Utah School of Guitar Making — Local services in Mapleton

I was looking at guitar listings on KSL classifieds and saw a guitar building school. I was so excited for the opportunity to build a guitar as I love building projects and I started playing guitar a year ago. So I called Justin Leslie and left a message. I received no call back. I waited 2 days and tried again - no response. I messaged him on facebook - no response. 3 days later he finally responded and I arranged to meet him on January 4th. He charges $1000 for a basic build and $1200 for a master build. This is one of his many tricks in which he tries to squeeze more money out of you. I opted for the master build thinking it would save me in upgrades. Well I ended up spending another $155 in upgrades. I wish I would have just gone with the basic build and purchased the upgrades - I would have came out $45 ahead. Justin has you fill out a contract on day 1 that only favors him. I suggest that, anyone who chooses to use his service, renegotiate the contract to include a refund prorated on which days weren’t completed or at any time he will end the contract and not refund any money.

Justin has you pick woods based on a scale of tone quality and appearance. I chose ziricote for the sides. I would have appreciated some guidance. Ziricote is brittle and is a poor choice for sides. Later I found out from a helpful apprentice named Caden that Wenge would have been a better choice as it bends better. When it came to bending the sides Justin the “Master Luthier” as he calls himself sprayed the Ziricote with water put it in the bending machine and it cracked. Any self-respecting craftsman would have apologized and started over with a different piece of wood. Not Justin, he referenced the rule “Trust Justin” squeezed some CLA on the crack, sanded it, and called it good. Well it isn’t good. Trust me Justin, that’s a flaw no one should tolerate. There is a crease on the outside where the crack is and on the inside it’s very obvious there is a crack there.

I had 2 weeks off work to finish the guitar. It’s supposed to take 7 days to build. Justin has difficulty making time or keeping a schedule. Rarely did we work on the guitar a full day. Twice Justin would shoo me out the door around noon promising to finish the rest of the work for the day by himself. Twice he didn’t do what he said he would do and ultimately canceled for that very reason on the last Friday of those 2 weeks (February 22) I had available to work on it which was very disappointing.

Justin tried to get me to pay him to finish the guitar. I told him that wasn’t what the experience is about and I also had little to no confidence that he would finish it in a timely manner if at all.

On the day I signed the contract (January 12) we left the end date open ended because I thought I would be cast in a musical which did happen. Justin said he would work with me. After failing to manage his time well during the 2 weeks I had available, I tried to reschedule for March he said he had no time available and told me I would need to pay a $50 late fee if it went longer than 3 months. I told him I would not tolerate paying a late fee as the delays during those two weeks were on his end. He finally agreed to let me start working on the guitar April 13.

At 10:30p April 12 he sends a text to cancel the appointment saying an out of town client came in and he wouldn’t be able to work with me. This is Justin’s modis operandi, he favors new clients over existing ones. Once he gets you to sign his contract, expect cancellations, delays, excuses, and not doing what he says he will do. I was very upset that he canceled on an appointment we scheduled a month in advance with short notice no less. I asked him to refund ½ of the $1200 so I could finish my half finished guitar elsewhere. I told him I would be giving him negative reviews. He then threatened to sue me for libel, refused to refund any money, and refused to work with me anymore.

As fun as this opportunity sounds, I strongly suggest you take the Acoustic Guitar building...

My husband loves music more than any person I have ever met. He isn't one for dabbling in anything. If he loves a subject, he knows everything about it. He hadn't had a guitar in many years but would always comment on how he loved playing the guitar and wouldn't it be nice to have one again...Enter Justin Leslie and Utah School of Guitar Making! I wanted to surprise him, so I worked with Justin on the beginnings of the choices for the guitar. But really I had no idea what my hubs might like. So decided to surprise him with the build, not the finished guitar. And I must say, I am so glad I did.

When I surprised my husband for his birthday that Justin was going to build a guitar for him, he was amazed, excited and quite honestly, a lot skeptical that there could be a Master Luthier living in our midst, teaching this craft to others. He just didn't believe that someone with that level of experience would be sharing his gift in this way. So when we went to Utah school of guitars to meet and discuss the build for the guitar, we were both more than a little nervous.

When we got there, we immediately went to the workshop and they started discussing the build, that had all ready begun at my direction. I cringed when I heard my hubs say to Justin that the guitar size wasn't actually what he wanted. Pause. Hold breath here. But that was the amazing moment that the two of them really connected. It was incredible to watch. At that moment is when they really started discussing music and instruments, wood, all sort of terms I will never understand. Justin was able to tease out of my quiet husband exactly what he wanted, but also guide him in how best to accomplish his dream guitar. It was a complete joy to watch them deep in conversation with that level of passion.

