Author Archives: luthsearch

Honor Roll

1992
AL#32 p.32               
Staff                                                                                           

▪ This is a salute to the Guild’s most loyal members.

Conventions Overview

1992
AL#32 p.30               
Staff                                                                                           

▪ This convention flashback offers 3 group photos and a description of all the conventions squeezed into a paragraph apiece.

Meet the Maker (of the Guild): Tim Olsen

1992
AL#32 p.26   BRB3 p.258            
Todd Brotherton   Tim Olsen                                                                                       

▪ Olsen is the leader of the Guild, though he would strongly resist being called the boss. Sometimes it seems that people are led to where they can best serve, regardless of the path they might have chosen for themselves. Tim doesn’t make instruments any more, but through the GAL he shines a light upon all of us who do. This interview is proof that, often, people are even more interesting than you suspect. Mentions Deb Olsen, Bon Henderson, J.R. Beall, Bob Petrulis, Leo Bidne, Harvey Thomas.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

In the Beginning

1992
AL#32 p.25               
R.E. Brune                                                                                           

▪ A man who witnessed the very labor pains that preceded the birth of the GAL recaptures the details and makes a dire prophecy.

The Amazing But True Story of the Guild’s Early Years

1992
AL#32 p.24               
Bon Henderson                                                                                           

▪ Read about how dreamy-but-enthusiastic-hippie-types built a strange little newsletter into an organization of international respect.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

An Interview with H.E. Huttig

1992
AL#32 p.16   BRB3 p.250   ALA5 p.10         
R.E. Brune   H.E. Huttig                                                                                       

▪ Huttig began importing guitar parts and European tonewood in the 1950s, and was a hard-core enthusiast of the classical guitar even before that. As a businessman and a friend to musicians and luthiers his life had far-reaching fallout. Mentions Barbero, Bobri, Hauser II, Hernandez, Romanillos, Ramirez, Esteso, and so on.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

A Walk Through Gibson West with Ren Ferguson

1992
AL#32 p.11   BRB3 p.244            
Jonathon Peterson                                                                                           

▪ As a maker of fine acoustic instruments Gibson was reborn in Montana. The man in charge of creativity and efficiency leads the GAL team through his domain. With 17 photos.

Meet the Maker: Ren Ferguson

1992
AL#32 p.8   BRB3 p.242            
Jonathon Peterson   Ren Ferguson                                                                                       

▪ The shop honcho of Gibson West relates some personal background. Ferguson moved to Montana long before Gibson did. Did Gibson really build a factory there just for him? Probably not. Mentions Rob Ehlers, Steve Carlson, Henry Juszkiewicz.

Ivory Lute: Questions Remain

1992
AL#32 p.7   BRB3 p.241            read this article
Robert Lundberg                                                                                           

▪ It seems that there is real doubt about the authenticity of this very same lute. American Lutherie’s lute meister looks at the photos and thinks, “Hmm, maybe it is real.” With one more photo of Moby Lute.

Ivory Lute: Picture This

1992
AL#32 p.6   BRB3 p.240            read this article
Ken Sribnick   Gayle Miller                                                                                       

▪ The lute photographers relate a wonderful anecdote about their pilgrimage to the London shop of Charles Beare to shoot the unicorn, er, no, the great white lute. With 3 more photos.

In Memoriam: Hart Huttig II

1992
AL#31 p.67   BRB3 p.501            read this article
R.E. Brune                                                                                           

▪ Remembering Hart Hutting II, an avid aficionado of flamenco and selfless contributor to the GAL since it’s inception.

Violin Q & A: Violin Reconditioning/Bass Bar Springs/Neck Surface

1992
AL#31 p.64   BRB3 p.446            read this article
Michael Darnton                                                                                           

▪ Why don’t the ribs of a broken fiddle fit the top any more? How much spring should be built into a bass bar? Why is there a step in the neck behind the nut on my fiddle. Darnton knows, now you will, too.

Electronic Answer Man

1992
AL#31 p.62   BRB3 p.426            read this article
Rick Turner                                                                                           

▪ Turner goes deep with information about the effect of wire insulation size on the character of a pickup, and explains the construction of guitar capacitors.

Product Reviews: Waverly Fret Tang Nipper

1992
AL#31 p.60   BRB3 p.437            
Harry Fleishman                                                                                           

▪ Fleishman reviews the Waverly Fret Tang Nipper and finds that for the full-time builder it is an indispensable tool.

Meet the Maker: Byron Will

1992
AL#31 p.58   BRB3 p.222            read this article
Jonathon Peterson   Byron Will                                                                                       

▪ Will talks primarily about the business end of being a harpsichord maker.

Practicum Fifteen: Installing the Pegbox

1992
AL#31 p.46   HLC p.206            
Robert Lundberg                                                                                           

▪ The pegbox is attached to the neck. With 16 step-by-step photos and detailed captions. This series ran for 19 installments in American Lutherie and has been collected into our hardback book Historical Lute Construction.

