1999
AL#57 p.11 BRB5 p.297
John Calkin
▪ Calkin was hired by Huss and Dalton to take over their guitar binding. His story includes a description of how to make wood binding, and covers the hand tools he uses during the binding procedure. With 6 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1999
AL#57 p.6 BRB5 p.292
Jeff Huss Mark Dalton
▪ The H&D Guitar Company builds about 100 guitars per year, the great majority of them bound in wood. Here’s how they do it. With 13 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1999
AL#57 p.3
Jeffrey-R. Elliott
▪ Elliott offers a correction to his top brace system as stated in his lecture printed in AL#56.
1998
AL#56 p.65 BRB5 p.500
Woody Vernice
▪ A Benedetto glue applicator is much cleaner than index finger glue application.
1998
AL#56 p.65 BRB5 p.500
Kevin-B. Rielly
▪ A simple $1 bender design as an alternative to bending frets with pliers or a variable fret bender which takes less than 30 minutes to assemble.
1998
AL#56 p.64
John McCarthy
▪ Obtaining stainless steel sheets for the universal side bender.
1998
AL#56 p.64 BRB5 p.309
Jeffrey-R. Elliott
▪ The variables that influence the ‘feel’ or playability of instruments with the same scale length, string gauge, and setup.
1998
AL#56 p.64 BRB5 p.291
Harrell Sellers
▪ Getting metal tailpieces cast in quantities a small business can afford.
1998
AL#56 p.62 BRB5 p.458
Michael Darnton
▪ Before you try to fix, buy, or sell a violin, you better know what you’re diving into. Darnton explains how to evaluate the condition of a fiddle and how to spot old repairs and perhaps even forgeries.
1998
AL#56 p.58
Harry Fleishman
▪ The Guild’s toolin’ fool bows out as a regular columnist by reviewing tools that could only exist in an Ideal World. Or Funnier World. Pure satire from a man who knows about purity. With 4 photos.
1998
AL#56 p.56
Cyndy Burton
▪ This list of instrument plans probably isn’t world-inclusive, but it’s the biggest list we’ve put together so far. Collect them all and you could probably build for the rest of your life and never use the same plans twice.
1998
AL#56 p.54 BRB5 p.290
Kent Everett
▪ So you hate the way pickguards look but like the job they do? Everett shows how to apply a clear pickguard without bubbles or fingerprints coming along for the ride.
1998
AL#56 p.50 read this article
John Calkin
▪ Scott Chinery had 22 luthiers build 22 archtop guitars, all of them blue. Why? And why did the Smithsonian Institute decide to display them? And then throw in a big shindig for luthiers and guitar nuts alike? Calkin treks to Washington D.C. in the name of the Guild to figure out what all the fuss is about and discovers that hardly anything is what it seems. With 3 photos.
1998
AL#56 p.44 BRB5 p.285
John Calkin David Hurd
▪ David Hurd’s classical guitar drew accolades at the ’98 convention’s listening session, but he’s better known for his ukes and his info-jammed ukulele website. He’s also had the opportunity to build instruments from species of Hawaiian wood that most of us have never even heard of. Life is different in Hawaii. Still. With 3 photos.
1998
AL#56 p.36 BRB5 p.262
Jay Hargreaves
▪ Ribbecke is a renowned maker of archtop guitars. He also opens his shop periodically to small classes that wish to learn his formula for successful and graceful guitars. Hargreaves attended one such week-long session and brought back the straight skinny for American Lutherie readers. Part 1 details the construction of a laminated maple neck and associated details. Part 2 follows in AL#57. With 29 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1998
AL#56 p.34 BRB5 p.242
Peter Hurney
▪ A full-scale instrument plan. See the GAL website for a low-rez preview.
1998
AL#56 p.32 BRB5 p.240
Peter Hurney
▪ Uke builder Hurney offers a description and plans for the Martin Tenor, as well as outlines of the Martin Soprano and Concert models. The plans are available as GAL full-scale Plan #43. With front and back photos of 3 sizes of Martin ukes.
1998
AL#56 p.22 BRB5 p.230
Jeffrey-R. Elliott
▪ In every craft the cream inevitably rises, and Elliott is known to make some of the creamiest classical guitars in the world. Though this article offers a complete recipe for building guitars with “allure,” it becomes obvious that the most important ingredient is the artistic sensitivity he has developed. Not to be overlooked if your goal is to cook up fine classicals. With 9 photos, 1 drawing, and a list for further reading.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s fifty best articles published before 2010.
1998
AL#56 p.16 BRB5 p.256
Cyndy Burton Linda Manzer
▪ Through her artistic merit, dogged determination, and sheer grit, Manzer has risen to the top ranks of her profession. This interview covers her background and training, work ethic, favorite woods, and other lutherie intimacies. With 10 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1998
AL#56 p.6 BRB5 p.248
Lawrence Smart
▪ The demands of contemporary players has forced many changes in the mandolin family since the fabled Loar family of Gibsons was created in the 1920s. Smart has built mandolins, mandolas, and mandocellos to work together as an ensemble as well as separately, and here he discusses the differences that might be desirable in the family as the setting is changed, as well as the changes that players have asked for in his instruments. Accompanied by charts of Smart’s instrument specs as well as those of Gibson. With 5 photos and 5 drawings.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1998
AL#56 p.5
Brian Burns
▪ Burns is a member of the thriving Northern California Association of Luthiers, and he offers advice to others about how to start a successful lutherie organization.
1998
AL#56 p.4
Tony Graziano
▪ Graziano sends in a photo of a double-neck ukulele made in his shop.
1998
AL#56 p.4
Tim O’Dea
▪ Australian O’Dea gives an enthusiastic description of Australian blackwood and its use in lutherie Down Under. The wood is similar to koa, to which it is related. With 1 photo of 2 finished acoustic guitars.
1998
AL#56 p.3
Derrick McCandless
▪ McCandless built a functioning P/J bass that is 8′ long and otherwise to scale. With 1 photo of the finished instrument.
1998
AL#56 p.3
Jon Sevy
▪ Sevy has developed a spreadsheet for calculating the over-all time spent building a lutherie project. He offers the spreadsheet to readers through his website.
1998
AL#55 p.65 read this article
Woody Vernice
▪ These are two picture books of guitars made by luthiers who attended the Healdsburg Guitar Festivals in 1996 and 1997. The reviewer finds that the pictures are too little, but that luthiers looking for new ideas may browse through them endlessly.
1998
AL#55 p.65 read this article
John Calkin
▪ The reviewer enjoyed this video. It is iconoclastic and hip, and should help anyone keep their squeezebox wheezing healthily. Instruction should always be this fun.
1998
AL#55 p.64 BRB5 p.478
John Calkin
▪ The reviewer finds that for anyone wishing to attempt intricate, carefully fitted inlays these two instruction videos should guide them through the craft phase and help to release whatever art they may be capable of.
1998
AL#55 p.63 BRB5 p.477
Nicholas-Von Robison
▪ The reviewer finds this collection of magazine articles will furnish new information to woodworkers of all experience levels. It should also encourage many to harvest their own wood supply and show them how to make it into a material worthy of their best work.
1998
AL#55 p.63 BRB5 p.477
Bishop Cochran
▪ The reviewer finds that this book is weak on pickup design considerations but that it will ultimately set the luthier free to customize his sound and escape the high cost of commercial pickups.
1998
AL#55 p.62 BRB5 p.208
Frank-S. Hedi Gavin Baird
▪ It is customary to glue on the bridge after finish is done on the guitar for a far easier cleanup job.
1998
AL#55 p.61 BRB5 p.458
Michael Darnton
▪ Repair ethics updated. Centuries from now some of those “cheap” fiddles won’t be cheap any more, and the quick and dirty repairs we do to keep them functional today may be considered butchery in the future. Is it time to reconsider our impact on the violin scenes to come?
1998
AL#55 p.60 BRB5 p.208
Jeff-Lee Manthos
▪ Procuring William Fulton’s book, Turpentine Violin Varnish.
1998
AL#55 p.60 BRB5 p.208
Tom Blackshear
▪ The relationship of the soundboard to the neck on classical and flamenco guitars.
1998
AL#55 p.60 BRB5 p.277
Peter Dyer Dennis Abbl
▪ Regarding stainless steel VS spring steel used for the universal (Charles Fox) side bender.
