Tucked away in a back corner of the Roy Continental Mill, one would never suspect there is a world-famous guitar maker hiding in Lewiston, Maine.

There, luthiers meticulously construct guitars to the exacting standards of founder and Maine native Dana Bourgeois.

The instruments are considered to be not only high-quality musical instruments, but works of art. As the tops are crafted, fine layers of wood are removed while the maker flexes and taps the piece to ensure the desired sound quality. Each piece of wood is matched so closely that the joints are nearly indiscernible.

After the guitar is hand assembled, coat by coat of finish is applied and sanded so that every pore is filled and the guitar gleams.

The process is so precise that simply walking past the finisher on the old mill floors at the wrong time could cause a blemish on the surface and the process would have to be started again.

When finished, Dana Bourgeois does a final inspection and either rejects the guitar or sends it off for shipment to a retailer, where his guitars range in price from $4,500 to more than $20,000.

Started 35 years ago, Bourgeois guitars are used by musicians including Ricky Skaggs, Bryan Smith, Scott Fore and Ray LaMontagne.

This year, the company surpassed crafting its 6,000th instrument.

“First and foremost, they are musical instruments,” said co-owner John Karp during a recent tour of the manufacturing space in Lewiston. “But some people do collect. I can barely play, but I own five guitars, though none are Bourgeois. There is a thing jokingly called GSA in the music world. It stands for Guitar Acquisition Syndrome.”