Relaunch Manchester Guitar & Bass Building Academy

by James Philip Porter in Salford, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom

Total raised £215

£10,000 target 37 days left
2% 5 supporters
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 4th May 2025 at 12:00am

Help me bring back Manchester Guitar and Bass Building Academy so that you can build your own instruments and learn to maintain your guitar.

by James Philip Porter in Salford, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom


Manchester Guitar and Bass Building Academy 

www.GuitarBassBuild.co.uk


_________________________________________________________________________


The Northwest Electric Guitar Building School since 2013


1740931285_crowd_funder_banner_collage.jpg


Reopening 2025


We are excited to announce that we will be reopening in 2025! 

The school needs a new home, currently we are searching for new premises to base our guitar building academy out of. We'd like to take you along on the journey of building a new workspace that everyone can utilize to build their dream guitar, or learn to maintain their own cherished instruments

We have started this Crowdfunder and will be doing regular updates to document the process.

Courses that will be on offer include Electric Guitar Building Courses, Guitar Maintenance Courses, and Pedal Building Classes.

We need your help to raise funds to reopen the academy in a new location. We will be setting up our workshop and need initial funds to set up the best new workshop possible. With the expanded course range we will need new and bespoke equipment to make the guitar building school as good as it can be!

We are hoping that you will be inspired to one day make your own guitar with us and would like to support our endeavour to restart the guitar building school.

We greatly appreciate any generosity that will help us towards our goal of restarting the guitar building academy. To fund this we will be offering deposits for our upcoming courses at a discounted rate.

_________________________________________________________________________


Rewards


We're offering you an exclusive opportunity to pre-book a spot on one of our courses at the new workshop and reserve your place at a discounted rate.  Spaces are limited, last time we ran these courses they filled up incredibly quickly, so take advantage of this crowd-funding offer today!

Course offered at a discounted rate:

  • Set up Day Course
  • Fret Stone and Set up Course
  • Acoustic Guitar Set up with Replacement Bone Nut and Saddle
  • Pedal Building Classes
  • Modern Neck Construction Building Class
  • Vintage Neck
  • Carved Top Glue in Neck
  • One Special Dream Guitar Build Course

For more details about individual courses visit our website www.guitarbassbuild.co.uk

You will find pages relating to each course with additional information. 

1740929801_crowd_funder_banner_alan_lush_lp.jpg








Reasons for Crowdfunding


My goal is to relaunch and improve the Manchester Guitar and Bass Building Academy. I believe that everyone should have the opportunity to build their own musical instrument. A musical instrument is very personal, and most musicians develop a strong connection with certain instruments. What could be better than building your own guitar that you've always wanted or creating something special, made by you, for yourself.

You will ensure that all the details are correct and that everything is done to the highest standard. I want to make building your guitar as simple and enjoyable as possible. Although it will require a lot of hard work to complete your guitar, the feeling of accomplishment when you play a guitar made by your own hands is like no other.

This Crowdfunder is for anyone who wants to take on the challenge of building their own guitar with help and support along the way. I would like to provide the best work environment, friendly and knowledgeable staff who are happy to offer advice and assistance, so you can make informed decisions and feel confident as you work through the tasks required to make your perfect instrument.

We are raising funds to assist with our move to new premises where we will be bringing you as much as we can, including videos, photographs, sound bites and more. We want to design courses that are accessible for all learning styles, and educate you about the instrument you are building. 

I want to create the best guitar building courses in the UK, and ultimately the world. Education will always be at the heart of what we do; we want to share with you our love and knowledge about the craft of building musical instruments.  

___________________________________________________________________


Entertainment


I've begun to document the process of setting up the guitar school and will be posting updates on the progress in my workshop. As I close the doors on my current workshop, I'm excited to create the best possible workspace for everyone to learn guitar building, maintenance, and other skills from the courses we offer. This is a new chapter in my life, and I'm dedicated to building the best workshop possible.

I really look forward to sharing our workshop and provide more demonstrations and tutorials online via social media. I'm starting to share my story today, and you can find me at the links below. 


Building School Pages

https://www.facebook.com/GuitarBassBuild

https://www.instagram.com/guitar_bass_build/

https://www.youtube.com/@GuitarBassBuild

Luthier Life Share Diary 

https://www.instagram.com/luthier.life/

https://www.youtube.com/@luthierlife

Twitter?

___________________________________________________________________


Education Experience


Our comprehensive courses prioritize education and cater to a wide range of learning styles, ensuring that every student receives top-quality instruction in the art of musical instrument building. We believe that a multi-faceted approach to teaching is key to fostering a deep understanding of the craft.

To achieve this, we combine a variety of instructional methods, including hands-on demonstrations, detailed explanations, and clear, written instructions and diagrams. This multifaceted approach not only accommodates different learning styles but also reinforces understanding and promotes successful project completion. By providing students with the knowledge, skills, and support they need, we empower them to confidently embark on their musical instrument building journey and achieve their desired outcomes.

