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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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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...]

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...]

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...]

Customer Testimonials: Taylor 12 string setup

I had a well known luthier in Columbus do a setup on my custom Taylor 12 string including having a bone saddle and nut made. The work seemed good but a while later while using the guitar for recording I noticed a strange light buzzing sound in the B … [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...]

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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Technical Articles

Humidity, Temperature, and Your Guitar

Maintaining your wooden instruments at an appropriate level of humidity year round is vital to their health and well-being. It is surprising how many owners of expensive instruments are unaware of this. I suppose that the primary reason is a lack … [Read More...]

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Viewpoint Articles

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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