5 Day Guitar Building Course

An intensive one week (5-day/37.5 hours) course designed to allow someone with little or no experience to build a simple guitar or bass from scratch

We are currently taking bookings for 2023/24 onwards.

If you have any questions please email office@crimsonguitars.com 

    Your course will begin with choosing one of our archetypical designs and build a flat-top guitar from raw wood to completion, with your choice of timber, hardware (as available), and pickup configuration. 

    We encourage you to use something like the T-style as a design reference for your build; Flat top, flat headstock, bolt-on with a hardtail bridge. Inlays should be restricted to nothing at all or simple dot inlays, the position and size of which can of course be modified. Specs such as pickups, controls or scale length can be changed without a problem.

    Time constraints mean that custom designs are not available on this course.  Things like inlay or body carves are similarly restricted in order to ensure that everyone is able to complete their instrument within the timeframe.

    This Course Itinerary:

• Day One – Welcome and Orientation. Starting on the neck and fingerboard. Start body shaping.
• Day Two – Carving the neck. Prepping the fingerboard for frets
• Day Three – Fretwork and a neck pocket.
• Day Four – Routing body cavities and Drilling holes for electronics etc. Fine Sanding. Flash coat.
• Day Five – Wiring. Assembly. Set-up. Play!

    We go over tool use, joinery, routing, neck carving, fretwork, dot inlays, neck angles, bridge placement, fine sanding, assembly, set-up, and the myriad of other skills that go into building a guitar. 

    Learn these skills in a fully outfitted workshop with our experienced team guiding you through each and every process.  By the end of your week at Crimson you will leave with not just a finished instrument, but all the knowledge needed to start your own journey into the art of lutherie.

    Timbers and hardware can be purchased through us at an additional cost to the course.  You may, however, choose to bring your own materials and hardware if you wish.  Please fill in the Specification sheet for a quote and to confirm that you will be bringing the correct materials.

    A Specification Sheet will be emailed to you on purchase.  Please fill this in and email it back to office@crimsonguitars.com attention Rikki or courses@crimsonguitars.com.  This spec sheet must be returned as soon as possible, ideally within 4 weeks of the course start so that design and material specifications can be finalised and approved before the course starts to ensure that all necessary materials can be ordered in good time.

    This 5 Day Course entails 7.5 hours a day with breaks.  Your day with us will begin at 9 am with coffee/tea and lunch breaks, and end at 5 pm. You are welcome to come in up to 15 minutes before the day starts to get some tea or coffee before the busy day ahead, but we cannot let students into the workshop before 8:45 due to health and safety reasons.

    While there are local shops and pubs within a 10-minute drive of Crimson Guitars, most students bring a packed lunch, and this is what we recommend.

    With our studio based in the picturesque rolling fields of Dorset, close to the town of Dorchester, take this opportunity to combine a unique experience with a refreshing holiday. 

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    Should you require accommodation during your course we have a dedicated booking agent who, for a small fee, will be able to help you.

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    Please get in touch (office@crimsonguitars.com) attention Rikki for more information and to let us know how we can help you be the best guitar maker you can be.

    Check out our YouTube channel for more videos on how to get the most out of your Crimson Guitars precision hand tools as well as a myriad of guitar-building tutorials and demo videos.