1998
AL#55 p.58
Cyndy Burton
▪ Where to get pickups, condenser mikes, electric guitar parts, and general electronics gear.
1998
AL#55 p.55 BRB5 p.498
Jeff Huss Mark Dalton
▪
1998
AL#55 p.55 BRB5 p.498
John Calkin
▪ Aside from sanding chores, the belt sander makes a much better grinder than a bench grinder.
1998
AL#55 p.54 BRB5 p.497
Filippo Avignonesi
▪ A jig to make joints for attaching necks to bodies; both heel and body are slotted and joined by a flat wooden spline.
1998
AL#55 p.48 BRB5 p.243
Cyndy Burton Paul Jacobson
▪ Jacobson is a widely respected builder of classical guitars who considers lutherie to be the equivalent of writing sonnets. They are both exercises in controlled creativity. And both can be beautiful.
1998
AL#55 p.45
Ken Sribnick
▪ Sribnick believes that consistent accuracy stems from shop standards. One set of measuring tools, one set of templates, one style of doing things. He makes a good case, too. With 3 photos.
1998
AL#55 p.40 BRB5 p.209
Sam Littlepage
▪ Suppose you made a stiff framework that resembled a guitar that was strong enough to resist most of the distortion to which the instrument is prone, and then built a guitar around the framework. Well, Littlepage has beat you to it. He reports that it not only works, but also improves the guitar in every way. With 14 photos and a pair of drawings.
1998
AL#55 p.32 BRB5 p.224
Jonathon Peterson David Gusset
▪ Gusset’s early work made him intimately familiar with many fine old Italian violins, and he has used their influence to make his mark in world violin making competitions. With one drawing and 9 photos, including wonderful violin close-ups.
1998
AL#55 p.20
Staff
▪ If you weren’t there, too bad. But you can begin to imagine what it was like from this extensive coverage. With 66 photos.
1998
AL#55 p.16 BRB5 p.214
Mark Bass Paul McGill
▪ McGill is a thinking-man’s guitar maker with some strong notions that run counter to current lutherie mythology. He also has a big-time clientele who believe he is right. With 6 photos.
1998
AL#55 p.10 BRB5 p.219
R.E. Brune
▪ A full-scale instrument plan. See the GAL website for a low-rez preview.
1998
AL#55 p.8 BRB5 p.217
R.E. Brune
▪ The story of this astonishing flamenco guitar involves Barbero, Sabicas, Carlos Montoya, and Elektra records. It dropped from sight until showing up at Brune’s for repair. Brune drew up a complete set of plans while the guitar was in his possession. They are printed here, and are also available as a full-size GAL Plan #42. With 12 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1998
AL#55 p.7
John Pearse
▪
1998
AL#55 p.3 BRB5 p.213 read this article
Roger Sadowsky
▪ Sadowsky remembers Irving Sloane as a Renaissance man, and surely just the work he did in the lutherie field would qualify him for that. He designed and produced tuning machines, a slew of hand tools, and three instruction books that no doubt continue to be the worthy introduction many of us have to the world of lutherie. He was also Sadowsky’s father-in-law. This small remembrance is as nice as any man has had.
1998
AL#54 p.65
Robert Lundberg
▪ Shark chemical file sharpening system.
1998
AL#54 p.65 BRB5 p.193
Stephen Bacon
▪ Epoxy as filler.
1998
AL#54 p.65 BRB5 p.193
Tim Shaw
▪ Clay used in the position marker cavities of old fretboards.
1998
AL#54 p.65
Ed Pastor
▪ Staining fingerboards.
1998
AL#54 p.65
Todd Taggart
▪ A source for Bolteron plastic binding material.
1998
AL#54 p.62
Cyndy Burton
▪ Where to get the gear you need to do what you want to do as a luthier.
1998
AL#54 p.58 BRB5 p.444
Harry Fleishman
▪ Fleishman tries out a tool for puncturing archtop plates to establish depth of cut, likes it, but finds that the standard size tool is for violin makers and guitar makers must special order; the nut files of a lifetime come into his shop; a good tool that Everyman can afford turns out to be nice fret slot cleaning tool.
1998
AL#54 p.57 BRB5 p.477
John Calkin
▪ The reviewer decides that the book should be of use to anyone who is about to purchase their first spray gear, but that other sources of information are more lutherie-specific.
1998
AL#54 p.56 BRB5 p.476
John Calkin
▪ The reviewer finds this set of 5 videos to be useful and complete for those who wish to build an archtop guitar, but that those who lack previous lutherie experience should also have the book by Benedetto.
1998
AL#54 p.55 BRB5 p.476
John Calkin
▪ The reviewer finds that this video is a good learning device for anyone wishing to learn how to set up their electric guitar or bass, perhaps less so for acoustic players.
1998
AL#54 p.54 BRB5 p.474
Cyndy Burton
▪ The reviewer urges the purchase of this pricey book ($119.95) by anyone seriously interested in the history or construction of the classical guitar.
1998
AL#54 p.52 BRB5 p.458
Michael Darnton
▪ Darnton dwells upon the value of violins (as opposed, at times, to their cost), and finds that customers drive the cost of violins even when they aren’t sure of the value. For non-fiddle people this may be the most interesting column he has written, and for violin folks it should prove quite enlightening.
1998
AL#54 p.51 BRB5 p.496
Dale Randall
▪ Using a 1CC syringe and loading it from the bottle as a nonclogging applicator for superglue.
1998
AL#54 p.51 BRB5 p.495
Jonathon Peterson
▪ Clamping loose brace ends in the nether regions of a guitar box can be effectively accomplished by wedging sticks between the brace and opposite plate of the guitar.
1998
AL#54 p.51 BRB5 p.493
Filippo Avignonesi
▪ Correcting sinking soundholes, i.e, weak waist bars using this technique.
1998
AL#54 p.50 BRB5 p.495
Nathan-D. Missel
▪ Saving time carving the top and back plates of archtop guitars by power carving them into rough form before final graduation using this custom carver.
1998
AL#54 p.38 BRB5 p.127
John Calkin
▪ Inspired by his time spent at Fox’s American School of Lutherie, Calkin revamps his whole building procedure. Dished workboards turn out to be easy and cheap to make. Mando, uke, and dulcimer sides are bent with an electric silicone blanket. Molds are revamped. Speed and precision are in, drudgery is out (well, almost). Parts 1 and 2 were in American Lutherie #52 and #53, respectively. With 25 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s fifty best articles published before 2010.
1998
AL#54 p.34 BRB5 p.194
Tim Olsen Joseph Curtin
▪ The personal history of violin people is often the most interesting because so many of them realize that a formal approach to learning their craft is often the fastest way of being recognized in the business, even though they may invest many years in the process. And they frequently find themselves in exotic places as they learn. It must work, too. How many of us need an assistant and a business manager to help hold down the fort, as Curtin does? With 6 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1998
AL#54 p.26 BRB5 p.198
Graham McDonald
▪ Advice about building an Irish instrument with a Greek name from an Australian in an American magazine. You could get jet lag just thinking about it. McDonald covers the construction of the entire instrument (his neck joint is really slick) but the focal point is his top construction. He steams thick flat plates in the oven and bends them into an arch until they set. After joining there is a minimum of carving yet to be done. All this is in the name of saving time and timber. With 9 photos and a pair of drawings.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1998
AL#54 p.21 BRB5 p.204
Cyndy Burton Judy Threet
▪ Threet is a Canadian builder who specializes in fingerstyle guitars. Her guitars often display an artistic flair that few can match. This interview takes a decidedly philosophic turn, and appropriately so, since Threet used to be a professor of philosophy. With 4 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1998
AL#54 p.16
Ervin Somogyi
▪ Until the Asian market crisis many American luthiers thought that dealing their instruments in Japan would provide the best of living opportunities. Much of Somogyi’s production goes to Japan, and in 1997 he visited Japan at the invitation of his distributor to visit dealers and attend the “NAMM show” of the Orient. Here’s what business and lutherie in Japan is really like. With 10 photos.
1998
AL#54 p.6 BRB5 p.182
Cyndy Burton Eugene Clark
▪ Jeez, there’s a lot to know about French polishing. Changing lubricating oils can change the quality of the job, but there are reasons to change oils. The pad you rub with makes a difference. The longevity and toughness of the finish can be controlled by the materials you use. This work is deeper than meets the eye. Burton attended a class taught by Clark, and she brings home the straight skinny for American Lutherie. With 15 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s fifty best articles published before 2010.
