Learn Guitar Building – Make Your Own Guitar

Teaching has become a real passion of mine. Making a guitar with a student is always a great experience. I love seeing a student’s excitement when they string up their guitar and hear it for the first time. If you build a guitar in my class, I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

I have had the good fortune of learning my craft from some of the very best in the world. The one-on-one guitar building class is the ultimate well rounded learning experience necessary for building a quality guitar. Take advantage of all my years of experience and learn how to make a high quality guitar that you will be proud of. Walk away with a beautiful guitar that sounds great and is easy to play.

Call for One-on One Class Dates

J.S. Bogdanovich Guitars has been undergoing restructuring to make improvements to the business for visitors, members, subscribers and customers to help provide a better learning experience. There will be two sessions per year for the one-on-one class. To accommodate students with busy schedules, vacations, and children in school call 828-398-8704 to set up a date that works best for both of us.

Please contact me to set up dates for classes. We will then be able to find a time that will work for everyone.

Sign Up for Video Subscription

Get access to all the instructional videos and plans.

“John is an inspiration and a wonderful teacher! I have gained knowledge as well as hand skills and confidence. It was an amazing experience and so exciting to string up my guitar and hear it for the first time. Wow!”

– Karen Ackof, Fine Art Professor ­University of Indiana

May 2015 class -student with guitarLearn Guitar Building & Much More

In the one-on-one classes I work right along side the student building the guitar, teaching, guiding and pitching in when necessary. I guarantee that the twelve days you spend building your guitar will be both an educational and rewarding experience. Get a wealth of tips and information about guitar building, craftsmanship and aesthetics. You will also learn to properly use your tools and sharpen them as well as how to safely use your hand tools, equipment and power tools.

Get expert advise on wood selection and how different combinations of wood produce different types of sound.  You will leave with a great sounding instrument and the confidence and skills you’ll need to make a guitar again, on your own.

In order to complete the guitar in the allotted time students will create a simplified version of one of John’s signature rosettes and some decorative items will be omitted such as some purflings and back strip. Finishing will not be done in the class. Students will finish their guitars at home. Finishing tips and advise will be provided as well as recommendations on finishing products.

One-on-One Course Schedule

To better accommodate students, if you are interested in taking a class please contact me and we will find dates that will suit both of us.

Course Info

Students Maximum Per Class: 1
Duration:12 days
Cost with Lodging: $6000
Deposit: $500

If you are interested in taking the one-on-one class please click the button below and fill out the application. If you are on a mobile device or a tablet please contact me and I will be in touch with you shortly. Some woodworking and/or guitar building experience is suggested. I will contact you shortly so be sure to leave your phone number.

Accomodations and What to Bring

Lodging

Students are welcome to stay in the downstairs apartment in my house. The apartment has a kitchenette and a private entrance. Lodging will easily accommodate two people so you can bring your spouse or partner if you like.  Also a list of nearby motels or B&B’s can be provided upon request.

Western North Carolina

The mountains of Western North Carolina are known for their beauty, especially in the spring and fall. The Asheville area also has some great restaurants. And there are also plenty of things to do in the area. You may want to consider extending your stay beyond the class time to explore the area.

What to Bring

It is recommended that students bring hearing protectors and dust masks or respirators. You are also welcome to bring along any tools that you prefer using.

shaper
New Machines for Guitar Building

I recently purchased two new machines for guitar building. In guitar building one can get away with smaller, more compact machines since most of the work is on a comparatively small scale. These new machines replaced a couple of old ones that were larger, no longer working properly, and took up too much room in...

Guitar Building Class in Brazil
Guitar Building Class in Brazil

The guitar building class in Brazil hosted by my good friend, and luthier, Luciano Borges was a huge success. In July I traveled to the newly constructed School of Lutherie in Araguari, Brazil to teach a guitar making class together with Luciano. The new facility is incredible. Luciano has created an place of unprecedented  beauty...

Bogdanovich in the New Office
Fretboard Journal Podcast

I was recently interviewed by Michael Bashkin for Fretboard Journal's podcast. We talked about guitars, guitar players, guitar building and a bunch of other things. The interview took place in my shop a month or so ago and we had a great time. Michael conducted a fantastic interview and got me talking about my background,...

Maple Classical Guitar Side
Consigning Guitars

Consigning guitars seems to be a new craze among guitar salons and dealers. But who really benefits when you consign your guitars? Certainly not you the guitar maker. The guitar salon or dealer that’s who. New builders might be enticed into consigning  guitars  to dealers in order to get them into whatever shop for the...

cedar soundboard
Soundboard Selection

Soundboard selection can be difficult if you are new to guitar building. Learning to select good soundboards for your guitar is also difficult. Can someone really teach you to choose the right wood for your guitars and the way you build? I think not. It’s complicated. I just love these guys that devote entire videos...

Recent one-on-one Guitar Building Class
Recent Guitar Building Class

In a recent guitar building class the student, William Kiel, from San Anotnio, TX , walked away with a really nice instrument. Sorry this took so long to post. Things have been a bit hectic here. The guitar is an Indian rosewood spruce top 650mm scale length classical guitar. The center of the rosette features a...