Build your very own Acoustic Guitar!
Thank you for your interest in our five-week Acoustic Guitar Building Course. If you have the desire to build your very own acoustic guitar from the ground-up, this five-week, on-site course will give you an amazing one-on-one, hands-on experience to build and enjoy a guitar that you’ve made by hand.
This course is a perfect introduction to guitar building for either the hobbyist or aspiring luthier.
Michael Whitney | Luthier, Instructor
What can I Expect from your 5-Week Acoustic Guitar Building Course?
Students taking this course will gain the required knowledge and skills to build their very own acoustic guitar from the ground up.
This course is an immersive ‘deep dive’ into acoustic guitar building and students will have the option of building a OOO, OM, or dreadnought steel string guitar.
During time in my shop, students will use my existing templates and jigs as well as all of the required power and hand tools to complete their acoustic guitar.
Little-to-no experience with power tools? No problem. I take a ground-up approach with all of my students and build upon more basic tasks to foster the confidence and skills they will need in order to move forward with any shop task during both the course and moving forward in their own shop.
Upon completion of the course, students will have gained the required skills to continue building on their own or simply enjoy the guitar they have made (however, once the guitar building fire is lit, it’s a tough one to extinguish!).
Course Snapshot
Below is a loose walk-thru of what to expect during the first of the five-week acoustic guitar building course.
WEEK 1
Meet-and-greet; shop tour; shop safety & etiquette; parts & construction overview; milling and prepping stock; joining the soundboard; joining the back plate.
Bending sides and binding; thicknessing plates and sides; rosette trench and rosette; neck and tail-block construction
Assembly of the rim; installing kerfed liners, pre-profiling the rim; final profiling the rim.
Bracing the soundboard.
Bracing the back plate
Closing up the soundbox.
The goal of the five-week acoustic guitar building course is to teach students how to build an acoustic guitar from scratch using our shop templates and tools. If you wish to take a deeper dive into guitar design theory, mold making, finishing and building more than one guitar, we encourage you to consider one of our other guitar building courses.
Student Spotlight
ROD SCOTT, COEUR D'ALENE IDAHO USA
I recently returned from taking one of Michael’s acoustic guitar building courses. I spent 20 intensive days milling the parts, joining, setup, and finishing. I now have an impressive OM for my collection. Michael is patient, easy to work with, and very knowledgeable. I enjoyed the course and learned a lot! I highly recommend Whitney Guitars and Michael! -Rod Scott, Idaho USA
5-Week Electric Guitar Building Course Details
Certificate Program Yes |
Course Type On-site; hands-on; one-on-one. |
Style 'OOO', OM, or Dreadnought |
SOUNDBOARD Sitka Spruce, Engelmann Spruce, or Cedar |
Body Wood Mahogany, Rosewood or Walnut. |
Neck Wood Mahogany |
Nut Bone or Corian |
Fretboard Ebony or Rosewood |
Finish French Polish - *Time permitting (*Add-on - Emtech Water-based Lacquer) |
Course Duration 5-Weeks |
Hours 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM |
Deposit $600 (includes $100 registration fee) |
We ask that you review our School Policies before registering.
Frequently Asked Questions
What coures dates are available?
As we are a working shop, much of our calendar year is reserved for custom guitar commissions. With only a portion of the year being allocated to teaching, course dates vary from year-to-year. Be sure to view our specific courses for the next available dates.
Please not that we operate on a first-come-first-serve basis and recommend that those interested register as far in advance as possible. Requested course dates will be taken into consideration but are not guaranteed. Registrants may submit their course deposit to secure their spot in our calendar. All courses require a $600 deposit which includes a $100 non-refundable administration fee. Please see our ‘Registration and Payment Policies‘ before applying.
How do I submit my deposit?
Do you provide accommodations?
Can I go on a wait-list for your next course?
Do I need to bring anything with me for the course?
Do I get to apply finish to my guitar?
Do I require my own hardware? What is included?
I still have questions. Can you help?