1998
AL#54 p.2
David Brownell
▪
1998
AL#53 p.64 BRB5 p.474
Bryan Johanson
▪ The reviewer finds the book flawed in minor ways but says that it is well worth its price of $75, which is a pretty good recommendation.
1998
AL#53 p.62
Cyndy Burton
▪ Ms. Burton has rounded up almost two pages of wood suppliers. If you can’t find it here you may have to go cut it yourself.
1998
AL#53 p.60 BRB5 p.458
Michael Darnton
▪ Are there good alternative finishes for violins? What’s the best way to repair a nicked fiddle? Where is the best place to position the soundpost?
1998
AL#53 p.59
John Calkin Harry Fleishman
▪ A standard series of graduated projects that one can undertake to gain experience in instrument maker.
1998
AL#53 p.59 BRB5 p.147
Fred Campbell Douglas Somervell
▪ Differing clarifications on using epoxy as filler on rosewood under nitrocellulose lacquer.
1998
AL#53 p.56 BRB5 p.442
Harry Fleishman
▪ Harry ‘fesses up: many luthiers are just too darn serious to grok good humor. But he, himself, is serious about testing new gear. In this issue he sort of likes a Bench Guitar Cradle, isn’t very enthusiastic about the Ultimate Guitar Mirror, is ambiguous about a fret slotting miter box and saw, finds a good mini-mic to combine with piezo pickups for not a lot of money, hates a commercial go-bar deck, and raves about a neck removal jig for dovetail joints. Whew!
1998
AL#53 p.52 BRB5 p.486
John Calkin
▪ A non-fiddle maker reviews 10 of the less expensive books about building violins. Are they useful? Interesting? Deadly dull? Worth the bread? There are far more expensive books in this category, but these are the ones most likely to be encountered by the beginner. This will give you a leg up before you order.
1998
AL#53 p.51
John Calkin
▪ The scroll saw is a reasonable substitute for the bandsaw when changing the bandsaw’s blade would be required.
1998
AL#53 p.51
Peter Giolitto
▪ A modified Ibex bridge clamp with greater reach and span for classical guitar use.
1998
AL#53 p.50 BRB5 p.504
Dave Maize
▪ Using innertubes to bundle stickered backs and sides is not a great idea.
1998
AL#53 p.50 BRB5 p.494
Nathan-D. Missel Christopher Smith
▪ A side dent puller and reshaper which works exceedingly well in correcting damage.
1998
AL#53 p.48 BRB5 p.192
Harry Fleishman
▪ Who but Harry could design frets that look like half a hot-dog sliced lengthwise? Seriously, though, Fleishman’s method of shaping and installing frets should mark the end of player discomfort and fret end hang-up.Not to mention that his frets look seriously cool. With 1 photo and 4 drawings.
1998
AL#53 p.44 BRB5 p.178
John Calkin George Fortune-Jr. Stan Olah
▪ Fortune is a self-taught fiddle maker and instrument repairman in rural Virginia. To many of his neighbors he is known simply as the Fiddle Man. Perhaps Americans aren’t losing their independent spirit, but often it feels like it. Calkin pays tribute to a man who seems to represent a whole way of life. With 7 photos.
1998
AL#53 p.32 BRB5 p.108
John Calkin
▪ In AL#52 we looked at the tools and jigs Charles Fox uses to build acoustic guitars. In Part 2 we examine how that equipment is put to use as Fox takes us through the procedure of building a classical guitar at his American School of Lutherie. Most of this info will be just as useful to the steel string builder, as well. With 55 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s fifty best articles published before 2010.
1998
AL#53 p.26 read this article
Fred Carlson
▪ Carlson attended Charles Fox’s original guitar making school in 1975, and nearly a generation later reunited with Fox at his new facility, the American School of Lutherie. Basic to Fred’s story is the manner in which the times, two people, and guitar making have changed in 20-odd years. The times, indeed, are a’changin’.
1998
AL#53 p.22 BRB5 p.164
Cyndy Burton Shelley Park
▪ Park plays jazz guitar and builds Selmer-style guitars like those designed by Mario Maccaferri and played by Django Reinhardt. She furnishes some interesting thoughts about alternative woods and different finishes. Are women luthiers who survive long enough to become professionals really more interesting than many of the men, or do they just give better interviews? You decide. With 9 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1998
AL#53 p.18 BRB5 p.176
John Monteleone
▪ A world-renowned maker of archtops who knew D’Aquisto well offers a more technical examination of Jimmy’s design evolution. With 3 photos and a drawing.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s fifty best articles published before 2010.
1998
AL#53 p.14 BRB5 p.172
John Monteleone
▪ A photo-essay of 8 D’Aquisto archtops formerly owned by Paul Gudelsky, set up to show the progression of Jimmy’s designs. With 8 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1998
AL#53 p.9 BRB5 p.172
Paul Schmidt
▪ D’Aquisto’s biographer bids farewell to the man who was called by some the world’s greatest luthier of our time. A touching and very real-world story. With 2 photos.
1998
AL#53 p.8 BRB5 p.168
Paul Gudelsky
▪ An overview of D’Aquisto’s career by a man who studied guitar construction with Jimmy and collected a number of his instruments. It becomes clear how complex an individual D’Aquisto really was. Lots of generalized talk about wood and archtop design, too, but nothing scientific. More of a tribute to a man who died way too soon. With 5 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1998
AL#53 p.3 read this article
Jan Callister
▪
1998
AL#53 p.2 read this article
Bart Hopkin
▪
1997
AL#52 p.65
Scott Hackleman
▪ Indian and or European books on sarod and sitar construction.
1997
AL#52 p.65 BRB5 p.137
Michael Darnton
▪ What finish Martin used before nitrocellulose lacquer and when they switched.
1997
AL#52 p.65
Bart Reiter
▪ Information on grants to study lutherie.
1997
AL#52 p.64
Woody Vernice
▪ An addendum to a tip in AL#43 on installing two small braces between the bridge patch and the waist bar of a classic guitar in an effort to correct a slight caving in, using post-it notes as depth gauges.
1997
AL#52 p.64 BRB5 p.493
John Calkin
▪ Hammering in vs cutting frets exactly to length.
1997
AL#52 p.62
Cyndy Burton
▪ A short list of new books, videos and cyber-stuff, as well as a list of organizations and periodicals with a lutherie bias. Seems like no matter what instrument you want to build there are some official folks who want to help you. Hurrah!
1997
AL#52 p.60 BRB5 p.473
C.F. Casey
▪ The reviewer came away from Ribbecke’s seminar not only feeling that he now had the foundation needed to build archtops, but felt that his lutherie skills in general had been boosted by his experience.
1997
AL#52 p.58 BRB5 p.441
Harry Fleishman
▪ Ever thought to look in a fabric store for lutherie tools? I’ll bet’cha that Harry beat you to it. He found a deal on aprons, some good layout tools for design work, and bias tape for tying on bindings. Then he opened a Woodcraft catalog and discovered clamps and a carbide burr cutter he couldn’t live without. Just one more column demonstrating why the editorial staff has developed a fatherly concern for their toolman’s life on the edge of lutherie.
1997
AL#52 p.56 BRB5 p.458
Michael Darnton
▪ The soundpost of a cello can push the hard grain of the spruce right through the varnish. So how does one fix the problem? Is your varnish not as clear as you’d like? Damn! What’s the best way to scale down a 4/4 violin to the smaller sizes? Darnton comes to the rescue again.
1997
AL#52 p.53 BRB5 p.141
John Calkin
▪ Augie LoPrinzi has been an accessible luthier who taught or influenced dozens of people as they entered the business. Calkin “knew him when,” back in the ’70s at a time his small shop churned out 25 guitars a month. This is a different look at a man who was also a barber, pool hustler, amateur magician, wannabe classical guitarist, and a storyteller deluxe. Fun.
1997
AL#52 p.50 BRB5 p.138
Jonathon Peterson Augustino LoPrinzi
▪ Augie LoPrinzi has made or overseen the construction of over 8000 guitars. He went from a one-man shop in the back of his barbershop to a factory that employed 30 people and made 80 flattops a month. Now back in a small-shop setting, his enthusiasm for the guitar is as high as ever. Come along for one of the wilder rides in the annals of lutherie.