___________________________________________________________________


Guitar Building School and Workshop


I'm an active musical instrument repairman and builder, working for many high-level artists. I'm transitioning to focus on a guitar building school to share my decades of experience, while continuing to work as a luthier. I'm also developing a unique guitar model that pushes the boundaries of modern design and technology.

Funds will be used to create a dedicated guitar building school and workshop:

  • Provide jigs and equipment for building courses
  • Create safe and efficient workflows
  • Design a teaching space optimized for learning and building
  • Train new staff
  • Document and share progress through video updates

The school will enable students to build their own instruments while learning advanced guitar construction techniques. It will also support the development and production of my unique guitar model.

By supporting this project, you're investing in the future of guitar craftsmanship and helping to establish a new hub for learning and innovation.

1740929700_crowd_funder_banner_ed_custom.jpg

___________________________________________________________________


Safety and First Aid


Safety is our top priority. We collaborate with industry experts and experienced professionals to develop comprehensive safety protocols and procedures for using all tools and machinery. We provide hands-on training and supervision to ensure that all participants understand potential hazards and operate equipment safely.

All staff will maintain up-to-date first aid certifications to ensure immediate and appropriate responses to any health and safety incidents during the courses.

___________________________________________________________________

Thank you so much for coming by; we're incredibly passionate at bringing the academy back to life and can't wait to start welcoming students through our doors as soon as possible!

Or enter custom amount

Rewards

This project offers rewards in return for your donation. Please select a reward below.

£30 or more

0 of 50 claimed

Book a place on our instrument Day Set Up Course

This reward is a deposit for one of our instrument set up courses. The normal cost of the course will be £150. With this reward you will get the course at a reduced rate of £130; £30 Crowdfunder deposit then £100 payable before the course starts. You'll receive not only the reduced rate, but also priority pick of slots on our One Day Instrument Set Up Course where you'll learn all of the skills to maintain your instrument to a high standard

£30 or more

1 of 50 claimed

Pedal Building Course

This reward is a deposit for one of our pedal build courses. The normal cost of the course will be £150. With this reward you will get the course at a reduced rate of £130; £30 Crowdfunder deposit then £100 payable before the course starts. You'll receive not only the reduced rate, but also priority pick of slots on our FX Pedal Building course where you'll learn to solder, drill, troubleshoot and test a fuzz pedal.

£45 or more

1 of 50 claimed

Fret Stone and Set up Course

This reward is a deposit for one of our 2 day instrument set up courses. The normal cost of the course will be £300. With this reward you will get the course at a reduced rate of £260; £45 Crowdfunder deposit then £215 payable before the course starts. You'll receive not only the reduced rate, but also priority pick of slots on our Two Day Instrument Set Up Course. This includes all the One Day Set Up Course, plus deep dives into fretwork.

£45 or more

1 of 50 claimed

Acoustic Set up New Bone Nut and Intonated Saddle

This reward is a deposit for one of our 2 day acoustic set up courses. The normal cost of the course will be £300. With this reward you will get the course at a reduced rate of £260; £45 Crowdfunder deposit then £215 payable before the course starts. You'll receive not only the reduced rate, but also priority pick of slots on our Acoustic Course where you'll learn maintenance including replacing the saddle and nut with high quality bone parts.

£100 or more

0 of 12 claimed

Modern Construction Instrument Building Course

Previously our instrument build courses experienced incredibly high levels of demand. This deposit works as a priority booking for our Modern Construction Instrument Building Course. The total cost of the course is £1500; £100 paid through Crowdfunder £1400 payable before the course starts. You'll learn how to use modern building techniques to build a high quality Stratocaster, Telecaster, P bass or Jazz bass build under our expert tutelage.

£125 or more

0 of 12 claimed

Vintage Construction Building Course Booking

Previously our instrument build courses experienced incredibly high levels of demand. This deposit works as a priority booking for our Vintage Construction Instrument Building Course. The total cost of the course is £2400; £125 paid through Crowdfunder £2275 payable before the course starts. You'll learn how to use vintage building techniques to build a high quality Stratocaster, Telecaster, P bass or Jazz bass build under our expert tutelage.

£150 or more

0 of 8 claimed

Carved Top Set Neck Construction Building Course

Previously our instrument build courses experienced incredibly high levels of demand. This deposit works as a priority booking for our Set Neck Construction Instrument Building Course. The total cost of the course is £2700; £150 paid through Crowdfunder £2550 payable before the course starts. You'll learn how to build a top quality carved top set neck Les Paul style guitar under our expert tutelage.

£200 or more

0 of 1 claimed

One-off Custom Dream Build to your specifications

This is your opportunity to utilise our decades of experience to build your dream guitar. You will have priority access to our master luthier who will talk you through the design and cost of the guitar built to your specifications. After that, you'll be taught all of the skills needed to craft your instrument, advised on the best techniques and closely supervised to ensure that you get the most from building and playing your dream guitar.

Show your support

Payment and personal details are protected