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GUITAR BUILDING COURSE

Build Your Own Guitar

THE COURSE

You've been dreaming of this, haven't you? Building your very own custom guitar, hand shaping the neck, routing the pickups and neck joint, learning about all the tiny details that come together as an instrument we fall in love with. Well, dream no longer!

We offer a range of courses for those new to guitar making, and seasoned veterans of the industry, but without a doubt, the most exciting offering is this course. Held over six days, you'll build a solid body electric guitar from scratch. You'll draw the plans by hand, do all the cutting, routing, shaping and gluing, wire the electronics, and complete the fretwork and setup.

Sound daunting? Sure, it would be on your own... but you aren't. You'll work directly with Perry Ormsby and his team, in a small group to build your new 'number one'. Everything has been laid out in an easy to follow formula, breaking down all the difficult tasks into smaller manageable chunks, to ensure your success. That's not to say you'll have an easy time. You'll be dusty, dirty, and tired at the end of each day, but you'll not want to stop. It's addictive, fun and very productive.

The courses start on Mondays, and go through until Saturday afternoon. Ready?

PRICING FROM $3150 AUD
$750 AUD DEPOSIT TO HOLD YOUR PLACE
Full info, specs and and optional upgrades below

- MARCH 11 til 16, 2024 -

- MAY 6 til 11, 2024 -

- JUNE 10 til 15, 2024 - 

More 2024 dates will be announced approx mid year!

THE DETAILS

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 six main guitar designs to choose from: Strat, Soloist, Tele, SC (Single Cutaway), DC (Double Cutaway), Hype and the SX style shape. The neck will be a single piece neck, with either a laid back (angled), or recessed (Fender style) headstock.

How do you know what I want to build? Can I design my own?

We will be in touch with anyone who pays a booking deposit to discuss their ideas and specs prior to them coming in. You'll be given a list of models/specs/choices to select from so we can guarantee we have the materials available and can achieve everyone's build in the course time frame.
Unfortunately we cannot offer custom build ideas you've designed as we simply cannot prepare for that in advance. 

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 a curable oil based finish. This provides a very protective semigloss/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. HOWEVER, if we feel everyone has progressed enough by mid course, we reserve the right to offer a free upgrade to lacquer. In 2019, every single person ended up being upgraded to lacquer finishes.

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. Furthermore, this isn't a "watch a guy cut your stuff on a CNC' style course either, like offered elsewhere. You'll do everything.

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.

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.

What types of wood are being used? 

For the body, you choose: Mahogany, Alder, Swamp Ash, Tasmanian Blackwood.  Neck woods: Rock Maple, Tasmanian Blackwood, Mahogany. Fretboards: Ebony, Macassar Ebony, Maple, Flame Maple.

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 scary, 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 and his team can complete that section for you as you watch. You'll find that with the right guidance, anything is achievable!

I'm from the Eastern States or International, can I come? 

YES!
We are located in Canning Vale, Perth Western Australia. Our factory is  approx 20mins south of the city and Perth Airport. All attendees will be responsible for finding their own way to/from the factory and accommodation if required.

Price and inclusions? 

Pricing starts at $3150 AUD for the complete course. 
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!
Any optional upgrades are outlined on the spec guides below.

How do I book my place? 

Bookings for open dates will be available via our online until sold out. A non-refundable $750 AUD deposit will be required at the time of booking to secure your place.

What if I change my mind or need to cancel? 

Deposits are non-refundable on all build course bookings.

Can I change my booking dates? 

ONLY if there is an open position in a different build course group available.

How long is each day? 

We start around 9:00 each day, and finish between 4:00-4:30pm 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 many places are there?

We have a small team so to ensure you get the most out of this course, we are limiting each course to a maximum of 5 participants.

I'm not available any of those dates, will there be any more? 

No. Our dates have been carefully selected around our own in house schedule as we need to factory in the likes of NAMM, Guitar Summit, GTR/GTI deliveries and our usual daily tasks.

Any further questions? Email us at [email protected]

 

SPEC + UPGRADE OPTIONS

Body shape:
Included: Strat, Super Strat, Telecaster, TX, SX, Hype, Goliath, Roxy, Double Cut (Les Paul Jr style) or Single Cut (flat top), Headless Goliath (+$100), Metal V (+$100), Headless Metal V (+$200)

Body woods: Included: Alder, Mahogany
Optional: Swamp Ash (+$90)

Veneer Top: Optional: Flame Maple / Quilted Maple (+$150), Walnut (+$150), Ziricote (+$190), Burl Walnut (+$190)
*Veneer wood subject to availability

Neck styles: Tilt back (Gibson, et al), or Recessed (+$100 Fender style, only for Strat or Tele body shapes)

Neck woods: Included: Rock Maple, Mahogany

Fretboards: Included: Maple, Ebony
Optional: Macassar Ebony (+$50), Wenge (+$50), Flame Maple (+$175), Roasted Maple (+$125)
*Wood subject to availability

Inlays: Included: None, Z pattern; Pearl, black or Abalone dots

Side dots: Included: White dots, black dots

Scale lengths: Included: 24.75", 25", or 25.5" scale lengths.
Optional: Multiscale (+$500)

The Multiscale option includes the fanned  Multiscale fretboard layout we generally use for our own instruments.
Six string: 25.5 - 27.5", Seven string: 25.5 - 27.8"

Strings: Included: 6
Optional: 7 (+$50)

Hardware - Bridges:
STANDARD Included: Hipshot hardtail style (6 / 7 string), Fender style hardtail (6 string), Telecaster style (6 string)
STANDARD Optional: Tunomatic (6 string) ($100), Vintage trem (6 string) (+$200), Floyd Rose Special (6 / 7 string) (+$280)
MULTISCALE Included: Hardtail (6 / 7 string)
MULTISCALE Optional: Headless (Goliath only 6 / 7 string) (+$100)

Multiscale options include bridge hardware we use for our own instruments.

Hardware – Tuners: Locking tuners

Hardware – Colour:Included: Chrome, Black
Optional: Gold (+$80)
(gold hardware not available for Goliath headless and subject to availability for other models)

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

Pick Guard: 
Available on Strat / Tele builds; White, Black, Pearloid, Mint, Tortoise (+$100)

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
​1 x humbucker
Metal covers (+$40 each) *
 * not available for Multiscale option

Case: 
Included: None
Optional: Premium gigbag (+$100), Hardcase ($125)
*Metal V has no bag/case option available. We're happy to provide shipping packaging if no case is selected.

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