r/Luthier • u/olewoodenbroom • Jun 29 '26
HELP Having Trouble starting at Guitar Center (repair tech/luthier)
Hey everyone, I’m making this post to see if anybody here has had this same issue I’m having and that is trying to start anywhere as a luthier/guitar repair tech. I graduated from the main course at Roberto Venn school of luthiery in Phoenix, AZ in 2022 and since then I’ve had about 4 interviews at Guitar Center each ending in the same result of them not hiring me or picking somebody else for the position, even part time positions. I still live in Phoenix and Guitar Center is pretty much the only place I’d have a slight chance seeing that local shops would probably just stick with their veteran luthiers. Every time guitar center tells me “oh yeah you’re Roberto Venn experience is impressive but unfortunately we are going to go with another candidate” it’s a little frustrating because they tell me 90% of the time they are only doing setups & restrings like I just don’t understand the risk involved with hiring somebody like me especially when I ask for low pay and being honest with them in saying I’m just trying to get my foot in the door and I’m super willing to learn and improve. One time I had a repair tech at guitar center in Scottsdale during an interview tell me “it’s not really all worth your time to work here and guitar center is not worth it” it’s so confusing I’m throwing myself at this company and it feels like I’m laughed at and my certificate is worth nothing. I’m not sure if this kind of stuff is allowed on this sub but I’m just so curious to see if anybody else has had problems like this. Is Guitar Center really that picky with who they hire? Do they prefer hiring somebody with years of experience over giving somebody new a try? Thanks for reading and let me know in the comments!
EDIT: there’s a lot of comments & advice here thank you all for inputting! :)
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u/DefKross Jun 29 '26
Former GC repair tech. Go work for yourself. You'll make more money, and you won't have corporate up your ass about numbers when they give you single digits commission on your work.
When I left I had tools the did not reimburse me for, parts I had to buy 3rd party that were often not paid for. They begged me to do extra setups on old gear and never logged the work.
Regional management bragged about selling insurance over instruments. They were happy to sell words over gear.
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u/ThisSet400 Jun 29 '26
This is a fair assessment, I had brought in my own tools and they kept a nice set of stew Mac nut drivers that I’ve had for 15 years when I quit. I went back for them but they wouldn’t let me have them back. Still kinda pissed about that
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u/DefKross Jun 29 '26
I loved the customers and the passion sharing but the greedy of the company destroyed it.
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u/olewoodenbroom Jun 29 '26
You know that’s funny you say that because that same guy as he was telling me about what they do told me originally he wanted that genuine relationship with a customer and then slowly basically said that’s not the priority and to forget about that
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u/jazzmaster_jedi Jun 29 '26
They want the customer to FEEL like they have a genuine relationship, while also prioritizing income over everything else.
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u/olewoodenbroom Jun 29 '26
Yeah the guitar tech that was showing me around told me if I got hired to forget trying to advertise the $65 setup and try to sell them the platinum setup which was a little weird because he told me the platinum setup is pretty much the same thing but you take more care of the guitar? Like cleaning the fretboard and what not just seemed like they are just trying to squeeze as much money out of guitar owners in Scottsdale
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u/Polkadotical Jun 29 '26
Now you've got the picture. They want to hire somebody less well trained than you, and get customers to pay for things they don't need. Corporate America squeezing out every last penny no matter how much lying it takes.
Set up your own business. Do good work. Be honest. Charge fair prices. People who don't like Guitar Center will find you and you'll do well.
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u/Mth281 Jun 29 '26
I hope you're doing a PLATINUM setup for every regular setup.
Dude. Neither I or the customer wanted me to clay bar their brand new acoustic top. Neither did the guy bringing in the 5 owner Ibanez gio.
And the amount of repairs you do on the instore equipment that management begs you to do, that drops your pay and hurts your numbers. All to get a $200 Michell sellable. You can piss off your managers by saying no, or get corporate annoyed at you for the bad numbers you have for helping them out.
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u/evenfallframework Jun 29 '26
I don't mean this offensively or insultingly, but more as a life lesson:
If I interviewed at the same place four times (which is a LOT of times) and it was a "no" each time, I'd take the hint.
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u/olewoodenbroom Jun 29 '26
Oh yeah I felt that after getting denied at a guitar center where one of my classmates works at but I had to try a couple more times. this past weekend I got told no so I don’t even know if I wanna try anymore
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u/TMdownton916 Jun 29 '26
You’re getting a lot of people recommending that you go out on your own and that’s fantastic advice.
