An intensive six-day/51-hour course is designed to allow someone with limited or little experience to build a simple guitar or bass from scratch

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Covid-19 Update

We are closely monitoring the current situation and ongoing Government Guidelines as well as ensuring the School is Covid Secure.

We are now taking bookings for 2022/23 onwards.

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

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This Course allows you to build a custom guitar or bass with your choice of design, timber, hardware (as available), and pickup configuration.

For this course, we encourage you to use something like the S-type as a basis for your build; flat top with belly and arm carves or body bevels, flat headstock, bolt on with a low-profile bridge such as a tremolo or 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, while more complex options may be considered for those with more experience.

This Course Itinerary:

Day One – Welcome and orientation, starting on the neck and fingerboard. Body Shaping.

Day Two – Finish body shaping. Carving the neck and prepping the fingerboard for frets

Day Three – Fretwork and a neck pocket.

Day Four – Routing body cavities. Any body carving.

Day Five – Finish any shaping, Drilling all holes, fine sanding, and a flash coat. Wiring.

Day Six – Assembly. Set up. Play!

We go over tool use, joinery, routing, neck carving, fretwork, body carving, basic inlay, 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 of course 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 6 Day Course entails 51 hours, 8.5 hours a day with breaks. Your day begins at 9 am and ends at 6 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 UK, close to the town of Dorchester, take this opportunity to combine a unique experience with a refreshing holiday. 

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

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.