1997
AL#52 p.46 BRB5 p.148
R.E. Brune
▪ What does it take to restore an important instrument? Skill, research, and a solid feel and appreciation for the time during which the piece was made and played. Skip any of these factors and you could easily screw up an irreplaceable piece. Brune describes his approach to one guitar while at the same time demonstrating the qualities necessary to enter this field.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1997
AL#52 p.42 BRB5 p.144
Tim Olsen R.E. Brune
▪ Brune was an original founder of the Guild, has been a GAL convention lecturer, and an American Lutherie author. He’s also a world-renowned maker, dealer, and collector of classical guitars. In this interview he offers some personal background as well as what he thinks it will take to stay afloat in the lutherie world that’s coming. His insider’s view of high-buck instrument dealing is especially compelling. With 7 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1997
AL#52 p.28 BRB5 p.152
Guy Rabut
▪ To non-fiddle people all violins look about the same. To the initiated, however, they are vastly different. Besides offering a thorough description of his scroll carving techniques, Rabut gives us a glimpse into the world of the violin in-crowd where an appreciation for subtlety is the stock-in-trade. Guy is a high-profile maker who has had the opportunity to examine many world-class violins. With 52 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s fifty best articles published before 2010.
1997
AL#52 p.12 BRB5 p.108
John Calkin
▪ The main thrust of Fox’s American School of Lutherie lies in teaching lone guitarmakers to make better instruments through more accurate tooling and in helping them become more commercially viable by increasing their production. Calkin attended one of Charles’ week-long Contemporary Guitar Making seminars and documented much of the hard info for American Lutherie readers. This segment concentrates on nearly 3 dozen jigs and fixtures that anyone can add to their lutherie arsenal, most of them adapted to power tools. With 57 photos. Parts 2 & 3 to follow.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s fifty best articles published before 2010.
1997
AL#52 p.10
Fred Carlson Charles Fox
▪ Fox has made an impact on the guitar community as an influential teacher and a designer of tools. Carlson attended Fox schools in the ’70s and ’90s, and in this interview he asks Fox to contrast his schools and predict the future of lutherie in America.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1997
AL#52 p.6
Jonathon Peterson
▪ Though only 2 years old, the Healdsburg show has become culturally and commercially important, as well as a luthiers’ information exchange. Peterson interviews organizers and luthiers who set up displays. The spread of 19 photos is an even split of personalities and close-ups of interesting guitars.
1997
AL#52 p.3
Joe-D. Franklin
▪ Many builders maintain that a guitar top that varies in thickness offers better tone than a uniform top.Franklin offers technical reasons for why it is so.
1997
AL#51 p.58 BRB5 p.440
Harry Fleishman
▪ The Guild’s tool buster tames two new offerings and enjoys the ride. The first is a knife for opening cracks in guitar tops. The other is jig that thins and shapes the splints to be put into the slots cut by the knife. Along the way he examines the catalog of Luthiers Mercantile International.
1997
AL#51 p.57
Dennis Russell
▪ Sources of mandola plans.
1997
AL#51 p.57
Filippo Avignonesi
▪ Getting the 18th fret note on the high E string (A#) on a classic guitar to sound more lively.
1997
AL#51 p.57
Alan Carruth
▪ Refitting a 1916 Gibson A-model mandolin back which no longer conforms to the outline.
1997
AL#51 p.54
Cyndy Burton
▪ Burton lists 2 pages of suppliers and manufacturers of finish and glue, and offers more than a page of useful tips gleaned from many luthiers.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1997
AL#51 p.53
Dave Maize
▪ The GWW Case Company takes around 8 weeks to deliver a prototype or an order of cases, is very businesslike and easy to work with.
1997
AL#51 p.53
Michael Darnton
▪ Contrary to Darrelle Anne Le Maitre’s comments in AL#50, using a cushy washer under a strap button will actually increase the load and leverage on a screw and increase the chance of repeat failure.
1997
AL#51 p.53 BRB5 p.490
James-E. Patterson
▪ Speeding up the sharpening of bandsaw blades.
1997
AL#51 p.53 BRB5 p.492
Julius-J. Borges
▪ A dirt simple, yet incredibly effective procedure to create accurate side templates without a CAD program.
1997
AL#51 p.52 BRB5 p.491
Buzz Vineyard
▪ A laminated all wood tailpiece to gain more control over the dimensions, weight, and aesthetics of the tailpiece.
1997
AL#51 p.52 BRB5 p.491
John Calkin
▪ A portable fret to solve the installation problem of the infamous 6 and a half fret of a dulcimer.
1997
AL#51 p.50 BRB5 p.458
Michael Darnton
▪ Straight talk about why slab-sawn wood is a poor choice for violin necks, boiling down an alcohol solution, getting a chin rest to stay on a fiddle, and making lake pigments.
1997
AL#51 p.49 BRB5 p.472
John Calkin
▪ This video is about designing, making, and repairing pickups, starting at the bottom. The reviewer enjoyed the tape and found that it taught him new material in a manner that didn’t frighten him off.
1997
AL#51 p.49 BRB5 p.472
John Calkin
▪ The reviewer enjoyed his time spent with this book, but decides its appeal will be to those who are already ukulele enthusiasts. If you aren’t one, it probably won’t make you one.
1997
AL#51 p.48 BRB5 p.472
Woody Vernice
▪ The reviewer especially raves about the photography included in the book, though his assessment of its value to the working luthier is not so hot.
1997
AL#51 p.47 BRB5 p.471
John Calkin
▪ The reviewer likes the informal structure of this book about an important health consideration in any woodshop.Shop dust can be controlled on a low budget when necessary, and many collectors and aids can be made in the shop.
1997
AL#51 p.46 BRB5 p.471
Bryan Johanson
▪ Though taken aback by the ego of the author, the reviewer decides the book is invaluable to his enjoyment of the guitar. “If you care about the guitar, you should own this book.”
1997
AL#51 p.46 BRB5 p.471
John Calkin
▪ The reviewer likes this book about instrument creation. The book deals lightly with the physics of music and lightly with the concept of craft. Hopkin’s real message is that musical instruments are everywhere on the planet, not just in the guitar shop, and he happily guides the reader through the creation of dozens of them. Deals with wind and percussion instruments more than with strings, but the string section is useful.
1997
AL#51 p.42 BRB5 p.104
John Calkin Jeff Huss Mark Dalton
▪ Virginia luthiers Huss and Dalton show off their shop and talk about the business of going into business. They make 7 high-end acoustics per month, and they make it sound easy. With 11 photos.
1997
AL#51 p.38 BRB5 p.100
Fred Carlson
▪ Inspired by his fiddle-building partner, Suzy Norris, Carlson has created a guitar that utilizes a large number of sympathetic strings. The obstacles that had to be overcome were significant, but “angel voices” never come easy to us Earth folks. With 10 photos and a pair of drawings of how things work.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1997
AL#51 p.36 BRB5 p.143
Nathan-D. Missel
▪ You can build these little hollowing planes for a dollar or two and very little time. With 3 drawings to show you the way.
1997
AL#51 p.26 BRB5 p.92
Jonathon Peterson Boaz Elkayam
▪ Elkayam grew up as a luthier, built guitars as he traveled half the world on a motorcycle, never stopped learning, and seems never to have met a challenge he didn’t welcome. High-class lutherie skills don’t necessarily make a person interesting. If Boaz quit the trade today he’d still be someone you’d like to seek out. Check out his classical guitar with two fingerboards (but only one neck). With 24 photos of beautiful instruments, beautiful places, and beautiful women.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1997
AL#51 p.24 BRB5 p.84
Don Musser
▪ Musser offers a peek at varieties of top wood you may never have considered, and finds them promising. The varieties are white fir, sub-alpine fir, Colorado blue spruce, and one that may be a hybrid. Includes four photos of sectioned logs.
1997
AL#51 p.20 BRB5 p.80
Armin Kelly Hermann Hauser-III
▪ The name Hermann Hauser needs no introduction in the classical guitar world. Here Hauser #3 talks about heritage, learning the craft, wood, and closing in on the perfect guitar. With 6 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1997
AL#51 p.16
David Grey
▪ Grey’s nifty jig uses a table router to bind guitar bodies. The classiest part is the micrometer adjustments built into the jig. With 2 photos and 5 good drawings.
