3 Weeks Guitar & Bass Building Course in Paris
Description
Build your own Strat, Tele, Jazz Bass, or Precision Bass — from raw wood to fully assembled instrument — in just 3 weeks.
Join Belforti Instruments for an intensive, hands-on lutherie course in our Paris workshop. Under expert guidance, you’ll shape, route, carve, fret, finish, and wire your own guitar or bass from premium woods and components. Choose your model and personalize your build with fretboard material, hardware color, and optional pickup upgrades.
🔧 You’ll learn:
– Routing, neck shaping, truss rod install
– Fretwork: slotting, leveling, crowning, polishing
– Satin polyurethane finishing
– Wiring and electronics
– Full setup: action, intonation, tuning stability
🎸 Includes:
– All wood, hardware, templates, and finishing materials
– Use of professional tools (or bring your own)
– Optional 3-day upgrade: custom inlay + fret tang concealment
📍 Based in Paris – max 3 students per session
🛠️ No experience required – motivation and focus essential
Pairs well with
3 Weeks Guitar & Bass Building Course in Paris
If you have any questions, you are always welcome to contact us. We'll get back to you as soon as possible, within 24 hours on weekdays.
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Join the Belforti Lutherie School
3-Week Electric Guitar & Bass Build Program
This intensive three-week program teaches you how to build a full electric guitar or bass completely from scratch. No kits, no shortcuts — you start with raw wood blanks and finish with a fully playable, professionally assembled instrument made with your own hands. Using Belforti templates and a clean, structured workflow, you’ll learn body routing, neck carving, fret installation, finishing, electronics, and setup.
Supervised closely, you progress through every major operation of modern lutherie, learning not onlyhowto do each step, butwhyit matters.
Clear pacing, safe methods, and premium guidance make this one of the most complete short-format lutherie build programs available in Europe.
Machining
Students begin with raw alder and maple blanks, learning to transform them into precise body and neck components using professional templates and jigs. Key steps include routing the body outline, pickup cavities, neck pocket, and drilling hardware holes. You’ll install a truss rod, glue a fretboard, and shape a headstock — with select CNC operations demonstrated for critical precision tasks like tuner hole alignment. Safety and technique are emphasized throughout to build confident, efficient work habits.
Finishing
You’ll sand each surface to a clean, consistent grain, prep the wood with sealer, and apply a satin polyurethane finish. This thin, durable topcoat enhances both look and feel without slowing down your workflow. You’ll learn to handle drying times, scuff-sanding, and final buffing — all while preserving clarity of grain and feel of the neck. The result is a smooth, modern finish that balances protection and tactile comfort.
Assembly
Once components are shaped and finished, you’ll move into final fit and alignment. You’ll install tuning machines, bridges, pickguards, and neck joints with care and accuracy. Electronics are soldered cleanly and grounded correctly, following standard Strat, Tele, JB or PB wiring. Every detail — screw placement, cavity shielding, strap button position — is covered to ensure a complete, professional instrument.
Setup
In the final phase, you’ll learn how to adjust and dial in your instrument for optimal playability. Truss rod relief, action height, nut slot depth, and intonation are all addressed step by step, along with pickup height calibration. You’ll test, refine, and correct until your instrument feels and sounds right. This final pass is where craft becomes performance — and where you feel your own build come to life.
A True Full-Build Experience
This course is far beyond a kit assembly. You won’t be gluing together pre-machined parts — you’ll be routing cavities, carving neck profiles, and sanding your way to a finish you can be proud of. We’ve structured the build to guarantee success, using tried-and-true Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jazz Bass, and Precision Bass formats, while allowing enough room for personal input and individual feel.
Here is how this course is different :
- all essential operations are taught,
- nothing is rushed,
- you build safely,
- and you finish on time, because the templates, materials, and workflow are specifically engineered for teaching high-quality, first-time full builds.
You get the full satisfaction of shaping wood, routing cavities, carving a neck, installing frets, applying finish, wiring electronics — and leaving with a complete instrument you genuinely built yourself.
