A COURSE TO CREATE YOUR GUITAR

I prefer to inform you that I no longer have any availability to host interns at the moment.

The Kopo workshop welcomes you to build your instrument under my direction.

I founded the workshop in 1988, manufactured several hundred guitars since then, and welcomed dozens of trainees who are amateur guitar makers; I also trained over the long term, through apprenticeship, a few luthiers who are now professionals.

Violin making is a very beautiful profession, but it is made up of multiple skills and therefore takes a long time to acquire; an internship of a few weeks will be an opportunity to discover it, but will not make you a professional capable of working for a clientele, neither in manufacturing nor even and especially in instrument repair.

I regularly encouraged creativity and freedom in the projects of the many trainees I received at the workshop, but I always avoided letting them make "copies" of my guitars; I hope you understand this reservation.

A design, manufacturing and finishing internship -

I suggest you create your “custom” instrument, according to your desires, their feasibility, and the time you can devote to it. the internship can last several weeks, continuous or discontinuous, and can be financed through a partnership with a training center; but it depends on your situation and your rights to training. Ist@ge training center approval.

I will support you in all phases of work, from design to finishing and assembly. My goal is for you to leave with an instrument that you like, that you will play, and that you will be proud of!

Your internship will last several weeks depending on the instrument project, the weeks not necessarily being consecutive - The dates will be fixed together - The internship can therefore be spread over several months -The workshop is located 15 minutes north of Rennes, Brittany. Several gîte accommodation options are available nearby.

How to do -

– Send me a message via the contact page giving me some information on the type of instrument you would like to build, your availability and any information you deem useful.

Estimate of your internship project -

– For supervision, tools and small equipment, the fixed cost is €850 per week.

– The materials, wood, fittings, possible microphones, will be evaluated in advance depending on the intended instrument.

As an indication, here are some notions of time and cost -

For electrical instruments:

– The creation of a “solid-body” guitar (or bass) can take between 2 weeks for a very simple model, and 3 to 4 weeks for a more sophisticated model.
– The cost of materials can be quite reasonable, often between €100 and €200 for the woods, neck body and fingerboard.
– The hardware, microphones and possible electronics can represent a budget ranging from 300 to 1000 €.

For an acoustic or box instrument:
– The creation of an acoustic instrument is more complex and will require much more time for a beginner, between 4 and 6 weeks.
– The cost of supplies, soundboard, background & sides, neck and fingerboard can start around €300.