An incredible setting on the beautiful Cumberland plateau paired with amazing music and one on one instruction from some of the best guitarists in the world. The Woodshed Guitar Experience is a 3-night retreat for guitar players of all kinds! Jam, create, and learn from Joe Bonamassa, Brent Mason, Andy Wood, Andy Timmons, Mark Lettieri, and Greg Koch.
This exclusive experience is designed to inspire and educate musicians by offering hands-on opportunities with some of the most talented artists in the industry. Our host location, Lake Frances Retreats, is a 150 acre private property, including a private lake, and amenities nestled within the beauty of eastern Tennessee. Attendance will be limited to a guest list of 110 General Admission and General Admission + participants, as well as 15 VIP spots. If you are looking to spend quality time with amazing individuals, learning, listening to, and creating music and more, this experience is for you!
Please know that given the current pandemic, the health and safety of our guests is of the utmost importance. Check out our Covid-19 Policy!
Here’s a look at last year’s schedule. Subject to change.
2:00-3:00pm – VIP Check In
4:00-6:00pm – VIP AMP Room Experience (Cocktail Hour)
5:30-6:30pm – GA & GA+ Check In
6:30-7:20 – Dinner
7:30-9:30 – Opening Ceremonies w/ Andy Wood & Joe Bonamassa
10:00pm-12:00am – Open Mic
8:30-9:30am – Breakfast
9:45-10:30am – Daily Thoughts with Andy Wood & Artist
10:45-11:45am – Class Rotation 1
12:00-1:00pm – Lunch
1:15-2:15pm – Class Rotation 2
2:30-3:30pm – Class Rotation 3
3:30-5:00pm – Camp Activities (lake front/beach, tubing, swimming, fishing, ropes course, giant swing, hiking, etc.
5:00-6:00pm – Artist Story Time w/ Andy & Mark
6:15-7:00pm – Dinner
7:00-8:00pm – Artist Story Time w/ Andy & Greg
8:30-9:30pm – Acoustic Performance
10:00pm-12:00am – Open Mic
8:30-9:30am – Breakfast
9:45-10:30am – Daily Thoughts with Andy Wood & Artist
10:45-11:45am – Class Rotation 1
12:00-1:00pm – Lunch
1:15-2:15pm – Class Rotation 2
2:30-3:30pm – Class Rotation 3
3:30-5:00pm – Camp Activities (lake front/beach, tubing, swimming, fishing, ropes course, giant swing, hiking, etc.
5:00-6:00pm – Artist Story Time – Tone Talk w/ Manufacturers
6:15-7:00pm – Dinner
7:00-8:00pm – Artist Story Time
8:30-9:30pm – Woodshed Finale – All artists perform in festival-style setup
10:00pm-12:00am – Open Mic
8:30-10:00am – Breakfast
10:30-11:30am – Checkout
We’re proud to be hosting this year’s Woodshed Guitar Experience at the fabulous Lake Frances outside of Crossville, Tennessee!
Lake Frances Retreats boasts a variety of rooming options fit for everyone. VIP attendees will choose their rooming first, followed by first come, first serve selections. We also offer the option for attendees to stay in local hotels.
Standard cabin
Twin bunks
1 guest per room
Deluxe cabin
Twin/queen beds available
1 guest per room
VIP cabin
1 guest per room
Private bathroom
Only 15 available!
A world class spread of meal options will be offered to all attendees, with special accommodations for campers with food allergies.
The Woodshed Guitar Experience offers a variety of pricing models that vary based on their accommodations, etc.
Add a guest (spouse, etc) for the week; $400 to package (includes all meals and activities, except for classes)
See rooming accommodations below.
We will refund all payments, minus a $200 processing and registration fee to all participants who send in cancellation notice to woodshedguitarexperience@gmail.com by August 13th, 2020, and receive cancellation confirmation.
No registration fees are refundable within 14 days of the Woodshed Guitar Experience.
If the Woodshed Guitar Experience is cancelled for any reason, all participants will receive a full refund.
All levels of playing ability are welcome at The Woodshed Guitar Experience! New guitar players and veteran guitar players are encouraged to attend. Our only requirements are that you love people and music!
Live Q&A with the The Woodshed Guitar Experience artists are built into all of our instructional classes and sessions. This is a very organic environment that encourages artists and attendees to communicate and learn from each other.
Yes! You are welcome to bring your own guitar, but if you don’t want the hassle of traveling with your own instrument, we will be providing an amp room with plenty of amps and guitars from our sponsors at Open Chord Music, Suhr, REVV, and Wampler for you to try out.