1997
AL#51 p.13
Kevin-B. Rielly
▪ One guitar, two necks, and two distinct functions: half solidbody with magnetic pickups, half hollow with a piezo pickup.Not to mention a look you haven’t seen before. With 6 photos.
1997
AL#51 p.6 BRB5 p.86
Ralph Novak
▪ Scale length is seldom used as a design criterion to achieve a given tone, but Novak shows that a given set of strings behaves differently according to the scale length it is stretched over. There are reasons to change other than player comfort. Impress your friends with your knowledge of the evil clang tone. With 6 graphs and 2 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1997
AL#51 p.3
Marlo Sagers
▪
1997
AL#51 p.3
Carol McGrath
▪
1997
AL#50 p.61
Larry Stamm
▪ Dished or spherical workboards and their radii.
1997
AL#50 p.61
Ronald-Louis Fernandez
▪ Video training available demonstrating detailed techniques of classical guitar making.
1997
AL#50 p.61 BRB5 p.137
Mike Longworth
▪ What finish Martin used before nitrocellulose and when they switched.
1997
AL#50 p.61
James Curtis
▪ Where to find mandolin tuning machines which mount on a slotted head like classical guitars.
1997
AL#50 p.60 BRB5 p.129
Dave Hajicek
▪ A reliable method to correct extensive lacquer finish crazing. He sprays pure MEK.
1997
AL#50 p.59 BRB5 p.491
Alan Carruth
▪ Mixing 10 percent of acetone in polyurethane for nice bite.
1997
AL#50 p.59 BRB5 p.490
Dave Maize
▪ Four tool ideas; a small battery powered gooseneck lamp for a router, Bernard’s pliers for removing snug fitting bridge saddles, bamboo shish kebab skewers for glue spreading, and a scraper to clear glue along guitar braces.
1997
AL#50 p.58 BRB5 p.502
Darelle-Anne Le-Maitre
▪ Removing the shank of a strap button screw from the upper horn of a Stratocaster.
1997
AL#50 p.58 BRB5 p.489
Chuck Shifflett
▪ A comfortable handle that works way better on Micro Plane rasps which were reviewed by Harry Fleishman in AL#48.
1997
AL#50 p.58 BRB5 p.489
Glenn Uhler
▪ A body or neck rest with an interesting history.
1997
AL#50 p.56 BRB5 p.458
Michael Darnton
▪ This time the GAL’s fiddle guru talks about bridge shoes, fitting pegs, detecting a loose bass bar, streaky ebony, and “Russian” string setups.
1997
AL#50 p.54 BRB5 p.438
Harry Fleishman
▪ Fleishman examines two tools used for changing the width of fret tangs and a Dremel tool jig for routing bridge slots after the bridge is glued to the guitar. He likes them all. With 3 photos.
1997
AL#50 p.50 BRB5 p.38
John Calkin Kent Everett
▪ Everett is one of those monster craftsmen who can knock out 50 fine instruments a year, alone. This interview not only covers his lutherie background but also explains the shop schedule that keeps the guitar flowing at such a prodigious rate. Featuring five photos and one of Everett’s comic strips.
1997
AL#50 p.48
Jonathon Peterson
▪ Here are 17 photos of knockout instrument work.
1997
AL#50 p.44 BRB5 p.41
Michael Hornick
▪ Good lacquer work isn’t mysterious, just a pain in the neck. Hornick has it down to an art and a science, and he offers up his recipe to the last detail.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1997
AL#50 p.40 BRB5 p.68
Tim Olsen Michael Hornick
▪ Hornick has become renown as the creator of Shanti guitars. In this interview he discusses the road to the top of the lutherie profession as well as tonewood and guitar design. With 3 photos.
1997
AL#50 p.32 BRB5 p.78
John Roeder
▪ A full-scale instrument plan. See the GAL website for a low-rez preview.
1997
AL#50 p.30 BRB5 p.72
John Roeder
▪ Roeder offers construction advice about the classic German zither, which has 5 strings over a fretboard and as many as 40 open strings used for chord and bass accompaniment. Included are 6 drawings and 14 photos, as well as a shrunken version of GAL full-size Plan #41. Mentions Franz Schwarzer.
1997
AL#50 p.20 BRB5 p.48
Kalia Kliban
▪ Kliban reports on an inlay workshop led by Larry Robinson. Robinson has become a master of shell decoration and an important teacher in the field. This article covers everything from design to engraving, and amounts to a condensed version of Larry’s book on the subject. With 15 photos of the workshop and knockout inlay work.
1997
AL#50 p.14 BRB5 p.56
Jonathon Peterson Arul-Dominic Xavier
▪ Xavier traveled all the way from India to attend the Healdsburg Guitarmakers Festival. This interview makes it obvious to what lengths some folks have to go to become luthiers. Think you’re on a budget? In India a GAL membership costs about one third of a month’s wages. With 6 photos.
1997
AL#50 p.4 BRB5 p.60
Frank Ford
▪ Ford has been a preeminent repairman for years, but has recently emerged as a fine teacher of repair topics. Everyone’s refretting tricks are a little different. Even if you have a handle on the general principle you may find that Frank Ford has something to offer you. With 29 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s fifty best articles published before 2010.
1997
AL#50 p.3
Allen Watsky
▪ Watsky has modified several guitars to provide compensation of the nut end, with good results.
1997
AL#49 p.62 BRB5 p.470
Colin Kaminski
▪ This course, which saves years of learning on your own, is based on jigs and fixtures, and too brief for those who prefer to work by hand. Joseph is very forthcoming with his methods, ideas, and tricks.
1997
AL#49 p.60 BRB5 p.458
Michael Darnton
▪ The style and size of violins, like most everything else in noncommunist countries, is driven by the market place. Darnton responds to a query about which fiddle makers are best to copy, and how to arch the plates to please contemporary musicians.
1997
AL#49 p.59 BRB5 p.489
Peter Schaefer
▪ The German company Auro makes readymade shellac and amber varnish (lacquer).
1997
AL#49 p.59 BRB5 p.488
Nathan-D. Missel
▪ Using a pattern-following router bit made from a salvaged pencil sharpener mounted on a drill press when cutting pegheads, bridges, tops, or tail pieces. It is an extreme spiral, you see.
1997
AL#49 p.58 BRB5 p.489
Colin Kaminski
▪ Boggs Tool Processing uses the liquid honing process for sharpening files.
1997
AL#49 p.58 BRB5 p.504
Glenn Uhler
▪ This plastic tool box made by Rubbermaid has two stacking trays that lift out together and plenty of room in the bottom for fretting hammers and larger tools.
1997
AL#49 p.57 BRB5 p.193
John Calkin
▪ An abbreviated chart from Howie Mitchell’s ‘The Hammered Dulcimer’ for spring brass and phosphor bronze wire.
1997
AL#49 p.54 BRB5 p.436
Harry Fleishman
▪ Fleishman examines two retrofit bases for the Dremel mini-router, and likes them both for different reasons. He also test drives a set of micro-chisels and JAWS, a hand-powered fretting press, and recommends them. With 5 photos.
1997
AL#49 p.50 BRB5 p.44
Colin Kaminski Jeff Traugott
▪ Neck resetting techniques have changed enormously in the last few years, and they continue to evolve. Traugot has been in the forefront of the evolution. Here’s his up-to-the-minute description of the procedure. With 12 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1997
AL#49 p.44 BRB5 p.30
Nicholas-Von Robison
▪ Robison describes wood identification as an adventure. You’ll need some reference books and a microscope, and a computer wouldn’t hurt. Ever see an instrument trimmed in smokewood? How do you know, Sherlock? Without a little scientific trickery your guess could be wrong either way. Get with the program. With 6 photomicrographs of softwoods.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1997
AL#49 p.40 BRB5 p.26
Richard Beck
▪ Beck’s theme is to keep the quality but cut the time involved in building acoustic guitars. He shares his jigs for shaping headstocks and arching braces using a router table and heavy aluminum jigs. You may have to get a machine shop in on this job. With 13 photos and a drawing.
