Art of the Archtop
A Unique opportunity to work one-on-one with a world-class luthier, Wyatt Wilkie Sign up todayArt of the Archtop
A Unique opportunity to work one-on-one with a world-class luthier, Wyatt Wilkie Sign up todayView TestimonialsAbout The Course
If you have dreamed of building an archtop guitar but were afraid you lacked the tools or skill, now is your chance to learn from a master. With Wyatt’s Art of the Archtop course, you will have the unique opportunity to work one-on-one with a world-class luthier.
Wyatt will guide you as you plane, chisel, rout and feel your way through the process of building your very own archtop.
About the Comox Valley
Wyatt’s shop is set in the heart of the Comox Valley, close to the sea and mountains of mid-Vancouver Island. In nearby Courtenay, Cumberland, and Comox, you will find a variety of shops and restaurants catering to every taste.
The Valley is home to many wineries and plays host to musical and cultural festivals throughout the year. Students are responsible for finding their own transportation and accommodation.
Please contact us for more information on how to get to the Comox Valley and how to locate accommodation.
Contact Us
The cost of the course is USD $5,500 and includes all of your wood and basic hardware. Students are responsible for procuring their own case.
We look forward to working with you, contact us today to arrange a time to get started.
(250) 871-4329
Jakes Booth Journey through the Master Class
View this detailed journey from start to finish via his blog.
Day 1
- Cut sides to size and sand to thickness
- Make end blocks
- Bend sides and clamp in form
- Make kerfed lining strips
Day 2
- Glue linings to rim
- Make neck blank
- Rout groove for truss rod
Day 3
- Continue work on neck blank
- Rout dovetail in neck
- Rout ledge for fingerboard extension
- Glue ears to headstock
- Install truss rod and cover with wood gusset
Day 5
- Carve inside surfaces of top and back plates
- Drill depth reference holes
- Carve, plane and scrape to shape
- Cut soundhole in top plate
Day 6
- Carving/scraping to refine contours of both plates
Day 7
- Prepare material for bindings and X-brace
- Bend binding for guitar rim and sound hole
- Mark and cut braces to conform to top plate contour
- Sand braces to final fit then cut X-joint and glue in place
Day 8
- Glue back plate to rim
- Shape braces on top plate
- Coat inside surfaces with shellac
- Glue top to rim
- Slot fretboard
- Rout plate edges flush with rim
- Sand and scrape sides
- Rout grove for binding
- Install, tape and glue binding
- This was a long day but with good progress as the component parts are assembled. The back plate is glued to the rim and while the glue is drying on that the X-brace is shaped
Day 9
- Remove binding tape
- Wipe top and back with damp paper towel to relieve compression dimples
- Scrape bindings and blend into recurves on plates
- Cut taper dovetail mortise in body
- Plane fretboard to 12 in. radius
Day 10
- Thickness and taper back of headstock
- Make tailpiece
- Shape neck dovetail
- First fit neck to body
- Carve neck
- Scrape sand body and binding
- Refine neck/body fit
- Install frets
- Drill holes for tuners
- Glue neck to body
Wyatt Wilkie hand-builds around a dozen archtop guitars and mandolins per year in his small workshop on the coast of Vancouver Island where he has lived for several years with his wife, Emily and two children Jasper and Linnea. He considers himself lucky to have finally arrived at such a beautiful place to live and work after a lengthy and unpredictable journey.
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(250) 871-4329
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A nice shot of Tony DeCaprio with the guitar I made for him.
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A busy corner of the shop.
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Making progress on this 14" archtop guitar with neck joining the body at the 15th fret.
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Some soundholes.
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#jazzguitarist #curlymaple #clarowalnut #archtopguitars
A tale of two finishes.
The guitar was finished by my friend Matt Eady @eadyguitars. I can't imagine a better nitrocellulose lacquer finish. His work is astonishing. I have been enjoying our collaboration for the last couple years.
The mandolin is a French polish finish I'm working on. There was a time over several years I french polished all my instruments but in recent years I have become increasingly sensitive to chemicals of any kind so I will have to give this up now as well. I suppose it's possible I will be able to get back to it one day.
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A new 17" Paramount getting ready to go out into the world.
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Slow and steady (with a bit of @eadyguitars finishing magic thrown in!)
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Getting several custom archtop guitars to the same stage. Gonna be some serious neck-fitting!
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#soundport #luthiery #jazzguitarist
My fancy neck-carving jig.
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A pair of Florentines.
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Back to work after taking nearly a month off. I needed it.
Getting the 5-course mandocello ready for neck-fitting.
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I used a couple different shades of pearl and painted on a bit of ruby shellac for shading.
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After levelling the binding I use a scraper to blend it in with the recurve area.
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Tape and bands are off but there is much cleanup to do.
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#handcarved #handplanes
I just really like shaving them down.
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Paul Zarzyski's mandolin.
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Keeping it clean.
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Putting the pieces together.
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Some custom guitars get names.
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A busy week of binding with curly maple and walnut.
I steam bend the binding and purfling using a hot pipe which is also used for bending the sides.
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