Crimson Guitars, Luthiery School and Training Centre at VGS 2020

VGS 2020: Based in a customised factory in Dorset, Crimson Guitars is the premier UK manufacturer of production and bespoke guitars, each built to the highest standard.

We also make a full range of all the tools and accessories a budding luthier could want on their journey of sawdust and music – and we are continuously improving on and adding to our custom designs.

Our hunt for guitar-building perfection has seen us grow into the largest guitar-building school in the world, hosting up to 500 local and international students each year, offering a range of in-house guitar-making courses, from short two-day Maintenance and Repair courses, to three-month intensive courses in guitar building.

Crimson Guitars Luthier Training Courses cover every aspect of electric guitar building.

We will teach you which tools to use and how and when to use them. Our classes focus on joinery, routing, neck carving, fretwork, body carving, basic inlay, neck angles and bridge placement

Finally, we work you through the final stages of guitar building: fine sanding, oiling, assembly and how to set the guitar up so that it is ready to play.

There are a myriad of other skills that go into building a guitar, and in our fully outfitted workshops, an experienced instructor and training assistant will guide you through each process.  

We are there to answer all of your questions and ensure you leave with all of the knowledge needed to repeat the procedures covered on any instrument.

With our studio based close to the town of Dorchester in the picturesque rolling fields of Dorset, in England's southwest, why not take the opportunity to combine a unique experience with a refreshing holiday?  

We even have our own booking agent, Julie, who will kindly help you find somewhere lovely to stay, in an ideal location. She'll get you a great price.

Crimson Guitars, Luthiery School and Training Centre – Courses Offered

5-Day Guitar Building Course

And intensive one week (five days / 37.5 hours) course designed to allow someone with little experience to build a simple instrument from scratch.

Pick from one of our archetypical design choices and build a flat-top guitar from raw wood to completion with your choice of timber, hardware (depending on availability) and pickup configuration.  

Timbers and hardware can be purchased at an additional cost to the course fee. If you wish, you may bring your own materials and hardware.

6-Day Building Course

Build a more complex instrument with your choice of design, timber, hardware (depending on availability) and pickup configuration. 

This might include instruments with Drop tops and Carve tops. You may, however, choose to bring your own materials and hardware, if you wish. 

Please fill in the Specification sheet for a quote and to confirm that you will be bringing the correct materials.

This 51-hour course entails 9-hour days, beginning at 9am and ending at 6pm.

2-Week Building Course

An intensive two-week course that runs Monday to Friday (10 days / 75 hours), based in the UK and designed to allow someone with limited or little experience to build a simple instrument from scratch. 

This is the first of our learning courses that really allows you to dive deep into the fine details of luthiery. It also gives you the option to be able to take on a more bespoke build, like a custom 7 or 8 string that might well be fan-fretted. 

This course also allows you to build a guitar of your own design, which will be planned out before the course begins.

3-Month Building Course

This course is for dedicated students who wish to learn all of the skills needed to start building instruments professionally.

Students will build three instruments during their time at Crimson. One flat top T-type, one Carve top singlecut, and one bespoke instrument, designed from scratch under our tutelage, and built during your final six weeks.  

This is a great opportunity to gain all of the skills potential employers are looking for in a new luthier. Students will leave with three completed builds under their belt, encompassing a variety of styles that cover the widest range of techniques possible. 

• Weeks 1-3: Health and safety, tool use, basic joinery. Build a flat-top T-type instrument, going over each element carefully to ensure retention and comprehension. 
• Weeks 4-6: Begin designing the second instrument. Build a carve-top singlecut guitar to strengthen and expand upon the skills learned during the first build. 
• Weeks 7-12: Build your bespoke instrument. Take the skills learned while building your first two guitars and perfect them while learning advanced construction and design techniques.