In the past, much study of the guitar was narrowly focused on the origins of the modern classical guitar. However, more recent studies of the guitar diaspora have gained some momentum, offering insights into the many uses of the guitar in culture and everyday life. Following on from these studies, this paper explores how the guitar as a material object is made and produced. In particular, I situate the lives and practices of guitar makers within the local and global intersections of society, culture, identity and place. This includes detailed interviews that reveal the influences and forces at play in the world of guitar making. Following this, I explore three different areas of discourse that influence the work of guitar makers. Firstly, I look at guitar making within the context of woodworking in general: that is, the world of woodwork that consists of its own seminal figures in cabinet and furniture making, for example. Secondly, I discuss the relationships that exist between guitar makers and guitar players, and how these relationships take on a variety of forms: from close, personal relationships, through to relationships that exist predominantly through the flows of global capitalism. Thirdly, I offer some discussion of the world of guitar collectors, and how the discourses of collecting relate to the ways that guitars are made and manufactured today.