Posted on May 13, 2026May 13, 2026 by Dale Phillips Still Voicing, Still Dreaming Still Voicing, Still Dreaming by Dana Bourgeois Originally published in American Lutherie #127, 2016 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Six, 2013 Dana Bourgeois builds acoustic guitars in what could be considered the Martin tradition. His association with Martin, Schoenberg, Paul Reed Smith, and Bourgeois guitar companies, not to mention his solo building career, has given him the opportunity to voice thousands of flattops, which in turn has given him as deep an understanding of the process as (perhaps) anyone alive. Dana has also been writing and lecturing about lutherie for many years. In August of 1997, he presented a seminar on voicing the guitar at the American School of Lutherie. This article is an adaptation of that presentation. Comparing it with Dana’s lecture at the 1990 GAL Convention (published in American Lutherie #24, and Big Red Book of American Lutherie, Volume Two) shows many similarities, sometimes word for word. This is often the mark of a teacher who has been presented with no reason to change his thoughts. On the other hand, there are major changes in his voicing procedures, demonstrating that none of us reach the end of our evolution as luthiers. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of the Articles Online featured on our website for Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
