A soundboard for a hollow-body stringed instrument made of layers of carbon-fiber and resin material surrounding a core of one or more layers of constant-thickness plywood, veneer (thinly sliced wood) or paper. Additional shaped layers are provided to produce a desired pattern of stiffness in the soundboard. The soundboard may be tuned by attaching additional masses to a surface of the soundboard. A method of making and tuning the soundboard of the invention is provided.