Flamenco Guitar Building

Take a tour of Spain with Spanish luthier Paco Chorobo of Chorobo Guitars. This course includes all the information needed to build a flamenco guitar in the traditional Spanish method as well as interviews, performances, tours and so much more. Viva el Flamenco!

Buy Now $377.00 152 Lessons 22:08:41

About This Course

Welcome to the Robert O’Brien Online Flamenco Guitar Building Course. In this course Robert invites Spanish Luthier, Paco Chorobo of Chorobo Guitars, to show how to build and finish a flamenco guitar in the traditional Spanish method. Robert visits Paco in his shop in Úbeda, Spain where Paco guides you through every step of building and finishing a concert flamenco guitar. In addition he takes you on a tour of Southern Spain where he visits and interviews luthiers, players, singers, dancers, a percussionist and even an historian about everything flamenco. This course can be considered a documentary on the flamenco guitar and culture.

Paco, focuses on the use of hand tools and the traditional solera for the construction method throughout the video and not only explains, but shows in great detail every step in the construction process. In the finishing chapter he shows how to apply a traditional French polish finish using olive oil produced in his city.

This course has over 140 video lessons and approximately 26 hours of very detailed step by step instructions. Chapters can be purchased separately or receive a discount when purchasing the entire course. When purchasing the complete course you get a copy of Paco’s flamenco guitar plans. You also become eligible to join Robert’s invitation only google chat group. Here he offers advice and support as you build. There is a wealth of information available to you for free.

Please check the FAQ page. To begin just register/login and purchase the video lessons.

Click here to see pictures and behind the scenes shots of Robert's trip to Spain!

Happy Building!!