1997
AL#49 p.36 BRB5 p.34
Brent Benfield
▪ So you bought a spherically dished form in which to build your guitars. But how do you go about it? Benfield describes a path notable for its lack of complication. This is a painless way to bring your guitars into the 21st century. Most of the ideas are applicable to flattop guitars as well. With 10 photos and 4 drawings.
1997
AL#49 p.28 BRB5 p.18
Tim Olsen Fred Carlson
▪ Carlson grew up on a New England commune and never outgrew the philosophy of sharing. He would rather let his uniqueness bloom than give in to commercial considerations. You’ll be glad you met him here. With 16 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1997
AL#49 p.20 BRB5 p.12
John Calkin
▪ How to make thin-body guitars intended to be plugged in on stage. The bodies are hollowed from solid stock. Design considerations are emphasized. Production jigs are described, as are a set of jigs for making bridges. With 14 photos.
1997
AL#49 p.10 BRB4 p.4
Woodley White
▪ Baarslag journeys to the American School of Lutherie to teach a week-long class about building classical guitars. White attended, and gives a full report. With 37 photos.
1997
AL#49 p.6 BRB5 p.2
Woodley White Rene Baarslag
▪ A Dutchman who moved to Spain and learned guitar making with the help of Antonio Marin, Baarslag has carved out a reputation as a fine luthier. The descriptions of his home will make you wonder why luthiers can’t live this well in America. Baarslag’s life must be very pleasant.
1997
AL#49 p.4
Tim White
▪ Richard Schneider was a luthier, mentor, and ground-breaking experimenter. See the Guild’s “In Memoriam” web page.
1997
AL#49 p.4
Jay Hargreaves
▪ Richard Schneider was a luthier, mentor, and ground-breaking experimenter. See the Guild’s “In Memoriam” web page.
1997
AL#49 p.3 BRB5 p.37 read this article
Jeffrey-R. Elliott
▪ A well-known teacher and maker of controversial classical guitars passes on.
1997
LW p.142
Staff
▪ The material in Lutherie Woods is mostly pre-American Lutherie. This list of related articles will help bring you up to date.
1997
LW p.134
Staff
▪ Abstracts of reviews of books, videos, and periodicals related to the themes of this book.
1997
LW p.132
Staff
▪ Where to buy your wood and tools.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1997
LW p.128
Staff
▪ A list of schools, organizations, and periodicals to help you find your way.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1997
LW p.124
Jeffrey-R. Elliott
▪ The author has been an apprentice and has trained apprentices. Before you face either situation you should read this to learn what you are getting into.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1997
LW p.124
Tim Olsen
▪ Now that lutherie has boomed, is it best to attend a school to learn the trade? Or does self-education (and self-discovery) still make sense. It depends.
1997
LW p.103
Harry Fleishman
▪ Perhaps Harry didn’t invent the guitar top made from two varieties of wood, but he has certainly made it a trademark of his instruments. The text explains the why of it, and the single photo offers a peek at one of Fleishman’s unique designs.
1997
LW p.80
James-E. Patterson
▪ This article compresses into less than 6 pages everything you need to know about cutting and inlaying shell, except for how to make up original designs. Creativity is a tough thing to teach. Includes 5 diagrams and 6 photos.
1997
LW p.68
Don Gallagher
▪ Just like it says. With 4 photos and a drawing.
1997
LW p.39
Jim Williams
▪ If guitars had been invented in Australia, we’d be struggling to get Sitka to sound like celery top pine.
1997
LW p.23 read this article
Nicholas-Von Robison
▪ Where to look for objective information about trees and wood.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1997
LW p.22
David Hill
▪
1997
LW p.10 read this article
Nicholas-Von Robison
▪ Range descriptions, scientific nomenclature, wood description, and uses in lutherie.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1997
LW p.5 read this article
Nicholas-Von Robison
▪ Terminology of lumber biz.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1997
LW p.2 read this article
Nicholas-Von Robison
▪ Common tree names will usually get you by, but there’s nothing like knowing a few scientific names.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1996
AL#48 p.60
George Gorodnitsky
▪
1996
AL#48 p.60 BRB4 p.113
Eugene Clark
▪ Dispelling years of confusion regarding the rule of 18.
1996
AL#48 p.58
Walter Mitchell-Jr.
▪ A tip on masking the binding from a nouveau builder who is also a watercolorist.
1996
AL#48 p.58 read this article
Keith Davis
▪ Helpful hints for shipping a violin.
1996
AL#48 p.58
Jeffrey Yong
▪ Clamping a wood block with nails down the middle of the guitar to bind the guitar on one side at a time.
1996
AL#48 p.58
John Calkin
▪ Building a polyethylene booth (Martello Tent) to keep sanding and routing dust from contaminating the rest of the shop.
1996
AL#48 p.57 BRB4 p.503
Leslie-C. Sahl
▪ An improvement to a violin peg-hole reamer by using a door knob for a handle.
1996
AL#48 p.57 BRB4 p.502
John Calkin
▪ Touching up dings in polyesters or polyurethanes with lacquer.
1996
AL#48 p.57 BRB4 p.505
Glenn Uhler
▪ Lutherie tools from a welding supply store, including an inspection light kit featuring an extension/mirror tool, and a nice pin vise.
1996
AL#48 p.56 BRB4 p.504
James-E. Patterson
▪ A modified fingerboard tapering jig from an Ervin Somogyi design.
1996
AL#48 p.56 BRB4 p.504
Rod Hannah
▪ Using a mill bastard file to remove excess material when dressing frets.
1996
AL#48 p.54 BRB4 p.442
Michael Darnton
▪ Look out for buzzy nuts. Why might violins sound too dark? What fiddle books should be purchased? The book discussion is especially worthy and entertaining.
1996
AL#48 p.52
Cyndy Burton
▪ A list of all the instrument plans that Burton could track down, and where to buy them.
1996
AL#48 p.49 BRB4 p.440
Harry Fleishman
▪ The GAL’s Toolman/stand-up comic checks out a potpourri of rasps, a pair of small drawknives, and a specialized chisel, and suggests what you should do with your junky Model 3 or 4 Dremel tool.
1996
AL#48 p.46 BRB4 p.474
John Calkin
▪ Reviewed here are six videos, one about violins setups, one about French polishing, and four about guitar repair. All are found worthy, though two of the repair tapes are for the inexperienced luthier.
1996
AL#48 p.42 BRB4 p.400
Phillip Murray
▪ Even in this age of the bolted on neck, there are plenty of guitarmakers who’d rather use a dovetail. Murray’s well thought out jigs cut both the male and female portions of the joint. With 14 photos and 7 diagrams.
1996
AL#48 p.38 BRB4 p.406
Christopher Luck
▪ How to get a good CrystaLac finish in a small shop on a tight budget.
1996
AL#48 p.36 BRB4 p.404
Frank Ford
▪ Ford built an elaborate jig for resetting the necks of valuable and delicate guitars where a slip of the chisel can’t be risked. The contrary nature of guitars may dictate that some hand fitting is required after the jig is used, but much of the danger is removed. With 8 photos.
1996
AL#48 p.28 BRB4 p.408
Cyndy Burton John Mello
▪ Mello is a repairperson, guitarmaker, restorer, and instrument dealer. He apprenticed under Richard Schneider and worked with Jeffrey R. Elliott before opening his own shop.Much of the interview dwells upon the restoration of an 1862 Torres guitar. With 11 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1996
AL#48 p.22 BRB4 p.394
Ervin Somogyi
▪ This 1995 convention lecture covers the physical nature of the neck. Not how to do the work, but how to make a neck for maximum playability and instrument performance. Both steel string and classical guitars are discussed. With 1 photo and a slough of diagrams.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1996
AL#48 p.14 BRB4 p.386
Jonathon Peterson Bishop Cochran
▪ Cochran is a player/maker of electric and acoustic/electric guitars who uses machine shop equipment and supplies to create his instruments. The emphasis is on precision work, duplicable procedures, and practical designs. With 26 photos.
1996
AL#48 p.6 BRB4 p.378
Lawrence-K. Brown
▪ Brown made the elaborate trim for 27 Baroque guitars, then spread the actual construction over a year and a half. All the details are included. He believes that too much patience stands in the way of making a living. This is an article with attitude. With 29 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1996
AL#48 p.5 BRB4 p.205
Kerry Char
▪ Char sends several photos of a unique resophonic mando-cello he made for Gregg Miner.
