Utah School of Guitar Making

"My experience in taking the guitar building class has been nothing short of life changing! I am currently in the middle of a tandem build (2 guitars), which I highly recommend. Building 2 guitars in sync helps reiterate each step in the building process. An obvious bonus is that I’ll have 2 really nice heirloom quality guitars once I’m done! I want to address the negative google reviews, since like other prospective students I was taken aback by the negativity they exuded. From my personal experience, I can assure you the negative reviews are bogus! I looked at other reviews left by these individuals, for other businesses & services, and noticed that the vast majority were negative and extremely petty and critical. That should tell you something about the people who left those negative reviews. In reading through all the positive reviews, which are numerous, I can attest that they are honest and accurate. Justin Leslie is the real deal. We are extremely lucky to have him here in Utah, and for his stellar knowledge, expertise, patience, and teaching ability. When you send an inquiry about taking the class, please keep in mind this is a small business. If Justin takes a little while to respond, it is very likely that he is heavily engaged with his students and is devoting his time to them. Rest assured that when you take the class, he will be there with you every step of the way, ensuring your success. He is very kind, patient, and knowledgeable. I have never seen him get flustered, and I have almost zero experience with woodworking or using power tools. As others have said, he is very interested in helping you learn and have a good experience. However, if there is a step you are uncomfortable with, he is more than happy to jump in and help. I look forward to each day I get to build. It has been very therapeutic for me. I’ve considered doing basic woodworking in the past, making basic furniture, etc. I’m much more excited though to build guitars that will inspire me to play, create, and share music with others. I can’t personally think of a hobby that would bring me more joy than this! I plan on doing more USGM builds with Justin after the first two, so I can continue to learn and grow in my new hobby as an amateur luthier. Something else that Justin offers, as mentioned in another review, is help with obtaining the tools to set up your own lutherie shop if that is of interest to you. To me, this is yet another sign of how much he cares about his students, and wants them to be successful in whatever path they choose! This has been an amazing experience for me, and I hope to build many amazing guitars for many years to come! Thanks Justin!"

"Justin works fast, is very knowledgeable and has reasonable prices. He had my classical guitar set up and playing better than the previous tech I went to. Overall great experience."

"We did a mom and son build with Justin during Covid. It was truly a memorable experience and we completed two beautiful looking and incredible sounding guitars. Justin is passionate about everything guitar, playing, teaching, building and restoration. He is super nice and knowledgeable, his shop setup is amazing with dedicated tools for even the smallest task. We are both very detail oriented and we were a bit apprehensive when we signed up as neither of us had more than very basic woodworking experience and didn’t want to end up with substandard instruments. We shouldn’t have worried, Justin walked us through every step. His tone wood selection is excellent. We did the Master build with some additional upgrades: My son’s dread naught is bird’s eye maple back and sides, cedar top with snake wood bindings and for my OM I used Brazilian rosewood back and sides, German spruce top with ebony bindings. He had lots of fun exotic woods as well as traditional choices. It did take a bit longer to complete the build than we originally expected but the end result was worth the time invested. Justin worked really hard to insure we had a positive experience even when things didn’t go quite as expected. We used the few bumps as learning opportunities and shared our thoughts and suggestions. Justin is very open to feedback as he wants to learn how to improve the experience for future students. We definitely would recommend the experience at USGM and would consider doing it again!"

"As a gift from my wife, the opportunity to build a guitar with Utah School of Guitar Making was an amazing experience. It was a surprise for Christmas and my wife was very impressed with how they handled the secret on their end. It was successfully pulled of in the end as I opened the certificate and found that I was presented the chance I’ve been talking about for years since I first found USGM. Communication was excellent leading up to scheduling and planning my build. When I showed up the first day, I was met by Justin. He introduced himself and took time to show me around the shop. I was Immediately impressed with his vast knowledge and calm demeanor, and I felt instant comfort looking forward to the days ahead. USGM’s wood selection is vast and mind boggling but Justin had pulled some sets out for me to look at that he felt i would like from our previous conversations. I looked at a couple of the options he had pulled and sure enough in the 2 or 3 he had set out, there was “THE ONE”!I knew it was THE ONE as I had butterflies and literal goosebumps! I was impressed over the next few days with Justin’s ingenuity as my guitar quickly came together. We used traditional luthier tools but also the many tools, jigs, and devices that Justin has designed and built himself! I appreciated the way he demonstrated each step and ensured I was comfortable and capable of performing it, then allowed me to go to work only ever being a “Hey Justin” away if any question, concerns or ideas popped up. I am kind of a perfectionist so I had a lot of “Hey Justin” moments and every time he patently took the time to quail any and all I had. My guitar came together beautifully in both sound and sight! I still get goosebumps when i see It. The sound is second to none! USGM and Justin have mastered the art of making phenomenal guitars and the ability to share the art with others. Anyone with a desire can make an heirloom that gets better as it’s passed through the generations. My kids have been arguing about who will get this when I kick the bucket! My only concern, and one I think many other USGM students will agree, is that I need more vacation from work because this is absolutely not my last build! In fact, as soon as I had all my woods and appointments picked out and started putting it together, I was already thinking about making another! USGM showed me that making my own dream guitar is a once in a life time opportunity! Thank you USGM! B.J. Byram"

"This is an update from my first post on making my first guitar. Since then I've made 2 more - a dreadnought and a classical. What an incredible experience. I had next to zero finish wood working experience when I started this course. But my 3 guitars look and sound incredible (I said humbly). And I am now going on to build my own guitars at home. I've gained that much confidence and ability! Justin has been incredible to work with. He is extremely knowledgeable, patient and instructive. He wants to teach you EVERYTHING! I mentioned in my first review that I almost didn't take the course because of bad reviews. What a missed opportunity that would have been. THANK YOU Justin!! What a ride!"