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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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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...]

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...]

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...]

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...]

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...]

Lutherie Classes: Voicing and Tuning

Acoustic Guitar Voicing and Tuning Class (Discontinued due to my heavy repair schedule) This is an advanced class that explores the principles behind great acoustic guitar tone. This class is intended for the experienced builder, and … [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

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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