I am available on a consulting basis to problem-solve, give advice, render opinions, and give whatever guidance I can in the matter of guitar construction.

In the past I’ve offered an annual week-long class on the subject of The Principles and Practice of Voicing the Guitar.  I have postponed these classes, for an as-yet-undefined period of time.  This will be a disappointment to a good handful of people, but I see no other alternative at this point, given other factors in my life.

For some years now my classes have been far from full.  I’ve had quite a few classes with only two or three students.  I had one with four.  But I really want to have six.  That is a much better arrangement from the standpoint of interactions, question-and-answer sessions, problem-solving, looking-over-the-next-person’s-shoulder as we do the hands-on exercises, and the sharing of views and opinions.

The problem has not so much been the cost as it has been the inconveniences of scheduling.  Different people can only come during certain months or times of the year, but not others.  And I cannot offer the class several times a year.  But whatever the cause, the result is that the classes are a net loss for me at a time when I cannot take such efforts on.

Another part of this mix is I’ve gotten very busy with guitars to make, and am so far behind schedule that I cannot afford the time each class takes.  It requires about a week of preparation beforehand, then the class is nine days long, and then it takes me a week to recover my energies. In the meantime, my students and I take over the shop and nothing else gets done.  It really is costly in terms of time . . . not to mention the hour of weekly emailing and communication that must be dealt with between classes; over the course of a year that adds up to fifty hours at the computer.  All in all, having classes that are only half full really works against me.