The Dreadnought: the design that introduced boutique lutherie. In the early 1970′s, it was the rare player who would consider any guitar smaller than a dreadnought. Stellar players were handicapped by the traditional D’s predominate bass and thin trebles. The strength of the typical dreadnought guitar is in its power and volume, which are achieved by the guitar’s large body size. The increased air space also gives the instrument a predisposition to the bass range, an asset to some playing styles and a detriment to others.