What You'll Learn
Throughout the course, you’ll acquire professional-level techniques, including:
- Routing the body and neck from blanks using jigs and templates
- Truss rod installation and fretboard assembly
- Neck carving, body contour shaping, and ergonomic profiling
- Fret slotting, fret installation, leveling, crowning and polishing
- Polyurethane satin finishing with sealing and buffing steps
- Wiring and soldering of standard guitar/bass electronics
- Final assembly, stringing, intonation and complete setup
- Introduction to CNC processes for precision parts like tuner holes and truss rod channels
You’ll not only build a guitar — you’ll understand how and why guitars are built the way they are, and how geometry, material, and feel all interact to create a great instrument.
What You’ll Build
Each instrument is built using premium materials and smart structural design. You’ll start with:
- A raw alder body blank, already rough-cut to the classic shape
- A maple neck blank paired with your choice of fretboard
- Premium hardware (tuner set, bridge, control plate) and electronics
- Polyurethane satin finish with a clean, modern feel
You’ll leave with a fully assembled, finished and professionally set-up guitar or bass, ready for stage or studio — and made by your own hands.
What You Can Personalize
You’ll work from a clean, professional base — but still leave your mark. Each participant chooses from:
- Instrument model: Strat, Tele, Jazz Bass or Precision Bass
- Fretboard material: Maple or Rosewood
- Hardware finish: Chrome, black, or gold
- Pickguard and control plate look: Optional variations
- Strings and pickups: Bring your preferred set if you like (standard format only)
Hardware components — bridge, tuners, controls — are standardised for performance, compatibility and course pacing. But the final look and feel of your instrument is yours to define.
For those seeking a more boutique-level result, a 3-day extension adds:
- Hidden fret tangs for a perfectly clean fretboard edge
- A custom-designed inlay motif
- A more refined setup and final touch-up phase
This is ideal for students who want to push the finish and detail a step further without committing to a full custom program.
Week by Week Program
Week 1
Day 1 — Orientation & Lumber Prep
- Safety briefing
- Selecting body & neck blanks
- Jointing & planing (supervised)
- Template tracing
- Bandsaw rough-cutting
- Understanding grain behavior and machining strategy
Day 2 — Body Perimeter & Cavities
- Template alignment & clamping
- Routing body perimeter in passes
- Routing pickup cavities
- Routing control cavities
- Drilling output jack holes
- Routing neck pocket (tight-tolerance operation, supervised)
Day 3 — Neck Build (Part 1)
- Truss rod channel routing
- Truss rod installation
- Fingerboard prep & gluing
- Side dot drilling
- Fingerboard cleanup
Day 4 — Neck Build (Part 2)
- Rough neck outline cutting
- Headstock thicknessing & shaping
- Carving the neck profile (rasps, spokeshaves, scrapers)
- Heel shaping & transitions
Day 5 — Body Contours & Sanding Prep
- Forearm contour
- Belly cut
- Edge roundover
- Sanding workflow (80 → 120 → 180 grit)
- Neck refinement
Week 2
Day 6 — Fret Installation
- Cleaning fret slots
- Cutting & prepping fretwire
- Installing frets (hammer or press)
- End trimming
- First levelling pass if required
Day 7 — Neck Final Carving & Sanding
- Profile refinement
- Transition smoothing
- Headstock detailing
- High-grit sanding (220 → 320)
Day 8 — Final Sanding & Surface Prep
- Body & neck sanding complete (180 → 240 → 320)
- Raising grain, inspection
- Masking cavities and pocket
Day 9 — Satin Finish Application
- Single-coat satin finish application (oil/PU depending on your workflow)
- Handling, drying, and curing considerations
- Students work on electronics & hardware prep during drying phases
Day 10 — Hardware Drilling & Alignment
- Bridge alignment and drilling
- Neck mounting hole prep
- Tuner holes
- Pickguard and control plate fit
- Shielding (if required)
- Strap button installation
Week 3
Day 11 — Electronics Module
- Soldering fundamentals
- Wiring Strat, Tele, JB, or PB layouts
- Grounding and shielding logic
- Continuity testing
- Debugging
Day 12 — Assembly (Part 1)
- Tuner installation
- Neck installation
- Bridge installation
- Pickguard wiring integration
- Control plate setup
Day 13 — Assembly (Part 2)
- Full dry fit
- Adjusting hardware alignment
- Fret polishing sequence
- Nut slot shaping (light refinement)
- First string-up
Day 14 — Professional Setup
- Truss rod adjustment
- Action and bridge height
- Intonation
- Pickup height tuning
- Feel optimisation & mechanical stability checks
Day 15 — Final QC & Delivery
- Satin finish touch-ups
- Final cleanup & playability check
- High-quality photographs
- Certificate of completion
- Debriefing & next steps for continued learning
Course Details
Price
2500€ - 3000€
*+Optional Belforti Tool Kit
3D Printed Neck Rest Offered
Who it’s for
This program is designed for serious beginners, hobbyists, musicians, and aspiring luthiers alike. No prior woodworking experience is necessary — just patience, motivation, and an interest in the instrument-making process. If you’ve ever wanted to understand your guitar at a deeper level — how it plays, how it resonates, and how it's actually built — this course will take you there.
