Electric Guitar Building Workshops

Event Organizer: Specimen Products
Organizer Email: info@specimenproducts.com
Event Phone: 773.489.4830

Event Status: Upcoming

Categories: Guitar Building

Dates and Times:

• December 5 & 6
  December 5, 2015 - December 6, 2015
  12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
  - Saturday & Sunday Noon to 4pm Electric Guitar Workshop
• January 30 & 31
  January 30, 2016 - January 31, 2016
  12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
• March 12 & 13
  March 12, 2016 - March 13, 2016
  12:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Available Tickets:

Event Venue: CHICAGO SCHOOL OF GUITAR MAKING

Description: [T]his workshop gives students creative control over the guitar's design, shape, finish, and performing quality.  At the end of the process students will have a wonderful creation that fulfills their own unique vision.  This is a not a kit assembly workshop - students build their own instrument from scratch.

Mandatory Pre-requisite

Students must complete the Guitar Design & Theory Workshop and have a finished blueprint before they can enroll in this workshop.

Schedule

Weekday workshop, 2.5 hours: MONDAY evening from 7pm-9:30pm pm Weekend workshop, 8 hours: Saturday & Sunday, from Noon  to 4 pm.

Fee

$119, 3 hours: one Monday night session - Tuition includes instruction, demonstrations, guidance, handout materials, use of specialized tools, guitar workbench and shop supplies. $485, 8 hours: Two day/ weekend session - Tuition includes instruction, demonstrations, guidance, handout materials, use of specialized tools, guitar workbench and shop supplies.

Enrollment

Enrollment is limited to 6 students.

Registration

Enroll online on this page with credit card or paypal, or by phone: 773.489.4830, or with a check mailed to us or in person.  You will receive a registration confirmation email once we receive payment.

Accommodations

Click Here for a list of nearby places to stay during seminars, along with transportation information.

Workshop Description

While prior knowledge of woodworking and shop tools is helpful, the instructor will be on-hand at all times for assistance or to carry-out machining procedures for those students with less experience. The main objective of the Electric Guitar Building Workshop is to provide a set of sequential tutorials that will guide the student through the guitar building process. During the course of these workshops, students will build their own electric guitar completely from scratch using raw materials and the time-tested techniques of the instructor. Students will learn how to shape their guitar's neck and body, install the truss rod, and install all hardware. Our goal is to provide an enriching environment for the burgeoning student with many opportunities for exposure to various techniques and skills.  Whether the student chooses to build a reproduction of a traditional/classic design or chart new territory into an unknown realm, the emphasis will be on making a supremely-functional and long-lasting instrument of beauty. This workshop welcomes both the traditionalist and the experimentalist. During the workshops students will observe numerous demonstrations on various aspects of the building process. The timing of these demonstrations will be depended upon the needs of the students so that workshops can be personalized to match where each student is within the building process. Following is a list of some of the procedures that will be demonstrated:

• transferring patterns
• making templates
• preparing body blanks
• preparing neck blanks
• carving
• sculpting wood using rasps and hand planes
• neck shaping
• binding
• truss rod installation
• fretboard preparation
• neck setting (making mortise and tenon)
• routing for neck and hardware
• pickguard making
• proper gluing techniques
• tool sharpening
• correctly locating bridge and other hardware
• bridge making
• special hardware fabrication (e.g., knobs, pickup rings, tailpieces)
• finishing

Recommended Pre-requisites

We strongly recommended that students have completed our Setup & Maintenance Course and the Fretting Workshop prior to enrollment in this workshop.

Workshop Materials and Supplies

The school provides each student with custom workbenches and all tools needed to build their instrument. All building materials such as body and neck blanks, fretboards, truss rods, pickups, nuts, bridges, and any hardware can be ordered through the school or the student can elect to source these materials for themselves. The instructor is available to guide students through the selection of any of needed materials and can order parts at a discount when possible.  However, for those wanting boutique parts, many of these items are only available as custom orders and best left for the student to order directly from the maker.  

Student Gallery

See photos from previous sessions of our guitar building workshop and our Student Gallery showcasing students with their finished masterpieces.

Instructors

Ian Schneller    Ian leads Open Workshops.  He is Chief  Instructor of Chicago School of Guitar Making, faculty member of the Sculpture Department at the School of the Art Institute, and owner of Specimen Products, Inc. Pete Mueller    Pete is a guitar maker and repair technician for Specimen.  Pete teaches Bone Nut & Saddle Making, Fret Workshops & Set-up for Guitar, Bass & Strings at the Chicago School of Guitar Making.  Richard Phillis   Richard is a guitar maker, repair technician, and surface finisher for Specimen.  Rich teaches Effects Pedal Building, Guitar Electronics and Finishing & Relicing Workshops at the Chicago School of Guitar Making. Leander Knust   Leander is a guitar maker for SPECIMEN.  He teaches Acoustic Guitar Building and Ukelele Building at the Chicago School of Guitar Making.

How to Register

You can register for any of our classes on-line, by phone, through the mail, or in person.  We will send you a confirmation email of your registration once we receive payment.

Register  Online

Make your selection of the class dates you wish to attend (and the type of kit if applicable) in Available Dates column on the upper right of this page and click ENROLL NOW > Enter the required information and then proceed to pay by clicking the Paypal button where you can pay with either Paypal or a Credit Card.  NOTE: It is NOT necessary to have a Paypal account to use their service.

Registration by Phone:  773.489.4830

If you prefer registering by phone with your credit card: Please call us at 773.489.4830 and we will complete your registration over the phone.  We will send you a confirmation via email, or by snail mail if you prefer.

Register by MAIL with a CHECK

You must first contact us to register to pay by check in the mail.  Please call us at 773.489.4830 to reserve your space in the class.  Please print out the registration form and mail it to:
  Specimen Products 
1240 N. Homan Ave  
Chicago, IL 60651   We will email or snail mail your enrollment confirmation upon receipt of your mail-in registration form/payment.

Register in Person

You can come in to the shop during business hours and enroll using cash, your credit card, or a personal check. We’re open Monday through Friday 12 – 7 pm, Saturday 12-5 pm. We are closed on Sundays.  Map our location. Please call us at 773.489.4830 to let us know that you wish to register, so that we can save your space.