Gallery
TL Style (Ash Top)
$799.00 inc. GST
Our TL Style (Ash Top) guitar making course features a classic vintage model with an amazing Ash Burl Top.
*Please select the Saturday of the Weekend you would like to do the course.
Description
Features
Joint: Bolt-on
Body: Basswood With Ash Top
Neck: Maple
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Tuning Machines: Chrome Die-cast
Scale Length: 25.5″
Fret: 22
Control: 1V, 1T, 3-Way Selector
Pickups: S-S
Hardware: Chrome
Bridge: Tele Type
Pickguard: 3-Ply Black Pickguard
Ian Peters (verified owner) –
I went into this workshop with high expectations, and Wildwood Instruments still managed to exceed them. From the moment I arrived, it was clear this was going to be a hands-on, properly immersive experience rather than just a demo with some token soldering.
What really stood out for me was how much I learned about the setup process — adjusting action, intonation, and truss rod tension in a way that finally made sense. The session on dressing and polishing the frets was a highlight; I’d never appreciated how much of a difference properly levelled and polished frets make to playability until I did it myself.
Nick’s teaching style deserves a special mention. He’s patient, clearly knowledgeable, and has a knack for explaining things in a way that builds your confidence rather than overwhelming you. If you’re even remotely curious about building your own guitar, I can’t recommend this workshop highly enough.
Ken –
Thank you Nick for a great weekend where we built, upgraded and set up our guitars that we will play this weekend!
Great experience where we learnt a lot and came out at the end with a working instrument. Pretty sure we’ll be back to do it again!
Dennis (verified owner) –
Thanks Nick for such a great weekend. Your patience, knowledge and playlist was A1. So happy with how the guitar came out. Can’t wait to gig it. Will be back to do another one soon.
Steve Kelly (verified owner) –
What a great weekend! Neil is a fantastic, passionate and patient teacher. Enjoyed the whole process of the build. Setting up the finished guitar was great and a fantastic skill to learn for the future. Very happy with the finished guitar. Love it to bits. It settled down great and sounds better that I ever expected. Will be back for more.
Andrew C (verified owner) –
The guitar building course was a very rewarding experience. There’s a bit of work involved, as you’d expect, but you come out the other end very proud of the instrument you built. You spend 2 days on your feet (10-5), so it’s a bit tiring, but you don’t notice that you’re tired during the day because the course is so engaging. There’s plenty to do, so there’s no time for stuffing around. Consider staying locally so that you have time to rest after the work days. (Then you’ll have time to visit the Hepburn Springs Brewing Company, which is a great place!)
It’s located in a lovely rural setting. Plenty of room for parking and only about 300m of dirt road to deal with. There’s a communal fridge to store drinks etc. To go to the Hepburn Springs General Store for lunch is only a 7 minute drive.
I learned heaps about wiring and setup, and I got to see the real difference a good setup makes. The course is limited to 4 participants, so you get a fair bit of one-on-one time from Nick if you need help. Each workstation has a full complement of tools, so there’s no waiting for someone to finish with something.
You could be forgiven for thinking that a kit guitar would be a bit cheap and nasty. I selected the Telecaster with the Ash top, and was presented with a stunning burl/quilt top. I was going to do the Tele in the traditional butterscotch/blonde colour, but also considered doing something blue. As soon as I saw this Ash top, I had to do the blue, and it really popped. Given that you only have 2 days, the finish on the guitar is achieved by staining, oiling and buffing. The 2-day course is not enough time to achieve a high gloss lacquer style finish, and if you’re expecting that from a 2-day course, well it’s time to come back to reality. Nonetheless, the finish on the guitar is lovely, and also directly proportionate to the amount of effort you put in to sanding, oiling and buffing. The end result is the pleasure derived from touching something that feels so nice that you did yourself.
I didn’t select a decal, but one of the guys did and it actually looked great.
I selected every upgrade available, which I feel contributes greatly to the quality look and feel of the guitar. I was initially unsure about the Wilkinson pickups, but I did some research on them and ended up very happy with the choice. I have played a few USA Fender Tele’s, and my new one sounds just like what I was expecting. That bite/twang from the bridge pickup is unmistakable.
When the guitar is being set up, you spend a bit of time adjusting strings, and I broke a few. You might consider bringing your own set of quality strings to put on during the build. Nick has a selection of small solid-state amps to test that everything works, but they don’t give an idea of how good the Wilkinson pickups sound. When you get home and plug into your amp, it really sings.
I’ve come home with a new guitar that feels and sounds great, and I have a personal attachment to. I’m proud of what I achieved.
I thoroughly recommend this course as a treat for yourself, or a wonderful gift. I learned a lot, and it’s incredibly rewarding.
Kevin Hughes (verified owner) –
I just had a great weekend experience making my Tele.
It’s a well thought out course, with step by step guidance from Nick who has a wealth of knowledge he is happy to share.
I enjoyed the way we learnt from each other as anyone in the group asked questions we all gained the knowledge.
Highly recommended for beginner to advanced players who want to learn and understand their instrument and you take your hand made guitar home!
Thanks Nick. I’ll be back…………..
Mel (verified owner) –
Such a great weekend, no question was too silly, Nick is a great instructor, no question was too silly, and I learnt a bunch of stuff that I can use on my other guitars! As Molly would say ‘Do yourself a favour!’
Sean Carroll (verified owner) –
So much to like about this course.. Nick has a great setup, and the guidance level is great. I’ve learned a bunch of new skills, and feel very confident in being able to work on my own existing Instruments as well as build more.
My guitar has come up a treat – I’m very impressed with it, even if I do say so myself.
I highly recommend both the course and the Ash-burl TL kit course if you’re thinking about it.
Frank (verified owner) –
Had a great weekend putting together this guitar kit Nick took us through every step to make a orsum playing guitar.
Best is you learn how to set it up to play beautifully and can use the knowledge to set up all your guitars if you have more.
Thanks again Nick
Russell Edwards (verified owner) –
I had a great time making my guitar with Nick. He showed me the how and and explained the why. Everything was at our finger tips. A great weekend and learnt so much. Thanks Nick. Cheers Russell