Guitar Making Courses ?

tradman

Anybody know of anywhere around to learn how to make guitars ? Acoustic or Electric.

My brother is doing a 6 month part time course in London and he's having gas craic. Feckin typical Ireland. Cant get what you want. Would appreciate any help..

johnboy8

axe blaster.com(they have a section on building your own guitar)

tradman

thanks man but i was looking for some sort of course in around dublin or kildare where i can get taught how to build it in a workshop environment.

Dord

I don't think there are any here, but if you do find one please let me know.

jellikit

There was a guy outside Wexford running courses a couple of years back in both electric and acoustic building. A couple of mates built one each and they reckoned yer man was the business. I've seen some of his own acoustics around and they are sweet! If I can get details I'll get back to you

68 lost souls

First link on google http://fretbord.net/

Dord

Cool! Thanks.

Pity he doesn't do any week or 10 day long courses like the places in the UK. Where you build a guitar during that time. That'd be awesome.

Anyone know any evening courses like this one but in Dublin? That'd be ideal for me.

seaner

Heya,
i work for a place that supplies all you need to make a guitar. we supply a course in Belvedere College in Dublin. I've googled it but can't find anything. Maybe if you try ringing the college, cuz there's definitely a course there...or else the guy we supply is ordering 36 x guitar necks, machine heads, pots, bridges etc etc for no apparent reason!

Hope this helps!

seaner

although on further inspection...it seems that Belvedere College is for secondary students only? Maybe the guitar making course there is only for leaving cert students for wood work or something? Although I can't see 36 students all opting to build a guitar as their project.
Anyway i'm sure a phone call to them would set you straight.

Dord

seaner wrote: »

Heya,
i work for a place that supplies all you need to make a guitar. we supply a course in Belvedere College in Dublin. I've googled it but can't find anything. Maybe if you try ringing the college, cuz there's definitely a course there...or else the guy we supply is ordering 36 x guitar necks, machine heads, pots, bridges etc etc for no apparent reason!

Hope this helps!

Thanks for the info, do you mind me asking who you work for?

seaner

no, not at all. AMP Distribution. We do alot of guitar parts amoung other things.

red_ice

Theres not really allot to building a solid body guitar. There is a little more work in building a hollow body/arch top. And there is allot of work into building an acoustic. From a personal viewpoint to build an acoustic you really have to know your stuff.

i started working on an arch top about 2 years ago. I really didn't know what i was getting into, but the more i pondered how a guitar is made the more i came to understand it and the mountain i set out to climb became more of a big hill. I know what i have to do, its just doing it now and getting the time to do it. Every weekend i try get my hands on the timber to finish the body off, but everywhere that sells it is closed and i work 9-5 monday to friday

The best way to get knowledge on how to build a guitar imo is to know how to maintain your own guitar first. This way you start to understand all the little things math wise that you need to do to make a guitar. This sounds a little stupid, but before i started making my guitar i didn't know about how intonation works. When i found out what it was it was like a bombshell hit and so many of my questions were answered, future ones as well. The hardest part of the guitar is fret placement, action and intonation.

If i was you, i wouldn't really bother with going to learn how to make a guitar. I would look into basic wood working. I was fortunate to do that in school and i had a big interest in it and my teacher saw this and let me work with hardwood. Learn how to make dovetails, mortise and tenon and try stray away from the conventional butt joint. When you understand what joints work with what, where to apply them on your guitar, and above all how to do them properly when working with/against the grain, thats when you should really start working on one. You dont have to use the best timber to practice on. Any auld timber will do once its a hardwood.. Then again, i've seen solid body guitars made out of ply wood (50's kay electrics). When picking a timber all that matters is what sound you want - afaik, the harder the timber the brighter the sound. So when building its really up to what you want it to sound like.

red_ice

seaner wrote: »

Although I can't see 36 students all opting to build a guitar as their project.

anything is better than making a table or a herb rack haha

Killaqueen!!!

Aw if only that Wexford one was on during the day on weekends...or if it were in Dublin.

I'd love to learn how to build a guitar but more so just to learn how to do a quality set up/minor repairs cos no matter how hard I try I cannot follow internet instructions on this! I really need someone to show me how to do it.

casperof

how are you doin im new here but i know a thing or two about guitar making and repair ,set up and all that i have built 2 classicals and a martin steel string am currently working on another and a bouzouki .i can show if you wish what kind of repairs do you need to do ?

Killaqueen!!! wrote: »

Aw if only that Wexford one was on during the day on weekends...or if it were in Dublin.

I'd love to learn how to build a guitar but more so just to learn how to do a quality set up/minor repairs cos no matter how hard I try I cannot follow internet instructions on this! I really need someone to show me how to do it.

BBS

Dord wrote: »

I don't think there are any here, but if you do find one please let me know.

Hi,Dord im a new member and was just wondering if you ever found out about the guitar building course in Wexford im interested in one thanks. BBS

Dord

BBS wrote: »

Hi,Dord im a new member and was just wondering if you ever found out about the guitar building course in Wexford im interested in one thanks. BBS

Hi, welcome along.

68 lost souls gave a link for the courses website earlier in the thread. It's http://www.fretbord.net I didn't enquire any more about it though, because I'm not in Wexford. Hope this helps.

BBS

Thanks Dord,tried the link but got no reply i think the site is down or something cant find anything on the guy who was running the course Mick Regan but il just plod on thanks anyway,BBS:)

Dord

No problem

Owen

Thread is pretty old, and shilling your company is ban worthy.

To add information to this thread though, St. Johns in Cork do an Instrument Making Course.

Owen

Signing up specifically to plug a business is shilling, I couldn't care less if you do or not, but in your own interests, I'd PM the mods of this forum and ask permission before your post is deleted and you're banned.

martinedwards

best in the biz......

but it is a bit far north for some of you

http://laganlutherieschool.org/Home.html

seachto7

Would love to do one as well. There is a full and part time option in Limerick in the Limerick School of Music.

The part time one is 2 years, not sure I could commit to it, but would love to build an instrument...