Welcome to OLF Mike!
What was said above covers pretty much what I'd have said so I'll not bother to repeat it. As a professional furniture and cabinet maker with 30+ years experience, I too believe that lutherie is the finest of all woodworking. Being a superb woodworker will not necessarily make one a superb luthier. However, being a superb luthier will place one among the finest of all woodworkers. Especially if you take advantage of the learning of inlay, carving, structural integrity, and finishing skills and techniques. Enjoy your learning experience here. Even with over 3 decades of experience as a woodworker (and now a luthier), I continue to learn more and more every day. The vast amount of knowledge, skills, and techniques available are more than can be achieved in a single lifetime (though with determination, you can get close 
) There's a compilation of brilliance in skills and knowledge here and if you apply the ones that click with you, it can only serve to make you better. ![[:Y:]](./images/smilies/smiley20.gif "Thumbs Up")