Inside Roberto-Venn: How America's Oldest Lutherie School Trains Working Luthiers
Ian sits down with Mark Allred of the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery in Phoenix, AZ — the oldest lutherie school in the United States — for a full tour and candid conversation about how the program has evolved, what students actually build, and whether a formal lutherie education still makes sense in today's market.
Mark walks Ian through every corner of the campus: the main shop, the outdoor work area, the spray booth and drawing room, the humidity and parts rooms, the gallery, and the upstairs repair department. Along the way they dig into the school's hands-on philosophy — why students still learn to cut frets by hand even when there's a CNC in the room — and how the design review process shapes each student's instrument before a single piece of wood gets cut.
The conversation covers distinguished alumni, shop culture, auxiliary courses, tuition and housing, and wraps with a live alumni Q&A.