Guitar Building Basics Print E-mail

Tuition: $3300

2010 Schedule
  • March 21 - April 10, 2010
  • May 30 - June 19, 2010
  • July 11 - July 31, 2010
  • September 5 - September 25, 2010

 


"My experience was very fulfilling, and zen-like! First class tuition and support. If I could take the time out I would do the course again." --Jon Pinsky
This is a very challenging and intense course designed to fit into most people's busy lives. The course offers the first-time builder the chance to develop skills and study the craft by building a steel-stringed or classical guitar from the ground up, using the same high-quality raw materials that we use for our own instruments. Students choose the size, shape, materials, and tonal characteristics of their guitars, and learn the skills necessary to continue their own creative work upon graduation.

In the Guitar Building Basics Course everyone builds a straight-ahead, high-quality guitar with special attention paid to the most important aspects of the instrument: craftsmanship, tonal quality, playability, and strong design. With enrollment limited to six, we provide a great deal of personal attention. Students work daily in tandem with the instructors George Morris, a thirty-year veteran of the craft, and Adam Buchwald, an experienced builder/repairman most recently from Brooklyn, NY. George and Adam build an instrument along with everyone else during the course. We follow a shop manual detailing a day-by-day, blow-by-blow account of each task, along with supportive technical and theoretical information. It is designed to emphasize innovation and flexibility, not sameness and high production. We follow the hand-building tradition, not the factory model. We wish to further the craft by incorporating useful modern techniques with traditional wisdom. Students learn general woodworking skills such as using and sharpening chisels and planes, routers and saws, and also guitar-specific skills peculiar to the craft. The course is tailored to do two things: produce a very fine instrument and, more importantly, prepare students to continue their own work as soon as possible without having to invest in expensive equipment.

 


Lynn Wiles using router
Students are encouraged to use our extensive library of books, journals, magazines, and videos while they are here to deepen their knowledge of the craft. Tuition is $3300 and includes all materials and supplies, and on-site housing with two fully-equipped kitchens. Guitar cases, pick-ups, amps and other accessories can be purchased from the school at below market prices. We supply on-going technical support for all graduates, including access to our blog site, exclusive to Vermont Instrument graduates, to use as a forum to talk about all things guitar. Students will have access to the latest things we have been working on, ask questions of the school or fellow students, start discussions about building issues, or just keep in touch and show everyone what they are up to.

 
 
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