Dogwood Guitars

  • Home
  • About
  • Guitars
    • Dogwood Models
    • Guitar Galleries
    • Ordering your Dogwood Guitar
    • FAQ’s
  • Services
  • Lutherie Classes
  • Pictorials
    • Repairs
    • How to Correctly String a Guitar
    • Building A Monarch
    • Making a Spalted Maple Rosette
    • Pearl and Abalone Inlay
  • Articles
    • Technical
    • Viewpoint
  • Testimonials
  • YouTube
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Lutherie Classes / Lutherie Classes: Voicing and Tuning

Lutherie Classes: Voicing and Tuning

Acoustic Guitar Voicing and Tuning Class

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.

The cost of the three-day class is $1200 and includes detailed measurements and data for your own wood brought to the class. Classes are offered January through September. Contact Greg to schedule your class. 

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • YouTube

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...]

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...]

Exceptional Tonewoods

Fine wood is the heart of every Dogwood guitar. Greg has been collecting rare and highly figured wood for over three decades, and he is always on the lookout for the best sets of both top and back/side wood for his custom guitars. Exotic wood of the … [Read More...]

My Building Philosophy

As a craftsman who has worked in wood for the better part of 40 years, I've developed a way of approaching fine woodworking that suits my style, pace, and dedication to excellence. I work by myself, alone with my tools and carefully selected woods. I … [Read More...]

Blog: Spalted Maple Rosette

I love spalted wood, especially spalted Maple. My affection toward this unique combination of color and pattern goes back to the 1980's, when I became introduced to the work of James Krenov. In 1983 a friend and I discovered a huge spalted Maple … [Read More...]

Fender Strat Tuneup

Fender Strat Tuneup and Setup The Fender Strat is a classic electric guitar that is justly famous for its role in the history of blues and rock music. The quality of individual Strats can vary from excellent to dismal depending on model, year, and … [Read More...]

Visit us on YouTube…

Follow Dogwood Guitars

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Technical Articles

Voicing and Tap Tuning of Acoustic Guitars

Voicing and tuning are important elements of great tone. A great guitar has great tone, great playability, and great appearance, in that order. Fancy wood, a high gloss finish, and lots of Abalone inlay are visually beautiful but have … [Read More...]

More Technical Articles

Viewpoint Articles

Exploring Common Guitar Myths

I am going to divide this article into two sections: Myths and misunderstandings about playability and care; and myths about tone. We will take these two topics in order. Playability and Care So, your guitar is a little hard to play, the … [Read More...]

More Viewpoint Articles

Copyright © 2023 Dogwood Guitars