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A Brief Overview...
Thank you for your interest in my guitars. Here is a brief overview of my life and company... I started out making guitars in high school wood shop. My first project was a Strat-style body with a Fender after market neck. It had an ugly brown stained finish (a really bad job) and the pickups were out of phase and weren't grounded...it was bad. Projects abounded from that day forth and eventually got to the point where people started asking if I was ever going to sell them. So, in early 2002, I opened shop with the help of friends. A very smart cousin of mine suggested Sweetwood Guitar Company for the name. It couldn't be more perfect. Sweetwood is the english translation (from German) of my last name. Today, the boutique lutherie industry is starting to blossom. Its easy to understand why. Instruments from major manufacturers are simply milled and sprayed heavily with little or no attention to detail or materials used. A guitar starts with the careful selection of tonewood. For this I use only the best woods available, all from certified means of forestation. Tonewoods must also be matched for both appearance and resonance. They are then allowed to dry and settle naturally. Most major manufacturers kiln dry their wood. A twenty foot plank of mahogany will lose 18 inches in this process. You see, they suck all the water out and then re-introduce water to a consistent level. Close to 96% of the water in the cells of the wood are evaporated. This makes for a tremendously stable piece of wood, but its soul is lost in the process. Its like playing a piece of toast. The vibrational difference in the wood is simply huge. As for the construction, this is where the German in me takes over. Tight tolerances and a "better by design" approach are standard. I could go on, but let me just say that I am very committed to making the best possible instruments. All my instruments come with a limited lifetime warranty. Feel free to contact me anytime directly. I would be happy to discuss anything with you personally. Thanks again, Glenn |