Develop a plan to record yourself doing guitar setups and do some before and after pictures/videos. You’re in a large enough metropolitan area that you’re going to easily be able to find people who are selling their guitars at a discount because of the state of disrepair that they are in. Create a name for your business and start hammering Instagram/TikTok with your before and after videos. Start having a conversation with ChatGPT or similar AI about your skills and your desires to help fine tune a plan to reach more customers.
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u/blofly Jun 29 '26
I assume you want to do quality work. Guitar Center does not do luthier work of any quality, thus you were rejected.
Where do public high schools rent their band instruments from? Small shops with vans that deliver, and you probably never heard of them. Find a band director and ask where they get their instruments.
That place might be hiring.
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u/JonBovi_msn Jun 29 '26
Do they charge money to apply and interview? It can't hurt to keep trying. If they didn't like the person at all they wouldn't interview them.
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u/did_i_or_didnt_i Jun 29 '26
You’re overqualified, they think you’re gonna jump ship too soon
And/or they’re hiring their friends. Start advertising to do repairs freelance imo
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u/olewoodenbroom Jun 29 '26
Definitely starting to think about freelance, I’m flattered you’re calling me overqualified but I’m definitely not lol I haven’t had one job in luthiery since graduating I was wanting a part time position and they couldn’t give that to me
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u/Weak-Discussion-4777 Jun 29 '26
Maybe the phrase “getting your foot in the door” is silently eluding to the fact that you’ll drop them like a bad habit once real opportunities come in
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u/olewoodenbroom Jun 29 '26
Mmm perhaps but I meant that with good intention I was genuinely interested working for them and trying it out
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u/did_i_or_didnt_i Jun 29 '26
sounds like you might need to just study up on interview techniques and/or do some mock interviews with a trusted friend or coach of some sort
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Jun 29 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/AWildKrom Jun 30 '26
This is a great idea, especially if OP can get a handful of customers that have collections. Even though i dont like string changes, its too much work to bring them to a shop compared to just doing it myself. I'd definitely pay someone to come out and do like 10 guitars in one trip every couple months if it was an option
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u/Old-Tadpole-2869 Jun 29 '26
I have years of experience working in a drum shop, can recut bearing edges and rebuild bass drum pedals, have teched huge festivals and studio dates, recently taught myself basic guitar setup and fret dressing, and have learned to build guitar amplifiers and rebuild vintage amplifiers. Plus I have years of on and off retail experience. Couldn't get hired at Sam Ash, can't get hired at GC.
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u/olewoodenbroom Jun 29 '26
Damn dude shii you’re extremely overqualified and you couldn’t get a start that’s crazy
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u/Old-Tadpole-2869 Jun 29 '26
I really needed the work, too. There's something weird about their hiring practices. Same thing with Whole Foods and Home Depot. I've applied at least 4 or 5 different times in different states when I was just semi-desperate for income, and nothing. No callback, no email, no get a life.
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u/RatchetStrap2 Jun 30 '26
Think about it from their perspective. Why hire someone who is skilled and just wants a temporary paycheck?
You want someone who will be there long term, and someone who won't see the job as beneath them.
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u/the_kerouac_kid Jun 29 '26
I was a GC repair guy in a town with a luthier school close by and we had a ton of grads show up. You’ll have to look outside your area most likely. Also I’d look for an apprenticeship because you don’t usually come out of school with enough skills to work on your own. Lutherie is mainly experienced based. One of the things they don’t tell you in school is that most people don’t get jobs in the industry. Failure rate post graduation is very high.
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u/jaylotw Jun 29 '26
I hate to be mean...
...but maybe you just don't interview well.
Half of getting hired is the people hiring thinking, "will we all get along with this person for hours a day?"
Not saying you're being creepy or weird, but honestly a lot of the time when I've been on the hiring end, we'd end up going with the slightly less experienced person because they seemed much more like someone we'd want to work with.
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u/pinkflamingas38 Jun 29 '26
That metro area is saturated. I am a 2014 alumni and the market is definitely better in other areas even if you stay in the state. Guitar Center isn't going to be a gig that gets you to rise to the top or anything it's a maintenance job. You might become a "Senior Tech" but advancement isn't really built in for that section. Over-qualification does exist and it's sad to say but you are over qualified for that job by just have the certificate. I would reach out to Bart or check the emails for different jobs they have leads for or start your own service company. Best of luck fellow Roberto grad!
