Ormsby Guitars - Custom Guitars from Perth, Western Australia - Electric Guitars, Handmade Guitars... the worlds best guitar!


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GUITAR MAKING COURSES - Build Your Own DIY Guitar! Objectives: To build a quality bolt-on neck electric guitar, from scratch
What do I need to supply? Nothing! Bring yourself, and a desire to build!! What do I get? All timbers for the body and neck, hardware, pickups, plastics, electronics. Access to machinery, jigs, templates and tools. There are no pre-made bodies or necks... you will build, machine, carve, sand, and shape your own body and neck from scratch under guidance and tuition.
	Which type of guitars are being built? Basically, a “bolt on neck” style instrument. There are five main guitar designs to choose from: Strat, Soloist, Tele SC (Single Cutaway) and DC (Double Cutaway). The neck will be a single piece neck, with either a laid back (angled), or recessed (Fender style) headstock.
Are the materials all quality parts? Yes. All hardware supplied is the same high quality we use on our own custom made instruments. The pickups supplied are our own handwound pickups. Gotoh, Grover, Floyd Rose, etc etc. For a small additional fee we are also holding a pickup winding course to allow you to wind your own pickups and learn the secrets to this mystical artform.
	What types of wood are being used? For the body, you choose: African Mahogany, Alder, Swamp Ash, Tasmanian Blackwood. Neck woods: Rock Maple, Tasmanian Blackwood. Fretboards: Ebony, Maple, Rosewood.
What are some finer details about the course? We start on a Monday morning, and wont stop until you can play your new guitar Saturday night. Book a gig!! :) Rough time schedule: Monday: plans and fretboard layout. Machine neck and glue body Truss rod installation, and glue down fretboard. Tuesday: Inlay and fretboard radius, then install frets. Wednesday: Machine and cut bodies, belly and forearm carves. Thursday: Carve neck shape, rout neck joint in body, start on body routs. Friday: Complete body routs, mock assembly, and finish fretwork. Lots of sanding and oiling. Saturday: Completion of oiling, and assembly. Wiring and setup.
	What if I don’t feel confident in doing certain parts, for example, the neck shape? No problem. Whilst the aim of this course is to get you started in guitar making, some aspects can be a little daunting for a first timer. If we see you getting into trouble, or not confident about one aspect, we can assist you. We understand some parts of guitar making are scarey, eg: using a bandsaw, or shaping the neck. You'll be encouraged to do it yourself, whilst luthier Perry Ormsby looks over your shoulder and guides you in the right direction. If you still don't feel confident, Perry can complete that section for you as you watch. You'll find that with the right guidance, anything is achievable!
I don’t have any experience in woodworking, is that ok? YES! We have designed the course so you do not need to know anything about woodworking. Your safety equipment is provided, as are all machines, power tools, and hand tools.
	Which type of finish are we using? Because lacquering can very easily consume a lot of time, the finish supplied will be Tru-Oil. Tru-oil provides a very protective semi gloss/satin finish. You may choose to do some work at home to lacquer your guitar. We can direct you to suppliers that sell fantastic, inexpensive, DIY lacquer kits.
Is this a once off course, or are you planning on doing more? We have re-introduced the courses after a three year break. The courses are limited to three students at a time. If you missed out previously, do not miss out now. We will only run a handful of courses per year.
	Im from the Eastern States (or international), Is accomodation available? YES! We are within 10 minutes drive of various hotels, bed and breakfasts, or backpacker style accomodation.
Ok, what’s the bottom line… HOW MUCH? $2650. That includes all the timbers and hardware, pickups, introduction to wood machining, access to jigs, knowledge and experience, tools and machinery. Arrive with nothing, walk away with your own handmade guitar. You'll take home your hand drawn plans too! A $500 deposit is all it takes to secure your place.
	How does that price, compare to the quality of the finished instrument? If you are patient, and have an eye for detail, there is no reason why your first guitar can’t be equivalent to a $2000+ name brand guitar.
Do you have references, or testimonials? Sure, check out this thread on the Australian Guitar Gear Heads Forum: "Guitar Building School"
	Is this just a case of assembling pre-made bodies and necks? Absolutely not. You will start with a block of wood for the body, and a block of wood for the neck. You'll shape everything from there.
Do we learn how to create plans, etc? Yes. You will learn how to draw up plans from scratch, and you will use these plans to build your guitar. We'll start from a blank piece of paper, and work from there.
	How long is each day? We start around 9:30-10:30 each day, and finish between 5:00-6:00pm depending on how everyone progresses. Lunch is around midday, and we usually head out to a local cafe, and talk about all sorts of guitar related subjects.
How do I book? Contact us to reserve your place. Spaces are strictly limited. When? Full time - Feb 2011 6 days (Monday through to Saturday) February 21st-26th FULL - sold out! Full time - April 2011 6 days (Monday through to Saturday) April 4th-9th FULL - sold out! Full time - May 2011 (rescheduled) 6 days (Monday through to Saturday) ~~May 2nd-7th~~ April 11th-16th FULL - sold out! Full time - June 2011 6 days (Monday through to Saturday) June 20th-26th FULL - sold out! Full time - July 2011 6 days (Monday through to Saturday) July 25th-30th FULL - sold out! Full time - September 2011 6 days (Monday through to Saturday) September 5th-10th FULL - sold out! Full time - October 2011 6 days (Monday through to Saturday) October 17th-22nd FULL - sold out! Full time - December 2011 6 days (Monday through to Saturday) December 5th-10th FULL - sold out! Just Scheduled! Full time - January 2012 6 days (Monday through to Saturday) January 9th-14th FULL - sold out! Just Scheduled! Full time - Febuary 2012 6 days (Monday through to Saturday) Febuary 20th-26th FULL - sold out! Just Scheduled! Full time - April 2012 6 days (Monday through to Saturday) April 16th-21st Two spots remain Just Scheduled! Full time - June 2012 6 days (Monday through to Saturday) June 11th-16th NEW!! We have also scheduled ONE new course: Advanced Guitar Making Course ($POA) Advanced guitar making course includes all the options available within the regular course, plus (no additional cost): Inlay course (shells, timber, stones and/or metals) Handwind your own pickups + pickup theory More electronics options Set neck, through, or bolt on options Carved tops and more body shapes (design your own!) Laminated, scarf joint or single piece necks Exotic/Figured/Rare timbers (additional costs) Lacquering. The Advanced Course includes 13 days of tuition and factory/tool hire. Strictly limited to TWO (2) participants per course. This course is ideally suited to someone who has some woodworking/tool experience, has built a guitar or two previously, or has already completed our regular guitar making course. Advanced Course - Full time - July 2012 13 days (Saturday through to Saturday) June 30th- June14th
	Additional add-on courses: Pickup winding: $300 – Learn the basics of pickup winding, then wind your own pickups for your guitar. Allow one full day. Inlay Workshop: $300 – One full day, including all materials. Tools supplied.