1996
AL#48 p.4 BRB4 p.205
Rudy Walker
▪ Walker sends photos and a description of an electric guitar designed around the Monkees logo of the mid-’60s.
1996
AL#48 p.3 BRB4 p.297
George Diamesis
▪ Diamesis writes about the lutherie scene in Greece, and sends 2 photos of ethnic instruments he and his students have built.
1996
AL#47 p.65 BRB4 p.503
Phillip Murray
▪ A wallpaper steamer to remove a fingerboard from a neck by injecting into the broken truss rod.
1996
AL#47 p.65 BRB4 p.497
Glenn Uhler
▪ The plasti-cut PC-10-DX costs 18 dollars and is a dream to use.
1996
AL#47 p.65 BRB4 p.505
Kent Everett
▪ Kent Everett’s number one workbench for over 18 years of 50 hours a week repair work.
1996
AL#47 p.62
Cyndy Burton
▪ A page of tools especially for the luthier, and a page and a half of tools and supplies of a more general nature. Where to get your tools. Or, at least, where to get your catalogs.
1996
AL#47 p.60 BRB4 p.471
Kenny Hill
▪ This book, printed only in Spanish, describes guitar making in Ecuador. The reviewer finds that the Ecuadorian guitar as described in this book is crudely fashioned, and that the text is incomplete. Nevertheless, he enjoys it as a look into another culture.
1996
AL#47 p.60 BRB4 p.470
John Calkin
▪ The reviewer generally likes this video for the specific information it offers about Dobro hardware. He also finds that half the tape is too basic to be of real help to seasoned luthiers.
1996
AL#47 p.58 BRB4 p.442
Michael Darnton
▪ Darnton fields questions about slipping pegs and pricing repair work and estimates.
1996
AL#47 p.57 BRB4 p.193
Justin Moore
▪ The best way to contour the back of the neck on a 6 string electric bass.
1996
AL#47 p.57 BRB4 p.150
Peter Schaefer
▪ European sources of lacquer are given.
1996
AL#47 p.57 BRB4 p.150
Larry Pater
▪ The author used a Fishman guitar transducer pickup on a flattop bass with good results.
1996
AL#47 p.50 BRB4 p.358
Harry Fleishman
▪ Fleishman has worked with all the commercial piezo pickups and has made a bunch of his own. Shop-brewed pickups can be cheap, useful, and instructive, but finding the best use for any piezo can be complicated. Adding microphones or magnetic pickups to the mix can be more confusing than helpful. Fleishman takes a look at all the angles. From his 1995 convention lecture.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1996
AL#47 p.46 BRB4 p.364
Colin Kaminski Marc Silber
▪ Silber is a musician, nomad, repairman, musical historian, guitar designer, dealer, collector, and all around keeper of the flame. How can a man have so much fun and make a living at the same time?
1996
AL#47 p.34 BRB4 p.368
Greg Byers
▪ Finding perfect intonation through deep math and jiggling the string length at both ends. For some luthiers the quest for perfection knows no bounds. The rest of us are just jealous.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1996
AL#47 p.30 BRB4 p.346
John Calkin Geoff Stelling
▪ A profile of one of the leaders in high-end banjos, featuring a tour of the shop, production techniques, construction methods, and banjo/motorcycle cross-pollination.
1996
AL#47 p.28
Staff
▪ Healdsburg is quickly becoming Guitar Town, USA. This festival featured displays, lectures, and tours, not to mention fun. With 12 photos.
1996
AL#47 p.20 BRB4 p.350
Carol Ventura
▪ When these Guatemalans decide to build an instrument they begin by hacking a tree out of the jungle. Read this and you may never bad-mouth your suppliers or instruction books again. With 32 step-by-step photos of the birth of a guitarria.
1996
AL#47 p.6 BRB4 p.332
Jonathon Peterson
▪ So you’ve got a guitar that ought to sound better than it does. What can you do to it to perk up the punch? Experts Marc Silber, Scott van Linge, Robert Steinegger, Dana Bourgeois, Frank Ford, and T.J. Thompson describe how they shave braces, and show that brace shaving isn’t your only weapon.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1996
AL#46 p.60 BRB4 p.150
Fred Campbell
▪ Further questions on Fred Campbell’s article in AL#44 and vinyl wash coats.
1996
AL#46 p.59 BRB4 p.503
Norbert Pietsch
▪ Fret slot sawing guides to resaw fret slots without marring or knocking loose the bindings.
1996
AL#46 p.58 BRB4 p.502
Robert Mead
▪ Building templates for two types of autoharps using the PC based CAD system.
1996
AL#46 p.58 BRB4 p.504
Norbert Pietsch
▪ Protecting pearl when restoring an old banjo with engraved pearl inlays.
1996
AL#46 p.58 BRB4 p.502
John Jordan
▪ This repair is ideal for a cello pegbox that cracks in two through the G peghole or a bass that cracks in two through the A peghole.
1996
AL#46 p.56 BRB4 p.442
Michael Darnton
▪ Darnton discusses the glues he keeps in his shop.Also, setting up the cello.
1996
AL#46 p.54
Cyndy Burton
▪ A new column is born, kicking off with 2 pages of places to buy tonewood.
1996
AL#46 p.52 BRB4 p.221
Robert Brook
▪ Brook describes a new method of binding scroll headstocks on F-model mandolins.
1996
AL#46 p.50 BRB4 p.437
Harry Fleishman
▪ Fleishman attends Charles Fox’s American School of Lutherie and sends back a very enthusiastic report of what he found there.
1996
AL#46 p.47 BRB4 p.330
Carl Kaufmann Laurie Williams Nicholas Emery
▪ New Zealanders Laurie Williams and Nicholas Emery build innovative instruments for the homelanders, though export may be in their futures. They have access to wood varieties that most of us have never even heard of.
1996
AL#46 p.42 BRB4 p.326
Jonathon Peterson
▪ Buzz Vineyard builds archtop guitars with pin bridges and strange bracing, and rosewood backs and sides. What’s the result? He tells all to Peterson.
1996
AL#46 p.38 BRB4 p.312
Cyndy Burton Todd Taggart
▪ The driving force behind Luthiers Mercantile International talks about building a business, supplying an industry, and helping to make a guitar town out of Healdsburg, California.
1996
AL#46 p.30 read this article
Teri Novak
▪ A chiropractor (and wife of a well-known luthier) describes how to prevent your shop life from harming your health. From her 1995 GAL convention lecture, with 18 photos and a number of drawings.
1996
AL#46 p.20 BRB4 p.316
Robert Lundberg
▪ An introduction to the structure and methods of construction of historical instruments, especially the belly. With 12 photos, 2 pages of notes and bibliography, and a family tree of Neapolitan luthiers from the 15th to the 20th centuries.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1996
AL#46 p.6 BRB4 p.298
Bill Collings Ren Ferguson Richard Hoover Jean Larrivee Bob Taylor
▪ Steel string company honchos Bill Collings, Ren Ferguson, Richard Hoover, Jean Larrivee, and Bob Taylor discuss the development of their guitars, current production techniques, tonewood, amplification, and the immediate future of the instrument. From the 1995 convention panel discussion moderated by Joseph R. Johnson.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1996
AL#46 p.3 BRB4 p.263
Ronald-Louis Fernandez
▪ More information about South American instruments and tonewoods (and toneshells from armadillos). This refers to Suran’s article in AL#45.
1996
AL#45 p.59 BRB4 p.469
Robert Lundberg
▪ This is a thorough and glowing review of an important book, by a reviewer who is best known for his work in early instruments.
1996
AL#45 p.58 BRB4 p.468
Jess Wells
▪ The reviewer finds that this book is “the one sharpening book on the market today which I find useful as a reference in my library.”
1996
AL#45 p.58 BRB4 p.468
Richard Beck
▪ The reviewer finds that this is a “best value in a guitar history and identification book.”
1996
AL#45 p.57 BRB4 p.503
Norbert Pietsch
▪ This device is handy for ‘antiquing’ or yellow staining for resonator bindings.
1996
AL#45 p.57 BRB4 p.499
Alan Carruth
▪ An alternative method for removing white glue is the use of acetic acid, handy where the use of steam would be objectionable.
1996
AL#45 p.56
Brent Benfield
▪ Sanding fingerboards with 12,000 grit micromesh before fretting.
