Wood Choice - Questions for first build - Crimson Guitar 5 day Course

PolarityMan

My wife asked me if I would like to go on this course for my 40th:

https://www.guitartechcourses.com/product/guitar-building-course/?fbclid=IwAR2wOj9fBKXoFMSJpslkftYX_Iin64-Cx5Ul_ufILxUYsA5jnzc0dPa7fEI

Anyone done this one and got any feedback? Or maybe one of you guys here actually runs it

Am I right in thinking that for this course you are building from a pre-made body and neck (which tbh is probably ideal for me as I am inept at wood work and stuff). 

Also wasn't clear what the customisation options are. 

Funkfingers

My cursory reading of the course description implies that attendees will be guided through the assembly procedures for a screw-on neck electric guitar.

IMO, that is fine for putting a guitar together correctly. Unfortunately, most of what I think I know about the subject has been gleaned by trial and error - many of them my own.

Much of what guitar techs do involves detecting and correcting faults. It helps to have seen the things that can go wrong in order to diagnose those faults in future.

You will learn plenty in three days. Mainly, you will learn how much more there is to learn. 

Roland

Several members built guitars from scratch on Mark Bailey’s courses https://guitarmaking.co.uk/. Mark also offers online courses.

tanihhiavlt

What an incredibly thoughtful missus

I'd love to take the Bailey residential course, also Doctor Roberts (AKA Robbie Gladwell) does similar courses in Suffolk...

Can't offer much advice on this course, but the missus - she's a keeper

Cheesyfeet

Jame Collins runs the course - he makes some lovely guitars in his workshop on the same site.  I've done the one day setup course and found it very good.  I was thinking of doing the build course, but ended up doing a 6 day course at Crimson instead.  When I was looking into build course, there seemed to be a lot of options for customisation within the boundaries of a strat or tele, as long as there was enough notice given.

TTony

PolarityMan said:

Am I right in thinking that for this course you are building from a pre-made body and neck (which tbh is probably ideal for me as I am inept at wood work and stuff). 

Did @Jalapeno do this course?

Roland said: Several members built guitars from scratch on Mark Bailey’s courses https://guitarmaking.co.uk/.  Depends on what you want to achieve. 

Put a standard guitar together - the first course is simpler and cheaper. 

Design your own guitar, understand more of the how it's put together and why, and learn a load of practical skills, then I'd suggest Mark's course might be better.

I did Mark's workshop course around my 40th, and I'd also have described myself as "inept at wood work and stuff" prior to the course.    I really didn't think I'd be able to make a guitar - despite Mark assuring me that I would - and nor did anyone else who was aware of (my complete lack of) woodworking skills.   

Mark was absolutely right.

As well as building a guitar on that first course, I also learned a huge amount about basic woodworkery, that I actually could do it, and gave me the confidence to do it and had a great week away with a bunch of like-minded guitar-playing learner-builders. 

It seriously was a life changing experience.

Roland said: Mark also offers online courses. For someone self-describing as "inept", I'd advise staying away from that for a first build. 

Do the in-workshop course first, learn the skills and gain the confidence.  Then use the online course (which is £199 for a year's access) to remind yourself of some of the details when you decide to build another, at home.
  

kokane

I did the course 4 years ago and built a really nice Tele and learnt an awful lot over the three days. 

James takes you through every aspect of putting all the pieces together, and while not entirely bespoke there are a lot of options in terms of body, pickups etc. 

I’d throughly recommend it-if you want any more info PM me and I’ll send you some pictures from the 3 days. 

PolarityMan

I had heard of the Bailey one before as well but downside is that it's miles away

ToneControl

I'd prefer to do an acoustic making course instead, but they are much more expensive!

PolarityMan

ToneControl said:

I'd prefer to do an acoustic making course instead, but they are much more expensive!

Much harder too I'd imagine. Crimson is quite close to me so wondering if its better to do the build from scratch route. Prob depends if I can get a pass from the missus for 5 days versus 3

joeW

Great course - practical learning and great fun. I attended it and built a Jazzmaster.  It was very well run and there was scope to add some non standard parts to the builds. James is a fantastic luthier and a very pleasant chap. I plan to do it again at some point

ArchtopDave

I've done James Course once. Came away with a decent guitar, but you are largely doing an assembly project. I'd previously made guitars from scratch with Mark Bailey. Having done James Course, I recognised that I personally get far more enjoyment out of making a guitar starting with pieces of wood. It does take more time and money particularly, if like me, you do bindings and inlays. Remember there are living costs i.e B&B, and evening meal/drink costs on top of the Course cost.

Acoustic Builds are more complex and time consuming. I posted this Thread some years ago on my Acoustic Build under Mark Bailey's guidance  :https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/69464/om-acoustic-build-mark-bailey-course#lates
The photos of the finished guitar are on Page 6, if you don't want to wade through the whole build process.

davros

I did the Crimson 6 day course, and built the guitar below. I would personally find a scratch build much more enjoyable and enlightening than a partscaster. I am relatively handy with tools but had never built a guitar before. I've built 3 now at home since the course, so that's the dangerous part of doing one!

crunchman

I did a Crimson course.   When I did it, they probably had one or two too many students for the number of staff supporting, but I did come away with a good guitar, although I ended up having to do the wiring at home because I ran out of time.

Bailey is a long way away.  Dorset is a lot easier to get to.

We actually took the whole family to Dorset (including my mother-in-law and sister-in-law.  They all went off to the beach and Monkey World during the day while I was at Crimson.

PolarityMan

I think I'm leaning towards the crimson actually if I can swing the 5 days off doing any childcare

davros

Yes, on the Crimson course it felt like they needed another tutor. I was happy to get on with stuff but was waiting around for someone to tell me what was next. That was when Christopher was still there, I don't know how they're faring since he left.

Still, I finished by lunchtime on the final day so managed to start the long drive home early, so there's enough buffer in the course.

It's a fantastic experience though and I would thoroughly recommend it.

ToneControl

I fancy Stephen Hill's courses in Andalucia, to build a lattice-braced classical

one month in Southern Spain. Might be a retirement idea that one

PolarityMan

Kinda got myself psyched up for a scratch build now. Thinking I want some kind of metally telecaster with humbuckers since i dont have a t-shape in my colelction yet. 

davros

Go for it, it's great fun! I'd say, the better idea you have of what you want to build before you go, the better the result will be. If possible buy the hardware, pickups, etc beforehand to save disappointment if they don't have or can't source what you want.

Jalapeno

TTony said:

PolarityMan said:

Am I right in thinking that for this course you are building from a pre-made body and neck (which tbh is probably ideal for me as I am inept at wood work and stuff). 

Did @Jalapeno do this course?

  I did indeed - well remembered.

Great course over a weekend and you get a Tele or Strat at the end. 

PolarityMan

I've dropped crimson an email to see what their availability is like for the 5 day course. If they don't have any space then will prob fall back to the GTC one.