SPECIFICATIONS
Body shape:
Strat, Soloist, Tele, DC or SC body styles

Body woods:
Alder, Tasmanian Blackwood, Fijian Mahogany (+$90), Swamp Ash (+$90).

Neck styles:
Tilt back (Gibson, et al), or Recessed (Fender style)

Neck woods:
Rock Maple, Tasmanian Blackwood, Fijian Mahogany (+$50).

Fretboards:
Maple, Rosewood, Ebony (+$50), Flame Maple (+$125).
24.75", 25", or 25.5" scale lengths

Hardware - Bridges:
Telecaster style (modern or vintage), Vintage trem (+$200), or hardtail (Fender Strat style), Tunomatic (with stop tail, or string through), Wilkinson trem (+$200), Floyd Rose Original (+$280), Tunomatic and Bigsby (+$200)

Hardware – tuners:
Gotoh, Grover locking (+$40)

Hardware – Colour:
Chrome, Black, Gold (+$80)

Electronic cavities:
Rear loaded (pickup surrounds, no pickguard), or front loaded (pickguard, no pickup surrounds).

Pickup configurations:
2 x humbucker
2 x humbucker, 1 x single coil ($80)
1 x humbucker, 2 x single coil ($40)
3 x single coil
2 x single coil (Tele style)
1 x humbucker, 1 x single coil
Metal covers (+$40 each)

Veneer Top: (only if time permits)
Flame, Quilted or Birdseye Maple (+$190)
Walnut, Bubinga, Myrtle, Flame Euculypt ($190)

See some more pics at our
GUITAR MAKING COURSE GALLERY