Official Luthiers Forum!

At the end of every semester we have an open house for everyone to talk about and show off their projects. Here are some pics from this semester. About thirty guitars were built in the course this time.
Thanks for looking.

What a huge accomplishment! Robbie, you have to be very proud!

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Robbie--

That is quite a lineup for a graduating class. Very, very impressive! Kudo's to your teaching talent and your patience!

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Jim Howell
Charlotte, NC

Robbie that`s fantastic.I myself have learned more about guitar building from your dvd`s than from any other source.Your talents and generosity are greatly appreciated.
James W Bolan

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

I have no idea how you do it.

Congratulations to you and your students!

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

Very cool Robbie! Are the guitars on display typically a student's first? That is a lot of students in one year -- impressive and some very nice looking guitars as well.

Fantastic accomplishment, Robbie! Congratulations!

What does the average first time builder do upon completing the course?

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

That must make you feel pretty good Robbie! Congratulations!!

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

No female students this time?

WOW! Thank you James!

The majority of the people sign up for the class again and build another one. One of my steel string classes for Fall semester is already half full.
A small percentage of students actually begin to tool up and begin equiping their own shops. The local Woodcraft and Rockler's love my students. As most of us know here, this is a very addicting hobby. You can't build just one. I have some students that are building guitar number five and six with me.

Just one Hesh. She is also one of my teaching assistants.
She even has her own website now. http://www.k2guitars.com/

Yes, the majority of the guitars you see are first guitars. There are a few second and third guitars mixed in there too. These are good examples of a first guitar from the course.
You can look at my classes page on my website to see these guitar and their makers. http://www.obrienguitars.com/?page_id=11&px=%2FSpring+08%2F

Thank you Howard. I couldn't do it without my teaching assitants. I have a couple of assistants for each class I teach. It is an actual paid position too. The assitants are chosen from past students that have excelled at their work, have great personalities and want to help others learn the craft.

Great shots and guitars and not a dreadnought amongst them

Having worked with and for Robbie, and having been a student of his more than once as well (he taught me to build steel strings), I can safely say that he is a GREAT teacher and a wonderful person. He is patient, caring, motivating, and intelligent. I can't believe how many students finished their guitars this semester. And there are some pretty cool guitars in that bunch. Way to go, Mr. O'Brien!!!

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Mike

"The Dude abides. I don't know about you but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there. The Dude. Takin' 'er easy for all us sinners. Shoosh." The Stranger

Robbie, That's amazing. So many guitars produced in one semester, it must be a great feeling when so many students successfully finish their guitar--you're a pioneer in teaching. What a great career you have made for yourself, and in a beautiful part of the country, I lived around the red rocks area in the early 80's when I was in grad school at CSM. Congratulations.

Some interesting rosettes on a couple of those classicals.

Ditto! Way to go Robbie, glad to see so many guitars finished in one semester! It really is a testament of your great teaching. Keep up the great work!

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Tracy
http://www.luthiersuppliers.com

Robbie teaching a class and getting 30 guitars built in one semester is wonderfully amazing. How did you do it? If you came out with another DVD on how to teach guitar building, I'd add that to the other three O'Brien DVDs I already have!

Pat

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There are three kinds of people:

Those that make things happen,
those that watch things happen,
and those that wondered what happened.

I have great teaching assistants and that really helps! Other than that it is just gettin' down to business to get 'er done.
When summer rolls around I am definitely ready for summer break. Looks like I already have 12 students signed up for my Fall classes and we don't even start til the end of August. I have created a monster!!

Very very cool Robbie. I'd love to teach a course some day. Perhaps when I feel I've actually really grasped everything I need to fully understand in order to do that.

Hey...I hear you met Joe the clockmaker.......? It's a small world!
He's helped me a ton with my cnc project.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

hahaha! Actually there are some really nice projects coming out of the school. Some have even been featured in Fine Woodworking magazine but you are right... there is really no comparison between having a guitar or a honey dipper at the end of the semester.

yes, I met him at the Colorado Woodworkers Guild meeting last night. They asked me to come talk about my guitar building courses at also do a demo on French polishing.