective students should understand exactly what they are investing in before reserving a seat.

Can I speak with someone before making a decision?

Absolutely.

Call Guitar Tech Academy at (727) 228-0125, ask for Hank or Liam, or use our contact form. We will answer your questions honestly and help you decide whether the program is a good fit.

We would rather enroll four committed students who understand the program than pressure someone into making the wrong decision.

When is the next class?

Upcoming class dates are posted on the Guitar Tech Academy website.

Because each session is limited to four students, classes can fill well in advance. Reserving early is recommended when you need time to arrange work leave, transportation, or accommodations.

How do I reserve a seat?

A $1,250 non-refundable deposit reserves your seat.

Our enrollment system limits each class to four students and will not intentionally overbook a session.

What information is required to enroll?

We ask for basic contact information along with the student’s age, background, and goals. Understanding what you want to accomplish helps us provide more useful training and guidance.

Is Guitar Tech Academy right for me?

GTA may be a strong fit if you want:

A practical, hands-on trade;

A new career or retirement business;

A profitable side business;

Professional skills rather than a hobby-level introduction;

Small-group instruction;

Real repair-shop experience;

A measurable, repeatable alternative to guesswork; and

Continued technical and business support after graduation.

It may not be the right program if you are primarily interested in building guitars, want a completely self-paced online course, or are looking for a certificate without putting in substantial bench work.

STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?

Call us at (727) 228-0125, arrange a visit, or send us a message.

We will gladly discuss the training, tuition, accommodations, tools, career opportunities, or any other concern before you reserve your seat.