Customer Testimonial: Gibson Setup

“I thought my new Gibson acoustic played pretty well until I had Greg set it up for me. Wow! I could tell a real difference in the action. Based on that experience I had him do a fret dress on an older Ibanez and again, I was surprised at how much better the guitar was to play.”

–Jason T. Toledo, OH

The Importance of a Good Setup, Part Two

In the first part of this article, I discussed the elements of a basic setup. These include checking the neck relief and the action at the first and twelfth frets, as well as installing new strings and performing a few other basic adjustments. In … [Read More...]

Guitar Building, Voicing, and Repair Classes

Greg loves teaching guitar building and repair as much as he loves building guitars himself. Although not currently taking on an apprentice, Greg is offering individual classes in three areas: Acoustic and Electric Guitar Setup and Repair, Guitar … [Read More...]

Guitar Galleries

The guitars featured in these photo galleries are examples of Greg's work. As a long-time high end furniture maker, Greg has a real passion for tools and figured wood. His guitars reflect these twin loves with their beautiful wood choices, impeccable … [Read More...]

Building a Monarch: The Neck

Guitar construction can be divided into to major sections: The body and the neck. Neck construction begins with gluing up a blank. Although some guitar necks are made from one solid piece of wood, many builders make necks using a laminated blank. … [Read More...]

About Greg Maxwell

I've lived in central Ohio my entire life, and I've built things for as long as I can remember. I cut my teeth as a woodworker doing fancy interior wood trim for a custom home builder in the early 80's after deciding that performing music for a … [Read More...]

The Eminence

The Eminence is a Grand Auditorium sized guitar that Greg designed to provide a little extra high frequency (treble) response, along with the clear and balanced tone that all Dogwood models are known for. A slightly smaller body depth and a very … [Read More...]

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The Science and Theory of Tonewoods

Search out any discussion about tone and tonewoods on the internet and you will quickly find a wide variation of opinions among players and builders alike. However, the majority will almost always list "tonewoods" and/or specific species of Spruce and Cedar as the key to getting the desired tone from a guitar. Indeed, many beginning builders agonize over wood choice combinations as they relate to tone, with more experienced craftspeople offering suggestions that seem to assure the correct … [Read More...]

The Three Elements of a Great Guitar

Guitar players and collectors have so many choices available to them. New, used, factory brands, custom hand built...how do you narrow down the choices to the best option for you? In my opinion, any guitar should be measured by three characteristics: Tone, playability, and appearance. I list these in order of priority. While all three should be excellent, many players go for the eye candy first. But first and foremost a guitar must have great tone to be a great guitar. Abalone trim, perfectly … [Read More...]

Customer Testimonial: Gibson Setup

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Technical Articles

The Science and Theory of Tonewoods

Viewpoint Articles

The Three Elements of a Great Guitar