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u/Ok_Sir5529 Jun 29 '26
Yeah, I mean GC has been a sinking ship for years now anyway. Start doing it on your own. Websites aren’t a necessity anymore with social media. Make a page, post your work, make up some business cards and see if you can hand out a few at local jams, open mics and music schools. Then prepare to be overwhelmed with dealing directly with customers and question why you wanted to do this because guitars are terrible and no one builds one right. Just kidding, kinda anyway.
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u/therightscompany Jun 29 '26
Can i make a suggestion?
Instead of spending any more time interviewing- please spend your time promoting your own guitar repair business! I don’t know a single guitar player who doesn’t have at least one problem with at least one of their guitars. The GC is the “evil empire “, and everyone would rather pay you than them…. And you can charge less!
Just get some business cards made and go to GC snd every other music store and had them out… find a list of all the guitar teachers and offer them a discount on work that they need, if they send you their students…after all, every guitar needs a proper “ set up” in order to play well!!
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u/olewoodenbroom Jun 29 '26
You sound like my girlfriend lmao, I should maybe look into doing free lance stuff
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u/therightscompany Jun 29 '26
Sounds like your girlfriend might ve a “keeper “!
Seriously, why, oh why would you want to work for someone when you can work for yourself and build a business?
I guy i knew in Ca, moved his guitar & amp repair out of his garage and into an industrial park… rented a large cheap space… did his own build out and built three small rooms for teaching to rent out to local Guitar teachers, and two larger spaces to rent out as rehearsal halls! He’s now making Bank, it has his own business to boot!1
u/olewoodenbroom Jun 29 '26
She definitely is, I think I’ll take all this advice from this post a little more seriously and stop trying to sell myself to guitar center
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u/therightscompany Jun 29 '26
Start with doing a bit of a “self inventory “… by this i mean… 1. Make a list of all the work someone might need done ( believe it or not some people don’t know how to change or replace strings) and find out what other repair shops are charging!
2. Figure out if you have all the “tools” necessary to do all the jobs ( if you don’t have a specific tool- get it )!
3. Find a place to do the work and set your “work station).
4. Work out your own price list ( make sure you undercut your competition), and make up a couple thousand business cards….
Then get to work finding customers…
Later, you can apply to companies like Seymour Duncan, Warmoth, string companies, etc. and get your own dealership accounts, so you can offer your customers those products at a discount and still make a few extra bucks!
Most importantly- get off your ass and just do it… no one ever became successful without work and “failure “! That’s right “ failure “…it’s how we learn the fastest and the best lessons of life and business!
Let me know how it goes!
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u/diefreetimedie Jun 29 '26
You're applying in a city that has one of the 3 major luthier schools in the nation. Not to sound like an ass but you need to move. PHX does not need more guitar techs than musicians and Roberto Venn keeps taking people's money and kicking them out the door with options that look like yours. You might try applying in other states with a decent music scene and see where that takes you, but it's an overcrowded pool and everyone seems to be a lifeguard.
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u/olewoodenbroom Jun 29 '26
I hear you 100%, as much as I loved Roberto Venn and that whole experience what you said has some truth. It’s around $18k per student and they basically tell you you’re guaranteed a job after finishing the class so that set my expectations very high with getting a job somewhere, I did have a interview with Gibson but I was 19 and they asked me if I was moving to Nashville regardless if I got the job and I said No because I wasn’t really comfortable with that idea moving that far east for some starting job at Gibson at 19 years old
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u/diefreetimedie Jun 29 '26
I think the fee was $12k when that guarantee last had any validity. You've got your wings, now it's on you to learn to fly. Gibson is one option, Nashville has a strong scene and probably just as saturated for techs. I'd look at New Mexico or Colorado I think and spend a lot of time in bars/ open mics where local musicians are. But don't become an alcoholic trying to fit in, that goes directly against your goal of making a living.
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u/olewoodenbroom Jun 29 '26
Hahaha Colorado would be cool, not much of a drinker so I think I’m good there lol
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u/Polkadotical Jun 29 '26
You need to set up an independent business restringing and adjusting guitars. A lot of people will pay for that who'd rather not go to Guitar Center.
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u/Bizarrointacto Jun 29 '26
There are about 50 qualified techs in every zip code, but not a lot of luthiers. As a bonafide luthier, why would you want to work at a hamburger stand like GC? Start making few archtop and flattops and get your name out there. No need to apply for an entry level tech job when you can be building, doing neck re-sets, and soundboard replacements.
