Luthery schools in the UK? (for Feline maybe?)

[Pierre]

Cool story! I've been looking for people to take me as an apprentice allover Edinburgh but times changed  :lol:

Dan is also an influence for me. Though I never got to talk to him. But I have his two bibles, got them a couple of months after I started playing/got my first axe. Also Melvyn Hiscok's book which is excellent and very well written. Every sentence I read about guitar setups, building, or the more guitars I even touch and think 'mhm could do with a bit of this or that' makes me want to get to it even more. I'm starting to think I have an unhealthy passion for wood (ok ok ok I couldn't resist fine  :lol: )

Like you, I'd much rather find guitars to build than learn at a uni...Unfortunately though it's getting harder and harder I guess :( I don't want to seem complaining all the time but it truly is. It's a passion of past time, what with CNCs and mass production now. In a way it sucks. But thankfully there are a lot of people out there who still want to do it the old school way, and actually chose their timber ;) So thanks for that!

I think I'll just concentrate on the present course. It's time I kick myself in the back a bit. The rest will come with time.

[ToneMonkey]

I did a one year course at the London College
Nothing beats the opportunity to apply that learning though and I worked constantly over the years tinkering and rebuilding guitars (driving girlfriends crazy too with all the mess).

Guitars come to my house to die  

I've been trawling car boots to get guitars to save and dodgy plywood bolt ons to practice on.  I'm OK (definately getting a lot better) with the woodwork, but it's my finishing that needs practice.

Feline - Did you know Andy Varah while at the LCF?  I think he used to teach there about the time you were there.  He helped me out on a project a while back.  Check out www.varah.co.uk - he really is the best I've ever seen (and likes a nice drink too  :lol: )

Pierre - I know a few luthiers and all of them have slowly developed that way, starting kind of like I am and working up.

[FELINEGUITARS]

Feline - Did you know Andy Varah while at the LCF?  I think he used to teach there about the time you were there.  

Didn't know him personally - it was a big college and he maybe ran a different department.

Was alo a long time ago - I'd be lucky to remember my own tutor's name

[horsehead]

WOAH! sgmypod...are you in hull?

[FernandoDuarte]

Sorry for uploading a 2 years old thread, but does anybody know the Irish School of Luthierie (at Galway City, Ireland - Paul Doyle the owner)?

I've talked with some guys here that I'm planning a guitar building course and the only one I know in Brazil I've already made and don't find it very good, so I'm thinking in go abroad... Mains problem: Euro and £ are about 3 or 4 times more expensive than my currency, so I'll expend a hell lot of money... This one is as expensive as Totnes, so beside it looks a top curse, may be hard to me... There is others:
* Le Bois de Luthierie in Fertans, France (they teach in english too, but haven't entered in touch, yet);
* Centrum voor Muziekinstrumentenbouw in Puurs, Belgium (haven't entered in touch, yet but I guess that english wouldn't be a problem as there is translation on their website);
* The Luthiers Lot in Adelaide, Australia (haven't entered in touch, yet);
* Cloe Luthier's School in Roma, Italy (haven't entered in touch, yet);

I may be trying it on 2010's summer (actually I've some differents plans to my near future and have to decide which road I'll get :lol:)

Any help will be apreciated A LOT! :D

[the prince of shred]

i thought you were suggesting feline should go to luthiery school...

 :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

thats exactly what i thought when i read   :lol:

[sgmypod]

WOAH! sgmypod...are you in hull?

..yeah

[Oli]

I can find out for you, Fernando, i've got a good friend who has worked with Paul Doyle when he was living in Ireland- i'll ask him, and i'll let you know :)

[headtheball]

Not really helping, but Galway is possibly my favourite town on Earth. If nothing else, you'll have an absolute blast there.

[WezV]

i dont think you can train for this shite!!  :)

[Matt77]

I'm coming in to this thread late.
http://www.baileyguitars.co.uk/
I met this guy at the Manchester guitar show.
He runs 5 day courses for £500 and I think it is up in Scotland.
I'm sure they are a good insight in to building if you are able to afford it.
He is booked up for a long time in advance though.

[GuiTony]

I'm coming in to this thread late.
http://www.baileyguitars.co.uk/
I met this guy at the Manchester guitar show.
He runs 5 day courses for £500 and I think it is up in Scotland.
I'm sure they are a good insight in to building if you are able to afford it.
He is booked up for a long time in advance though.

I've done his course twice (I am a slow learner, and I was starting from a long way back!).

The course is absolutely brilliant.  No reservations about recommending it to anyone who wants to learn some basics about guitar building.

However, it won't teach you everything that you'll need to know - it's only a 5 day course.  It will teach you (a) that you actually can build guitars with relatively simple tools and (b) the basics of how to build a pretty good functioning guitar.  You then spend the next couple of decades refining those skills.  Mark himself would be the first to admit that after 20/30 years building guitars, he's still learning stuff himself.

[mikey5]

Just for starters Martin Koch has a book and step by step cd that is pretty good. There is a 6 week course in Colorado that costs like 500 usd Its at red rocks community college. I think they give you a diploma. I would want to do a shorter course personally why waist 4 years in college when you can work with a Luthier closely for a a couple of months.

[WezV]

or teach yourself.  ok, its not the fastest or most obvious way to become a guitar builder but it does mean you can still earn a living doing a well paying job as you learn.  the advantage of that is that you still have other skills to fall back on

[Bradock PI]

Learning some woodworking skills will help and there are far more nightschool and college courses for those then at least when you go on the proper luthier course even if it is a short one you will have honed masic skills