In Just Ten Days, Learn How To Build A Guitar as You Build One!

Design and build the acoustic guitar or basic electric guitar of your dreams! Spend ten days (a week and a long weekend) in beautiful New England at the Wells Workshop and learn the principles of how to build a really fine acoustic or electric guitar in a very unique teaching format. For pictures of prior students building instruments go here. For a pictorial essay of a student's odyssey in making an instrument go here, here or here. For a recent testimonial from a good student go here. For photos of the workshop go here. Check out a student's odyssey of making a Fender style electric instument here. Lastly, and most recently, one of my very first students, Keith Lisle, sent me some photos of his latest work, one of which he sold to the family of "Judge Judy". I cannot tell you how proud I am of his work. He is making "killer" guitars! See some of them here.

I only offer this course four times per year. Call now to reserve your slot in the 2009-2010 schedule!

  The Teaching Format / ONE ON ONE

You and I will build your guitar. I will teach you a process and then we will do it. You will follow me through the entire process of building your instrument. You choose the basic guitar style and we will build it. All aspects of the construction will be covered including design, construction, setup, jigs, fixtures and general shop practice and safety. It will just be you and me – no other students or distractions! Get the answers to all of your building questions and build a great instrument at the same time! At the end of the course you will actually take home the instrument we made together. You will also take home an extensive outline of what you learned, why and how we did each step, when we did it, and all the photos and notes you can make during the period.

  Course Length and Costs

The One on One Course is ten very full days in length. Because the course will involve just you and I, and that I only teach it a maximum of four times a year, the scheduling time can be very flexible to fit your schedule. The course is designed so that you only have to take a week off from work-start on Saturday and end a week from Sunday. I fit your available time in my building schedule to accomodate your busy life. Just call me at (781) 361-1471 or e-mail me at sylvan@wellsguitars.com to arrange scheduling. The one on one course is ten very full days of intensive instruction in building a basic acoustic instrument (a Mahogany or Indian Rosewood/Sitka Spruce Dreadnaught, 000 or 00) or a basic electric style (Fender or Gibson), resulting in a guitar “in the white” to take home. It will be completely constructed and playable, but not painted. I encourage you to finish the instrument yourself and, to further that end, provide you with step by step instructions in finishing the instrument in nitrocellulose lacquer. The course includes approximately 80-90 hours of one-on-one instruction in the Workshop and includes all written materials, including, for the acoustic builders, a step by step instruction manual which we will follow in building your guitar. The tuition is $3,750.00. The tuition includes the course and all of the materials (no electronics) used in making your instrument. It also includes a calendar year's free subscription to the Luthier Articles section of the Wells Guitar website. After ten very full days, you will leave with a world class instrument you constructed and the knowledge and written materials necessary to continue making instruments at home should you so desire. Call today to guarantee your place in 2009-2010!

COME BUILD THE GUITAR OF YOUR DREAMS!