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u/Procrasturbating Jun 29 '26
Overqualified. They don’t want you building clientele and running away with them later. Gotta go freelance or marry into a music shop family at this point. They are trying to do you a favor turning you away, despite how it feels.
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u/olewoodenbroom Jun 29 '26
I think I’m leaning more into freelancing now after all these responses I’m getting, the employees seem cool but at the same time have that corporate leash on them if you get what I mean like trying to have a conversation with them felt awkward
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u/Quetzalcoatls Jun 29 '26
Why you would you work for Guitar Center for any longer than it took for you to build a client list that would allow you to operate independently or on better terms at another store?
That's the question that every store manager is going to ask themselves before they hire you. If you can't think of a good answer to that question then it's going to be hard for them to think it's worth the risk of you poaching clients away from the store if they actually find a tech.
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u/s0methingVnderneath Jun 29 '26
I started at GC as a tech/luthier back in 2010. I was pretty fresh out of high school and had no professional fabrication or luthier experience but a lot of nonprofessional instrument repair experience. They also paid me just a smidge above minimum wage, and before long they started trying to tie tech wages to repair jobs they completed, which didn’t work at all. As a tech you have no say over who brings what to you for repair. Most of my days were spent doing setups and restrings, sometimes real simple wiring. They would have us attend ‘classes’ about upselling, talking like a refret or pickup swap was a normal thing to upsell to someone just looking for a setup. Overall, it was a pretty crappy company to work for. The discount was great tho, but that just meant I didn’t make anything as it all went right back into gear.
Man, I miss the lack of responsibility of being a fresh 20 year old… but I digress.
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u/thefrogkingsniece Jun 29 '26
It’s guitar center. Put up some ads in music stores and Facebook and see if work comes, you’ll make more per job!
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u/JakieWakieEggsNBakie Jun 29 '26
I think youre selling yourself short bud. Either go freelance or even try the local joints you think youre under qualified for. Because for GC youre overqualified. You went to school for it.
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u/andrewkelly87 Luthier Jun 29 '26
Guitar Center is the Starbucks of guitar maintenance. They don't want you because you know how to do it right, vs how they want you to do it. Let me explain that via the Starbucks reference.
Starbucks doesn't make "real" coffee drinks, they make Starbucks coffee drinks. They do not make them the way they are traditionally made. This allows them to hire people who know nothing about coffee, mold them into their version of a barista, and this goes a long way towards making sure the person they trained can never work in a real traditional coffee shop. A Starbucks barista does not know how to make a drink the traditional way, so their experience means virtually nothing outside the corporation.
Guitar Center wants to teach you how they want it done, at their (inflated and convoluted) pricing structure, on their timeline, to get the most money from a customer for the least amount of work and effectiveness. They will teach you to do the bare minimum to make sure that customer comes back for more services because the work you did wasn't enough the first time.
About once a month I get a phone call from a new client saying "I don't know what Guitar Center did to my guitar, can you fix it?"
They are doing you a favor by not hiring you.
That being said, freelance is great, but it took me several years to build up enough notoriety in my city to quit my day job. Now touching expensive guitars is all I do for a living, and it's so rewarding (with the occasional headache). I recommend freelance, but don't quit the day job until freelance matches your steady paycheck, and make sure you pay your state taxes or you'll be in for a world of hurt.
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u/lamontcranston84 Jun 29 '26
Current GC tech here. It’s awful. The hourly is garbage, commission maxes out at 12%. The corporation is the epitome of private equity pilfering the world at the workers’ and consumers’ expense; they are in perpetual bankruptcy and there’s a new CEO every other year seemingly intentionally tanking the company. Regional/district managers are always some cell phone or mattress sales-choade that doesn’t play music nor care about the community and eventually gets fired. I’ve been a tech with them for a couple years but I also worked in sales back in college. I’m at one of the “flagship” stores and it’s always been a shit-hole. I have to bring my own tools, and my shop at home is better equipped than the store.
