It seems strange to be discussing the pursuit of hobbies at the moment. There appears to be chaos for those that call the UK home, a volatile government, record high inflation and rising energy and food costs. Things aren’t much better back home in Australia but I am sheltered from the worst of the current crisis and extremely privileged to be on an extended break from work, travelling around the UK and Europe for a few months. Shortly before leaving my home in Adelaide, Australia, I finished my first guitar build, a Hermann Hauser Sr. replica classical guitar. Without any understanding of how serious an endeavour this was, it turned out to be an 18 month project costing somewhere between $5000 and $6000 (Australian dollars) including parts and course fees. It may sound like a lot but the cost was spread over 18 months and the result, despite some minor flaws, is seriously impressive. Well beyond what I thought I could achieve so early on in my amateur luthier journey. I will briefly discuss my journey regarding guitar making and setup courses, what I have found helpful and not so helpful and why such courses are even a ‘thing’. What I aim to get out of a guitar making course may be very different from you. Or maybe the same.
During my current travels I thought it would be a good idea to undertake a guitar setup course in the UK as there are quite a few options and I’m not aware of any setup only courses being formally available in Australia. I had already been skilfully instructed on how to fret and setup my classical guitar during the build course in Australia but I thought an electric guitar setup course would build on my setup skills and add a string to my bow. In addition to continuing with my day job as a Social Worker I want to learn as much as I can the art of making, repairing and setting up guitars used by classical and jazz musicians.
I selected the course I thought I would find most helpful which I have now just completed. My original plan was to write about how amazing this course was but it turned out to be not so amazing. This poor experience has highlighted how amazing the luthier school is where I made my classical guitar. Whilst this is not a review of guitar making or setup courses I feel the need to mention Wood and Strings in Adelaide because artisan musical instrument maker and violin maker, Michael Snowden, who runs this school actually deserves the praise.
Instrument making is not a totally new concept to me. Prior to my work as a Social Worker I was teaching clarinet and saxophone in various schools around Adelaide after completing a Bachelor of Music in clarinet performance. I love playing the clarinet and I still play when I can but I was equally if not more interested in how the clarinet was made. I had grand plans that didn’t materialise of becoming a small-scale clarinet maker who also repaired instruments for clarinettists on the more serious end of the player spectrum. I won the lottery in this regard and managed to persuade retired expert woodwind maker, Tony Ward, formally of Boosey and Hawkes, to give me some clarinet making lessons. The magnitude of this task got the better of me so I took a break to save up some more cash. Unfortunately life gained momentum in directions I never imagined and I never got back to making clarinets. About ten years later I decided to learn classical guitar and it didn’t take very long before I went down the guitar making rabbit hole.
Not long after buying a student classical guitar to learn on, I signed up to a Wood and Strings course which operates out of a well-equipped workshop close to my home in Adelaide. Michael Snowden of Wood and Strings runs string instrument building courses three times each week and students purchase six, three-hour classes at a time. Some students stay for a short time until they finish their project and others just continue on indefinitely, starting a new instrument upon completion of each project. One very advanced student has multiple guitars on the go in various stages of completion. When I first called Michael to inquire about his classes I said that I would like to eventually make a classical guitar and I asked him to recommend a starting project. Prior to the class Michael had emailed me the detailed drawings of a Hermann Hauser Sr. replica. When I started the build with a plank of Brazillian mahogony for the neck, cutting the scarfe joint and building up the spanish heel, I was the only student making a classical guitar. This was no problem at all and I was later joined by another student who took on the same project with different woods that he had selected. I was a slow student, sometimes spending a lot of time on unnecessary endeavours such as making a bridge from scratch despite these being readily available at a fraction of the cost. Whilst acoustic and electric guitars are probably the most popular project at Wood and Strings, you can make whatever your heart desires. One student sometimes works on advanced cabinet making projects and a past student made an aeolian harp (I hadn’t heard of it neither). If you decide you want to make something a little different I’m sure Michael will love the challenge and make it happen.
I hadn’t originally planned to write about the Wood and Strings course as I will continue to be a Wood and Strings student when I get back to Adelaide and I generally write about other things. However, shortly before attending the guitar setup course I have just completed in the south of England I thought the experience would make for an interesting article. Attending this guitar setup course had some logistical challenges as I needed to hire a car and stay in accommodation nearby. The accommodation in a lovely 18th century English pub in the countryside was nothing short of incredible. I received service at my accommodation that I would have thought is reserved for the rich and famous and this was very affordable accommodation. Alas, to reveal the location of this pub would give away the sorry tale of the guitar setup course I don’t wish to identify. I am not inclined to publish negative reviews. The mediochre experience has, however, urged me to write about my hugely positive experience at Wood and Strings and why people like me choose to do such a thing in their leisure time.