1996
AL#45 p.56 BRB4 p.501
Norbert Pietsch
▪ A vise heavy enough not to teeter when hammered or rasped on and can be easily mounted on a work surface.
1996
AL#45 p.56 BRB4 p.500
John Jordan
▪ A second set of hollow radius forms lined with sandpaper for fitting the sides to the top and back radii when binding acoustic instruments with tops and backs made in hollow-radiused forms.
1996
AL#45 p.56 BRB4 p.491
Bob Milburn Orville Milburn
▪ Reducing shellac flake dissolve time with the use of a coffee grinder.
1996
AL#45 p.56 BRB4 p.496
Kevin Kobie
▪ Using a 1.5″ wide china-bristle paintbrush to clean fingerprints off of headstock after restringing.
1996
AL#45 p.54 BRB4 p.436
Harry Fleishman
▪ Fleishman test drives the adjustable fretboard arching planes from Luthiers Mercantile International, and finds that they handle the curves nicely. Also, an update on Highlander pickups.
1996
AL#45 p.50 BRB4 p.442
Michael Darnton
▪ This time the column has but one concern, removing the top plate. With 7 photos.
1996
AL#45 p.44 BRB4 p.474
John Calkin
▪ Some videos are worth the money, and some aren’t. It depends more on the depth of your experience and interest than on the quality of these videos, which is generally good. Take a look at a batch of tapes (and one book) from Stewart-MacDonald about building or repairing stringed instruments.
1996
AL#45 p.43 BRB4 p.193
Fred Campbell
▪ Keeping light bindings from being stained.
1996
AL#45 p.43 BRB4 p.123
John Doan
▪ The history of the banjo-lin, 100 years old, manufactured by F.C. Heiser Company, Fort Smith, Arkansas.
1996
AL#45 p.43 BRB4 p.79
Michael Yeats
▪ Attending a seminar or short class is an excellent way to get started making bows.
1996
AL#45 p.40 BRB4 p.294
Richard Beck
▪ Beck is a repairman for some heavy hitters in the music biz. Here he offers a sound method of repairing shattered headstocks using a router. With 11 photos.
1996
AL#45 p.36 BRB4 p.290
Jonathon Peterson Don Overstreet
▪ Overstreet took formal training in violin construction with Peter Prier in Salt Lake City, then ended up in the shop of Paul Schuback where he builds and repairs the instruments of the fiddle family. It seems that all who trod the same path make a unique journey (a strong theme in the GAL).
1996
AL#45 p.28 BRB4 p.276
Dan Erlewine Frank Ford
▪ This wide-ranging lecture transcription from the1995 GAL convention covers some specific repair techniques, professional ethics, customer relations, pursuing a profit, and vintage instrument repair. Strong advice from two of the best known men in the business.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1996
AL#45 p.22 BRB4 p.285
Alan Carruth
▪ How is it that some makers build consistently superior guitars even though, scientifically speaking, they have no direct control over the thing that makes them superior (high frequency response)? Carruth is a long-time researcher and acoustician. This 1995 lecture transcription is about the design compromises that luthiers face while pursuing the ultimate guitar. With 6 drawings and 2 photos.
1996
AL#45 p.10 BRB4 p.264
R.E. Brune
▪ This 1995 lecture transcription investigates the history of art applied to lutherie in all its varied forms, and then translates many of them into illustrations of contemporary instruments. Topics include painting, gilding, carving, veneer, inlay, engraving, and varnish work. With 49 photos and illustrations.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1996
AL#45 p.4 BRB4 p.258
Debbie Suran
▪ On the trail of S. American luthiers, strange instruments, and unusual wood varieties, in a land where travel is difficult but the people are friendly. Ask your tonewood supplier to start stocking armadillo shells. With 24 photos.
1996
AL#45 p.2 read this article
Gretchen-Weeks Brough
▪ Brough offers her services as a freelance computer drafter to members who would like instrument plans drawn in AutoCAD.
1995
AL#44 p.60 BRB4 p.501
Skip Helms
▪ A way to let a router and radial saw do some of the grunt work in building an archtop guitar.
1995
AL#44 p.60 BRB4 p.499
Rod Hannah
▪ Several methods of removing original Fender frets, which were slid in from the side.
1995
AL#44 p.59 BRB4 p.498
Rod Hannah
▪ A clear plexiglas piece as an alignment tool for a Teeter-style bridge slot device.
1995
AL#44 p.59 BRB4 p.499
Merv Rowley
▪ The dilemma of how to increase dulcimer fretboard width without reducing sound output level on an Appalachian mountain (or fretted) dulcimer.
1995
AL#44 p.58 BRB4 p.497
Michael Sanden
▪ An elevated, swivelling workboard for holding tops while shaping the braces.
1995
AL#44 p.58 BRB4 p.500
Norbert Pietsch
▪ Two rings, one for inside, one for outside, for use with rubber or rope for clamping binding to a banjo rim.
1995
AL#44 p.57 BRB4 p.467
Andres Sender
▪ The reviewer finds that this book is particularly useful for the plane maker, and ultimately decides that it is “. . .a remarkable deal if you can find it.”
1995
AL#44 p.56
David Freeman
▪ Freeman tries to decide what musicians really want from an instrument. Well, he and we all know what they want, but how can we possibly give it to them?
1995
AL#44 p.54 BRB4 p.442
Michael Darnton
▪ What is neck pitch, and what does it do to/for the violin? How does one deal with an Elmer’s glue repair? Why is poplar sometimes used for the cello and viola? Darnton tells all.
1995
AL#44 p.52 BRB4 p.434
Harry Fleishman
▪ This time the GAL’s Toolman tests a Stewart-MacDonald diamond coated fret file, and the Hacklinger gauge for measuring the thickness of instrument tops and backs. He likes the file enough to recommend it. He likes the gauge, too, but its high price puts him off.
1995
AL#44 p.51
Nicholas-Von Robison
▪ How luthiers can take advantage of the newest, fastest growing part of the internet, the world wide web.
1995
AL#44 p.51 BRB4 p.113
Roger Sadowsky
▪ Recommendations for musical instrument insurance.
1995
AL#44 p.51 BRB4 p.193
Christopher Luck
▪ Keeping bindings free from bleed or stains from filler.
1995
AL#44 p.48 BRB4 p.472
John Calkin
▪ As always, not all books are created equal. Calkin compares all the dulcimer books he could round up.
1995
AL#44 p.46 BRB4 p.256
Michael Sanden
▪ Sanden converted his whole basement into a complete shop.Here’s his floor plan.
1995
AL#44 p.38 BRB4 p.248
Fred Campbell
▪ Campbell finishes the guitars that other luthiers build. He has become an expert spray meister with the confidence to give away the tricks he has learned the hard way. This is perhaps the best piece on lacquering AL has ever printed. With 7 photos and a finishing schedule.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1995
AL#44 p.32 BRB4 p.242
Jonathon Peterson Saul Koll
▪ Koll has fashioned a living by creating unique, often bizarre, guitars, both acoustic and electric. For many, ideas often come easy, it’s selling them that’s hard. Koll has found a niche. With 23 photos.
1995
AL#44 p.26 BRB4 p.238
Chris Foss
▪ This is one of the most invigorating articles on the hammered dulcimer ever. Foss has made over 1000 instruments, has developed some hard opinions, and has tried a truckload of interesting experiments. Ever carpet the inside of a dulcimer? Foss has. Find out why.
1995
AL#44 p.20 BRB4 p.230
Guy Rabut
▪ Apparently not every violinist is determined to have a fiddle that looks 300 years old. Rabut has made some interesting attempts to update the violin without sacrificing the tone that everyone demands. Can’t wait until these babies start showing up in symphonic orchestras. With 21 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1995
AL#44 p.17 BRB4 p.236
David Hill Michael Gurian
▪ Gurian knows much more than he tells in this interview, but it’s good to know he’s still actively part of the guitar scene. He has worked alone, started an informal school of guitarmaking through the apprentices he has trained, owned guitar factories, invented tools, and is currently a supplier of parts and accessories.
1995
AL#44 p.8 BRB4 p.222
Robert Desmond
▪ This is a short biography of a luthier who entered the trade before many of us were born, and who has turned classical guitar making into a family business.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1995
AL#44 p.5
Marc Worsfold
▪