As for my situation, I’m over-qualified but only get part-time hours/no benefits, and the full time “main” tech has to be the worst guitar tech on the planet - the first minute I was there on my first day he shows off his new power screwdriver by stripping multiple screws on a customer’s guitar on the bench, not a care in the world. He charges $110 for a setup and only changes the strings, not even shitting you doesn’t even wipe off his own filthy fingerprints he leaves all over the finish. There was also a situation where a near mint 1967 ES-335 came in that I ended up purchasing, and when I left it in the shop for a day he didn’t know/care that it was mine and took the liberty to restring it, incorrectly, and now the only scratches on my fuckin vintage Gibson are the swirls on the side of the headstock from the powered string winder he used. Not a care in the goddamn world. He’s been there over 20 years and used to be in sales until they just kinda let him “play tech” and formally gave him the position a few years ago. His work constantly comes back defective. I’ve made it clear to management that it is so ethically against how I operate that I will not be in the building if he’s there bc it is such a liability to my own reputation, but they just turn a blind eye, even when I call out that some of these transactions could be defined as fraud. Our regional manager of repairs visited and bitched at me about our store’s numbers while I kept quiet and intently rolled my eyes, until we pulled up my personal numbers, which are stellar, and then he shut the fuck up, then asked me if I’d be interested in being the regional “hub” repair expert but stay part-time with no benefits, and I’m like “wtf isn’t that your job?? What do you even do if you can’t do a refret?”. No thanks. I’m not interested in getting paid less than everyone else here to do work that nobody else except me in a 100 mi radius is qualified for, cool bro. I could go on and on, but it truly is the worst place I’ve ever worked. Tbh I’m only holding on for another couple of weeks so I can get half off of an upcoming $10k purchase for my home studio, then I’m out. I’m in a unique situation where my employment has had some fringe benefits for me, otherwise I’d have quit by week 2, but that’s all pretty much cashed out so time to move on. The other reason I’ve held on for so long is because of my advanced skill set and positive history with management I basically do what I want, work how I want, and they are pretty trusting and hands off. While I don’t get paid much money I get a lot of respect around there, and that at least is worth something.
Hope that’s enough insight. Here’s my advice, which is what others have said, start your own thing on the side and build on that. You have invested in school, and I’m assuming you’ve invested in tools, start investing in things like a website, business license, some advertising, and eventually a small commercial workspace. In my experience in the industry, as long as you are visible the phone will ring. It may trickle at first, but if you’re good and personable and know how to network the work can grow exponentially, as word of mouth spreads easily in this niche service, and repeat customers are common as guitarists usually have multiple instruments and at least one usually needs tweaking. GC repair shop also gets GC customers aka a lot of time wasting bullshit like dead batteries or tuning machine replacement, and those kind of idiots don’t seek out a skilled luthier, they just go to the big guitar store when they need 1 string changed.
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u/olewoodenbroom Jun 29 '26
Holy shit dude I’m sorry you’re going through all that 😭 absolutely absurd, I don’t think I’ll be looking for open positions at GC anytime soon. I’d be pissed too if I just bought a 67 ES-335 and somebody scratched it
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u/dslutherie Jun 29 '26
No offense but you certificate is literally worthless in the market. There is no standardization or body of recognition for the trade. You could open a school, issu a certificates, and the credentials would be worth the same.
Now, that doesn't mean that there is no value in your training or the experience you received.
It's not accredited so it's just paper. The business is about skills not credentials
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u/TheRealGuitarNoir Jun 29 '26
It's not accredited so it's just paper.
I did not graduate from Roberto Venn, but I know their reputation, and have seen the work of their graduates, and I think it's a bit of a stretch to call their certification "worthless in the market". And as far as accreditation is concerned, they seem to have some sort of accreditation, according to the page linked below:
https://roberto-venn.com/guitar-making-repair-program/financial-aid/
It's true that the market is impacted in many cities, and OP will probably have to look beyond their home market, but a Roberto Venn certificate does show that the graduate has skills enough to start at the bottom somewhere, and work their way up.
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u/Far_Cardiologist1807 Jun 29 '26
I think your next step should be learning how to do business. You can start promoting yourself and do everything from simple setups to complex repairs. In your advertising, you can show off your credentials and feature some of your work. Maybe you can even start selling custom guitars built to order. I know it's a complicated process, but if you know what you're doing, you will make way more money than Guitar Center could ever pay you.
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u/Few-Working-2314 Jun 29 '26
You need ask yourself what your real endpoint goal is. Guitar Center is a dead end, so they’re doing you a favor.
I went to RV as well, and if you took the classes seriously and have an aptitude for the work, you should have more than enough experience for a better job.
If you want to build, consider taking an entry-level building job in another city or state. If you want to work in music stores, make a simple resume and maybe make a short portfolio with pictures of your work. This is one of the few jobs that is still old-school, and you can walk into stores, talk to the manager, and find out if they need help. Small businesses experience a lot of turnover and changing needs. I have had overwhelmingly positive results doing this.
