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You are here: Home / Customer Testimonials / Customer Testimonials: Voicing Class with Jacek Sliwa of Sliwa Guitars

Customer Testimonials: Voicing Class with Jacek Sliwa of Sliwa Guitars

Jacek Sliwa is considered by many to be one of the best guitar makers in Poland. His guitars exhibit a level of refined design and outstanding craftsmanship. And yet, he found that after years of building fine instruments, the goal of acheiving the special tone he could hear in his head remained elusive. That is when he decided to travel to America to take the Dogwood Guitars voicing and tuning class.

Of course there is a risk when embarking on such an expensive journey, and Jacek (pronounced Yots’-ek) told me that he hoped that his investment would pay off. During the first morning in the shop I handed him one of my guitars, the “Mazzaroth” edition of my Eminence model. Somewhat misty-eyed, Jacek told me when he heard the tone of my guitar that he knew he had made the right decision to make the trip. He told me that he has played guitars from some of the world’s best boutique builders and that mine was well within the top five. Jacek also commented that he usually begins an assessment of the guitar by describing what he doesn’t like about it. In this case he found that the guitar did not have a single detracting element- quite a compliment.

During the class we talked about how to really listen to guitar tone, and we compared a handful of guitars in the shop for repair, as well as my own Dogwood model. We went deep into how guitars generate tone, the major contributors to great tone, debunked some common myths and misunderstandings, and learned how to measure wood for specific material properties such as modulus. This information allows the builder to determine final thickness based on deflection, different for each top.

We spent a day voicing and tuning a Dogwood guitar currently in construction, and learned about placing the three main fundamental resonances to avoid wolf notes and dead spots. Other tips and techniques for building more responsive instruments were also demonstrated. Finally, we closed the box and observed how these resonances change, and how to fine tune everything so that the completed guitar works together as designed.

“I can say about myself that I am a lucky one. The course with Greg has filled up many gaps in my knowledge of building guitars. I received what I was counting on, and even more. Greg deals with issues based on specific knowledge and not on generally accepted beliefs. He is a great teacher and together with his wife Grace a very hospitable family.” -Jacek Sliwa

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Customer Testimonials: A. B. Manson Acoustic

"I recently had major work done by Greg Maxwell on my very expensive and treasured old guitar.  Boy, am I glad that I found Greg, because I do not think any other luthier would have given the time and effort  this project required.  My guitar needed … [Read More...]

Guitar Galleries

The guitars featured in these photo galleries are just a few 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, … [Read More...]

Building a Monarch: Final Assembly

It is now time to assemble the guitar, dress the frets, install the bridge and pins, fit and install the tuners, make the nut and saddle, and set the final action. A pickguard is usually installed and the completed instrument is polishes and strung … [Read More...]

Blog: 1932 Martin Repair

Its not often that a luthier has the opportunity to work on a pre-war Martin. This 1932 0-18 parlor guitar needs a crack repair and a neck reset. Great care must be taken when working on such an old and fragile guitar. Get out the hot hide glue. … [Read More...]

Customer Testimonials: Martin Fret Work

"I took my Martin D-28 to Dogwood guitars to get it worked on, It was in pretty bad shape when I bought it used. Someone had tried to install frets on their own and it was buzzing and the action was hard to play. I called Greg and he said to stop by … [Read More...]

Location

Dogwood Guitars is located in beautiful rural Knox County Ohio, on state route 3 between Centerburg and Mount Vernon. Less than an hour from Columbus, Delaware, and Mansfield, we serve the entire central Ohio area with full-service setup and repairs. … [Read More...]

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Technical Articles

Bolt-On Necks: High Tongue Frets

I am including this article as a special page in the Services Menu because of the frequency with which the issue of high tongue frets arises. The tongue is the part of the fretboard that extends into the body of the guitar. On acoustic guitars, the … [Read More...]

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Viewpoint Articles

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 … [Read More...]

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