Whitney Guitars & School of Guitar Building

Mike is top-notch! I have been a professional musician for over 30 years and only trust the best with my instruments. Fantastic person, amazing service and the highest level of detail in his work! Highly recommended!

Mike Whitney is a highly trained and creative artisan of ukuleles. At least I can only speak for mine. When we first spoke about this ukulele, I had no idea what I was looking for. Mike quickly and easily pointed me in the right direction. From the sound, to hardiness, to colour, Mike helped me in every process with information and choices. The result was a beautiful work of art and sound. Songbird, as I call her, turned out far superior to anything I could have imagined, Not only is she well put together, but the details of Mike’s craftsmanship send the value of this instrument over the top! Much to my gleeful surprise, Mike finished her off with a beautiful abalone carving of a songbird in the shape of a Y. Amazing!!! He hand delivered my beauty in a luxury case and explained about maintenance and care. Every detail down to the tag and specs sheet was hand crafted and thoughtfully executed.Mike is to be well paid for his craftsmanship.I’ve been saving for awhile for this gem and well worth it!I hope he changes his name to Whitney Guitars and Ukes!

I recently had my Lowden acoustic guitar repaired and serviced at Whitney Guitars by Michael here in Summerland. Despite efforts to keep my instrument in a humid environment it had sustained two cracks on the back side in some beautiful, highly prized African Blackwood.Michael explained my options in great detail at the outset and first did what he could to re humidify and mitigate the damage before skillfully making all the necessary repairs. The quality of work was exceptional, and simply cannot be detected viewing from outside the instrument. Inside some conservative reinforcement braces were necessary.I could detect no differences in the quality of sound..which was very good in this guitar.The set up came back perfect as per my wishes.In the end Michael even charged me less than the original quote! ...as apparently the work went smoothly.I would not hesitate to recommend Michael to anyone needing the services of a high quality luthier. It was a pleasure working with him as he communicated fully with me all the way.Ken Selinger

I recently needed Mike to build me a stand for my MPC Live so that it sits at a better angle. This particular drum machine is quite square and sits flat on the table which makes it a bit difficult to use. I sent Mike the dimensions and a few crude drawings of what I had in mind and he was able to build a stand that totally exceeded my expectations! I was hoping for a stand for my MPC and he created a piece of art! Many thanks Mike! I love my new stand! Seriously recommend! *****

I recently had Mike setup my custom made guitar. He was recommended to me by my son, who was impressed with Mike’s work on his Strat.From our initial discussion to the day I got my guitar back, Mike impressed me with his enthusiasm and professionalism. He outlined in detail what needed to be done and the results were outstanding.Thank you Mike

Mike did an really pro job of shaving down the fretboard of my incredibly rare Heritage mandolin. The job required removing the frets and reducing the height of the fingerboard near the pickguard to reduce pick click" and I couldn't be happier with the result. The mando came back polished up and playing great. Thanks again Mike

My mother gave us her beautiful guitar and it needed some restoration to sound great again, so we entrusted Mike at Whitney Guitars to bring it back to life. Knowing his careful attention to details and wonderful craftsmanship, we asked for his help. In no time we had the guitar ready to go and he went above and beyond on his work. We are very happy with the results. Trust him to handle your guitar needs or buy one of his own amazing creations.-Jill and Kevin Fai

Incredible service every time. Mike quickly became my go to for any guitar work after just one appointment. He clearly communicates what's going on, provides updates, and completes work when he says he's going to. There was an extra issue beyond what we discussed the first time I brought my guitar in and not only did he call to explain it, but sent along a video demonstrating what needed to happen. Can't recommend him enough.

Michael has worked on my Simon & Patrick acoustic guitar and my Fender Strat FSR. Love the pro work that he has done on both guitar. You don't get the attention to details and finishing with other luthiers. I highly recommend him!

What an incredible experience!I spent a week with Mike doing his Cigar Box Guitar building course at his shop in Summerland, BC. Mike is a great teacher and a highly skilled luthier. He has a very creative eye and is able to bring out the best in his students. I had minimal experience working in a wood shop but Mike walked me through everything I needed to know and I was very comfortable with all of the tools by the end of the week.I was expecting to come home with some very basic knowledge of how to build a Cigar Box Guitar but the course takes the experience much further.The design and concept of the guitar is totally up to the student with guidance from Mike. The process included;- selecting the cigar box from a wide range provided by Mike- blueprinting/designing the guitar and selecting the woods to use- carving out the neck of the guitar- staining the woods used- selecting and installing the hardwareThe course felt much longer than a week as we got through so much in such a short amount of time.The guitar sounds great plugged into an amp and I would highly recommend the course to anyone interested in woodworking, music, guitar playing or just looking for a different experience.The only downside was the come down of returning to my day job after the course finished.Thanks so much Mike!