Build an Acoustic Guitar

Build a dreadnought guitar patterned after the iconic Martin D-28. The design, first made in 1916 and named for the battleship HMS Dreadnought, has a bigger body and loud bass voice that set the standard for steel-string acoustic guitars throughout the 20th century.

This class repeats a highly successful one offered in early 2025. Students raved about the experience. "The class was awesome!" one student said. He praised the instructor, Neil Miller, as "a great teacher — knowledgeable about luthier fundamentals as well as general woodworking." This student said he  came away with a guitar that looks and sounds amazing. "But the journey is the real takeaway.  We all made mistakes, and we all worked together to help each other fix them and move forward.  It was a journey that took a significant amount of time, but the experience was amazing and very rewarding."

Said another student: "As a moderately good woodworker, I figured that I could produce something that looked good hanging on a wall.  But the instructor and the class helped me produce a guitar that also sounds great and is fun to play."

View a gallery of images from the 2025 class.

Details

• The class is open only to BARN members because the guest fees for Open Studio use would exceed the membership cost.
• Open to woodworkers of any skill level, although some experience with hand tools is helpful. Students with a higher skill level will be able to customize their instrument with unique binding or inlay.
• Before the first session, please view this video to get an overview of the process.
• To allow a schedule that works for most people, this class overlaps with Open Studio, so we'll be sharing the shop with other woodworkers. This is a 16-session class but the dates listed include three extra sessions so the class can decide at the first session which days to skip, such as Easter or Mother's Day.
• Students must commit to working on their guitar during Open Studios between class sessions. To finish guitars by the last class session, students in the earlier class found they needed to be in the shop several days each week. They coordinated their schedules so they could help each other, when needed. The instructor will provide a schedule so students know what work needs to be completed before each class session.

Materials

Prerequisites

Class Policies

Instructors or Guides