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Advanced Building

  • Advanced Build
  • Course Cost
  • Advanced Finishes

Advanced Guitar Building

6 days long, 1 student max

Ok, so you're looking for a different level of guitar building experience. You dream of hand carving a top, you lose sleep over routing the neck joint for a set neck. You want to take it to the next level? Then you're in the right place!

In the BCG Advanced Guitar Building Course, we will build in one of two styles dependent on your interest. The options follow. 1: carved top, set neck, full binding package, fretboard inlays and headstock logo. 2: thru body neck, carved and sculpted top and back, fretboard inlays and headstock logo. So there's the more traditional build, and the more artistic build, maybe you'll end up wanting come back to complete the course again building in the other style.

The course is offered to only one student at a time. The waiting list will help keep a proper line formed for each class opening. I highly recommend signing into the waiting list as you will be informed first as to class openings and dates when made available.

This Class is designed for those of you who have built at least one guitar and have some level of understanding as to scale lengths, basic math of the guitar, and basic tool competency. If you haven't built one yet, fret not! Just go to the Build Your Own Guitar Course in the menu and we can start you off in the right direction. For you guys who already qualify with the one build prerequisite we will deal with those details later in the application section.

The advanced course is 7 days long, and intense. Eight hours in the shop a day for a week straight is demanding work and we will always work with safety our number one priority. We will work through a set neck or thru body including some nice high end options in the inlays and finish departments. We have a few more electronics options as far as advanced wiring mods and also we could look at active pickup and EQ systems. This really comes down to the choices you make upon registering for the advanced class.

There are standard options offered for the build which will allow you a choice selection of woods however there are always upgrades available for additional costs if you want over the top! We love over the top here at BCG and encourage it!

This last option is our finish of choice. Hand rubbed oil finishes over natural or stained wood is the standard finish option here, a simple yet durable finish. However we are building high end pieces here that you may want a nitro finish on. I get that, so let's take a look at some options here. . Seven days is not long enough to blow a nitro finish. I'd like you to experience with me the finishing process so the best I can offer is to have you start the coating process and I can finish it after the class has ended. A shipping fee will be added but this way you will get to complete as much of the process as possible and if you really want to buff something I'm sure I can find something for you to put to the wheel! I am currently experimenting with some short cure time products so if anything changes I will be sure to post an update.

The Class will be limited to one student. It fills on a first come first serve with a nonrefundable deposit required to save a spot in the designated class. Dates will be announced by email and social media postings or you can sign up here to get on a waiting list with no commitment necessary, I will simply inform the waiting list folks first of course dates and openings. The cost is $5000 and includes all materials and shop consumables, as well as the instruction and access to tools needed to perform all tasks for the course. Does not include travel, boarding or meals but discount lodging is available as well as student discounts for lunch as we will take an hour to enjoy the natural beauty of the quaint town of Bluffton and visit some of the locals favorite bar and grills for lunch.

Advanced Guitar Building Course cost and options sheet

Basic class with no upgrades is $5000

Basic options package include the following choices

  • body wood choices include two piece swamp ash, alder, basswood, or mahogany.
  • Carved tops are plain maple
    upgrade choices for body woods include, bubbinga, paduak, walnut, or cherry +$40. For carved tops, Curly, quilted, or spalted maple carved top +$250
  • Five body profiles to choose from FC, PC, Clone 2, Clon3, and clone 4 *Other body profiles may be available please send me a personal inquiry with your model of interest.
  • Necks are hard maple (curly maple upgrade +$60)
  • Four headstocks styles to choose from including BCG 6 in line A, B and C styles as well as BCG 4x2. Also the three 6 in lines can be reversed making a total of seven headstock options!
  • Choice of Maple or rosewood fretboard (upgrade to Ebony +$35)
  • Seymour Duncan pickups in either H-H (G style) S-S-S (S style) or S-S (T style) (upgrade to H-S-H, S-S-H, with 5-way swithching +$60)
  • Choice of controls include 2 volume 2 tone, 1 volume 1 tone, 2 volume 1 tone, 1 volume 2 tone, all with either a three way toggle or blade style switch.
  • Choice of medium or large nickel fretwire size (stainless upgrade +$200)
  • Bridge hardware choices include t-style modern, t-style vintage, s-style trem, s-style hard tail, top loading or string thru body, tun-o-matic with stop tail, or a wrap around bridge/stop combo (upgrades choices include hipshot baby grand +$ , Wilkinson, hipshot or tone pros, S and T style +$100, schaller roller +$40, bigsby trem +$150, floyd rose floating trem +$400 bcg two piece ebony bridge and bcg ebony tailpiece +$350, gold hardware upgrade +$45)
  • Tuners choices include gotoh mini 6 in 3x3 or 6 in line black or chrome (upgrades include, Schaller mini 6 +$35, Schaller, hipshot, sperzel, or planet wave locking tuners +$60, gold hardware upgrade +$35)
  • Bone or graphite nut (Schaller roller nut +$25)
  • DR strings in 9,10,or 11 guage
  • Hand rubbed oil finishes over natural or stained wood is the standard finish option here, a simple yet durable finish. (Upgrade to nitrocellulose lacquer clear +$350, tints +$100, burst +$175, binding scrapes +$75. An additional shipping fee is also applied as you will not be able to travel home with your guitar at the courses end.
*BCG does offer finishing services (please inquire if you have questions about our finishing services) brooks@brookscobbguitars.com
Brooks Cobb Guitars Is located on the May River in Bluffton, South Carolina.
Contact brooks by email at brooks@brookscobbguitars.com or call or text and leave a message (843)-505-1426