The best way to learn guitar building is back!
Whether you’re a total beginner or looking to level up your current skills - you can join Sully in his workshop one-on-one or with a small group of fellow students for a weeklong course where you walk out with the completed guitar of your dreams ready to shred! We are so excited to bring Sully Guitars Building Classes back after an extended break - it’s always a fantastic experience meeting and hanging out with guitar pals in person. You’ll learn everything from the very basics to final setup to make sure your guitars always play their best, with Sully there to answer specific questions in detail; all while hanging out with like-minded students and guitarists. Wanna hear more about the class and see a finished class guitar in action? Check out this video by one of our 2024 students.
Note: We have moved location to a new climate-controlled shop, and your classes will have a little CNC (and maybe laser) work added in. You’ll still have plenty of routing, shaping, and sanding to do, though!
Guitar Building Classes
Wanna learn how to build a guitar? Of course you do; guitars are awesome! Never built one before, or you don't have much woodworking experience? No problem! Classes are tailored to your level of experience. You can still build something that you'll be proud of, even if you've never powered up a router before.
Located in the North Dallas (near Frisco) area, with plenty of hotels and AirBnBs around.
Scheduling Your Class
Some classes are one-on-one and some are in a small group! You can use the form below to get in touch about scheduling a class just for you, or sign up for our email list to make sure you don’t miss out on a scheduled group class. Either way - you’ll have a fantastic time at Sullyvillle, and I’m happy to accommodate your schedule!
So, what can I build?
In a nutshell, you'll build a guitar or bass with bolt on construction, your choice of 4, 6, or 7 strings and your choice of scale (24.75, 25.5, 27, 32, 34, etc). We'll go through the woodworking, fretwork, assembly, and basic wiring (vol/tone/selector switch). The only thing we don't do is paint work due to time constraints. If you want your build painted afterwards, I am happy to point you to a quality painter.
Most students build a (super)strat or (super)tele style, but other body shapes can be built as well, with a few exceptions. No Sully-specific body shapes, for example. You can upgrade to mahogany, swamp ash, or limba (korina) as well as a figured top, and I'll be nice enough to glue it up to your blank so that it's ready for you when class starts. To keep things moving along, some of the early steps will be done before class (this gives us more time to get into things like fretwork, applying oil finishes, and fine tuning your setup. and you have the option of dot inlays (in whatever configuration you like) or no inlays.
Additional upgrades like binding and stainless steel frets can be added under certain circumstances.
What’s the deal with Advanced Classes?
Want to be even more involved in the early stages of your build? Do you have specific skills you’re looking to hone with 1 on 1 Sully time? Do you have a unique vision for your dream guitar like a body shape you’ve always wanted to build but didn’t have the tools? That’s where Advanced Classes come in. Advanced classes generally add an extra day, and are available for solo students or groups of 2. This allows for further personalization like designing custom shapes and headstocks, binding, and who knows, maybe even carved tops.
Kate designed her own guitar, built it, and kicked ass during the process.. be like Kate.
Brothers Matt and Jamie are all smiles with their rad guitars. Be like Matt and Jamie.
Classes:
WEEKEND AT SULLY’S (new!)
Want to keep it short and sweet? Need some help tuning up your favorite guitars? Want to learn how to level frets? Need to build a neck for a project? We are now happy to welcome you to Sullyville for anywhere from an afternoon to a long weekend!
While this will be easiest for semi-local students (“Hey Sully! Help me set up my favorite guitar and show me how!”), you are as always welcome to travel to the shop and work with me on smaller projects/learn specific skills you’re interested in for 1-3 days.
Tuition: It really depends on what you’d like to do, so please use the form to contact me for a quote. (20% deposit, remaining balance due one week before class. Scheduled by appointment)
STANDARD (for 2-4 students)
Build a body? Yep. Build a neck? Yep. Wire it, assemble it and set it up? Yep! Sixteen words to describe what you'll be doing with ol' Sully for six glorious days. You'll be provided an alder body blank, a maple neck blank, your choice of a maple or rosewood fretboard, a dual action truss rod, and nickel fretwire of your size preference. Of course that’s simply a starting point: be sure to ask about upgraded wood options and hardware packages!
Tuition: $2400 + cost of hardware/electronics (20% deposit, remaining balance due one week before class. Scheduled by appointment)
ADVANCED (for 1-2 students)
This seven day class covers everything we do in the Standard class, but adds an extra day, which allows you to be more involved in the early stages and/or work with me ahead of time to design your own shape. Options such as set neck construction, binding, custom inlays and more are available. We also recommend this class as the best option for students looking to have their guitar painted.
Tuition: Starts at $3000 + cost of hardware, electronics and paint (20% deposit, remaining balance due one week before class. Scheduled by appointment)
READY? Get in touch to reserve your spot!
See what the cool kids are saying:
Sully,
I can't thank you enough for the experience of your build class. I learned a ton of useful information and gained a lot of confidence to start building on my own. That alone was worth the cost of the trip, but I'm also truly impressed with the instrument I made in the process!
I really appreciate what you do, both as a teacher and a luthier. I invested a lot into making that trip, and it was totally worth it. My experience was a dream come true, and I couldn't be happier that I took the leap. So thank you a million times over!
Russ M.
Hi Sully,
Just wanted to drop you a quick line to express my sincere thanks for the opportunity to attend your complete build class! Your approach—knowing the specific issues guitar builders deal with, providing detailed explanations, and of course your awesome sense of humor—was exactly what I needed. Having minimal woodworking experience I was especially pleased with your patience and willingness to go above and beyond in explaining things in an easy to understand concise manner.
It would be a pleasure to recommend Sully’s Guitar Building classes to anyone interested in learning to build guitars and would be confident that they too will gain the same invaluable experience that I did.
Thank you!
Mike L.
In addition to countless valuable lessons in guitar-building, I can confirm tacos were plentiful and enjoyed by all. Mmmmmmm...tacos.
Steve F.
It's such a blast - everyone go sign up with Sully and do this. I did it last week and I want to go back and do it again.
Pat S.