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You are here: Home / Dogwood Acoustic Guitars / Mastery of Craft

Mastery of Craft

As a high end artisan woodworker of over 30 years, Greg’s passion for excellence is a hallmark of his instruments. Every Dogwood guitar reflects this dedication to fine craftsmanship. All the skills required to make exceptional high end guitars- perfect joinery, harmonious design elements, flawless high gloss finishes- have been acquired the slow, hard way… through years of painstaking attention to detail, of being one’s own worst critic, and the cultivation of persistence and perseverance.

Peghead side smallThere are many design trends among modern hand builders of guitars. Some are tasteful and exquisite, some are ultra modern, and a few are rather garish. Greg is a traditionalist and his designs reflect his love of vintage instruments. The unique Dogwood peghead, for example, with it’s hand cut shell inlay, evokes memories of a bygone era when craftsmen considered details like a distinctive peghead to be part of their signature. Greg designed his peghead with this tradition in mind, rather than following the modern trend toward simple, reduced (and easy to make) designs. Putting in the time and effort to shape the Dogwood peghead is just one of many labors of love that go into each of Greg’s guitars.

As committed as he is to traditional construction methods and design elements, Greg is also quick to embrace new technology that has led to a better understanding of guitar tone. Anyone with the right tools and skills can make pretty guitars; consistently building great sounding guitars is a more elusive accomplishment. Greg uses a cutting edge, computer-assisted process to test and select the top for each guitar. These select tops are then voiced and tuned for exceptional clarity and balance.

In these days of mass produced goods, discerning craftsmen such as Greg are becoming rare. When you own a Dogwood guitar, you own something made by humans hands, not robots. Something fine that can be passed down to the next generation, after giving you a lifetime of pleasure.

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Customer Testimonials: European Maple Eminence

"Several years ago when I found out that Greg was starting to make hand made guitars, I knew that I wanted one. Did I need one? No, but that didn't mean I wanted it any less! This past January my wife out of the blue said I should contact Greg and … [Read More...]

Repair and Restoration

Greg's deep knowledge of guitar design and construction means your acoustic or electric guitar will play better after he has worked on it. As a graduate of the esteemed Galloup School of Lutherie, Greg studied under master repairman Bryan Galloup. … [Read More...]

The Eminence

The Eminence is a Grand Auditorium sized guitar that I designed to provide a slight boost to the treble response, along with the clear and balanced tone that all Dogwood models are known for. A slightly smaller body depth and a more narrow waist … [Read More...]

Building a Monarch: Spraying Lacquer

Most guitar players want instruments with a high gloss finish. Nitrocellulose lacquer is the traditional finish for the best guitars. It is durable and unlike some other finishes, it can be repaired later. Oil, poly, and water-based finishes are also … [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...]

Why Buy a Handmade Guitar?

There are a lot of choices out there for the prospective buyer of a fine guitar. It's no secret; a handmade instrument can cost a lot. For that matter, any of the better guitars purchased from a quality manufacturer is going to command what most … [Read More...]

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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...]

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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...]

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