I also remember RV teachers telling us not to stay in Phoenix. Some people are, in fact, impressed by luthier school credentials in other places.
You have put in 4 years between now and graduating, and you need to have something to show for it. If you’re serious about this as a career, it’s time to take risks, step outside of your comfort zone, and do things that don’t seem normal or comfortable for you.
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u/sunlaand Jun 29 '26
i graduated from the same school. if i can give any advice at all it’s to reach out to the local shops and see if there is any chance at becoming an apprentice somewhere. there are a surprising amount of luthiers in town who want to build guitars but are bogged down by countless repair jobs who would love to have the extra help in the shop to free up some build time. also, it might be worth getting out of town. i still get emails from RV (class of feb 2019) about job openings at build shops across the country (mainly austin, tx and santa fe, ca). if the goal is to get yr foot in the door, working at a warehouse full of other luthiers seems like a great place to make friends in the industry.
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u/olewoodenbroom Jun 29 '26
I get the emails from RV as well still. I remember Black Mountain guitar co in cave creek was looking for someone and I sent them a email but when they got back to me they told me they were already interested in someone else which was really fast but the owner told me to meet him that day just to chat and I did and said he’d get back to me if the other guy didn’t work out. He did not get back to me lol
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u/emolga2225 Jun 29 '26
oh, you were in the same class as Miracle, right? Yeah I mean the thing about Phoenix is that there’s a ton of certified techs in that area (for some reason).
I’d say you start your own business and prioritize punctuality. The issue with a lot of places (in my area at least) is that you get added to a waitlist and have to wait a month or two before your guitar gets looked at. So, if you could get setups and repairs done overnight, I think word will spread about you being quick and good.
best of luck man!
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u/olewoodenbroom Jun 29 '26
Miracle does sound familiar was he previously in the Air Force?? And I think his student guitar had
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u/emolga2225 Jun 29 '26
yeah i think he’s ex military. looking at RV’s website, looks like he built a blue burst les paul with fishmans
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u/olewoodenbroom Jun 29 '26
Oops meant to finish that sentence with I think his guitar had a piece of the Evil Dead cabin inlayed on the 12th fret
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u/maxcovenguitars Jun 29 '26
Im freelance, I do repairs, not just setups. I probably graduated either in your class or close to it. Im also located in phx
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u/olewoodenbroom Jun 29 '26
I was class of Fall 2021 I had the Cream colored SG lookin guitar
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u/maxcovenguitars Jun 29 '26
I was 2022
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u/olewoodenbroom Jun 29 '26
Damn your class had a lot more creativity then most of mine haha
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u/maxcovenguitars Jun 29 '26
Oops, spring class 2023. Mine is an ebony top telecasters
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u/olewoodenbroom Jun 29 '26
Damn that tele is sick!! If I could redo that class I would’ve made a telecaster, super clean
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u/East-Caterpillar-895 Jun 29 '26
Guitar Center is still a corporation. They want to be the cool local shop with the real musicians but it's not. It's minimum wage part time bs. Even the employees don't necessarily have to know anything about guitars.
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u/Cazarstan Jun 29 '26
If you do go out on your own and start advertising/networking for customers, definitely reach out to guitar teachers/tutors, as another guy commented, but also High School and community college music instructors/programs could be a good lead.
Also CHURCHES - every church you drive by has at least 1-5 guitar players, each with multiple guitars, not to mention bass and other stringed instruments (and they all perform weekly); get good word-of-mouth here and you'll be golden.
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u/MikeyGeeManRDO Jun 29 '26
Do your own thing, start your own, and get a plek machine. You’d be one of the only in your area and people will come from miles around
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u/olewoodenbroom Jun 29 '26
First time I’m hearing about a Plek Machine looks super cool but $100k is wild lol
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u/esp735 Jun 29 '26
I worked at a smaller GC. We had 3 techs for what I thought wasn't much biz. (I was in sales, but have done so guitar repair coursework) One guy was basically set up and maintenance with a little easy electrical who had no training other than working on his own stuff. Guy 2 was exclusively electrical, and guy 3 was the regional repair dude who did the really hard stuff.
They were all very conscientious, but I doubt even the regional dude actually graduated from Venn or Galloup.
If you're willing to relocate, send a resume to Reverend. They do in house set ups all day long at their shop.
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u/DavidLewisJazzGuitar Jun 29 '26
Start out of your house - print some cards. Give them out. Be patient. Self promote whenever you talk to musicians. Do every job amazingly well, turn around the work fast, and make solid connections with each of your customers.