We encourage you to bring along your favorite gear, as long as attendees are respectful of volume. We have plenty of space to spread out and play as loud as you want!
It’s our goal at The Woodshed Guitar Experience to create a musically organic vibe for musicians of all ages and levels. There are scheduled attendee jam sessions every night. In addition to the scheduled jam sessions, there will be organic jam sessions popping up throughout the event. Attendees who purchase the VIP Package will have opportunities to hang out and jam with The Woodshed Guitar Experience artists throughout the event.
A professional chef will be preparing all guest meals, served on the scenic, covered, deck at Lake Frances Retreat. Vegetarian and vegan options will be available.
All alcohol will be provided for free by The Woodshed Guitar Experience. Guests are also welcome to bring any alcohol.
There will be designated smoking areas on site. Smoking is not allowed in the cabins.
Photos and videos can be taken and used for personal use. We want to respect the artists’ privacy, which means that rebroadcasting of live concerts, shows, or classes will not be allowed, depending on each artists’ consent and agreement.
Yes, attendees will need to sign a photo release form, but you will have the opportunity to opt out of any promotional photos.
Access for people with disabilities is limited. We will do everything we can to make it possible for everyone to attend and participate. Please contact us with any questions you may have.
The comfort and safety of the guests of Woodshed Guitar Experience is of the utmost importance to us. Please read our Covid-19 Policy at the link below.
There are many of us who have been craving music in recent months, and we feel this is the perfect opportunity in the ideal setting to have a unique event like the Woodshed Guitar Experience. We can’t wait for you to join us!
The Woodshed Guitar Experience would like to thank our sponsors.
© 2020 The Woodshed Guitar Experience. All Rights Reserved.
Website design by David Wilson.
Joe Bonamassa is an American blues rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. He started his career at age 12, when he opened for B.B. King. In the last 13 years Bonamassa has put out 15 solo albums through his independent record label J&R Adventures, of which 11 have reached number 1 on the Billboard Blues charts.
Bonamassa has played alongside many notable blues and rock artists, and earned a Grammy Award nomination in 2013.
Brent Mason is a Nashville recording studio guitarist and songwriter performing primarily country music. Guitar World Magazine listed him as one of the “Top Ten Session Guitarists of All Time”. Discovered and mentored by Chet Atkins, Mason has been named “Guitarist of the Year” 12 times by the Academy of Country Music and was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2019.
Andy Wood is known for blurring the lines of preconceived genres. Andy spent most of his childhood playing and competing in bluegrass festivals. Touring the bluegrass circuit with his cousin and grandfather provided Andy with the necessary exposure that helped refine and sharpen his skills.
Mark Lettieri is a guitarist, composer, producer, and instructor based in Fort Worth, TX. Proficient in a multitude of styles, he records and performs in virtually every genre of popular music with both independent and major-label artists. He also composes and produces original instrumental music under his own name.
Andy Timmons (born July 26, 1963) is an American guitarist who has played in the bands Taylor Bay Band, Danger Danger, Pawn Kings, and Andy Timmons Band (ATB). He has also released several solo albums and has worked as a session guitarist. He has released two CDs on Favored Nations, the first being That Was Then, This Is Now and Resolution on May 2, 2006.
Greg Koch is an American guitarist from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Koch grew up in the Milwaukee area and began playing guitar at the age of 12. He was influenced by the guitarist and singer-songwriter Jimi Hendrix. In April 2012 Fender Musical Instruments Corporation named Koch one of the top 10 unsung guitarists.
Normally, Lake Frances Retreats, the host site for the Woodshed Guitar Experience, can house up to 350 people and can handle events of well over 1,000 attendees. For the Woodshed Guitar Experience, we are going to have a maximum of 125 participants. This will allow all participants as much social distancing as they desire. In addition, all events and classes will take place outside, weather permitting. If we do have weather issues, we have 30,000 square feet of well-ventilated indoor space which will allow us to continue classes with plenty of space.
Below is a summary of the guidelines we will be implementing this summer:
Cleaning and Disinfecting:
30,000 sq ft Indoor Facility:
Accommodations:
Dining:
Check-in & Check-out:
Other:
Lastly, the CDC has identified a list of pre-existing conditions that can lead to a greater risk of serious complications from Covid-19. Although this risk still may be very small, we are asking that any attendees with any of the preexisting conditions identified on the CDC website https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/groups-at-higher-risk.html not to attend this years Woodshed Guitar Experience.
We all understand, that no plan is perfect, and ultimately, you all need to make your own decision and feel comfortable attending the Woodshed Guitar Experience. Please do your own due diligence and know we respect every one of you and whatever you choose to do.