Sometimes at that level of expertise & intelligence, people have an ego. But Justin absolutely does not. He is confident, no doubt, but he has extraordinary patience, kindness and humility. He cares most about sharing the craft with others, passing it on, and doing it extremely well.

He communicated with us regularly and asked questions along the way of building this guitar. To be sure, he isn't going to sugar coat anything and he isn't going to placate you and agree or disagree on something if he doesn't believe it! It's refreshing and reassuring to know he is 100% committed to your success in this way.

My husbands guitar is the most beautiful instrument I have ever seen. It is truly the product and art from someone with an extraordinary gift. We will never forget that moment when we first saw it. Tears might have been involved.

It was worth every penny and quite frankly he could charge 10X more. We have an heirloom guitar to pass down to our grand kiddos. Utah School of Guitar Making is a small business that we should all support in any way we can. We were happy to pay for the things that made the guitar better and we expected to pay for them - we didn't expect freebies!!! This is a small business. This isn't a discount painting class that you go to with friends. Its not a buy one get one free kind of business. They are trying to make a living too, while putting something extraordinary out in the Universe.

Justin has a high level of responsibility to the craft. Those who are able to understand this commitment, I'm sure have a remarkable experience, like we did. Those who don't appreciate this call of duty, might struggle a little bit. My advice is to surrender to the process. Allow yourself to be a student. Be open and get ready to learn. Don't sweat the small stuff. Keep your eye on the prize!

'Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius." --Mozart

"One must not make oneself cheap here - that is a cardinal point - or else one is done. Whoever is most impertinent has the best chance." --Mozart

Thank you Justin and Utah School of Guitar Making! With much...

I’ve been involved with the Utah School Of Guitar Making for a bit over a year now, and it has easily been one of the most fulfilling and satisfying experiences I’ve had. After finishing my first guitar, which is a beautifully balanced with bell-like clarity OM, I just wanted to keep building and learning more. Justin was kind enough to take me on as an apprentice, and now I’ve completed three of my own personal instruments, as well as gained the knowledge to assist in a few other builds. It’s been a pleasure getting to know Justin throughout the process, as no matter what he’s dealing with, whether it be questions, strong personalities, or the inevitable mistake of a novice student, he handles every issue that arises kindly, humbly, and effectively. I’ve come to hold the few days of the week that I’m able to spend time there as my favorite days of the week.

Now that I’ve been building for about a year, I just can’t kick the bug and I’m working on setting up my own little shop to try and build out of as well, and Justin has been incredibly gracious in helping me get the tools I need, he’s even helped me make a few of the jigs, since I’m a 22 year old with not a lot of expendable income. He doesn’t have to help me get set up as a luthier, but he does, because he cares. He’s a true artist and teacher in both word and deed. He wants nothing more than to see his students succeed.

I’m the manager of a guitar shop in Springville, so I’ve heard my fair share of guitars over the years there, from in stock guitars to traveling salesmen trying to peddle some wares. The three guitars I’ve made are some of the best sounding guitars I have ever played, and trust me when I say that I didn’t believe that would be possible. My first, an OM made from Jatoba and Adirondack Spruce is bright, punchy, clear, and louder than most dreadnoughts I’ve heard. The second, a classical made from Chechen Rosewood and Sinker Cedar has such a warm tone that I’m convinced you could start a campfire just by playing it. The third, an all Aspen dreadnought, sounds just as vibrant and striking as it looks. Now those five woods I name checked, I had no idea what any of those were with the exception of aspen before attending USGM. But that is by no means the end of the stock, as the sheer variety of woods that USGM has to choose from would make the people at Macbeth’s Hardwoods salivate. Basically, if you can think of any tonewood, chances are it’s available, as well as three variations of it you’ve never heard before. Looking through the back and sides sets, tops, fingerboards, bindings, back-strips, linings, etc. and trying to pick just one of each is nearly impossible, as every piece is absolutely stunning.

I’ve also been amazed by how smoothly the building process goes. Justin has every bit of it down to a science, and a specialized or designated tool for each individual step. But that doesn’t mean it’s a complacent place either, the shop is continually evolving and adding new technologies and methods as fast as they are created.

Long story short, USGM is an amazing institution, and I would highly recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in high end guitars. The price is far more than fair, and you’ll have a piece of art to be proud of and that has a unique voice all its...