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You are here: Home / Dogwood Acoustic Guitars / Ordering your Dogwood Guitar

Ordering your Dogwood Guitar

Please Note: Due to my heavy repair and restoration schedule, I am no longer building custom acoustic guitars. This is an archive page.

Thank you for choosing to order one of my handmade acoustic guitars. From the day we begin to design your dream guitar until the moment you first see and hear it, you are in for a fun and special time. I will work carefully with you to make sure the process is easy and the end result spectacular!

The first step in choosing the elements of your instrument is often a visit to the Dogwood shop (although I certainly can work with you via Zoom, Facetime, or email.) In this meeting you can see and play a couple of my guitars. Top sets and back and side sets of various tonewoods are available for viewing, and we can discuss design elements and options. Tone is always of premier importance, so I will ask about your playing style and what you consider important when you listen to a guitar.

All my guitars include a set of standard quality features as part of the base price. These include a voiced and tuned Spruce top selected for your tonal preferences and playing style, wood bindings with decorative purflings, shell rosette, bone nut and saddle, hand leveled and polished frets, hand cut shell peghead logo, bound Ebony fretboard, and a five-piece laminated Mahogany and Maple neck. The current base price for all models is $7000.

As explained in the article, “Voicing and Tap Tuning”, the choice of wood for a guitar top has a profound effect on the tone of the instrument. All my top sets are individually subjected to dynamic and static testing to measure their material properties. This imperial method of building guarantees that your guitar will have concert quality tone with superior clarity, balance, and projection.

Various options are available should you desire a truly customized instrument. These include venetian cutaways, custom rosettes, custom fretboard inlays, exotic back and side sets, Waverly tuning machines, EVO gold fret wire, top, back, and side shell purflings, and other custom design elements. Contact me to discuss your ideas and costs.

A 25% non-refundable deposit is required to establish your place in the build schedule. I will give you an estimate of when work on your guitar will begin. The full balance is due at the time of delivery. The wait time depends on your place in line as well as my setup and repair schedule, and averages 6-12 months. Progress reports and photos of the work will help you through the wait! It will be worth it.

You will find that I am very easy to work with, and I will take all the time you need to answer your questions and help you with your decisions. I have a very good eye for design and may offer alternatives or modifications to some of your choices if I feel it is warranted. Designing your guitar and then watching it come to life is a thrill that goes beyond words! I am looking forward to working with you and enjoying the process right along with you.

Please read my FAQ page for the answers to the most common questions.

Thanks,

Greg Maxwell

“Greg’s guitars are products of an artist. I played my new Monarch guitar for a small of group friends during my interim stay in Richmond, Kentucky, before returning to Kailua, Hawaii, and the comments about the guitar were: “a beautiful work of art”; “the best sounding guitar I’ve ever heard”; “an amazing piece of artisanship.” For me, the lucky owner, the set-up of Greg’s guitars make them easy to play—even a 12-string! During my visit at Greg’s shop, he let me play his Kingston Jumbo model and its powerful projection filled the room with its beautiful tone. Complimenting his art of guitar building are Greg’s expertise of functional design and his sincere hospitality, making my visit to Greg’s shop both an informative, welcoming experience…” –Leonard Wilson

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Making a Spalted Maple Rosette

The rosette on an acoustic guitar, along with the peghead and bridge designs, is a big part of the custom builder's signature. Often a particular design will immediately identify the guitar as being made by a specific individual. Perhaps the amazing … [Read More...]

FAQ’s

Answers to some of the most common questions I get about my guitars, ordering, etc. What is the current turn around time for orders? My build schedule is determined by my current repair load and teaching schedule, as well as orders already in … [Read More...]

Building a Monarch: Top and Back

The building of any guitar begins with selecting the woods to be used. A bookmatched set of Spruce or Cedar is selected for the top, and a back and side set is chosen for the body. Standard woods for the latter are Rosewood, Mahogany, or Maple. Many … [Read More...]

Building a Monarch: Pearl Inlay

Shell inlays are a time-honored way of adding flair, beauty, and value to musical instruments. The two primary types of shell used in making guitar inlays are Mother of Pearl and Abalone. Each of these come in several color varieties. There are many … [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...]

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...]

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Technical Articles

Why do old guitars sound better?

Why do some old guitars sound so good? Even inexpensive guitars can age into really good sounding instruments, and some old guitars attain legendary tone. Why is this? The answer can be found in one of three factors and the best … [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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