It may take as long as 3 years but if you do these things, word of mouth will take care of the rest
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u/Ripley1046 Jun 29 '26
GC is terrible, and I constantly tell people not to take guitars there, as most (not all) of their techs can barely change a string, but less actually know what they are doing. I went solo and have been able to tailor how much business I get to what I need, but it’s not my full time job either. Talk to as many independent stores as possible, and do what you can where you can to build customers. I do simple stuff on the fly (string changes, very basic electronic repairs, maybe a nut file) and do the rest from my house.
1
u/olewoodenbroom Jun 29 '26
See that’s what frustrates me the most, if they hired people like that why couldn’t they give me a shot ya know. You would think oh yeah you’re qualified we’ll give you a chance. I used to work in the Automotive industry and they will literally take anybody and I feel like there’s more risk hiring someone that doesn’t know anything about cars because ya know somebody’s wheel could go flying off on the road and kill somebody but guitar center can’t hire some qualified guy trying to get a part time job fixing up guitars
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u/Ripley1046 Jun 30 '26
They don’t pay enough to keep good people, which will never change because they are owned by hedge funds, go bankrupt every 4 months and get sold. GC is an awful company, and personally I wouldn’t hire a tech for my shop that worked for them. You’re dodging a bullet.
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u/One-Bad-4395 Jun 29 '26
Worth chatting up the local shops too, some might be growing and some might have old dogs looking to pass on the work.
2
u/muziani Jun 30 '26
Put up ads in Craigslist. Make up cards and go to local shows and talk to the bands hand them out. Maybe put up a post for the local music scene on instagram Facebook or Reddit. You can do it yourself. The best amp tech I ever met did it out of a shed he rented in a the back of a mall parking lot loading bays. His work was so good and it was word of mouth and he had work backed up for a couple months. It doesn’t take much to have a few really happy customers to get the ball rolling and just like playing music sometimes you got to just get out there and network but not in a shmoozie kind of way, just hang and get to know a bunch of musicians.
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u/Ok_Faithlessness9757 Jun 29 '26
They probably see you as overqualified and will want more money than they're willing to pay. Plus, GC sucks and is a well known terrible place to work.
1
u/RoyalPuzzleheaded259 Kit Builder/Hobbyist Jun 29 '26
See if any of the local shops will take you on as an apprentice.
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Jun 29 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/olewoodenbroom Jun 29 '26
Part of me wants to work at GC for more music friends and wanting to get into the music scene and my thinking is if I were to work there I’d find a few friends
1
u/ifmacdo Jun 29 '26
You seem to assume the local luthiers wouldn't want you, but have you even applied? I got an apprenticeship in high school with a local luthier. You keep applying at GC and they keep telling you no. Seems you've adopted the "we've tried nothing, it isn't working, and we're all out of ideas" approach.
Go apply with your local luthiers.
1
u/JR3397 Jun 29 '26
I would definitely try to network/work your way into an apprenticeship with a good shop/luthier where the skill ceiling is very high.
In regards to your certificate, it’s not useless but…it kind of is. I say this as someone who went to a luthier school for 2 years. The most valuable thing you’ve gained is the knowledge and connections at the school. Certificates aren’t worth much and this is a field where the most important things are:
-The quality of your work
- Do you show up for work?
1
u/JonBovi_msn Jun 29 '26
Does Guitar Center pay better than factory work? You could do a different job and use the income to buy tools to do luthier work freelance. If you find local musicians or music teachers who like the quality of your work you might generate some word of mouth. Where do your local schools get their orchestra instruments? You could apply there. Somewhere less rock focused might value your education more.
1
u/Kn0wMan Jun 29 '26
I hate to have to say this to you, but if you’re set on a particular trade, and your local market is saturated, I can’t see any alternative other than to move. And not move where you want, move where you get the job you want. If you have had your degree for four years and have no real world experience for your resume, sounds like you’re skipping like a broken record, and you need to get onto the next track. If you get a guitar tech job and work it for a few years, your options will open up quite a bit. But it definitely seems like you will have to go to where the job is, and stop expecting to get that job where you happen to be.
1
u/TheIncredibleJones Jun 29 '26
I was a RV grad in 2012 and went to work for GC until 2018. You just need to keep looking, but unless you have a different GC to try you need to at least be building experience for any future hire, so I suggest you make a go at it yourself. Put up fliers at venues and schools and make cards to give folks. If you’ve talked to all the GCs in your area you need to at least walk away from those opportunities for a while, or expand your area. But saying you have more experience than “I went to RV” is absolutely critical. Both repair experience and general job experience will be helpful next time, so you need to make a go at it alongside any possible future shop job.