The most important point I want to make about Michael as a teacher at Wood and Strings is that he has such a diverse and advanced range of instrument making and woodworking skills. Michael is more than happy to demonstrate techniques for using the woodworking tools and provide feedback about the quality of your work. Michael has enthusiasm for teaching and he doesn’t hold back from telling and showing all that he knows. I never got a sense that any trade secrets were being kept under wraps. As the course is setup for everyone to work on their own projects there are some inevitable inefficiencies but on the whole you will definitely learn valuable skills and end up with an amazing instrument. You will also have enjoyed the process. If like me, you want to know about and have a go at making every little piece of the guitar from scratch you can. The time it takes you to finish your project is entirely up to you as the student. However, If you prefer to purchase some ready made parts and mostly just assemble your instrument you can do this too.
So what went so wrong with the 2-day guitar setup course I have just completed? It wasn’t terrible but it was nothing to write home about. As I don’t live in the south of England I needed to hire a car (there is no public transport to the venue) and stay at accommodation nearby which ended up being very pleasant but a significant added cost. There are videos on YouTube and books available that explain the process of setting up a guitar in detail so I had hoped that attending a face-to-face course would add value to this easily available information. Put simply, I didn’t receive the attention from the instructor I was expecting from such a course. The instructor spent the bare minimum of time with me in between his other unrelated work activities and he also lacked enthusiasm for teaching. I really felt like I was a burden to the company so their attitude to me as a paying customer was the most disappointing. Again, it wasn’t terrible, I learned some things and my guitar is now nicely setup. Hopefully I can replicate the process on other guitars when I get home with a bit of practice.
Guitar making and even guitar setup courses are definitely not a way to save money. Although it is with this intention in mind that some first tackle the crazy task of making a guitar from scratch. I like to listen to interviews with other guitar makers and on a number of occasions a maker has recalled that they first attempted to make a guitar because they simply couldn’t afford a decent instrument. I think they will all now tell you that it would have made more sense to simply do whatever was needed to purchase a good instrument to begin with and leave the making to the experts. As I mentioned above, my classical guitar cost a bit over $5000 (not including any cost I could put on my time) and the guitar setup course I have just completed including the necessary car hire and accommodation was approximately $1900. This is substantially more than a professional setup by your local expert luthier and I could have bought a new Japanese or Mexican Fender for that money. Although annoyingly the new Fender would still need a professional setup.
While learning how to make or setup your own guitar isn’t going to reap you any financial rewards, becoming a professional luthier is much the same. It seems that whilst there are now more boutique guitar builders than ever before, the real money is likely to be in running a guitar making school. This makes financial sense as the instructor will get the best return for their time. Another negative to being a boutique guitar manufacturer is the unfortunate reality that craftsmanship is no longer valued as much as it should be. It is true that mass-produced guitars from countries such as China and Indonesia have vastly improved over the last 20 years but having now made my own guitar, I find it very difficult to be happy with the quality of guitar I can buy from the local music store. After you have agonised over levelling and dressing the frets on any guitar A close look at the frets on the guitars at your local shop will just fill you with disappointment. I would much rather make my own Telecaster or Les Paul replica at a course like Wood and Strings than buy a ready made Fender or Gibson off the shelf.
So why would I prefer to pay more to make my own guitar in my own time? Personally, I like the idea of learning the skills to create the tools I use in my everyday life. When I look at most objects in my everyday life I, at least for a moment, think to myself “I wonder how this is made and I wonder if I could do it?” For the most part, a guitar is still a relatively simple instrument to make and I can incorporate some of my asthetic preferences into the design. A guitar is still very much a tool and a piece of musical and visual artistic expression.
For those who have the urge to create in their spare time there are places to learn whatever activity takes your fancy. Whether it be knitting, creative writing, painting, drawing, cabinet making, 3d printing, photography or guitar building there are likely to be courses and clubs in your area that have you covered. Organisations such as the Workers Education Association (WEA), Technical and Further Education (TAFE) and private providers such as Wood and Strings are great places to experience new things, meet new people, learn new skills and lose a bit of money in the process. Although I must point out that guitar making is one of the more expensive courses available.
So different people like doing different things in their spare time. Some like to create and build, some prefer to gain knowledge, some like sport and fitness activities and some like to do all of the above. Some people are searching for that activity that puts them in the zone or some are looking for a new vocation. I have dabbled in woodwind instrument making, jewellery making, car restoration and now guitar making. So when I signed up to make my first classical guitar or to learn how to set up my electric guitar was I buying a one-off DIY experience to pass the time or was I hoping to build on my guitar playing experience and set up a side-hustle? I’m still not totally sure. Will I be able to flip some well setup guitars in the future? That would be nice but who knows. Has it all been worth it? Yes!
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