It’s also the ideal preparation for those planning to continue into the 6-Week Custom Experience, where creative design and complex builds take center stage.
Location
Belforti Instruments Manufacture
Greater Paris area
41bis rue des Mazurières - 92500 Rueil-Malmaison
Schedule
- Duration: 3 weeks (Monday–Friday)
- Daily Hours: 9:30 AM – 5:30 PM (approx)
- Max 3 participants per session
- Full-time, hands-on format
Breaks & Lunch
- 1-hour lunch break daily
- Coffee/tea and water available
- Bring your own lunch or use nearby cafés
What’s Provided
- All wood (alder, maple, rosewood/maple fingerboard)
- Templates, fixtures, finishing materials
- Hardware, electronics, and tools (if no personal kit)
What to Bring
All essential wood, hardware, jigs and finishing materials are provided. However, participants must come prepared to work in a professional environment. You’ll need:
- Workshop-safe clothing and closed footwear
- Hearing protection (muffling earmuffs recommended)
- Your own basic lutherie tool kit (strongly recommended), or leave a deposit to borrow from the school
- Optional: your own pickups, strings, or cosmetic components (compatible with provided templates only)
A recommended tool kit is available for purchase, containing StewMac essentials — fret files, cutters, action gauge, soldering basics — enabling you to continue work beyond the course.
Duration & Group Size
15 working days — 2 to 3 participants.
Add-On: 3-Day Premium Upgrade
Optional final phase includes:
- hidden fret tangs (clean edge finish)
- custom fretboard inlay
- extra fine detailing and touch-up setup
Disclaimer
This is an intensive course designed for motivated participants, but successful completion of a playable instrument depends on your individual pace, precision, and focus. While the process and guidance are structured to ensure realistic outcomes,we cannot guarantee that every participant will fully complete their instrument within the 3-week timeframe. Prior experience is not required, but attention to detail, patience, and consistent daily effort are essential. Make sure you understand the physical and mental demands of this course before committing — and don’t hesitate to contact us with questions.
FAQs
Do I need any prior experience?
Not at all. The course is built for focused beginners and musicians who want to understand their instrument. All techniques are taught step by step.
Will I really finish a guitar in 3 weeks?
Most students do — but completion depends on your pace and precision. We provide structure, tools, and support, but your commitment is key.
What if I don’t have my own tools?
You can bring your own or rent a kit with a refundable deposit. Tool purchase is strongly recommended for continued work post-course.
Can I customize my build?
Yes, within reason. You can choose the model (Strat/Tele/JB/PB), fretboard wood, hardware color, and bring your own pickups or strings (standard layout only). Templates, hardware specs, and wood species are fixed to ensure smooth progress.
Where does the course take place?
At Belforti Instruments’ manufacture in Rueil-Malmaison, 30mns from downtown Paris, accessible via metro.
Is there a certificate or takeaway?
Yes — you’ll leave with a fully playable guitar or bass (if completed), a printed spec sheet, a certificate of completion, and a deep working knowledge of modern lutherie.