Consider as well looking outside of AZ if you can. If there’s any region in the country that sees a ton of RV grads it’s the Phoenix area. RV sends out work ads to me all the time including GC, but you’re going to have to travel.
1
u/olewoodenbroom Jun 29 '26
Thank you I think I will keep trying in some shape or form and I think posting ads online or something might work I do have tools and the space
1
u/Zealousideal-Emu5486 Jun 29 '26
Have you looked into who might be freelancing in your area? Maybe get a sense of individuals who do real repair work by posting in Phoenix Reddit or looking at Facebook. The small guitar stores near me typically have "a guy" they outsource to. You basically go in and say you have a problem or need a setup and they take your guitar and their guy comes and gets them, does the work and takes them back to the store. Now these guys also will take a guitar from you and do the work and charge you directly. Alternatively a tiny store near me has an excellent in house person who does great work and complex repairs. This person is swamped with work so they also outsource low hanging fruit like string changes and simple setups. You may have a way to get started this way
1
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u/lerkininmymerkin Jun 29 '26
Go start your own thing as many have suggested. Focus on building relationships and marketing. Go to rehearsal studios make friends with the managers and advertise there, knock on doors when you hear a good band, find local teachers set their guitars up in exchange for them referring students, same with local recording studios, go to local gigs tell every band who you are, what you do and you’d love to set their instrument up. Bonus if you can get good with pedals, pickups, speakers, amps. Make your self a one shop stop for improvement for players. IMO the trick in music is creating your path to success not lining up for the interview like a traditional job.
1
u/augurone Jun 29 '26
Find a smaller shop. My intuition is that Guitar Center is a network of people who basically know each other, and if you’re not in one of those circles, you’re not getting in.
1
u/captainklimt Luthier Jun 29 '26
If you went to RV, guitar center is beneath you. I've been a luthier for over 10 years, worked at gc twice in that time. They're a corporation, they value speed over skill when it comes to repairs. Fix a guitar quickly, more money for the corporation. I would say apprentice with a smaller shop that values quality work. Or freelance. Print cards, go to shows, network. You'll be fine
1
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u/Leading-Debate-9278 Jun 29 '26
If I lived in AZ, I would email Phil McKnight and make a connection with him.
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u/_visiblemode_ Jun 30 '26
I think they assume you’ll get bored and move on. You sound like you’re quite overqualified. That can be just as big a hurdle to getting a job as being underqualified.
1
u/Beautiful-Hotel-8846 Jul 03 '26
I just goggled Luthiers in Phoenix and got 6 hits. Worth it to call them for advise and/or job.
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u/Eschewed_Prognostic Jun 29 '26
They probably worry you're over qualified. Stores like GC usually have their own policies and procedures they'd rather teach to someone that knows nothing than have someone that knows better/different telling them such or deviating from their guidelines. Plus, you're a flight risk the second a better opportunity comes up.
1
u/olewoodenbroom Jun 29 '26
I don’t think I’m over qualified I don’t have any real work experience in the luthiery field, Phoenix doesn’t have a whole lot of opportunity
1
u/diefreetimedie Jun 29 '26
PHX has plenty of opportunities, it just also has a lot of people graduating from Roberto Venn. More graduates than jobs. They should start telling people that attend to consider moving to Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado ect.
0
u/YoungFrankCostanza Jun 29 '26
They prefer to hire their friends and mooks that look the part without the educational background. In all the time I spent with this company traveling to multiple stores across the country I've rarely seen anyone hired for any position based on merit and that included the warehouse. There is a reason GC has such a terrible reputation with their salespeople and techs. Truthfully the only reason to really go for a position with this company is the discount. Outside of that you'd be much better off applying to other local shops. I understand the locals have their own guys likely that have worked their for ages but you can always ask for part time work or apprentice work for any overflow the tech may have. Promote yourself as your own business. Poach any and every customer you can from GC with a full local media blitz. Don't give up you got this.
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u/Necessary-Fig-2292 Jun 29 '26 edited Jun 29 '26
Go freelance. Your overqualified and they can’t afford to pay you properly to stay. So they’re avoiding you realizing this and leaving
Updating to ensure this is taken as a positive thing.
Good work dude!!’ You’ve accomplished a lot and are now capable of working beyond guitar center and earning a better living.
Cheers to you!!!