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You are here: Home / Lutherie Classes / Lutherie Classes: Voicing and Tuning

Lutherie Classes: Voicing and Tuning

Acoustic Guitar Voicing and Tuning Class (Discontinued due to my heavy repair schedule)

Jacek S. from Poland learning to measure the top resonance of a guitar while carving braces.

This is an advanced class that explores the principles behind great acoustic guitar tone. This class is intended for the experienced builder, and knowledge of acoustic guitar construction is essential in order to get the most from the class. The class focuses on the importance of material properties as they relate to tone and responsiveness- properties such as stiffness, density, modulus, and mass. You will learn how to thin individual tops to a specific deflection based on modulus, rather than using a predetermined thickness based on species.

Greg demonstrates how brace carving effects the voice and the fundamental top resonance.

This three-day class includes instructions on placing the three main fundamental resonances- top, air, and back- to specific targets. This process helps to fine-tune the tone your guitars while avoiding wolf notes and dead spots in the completed instrument. We will also discuss how to evaluate acoustic guitar tone, and you may bring your own guitars for assessment if you wish. You are also encouraged to bring some top wood with you for measuring material properties. In-depth information on bracing and brace carving is included, as are several other tips and tricks for building better-sounding guitars. 

Ray 1
Ray M. from Kentucky learning to measure top wood for material properties during the Voicing and Tuning class at Dogwood Guitars.

Many builders use some version of hand flexing and ear tapping to voice guitars. The results can be somewhat arbitrary and often fail to use property measurements as part of the process. Others apply a mathematical approach that, while effective and repeatable, can be difficult to learn. My method combines the best of both: Using repeatable measurements to thin tops to to a specific deflection, using analysis software to place main resonances, and ear tap-tuning for purity of tone. The result is a more accurate understanding of the science and art of voicing and tuning, more consistent and better tone in your guitars, and shaving years off of the learning curve usually required to learn these skills. You no longer have to build 100 guitars to understand how and why great guitars sound the way they do.

If you are not satisfied with the voice of your completed builds, if you are tired of hearing that thunky G note on the bass E string, or if you know that great tone is the result of much more than simple Rosewood Vs. Mahogany comparisons, then this is your class! Check out this recent class with Jacek Sliwa of Sliwa Guitars, Poland.

Please Note: Due to my heavy repair and restoration schedule, I am no longer able to offer the voicing and tuning class. This is an archive page.

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Customer Testimonial: Dogwood Monarch

"I loved my handcrafted Yamaha LX5 until I played my brother's Larrivee. So I bought a Larrivee. The Dogwood acoustic makes my Larrivee sound like my old Yamaha. The Dogwood is superior to my Larrivee D-03R in every way - tone, action - even looks. I … [Read More...]

Legacy Benchworks Furniture

Greg owned his own custom furniture making shop from 1983 through 1996. The company was called Legacy Benchworks, and most of the work involved high end one-off custom furniture, as well as the more standard cabinetry such as kitchen cabinets and … [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...]

1932 Martin 0-18 Parlor Guitar

It's not often that a luthier has the opportunity to work on a pre-war Martin. This little 1932 Parlor 0-18 came to the shop in very rough condition. It took a tumble down some stairs, resulting in a long crack in the treble side of the body and … [Read More...]

Shop Tour

The original Dogwood Guitars shop, located in rural central Ohio. The Dogwood Guitars shop is located in Mount Vernon, OH, having relocated back to central Ohio in August of 2017 after operating for five years in Kansas City. The shop is fully … [Read More...]

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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...]

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