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I’m building my first guitar, a flamenco, from a kit I purchased many years ago from LMI. I’m nearing the finishing stage now. After murdering two, very nice rosewood bridge blanks, I purchased the chapter on bridge building from your Flamenco guitar course. Extremely helpful! Steve
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I am almost done with the flamenco video lessons you prepared with Paco Chorobo and am very happy I decided to buy the lessons - they have been so helpful (and entertaining)! Stefan in Vancouver, Canada
If you have any interest in the art of building a flamenco guitar or just the traditional Spanish guitar Paco’s course is a must. Many thanks to Robbie and Paco for providing us this unique opportunity. Richard in Colorado
I have been following the Flamenco online guitar course and just closed up my first Flamenco Blanca. The course is nicely detailed and while viewing, besides learning how to build this guitar I picked up some woodworking techniques I did not have. Sometimes watching how they're using tools is just as valuable as what is being taught in the section. John
Thanks to Paco (and Robbie), I had a really great time following along with the video course and I would highly recommend the course to anyone. For some sections, I watched it a dozen times or so, I could almost recite you guys word for word. Trent - Australia
Paco and Robbie’s video is excellent. I took Paco’s flamenco course at Robbie’s shop 2 years ago but I have learned even more reviewing the meticulous video. It is also very entertaining. Richard
Good morning from Dijon France, I bought the online course « flamenco guitar building » (and I think it's great) Alexandre
Such a good course! Trent
I followed this course with great success building my first flamenco guitar. I had the honor of having Paco play it. I really recommend the course as it not only teaches the skills and plans to make the guitar, but throughout the course teaches the essence of Flamenco and Flamenco guitar. John
I bought your course on Flamenco Guitar building and I found it to be a real masterpiece. It was very informative to see how the Flamenco builders approach construction, and a lot can be applied to classical construction. Don
Two years ago, I purchased Paco's flamenco course.  I'm not usually a video course type of guy, but I jumped onto this course and wound up building a really good instrument too. Paul
Paco Chorobo I followed your video class on Robbie O'Brien website. That is an excellent set of lessons, with great concert footage as well. Paul
What a fun video course this is! The build information is superb; the cultural 'extras' are fabulous. Thank you Paco and Robbie. Steve
I’m building my first guitar, a flamenco, from a kit I purchased many years ago from LMI. I’m nearing the finishing stage now. After murdering two, very nice rosewood bridge blanks, I purchased the chapter on bridge building from your Flamenco guitar course. Extremely helpful! Steve
Paco is an outstanding teacher. He brings so much understanding to the process while at the same time sharing it all so generously. Bernie
I have bought several online courses from you now. I am delighted with all purchases - Acoustic - classical and Flamenco, I am very satisfied. You have added me to the chat group and I really enjoy it After I bought the flamenco guitar course, I sent a greeting to Paco, telling him that I appreciated the way he And you teach these courses Edgar
This is a terrific course. It’s extremely detailed and includes flamenco cultural information and interviews with Spanish guitar constructors and flamenco musicians. I liked the course and the instructors so much I went to build a guitar with them. I recommend this course without reservations. Larry
I can highly recommend this course. It is a wonderful trip to Spain and the world of flamenco. Plus, you learn to build a flamenco guitar with Paco! Muy bueno. Steve
I loved this course. The flamenco guitar I built using this course is super fun to play. Paul
I recently purchased the Paco Chorobo course and so far so good, it's very detailed and helped me understand some basic concepts that I had trouble with before. David
I have been building guitars for 15 years but I am still learning a LOT from Paco Chorobo's flamenco guitar course. It is superb! Doug
Chapter 1 • The Neck
2:09:48 $31.00 Buy Chapter
Lesson 1: The scarf joint 10:22
Lesson 2: The scraper 5:45
Lesson 3: Gluing the scarf joint 7:10
Lesson 4: The stacked heel 20:05
Lesson 5: The neighbor 3:00
Lesson 6: Thicknessing the headstock 8:26
Lesson 7: Planing the scale length 4:33
Lesson 8: Headplate veneers 7:47
Lesson 9: Trimming veneers at the nut 5:31
Lesson 10: Laying out scale length 5:46
Lesson 11: Headstock shape 7:27
Lesson 12: Tuner holes 1:55
Lesson 13: Heel slots 10:33
Lesson 14: Rough shaping 9:25
Lesson 15: Heel shaping 7:59
Lesson 16: Tapas and interview with Paco 13:56
Chapter 2 • The Soundboard
1:59:11 $62.00 Buy Chapter
Lesson 1: Selecting the soundboard 5:37
Lesson 2: Joining 16:49
Lesson 3: Surfacing 7:36
Lesson 4: The rosette 22:23
Lesson 5: Thicknessing 8:50
Lesson 6: Soundhole reinforcement 7:04
Lesson 7: Soundhole cutout and binding 2:56
Lesson 8: Preparing braces 5:40
Lesson 9: Gluing braces 6:25
Lesson 10: Shaping braces 20:57
Lesson 11: More braces 9:04
Lesson 12: Attaching soundboard to neck 5:47
Chapter 3 • The Back
45:24 $14.50 Buy Chapter
Lesson 1: Selecting the wood 5:33
Lesson 2: Joining 3:45
Lesson 3: Thicknessing and center strip 11:02
Lesson 4: Braces 7:04
Lesson 5: Gluing the braces 12:36
