There is a moment every builder remembers: you tap a freshly braced guitar top and hear it ring back. Hosted by Daryl vanderGroef of the Utah School of Lutherie©, The Voiced Guitar is a guitar building class in Logan, Utah, built for people who want their own handmade acoustic but can’t give a craft 150 hours. In seven sessions and 29 hours, you choose your tonewoods, voice your own top with real acoustic science, carve your neck, and string up an instrument you made.
Daryl does the slow groundwork between sessions, including milling, bending sides and overnight glue-ups, all to his own shop standards. You keep the decisions and the craft that make the guitar yours: tonewood selection, tap testing, bracing and voicing, the neck carve and the finish. It’s for players, woodworkers and the endlessly curious who want a real instrument and real understanding, not a paint-by-numbers kit.
Curriculum
Sessions run about a week apart so glue can cure and Daryl can prepare your next stage.
Session 1: The Wood Speaks (4 hours). Walk out with your tonewoods chosen and your rosette set into your top. You’ll choose your body model and pick your top, back and sides from Daryl’s tonewood stock. Then you’ll tap-test and measure each piece to see why some wood rings and some doesn’t. Session 1 commits no materials, so you can book it on its own to find out if guitar making is for you.
Session 2: Voicing the Top (5 hours). By the end, you’ve tuned a soundboard by ear and by measurement. You’ll take your top to final thickness, carve and glue the bracing, and use Chladni patterns and tap-tone analysis to voice it. This is the heart of Scientific Lutherie and the reason Daryl’s guitars sound the way they do.
Session 3: Building the Body (5 hours). Your guitar takes its shape in the mold. Working with sides Daryl has pre-bent to your model, you’ll fit the kerfing, brace the back and prepare the rim for closing.
Session 4: Closing the Box (5 hours). You’ll hold a complete guitar body. You glue on the top and back, trim the edges flush and cut the binding channels for the binding that frames the body.
Session 5: The Neck (4 hours). Your neck gets the profile your hand wants. Starting from a CNC-roughed neck blank and a slotted fretboard, you’ll carve the neck, install and level the frets, and fit the neck to the body.
Session 6: Finish and Bridge (4 hours). You watch the grain come alive. You’ll sand through the grits, apply a hand-rubbed Rubio Monocoat oil finish, and glue the bridge in place.
Session 7: First Strum (2 hours). You play the guitar you built. Together you’ll cut the nut and saddle, set the action, and string it up for its first notes.
The Investment
| Session | Focus | Investment |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (4 hours) |
Tonewood Selection & Rosette |
$250 |
| 2 (5 hours) |
Top Thicknessing, Bracing & Voicing |
$450 |
| 3 (5 hours) |
Rim, Kerfing & Back Bracing |
$450 |
| Total | Each session lasts three hours in duration. | $425 per Guest |
The Foundation
Most guitar-building courses ask you to choose between a quick kit and months at the bench. The Voiced Guitar takes a third path: Daryl handles the repetitive groundwork to his own standards, and you spend every hour on the work that shapes how your guitar looks, feels and sounds.
The approach is Scientific Lutherie, drawn from the methods of Trevor Gore, Gerard Gilet and Giuliano Nicoletti. Instead of building by ear alone, you measure stiffness and density, read Chladni patterns and capture tap tones, so voicing becomes a repeatable skill rather than a mystery.
Seven sessions a week apart give the glue time to cure and give you time to absorb each stage. Each session ends with something you can see, hear or hold, and the small cohort means Daryl is at your bench for every critical cut.
Meet Your Host
Daryl vanderGroef
Daryl vanderGroef is the founder and master luthier of the Utah School of Lutherie© at de Houtwinkel in Logan. He teaches Scientific Lutherie in his working shop, combining hand tools and hand finishing with CNC fabrication and acoustic measurement. The school describes itself as nationally recognized in the Guild of American Luthiers and by StewMac.
Daryl builds custom instruments for players, including his Ophelia model and custom inlays. He also built Lutherie Log™, the shop and acoustics software he uses to track builds and benchmark tap tones. A recent graduate praised his one-on-one teaching and how responsive he is to questions.
Come Prepared With
No woodworking experience is needed, just patience and curiosity. Wear closed-toe shoes and clothes that can take sawdust. Bring a notebook or phone for photos of your build, and if you play, an idea of the sound and neck feel you love in other guitars.
Provided For You
All tonewoods and build materials for one steel-string acoustic guitar, including your top, back, sides, neck, fretboard, bridge, frets, finish and strings. Daryl provides shop tools, molds, jigs and safety gear (eye and ear protection).
About The Setting
You’ll work in de Houtwinkel, Daryl’s working lutherie shop in Logan, Utah, among tonewood, hand tools and guitars in progress. Each guest has their own bench space. Parking and access details will be private messaged.
Location
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FAQ
What is included in my initial reservation?
By default, your reservation secures Session 1 of the Comprendate. To book the full journey as outlined in the Investment section, simply select the additional sessions during the reservation process.
What is the Community Investment contribution?
A small contribution that fuels the Comprendate ecosystem, ensuring safe connections, quality host vetting, and a vibrant community where curiosity and passion can thrive. The contribution is a flat $12 per booking.
How do I reschedule, cancel, or request a refund?
To reschedule or cancel your Comprendate booking, please message your Host directly. Guests receive a 100% refund for cancellations made at least 12 hours in advance. For additional details, please refer to the Comprendate Promise.
How do I find the meeting location?
Once you reserve a time slot, the Host will send over a welcome message with the precise address and everything you need for a smooth arrival.
Do I need woodworking experience?
No. Daryl teaches every tool and technique as you go, and the hardest preparation is done before you arrive.
What if I want to go deeper afterward?
Graduates can continue into Daryl's full one-on-one Utah School of Lutherie© course or his Lutherie Apprenticeship.
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