Lesson 6: Shaping braces 5:21
Chapter 4 • The Sides
46:53 $20.00 Buy Chapter
Lesson 1: Selecting the sides 1:30
Lesson 2: Thicknessing 3:13
Lesson 3: Contour 6:57
Lesson 4: Bending 17:01
Lesson 5: Bending the other side 1:38
Lesson 6: Cutting sides to length 4:42
Lesson 7: Making the end block 4:34
Lesson 8: Fitting sides to neck 1:44
Lesson 9: Gluing the end block 2:16
Lesson 10: End block inlay 3:13
Chapter 5 • Assembly
54:23 $31.00 Buy Chapter
Lesson 1: Fitting the sides to the top 4:53
Lesson 2: Tentallones 10:24
Lesson 3: Back kerfing 4:14
Lesson 4: Fitting the back 18:27
Lesson 5: Tapas and conversation 16:24
Chapter 6 • The bindings and purflings
1:13:15 $39.50 Buy Chapter
Lesson 1: Making bindings 5:00
Lesson 2: Making purflings 5:28
Lesson 3: Flush trimming 2:52
Lesson 4: Cutting top binding channels 10:16
Lesson 5: Installing top bindings 9:31
Lesson 6: Installing back bindings 22:13
Lesson 7: Scraping and rounding 12:23
Lesson 8: Fixing misaligned purflings 5:28
Chapter 7 • The fretboard
38:13 $20.00 Buy Chapter
Lesson 1: Selecting and thicknessing 5:28
Lesson 2: Slotting and tapering 13:11
Lesson 3: Preparing for gluing 10:58
Lesson 4: Gluing 8:33
Chapter 8 • Neck shaping
31:27 $31.00 Buy Chapter
Lesson 1: Flushing with fretboard sides 7:55
Lesson 2: Thickness 5:12
Lesson 3: Peghead transition 9:54
Lesson 4: The heel 4:35
Lesson 5: Finishing touches 3:50
Chapter 9 • Finishing Part I
59:14 $20.00 Buy Chapter
Lesson 1: Sanding process 3:52
Lesson 2: Sanding the peghead 14:28
Lesson 3: Sanding the neck transition 6:22
Lesson 4: Sanding the body 10:00
Lesson 5: Sanding the neck 5:23
Lesson 6: Sanding the soundboard 5:34
Lesson 7: Masking the bridge location 4:16
Lesson 8: Hide glue 9:16
Chapter 10 • Sightseeing and interviews
3:21:26 $39.50 Buy Chapter
Lesson 1: Interview with Graciliano and José Perez Part I 23:52
Interview with Graciliano and José Perez Part I (Spanish Version) 23:52
Lesson 2: Interview with Graciliano and José Perez Part II 36:02
Interview with Graciliano and José Perez Part II (Spanish Version) 36:02
Lesson 3: Interview with Jesus de Jimenez Part I 24:18
Interview with Jesus de Jimenez Part I (Spanish Version) 24:18
Lesson 4: Interview with Jesus de Jimenez Part II 19:22
Interview with Jesus de Jimenez Part II (Spanish Version) 19:22
Lesson 5: Sevilla city tour 8:58
Lesson 6: Interview with Wang Can 10:55
Lesson 7: Driving to Málaga 3:57
Lesson 8: Interview with Gregorio Valderrama 33:05
Interview with Gregorio Valderrama (Spanish Version) 33:05
Lesson 9: Interview with Francis Martin 7:50
Interview with Francis Martin (Spanish Version) 7:50
Lesson 10: Performance with Gregório Valderrama and Francis Martin 5:54
Lesson 11: Interview with Antonia Contreras and Juan Ramon Caro 18:02
Interview with Antonia Contreras and Juan Ramon Caro (Spanish Version) 18:02
Lesson 12: Performance with Antonia Contreras and Juan Ramon Caro 7:38
Lesson 13: Leaving Málaga 1:37
Chapter 11 • Fretwork Part I
32:39 $20.00 Buy Chapter
Lesson 1: Breakfast and fret explanation 4:31
Lesson 2: Leveling the Fretboard 4:26
Lesson 3: Beveling fret slots 2:32
Lesson 4: Removing tang ends 6:21
Lesson 5: Removing barbs 3:54
Lesson 6: Installing the frets 5:57
Lesson 7: Filling gaps and filing ends 4:56
Chapter 12 • The Bridge
1:11:42 $20.00 Buy Chapter
Lesson 1: Design 9:59
Lesson 2: Radius 2:36
Lesson 3: Thickness 9:54
Lesson 4: Tie block 13:21
Lesson 5: Shaping 9:17
Lesson 6: String holes 3:27
Lesson 7: Final details 23:05
Chapter 13 • Finishing Part II
2:51:39 $73.50 Buy Chapter
Lesson 1: Mixing shellac 5:11
Lesson 2: Sealing 26:18
Lesson 3: Sanding hide glue 7:32
Lesson 4: More sealing 19:01
Lesson 5: Sealing the headstock 5:39
Lesson 6: More soundboard sealing 8:10
Lesson 7: Sealing the sides 6:37
Lesson 8: Sealing the back 11:14
Lesson 9: Applying more shellac 10:32
Lesson 10: Pumice pore fill 16:04
Lesson 11: Sawdust pore fill 11:43
Lesson 12: Polishing 19:49
Lesson 13: Polishing the sides 10:13
Lesson 14: More polishing 2:23
Lesson 15: Spiriting off 5:24
Lesson 16: More bodying sessions 5:42
Chapter 14 • Úbeda City Tour
19:53 $7.00 Buy Chapter
Lesson 1: Úbeda City Tour 19:53
Chapter 15 • Finishing Part III
10:04 $7.00 Buy Chapter
Lesson 1: More polishing and leveling 10:04
Chapter 16 • Attaching the bridge
12:58 $7.00 Buy Chapter
Lesson 1: Drilling pilot holes 0:43
Lesson 2: Positioning 3:57
Lesson 3: Gluing 8:17
Chapter 17 • Rehearsal and Interviews
1:11:55 $31.00 Buy Chapter
Lesson 1: Rehearsal 13:19
Lesson 2: Interview with Pablo Chocolate 7:14
Interview with Pablo Chocolate (Spanish Version) 7:14
Lesson 3: Interview with Maria and Noelia Valdepeñas 7:45
Interview with Maria and Noelia Valdepeñas (Spanish Version) 7:45
Lesson 4: Interview with Alicia Morales 10:12
Interview with Alicia Morales (Spanish Version) 10:12
Lesson 5: Interview with Conchi Cabrera 9:19
Interview with Conchi Cabrera (Spanish Version) 9:19
Lesson 6: Dance school rehearsal 24:03
Chapter 18 • Sightseeing in Granada
12:31 $7.00 Buy Chapter
Lesson 1: Sightseeing in Granada 12:31
Chapter 19 • Setup
1:22:29 $34.00 Buy Chapter
Lesson 1: Fretwork 8:54
Lesson 2: Tuning pegs 14:26
Lesson 3: The saddle 6:46
Lesson 4: The nut 12:00
Lesson 5: Tap plates (golpeadores) 20:51
Lesson 6: Strings 6:26
Lesson 7: Final adjustments 13:04
Chapter 20 • Jigs
25:48 $14.50 Buy Chapter
Lesson 1: The Solera 23:43
Lesson 2: Back brace jig 2:05
Chapter 21 • Show in Granada
17:49 $7.00 Buy Chapter
Lesson 1: Festival de Conchi Cabrera 2015 - Intro & Percussion 6:00
Lesson 2: Festival de Conchi Cabrera 2015 - Highlights 6:09
Lesson 3: Festival de Conchi Cabrera 2015 - Yo se el camino (guitar solo) 5:40