Practicum Thirteen: Making the Pegs

1992
AL#31 p.50   HLC p.190            
Robert Lundberg                                                                                           

▪ Lundberg makes the pegs with a tiny machinist’s lathe. With 25 step-by-step photos and detailed captions. This series ran for 19 installments in American Lutherie and has been collected into our hardback book Historical Lute Construction.

The Bob Mattingly Memorial Fund

1992
AL#31 p.45               
Staff                                                                                           

▪ Mattingly was a super-supporter of the Guild and of free information exchange. Donations to the GAL can be earmarked for this fund, which has been used to bring specific speakers and exhibitions to Guild conventions.

1992 Exhibitors List

1992
AL#31 p.41               
Staff                                                                                           

▪ The turnout at this convention was 65 builders and merchants.

Commercial Graphite Acoustic Guitars

1992
AL#31 p.30   BRB3 p.224            read this article
John Decker                                                                                           

▪ This alternative to wood is outside the reach of most luthiers. It’s interesting to know how hard some are working to make graphite sound like wood. Graphite might have its own sound to offer, but once again inventors have to deal with what humans are used to, rather than with what they might have if they were more open minded. With 7 photos.

Whence Tree Names?

1992
AL#31 p.27   BRB3 p.235            read this article
Nicholas-Von Robison                                                                                           

▪ Those Latin tongue twisters actually mean something. Scholars actually find joy and amusement in many of the scientific names. You might, too.

GAL Instrument Plan #33: 1937 Hermann Hauser Sr. Classic Guitar

1992
AL#31 p.21   BRB3 p.9   ALA3 p.48         
R.E. Brune                                                                                           

▪ A full-scale instrument plan. See the GAL website for a low-rez preview.

North American Softwoods

1992
AL#31 p.18   BRB3 p.226            read this article
Ted Davis   Bruce Harvie   Steve McMinn   Byron Will   David Wilson                                                                           

▪ As the large stands of old growth timber are harvested it is likely that quality tonewoods will come more and more from men who can take the time to harvest and pack out individual trees. Who are they, how do they work, and what’s their prognosis for the future? The discussion also introduces species that you probably never considered for top wood until now. With photos and range maps.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

Thickness Sanding Disk for Drill Press

1992
AL#31 p.14   BRB3 p.218            
Gavin Baird                                                                                           

▪ You can thin all your guitar wood on the drill press. Baird’s sander is perhaps as accurate as any. He claims control of the wood to within .001″.

Segovia’s 1937 Hauser

1992
AL#31 p.8   BRB3 p.212   ALA3 p.44         
R.E. Brune                                                                                           

▪ Brune visits with, measures, and draws Segovia’s most famous guitar. The plans offered are a reduced version of GAL full-scale Plan #33. Brune feels that the guitar misses the maestro. With 19 photos.

Letter to the Editor: Harp Guitar Article AL#29

1992
AL#31 p.7   BRB3 p.203            
Jose Romanillos                                                                                           

▪ Romanillos co-authored the catalog for the Exhibition of Spanish Guitars in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and he asks that R. E. Brune elucidate upon his statement that the catalog contained inaccuracies (AL#29).

Review: The Ultimate Guitar Book by Tony Bacon

1992
AL#30 p.56   BRB3 p.469            read this article
Lloyd Zsiros                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds that although the book offers no information on playing or building guitars, it is otherwise an excellent resource and a pleasure to read. The photos are excellent and the book covers a lot of ground.

Taking the Guitar Beyond Equal Temperament

1992
AL#30 p.56   BRB3 p.469            
Curt Carpenter                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer is disappointed in the chapters about pickup making. The rest of the book is hard to follow and perhaps too deep for beginning luthiers. The book does offer food for thought, but should be used in conjunction with other references.

Violin Q & A: Ebony For Pegs/Italian, German, French Building/Violin Societies/Oil Varnish

1992
AL#30 p.54   BRB3 p.446            read this article
Michael Darnton                                                                                           

▪ Darnton examines the use of various woods for tuning pegs, discusses the differences among Italian, German, French, and English methods of building fiddles, runs down a list of violin societies, and dismisses the use of supplier-prepared violin varnishes.

Product Reviews: Mini-Flex Microphone System

1992
AL#30 p.52   BRB3 p.435            
Harry Fleishman                                                                                           

▪ Fleishman wrings out the line of Mini-flex guitar mikes and finds them wanting. He also tries out the Radio Shack electret condenser mike #33-1063 and likes it.

Electronic Answer Man

1992
AL#30 p.51   BRB3 p.426            read this article
Rick Turner                                                                                           

▪ Turner explains how to help quiet a buzzy Silvertone, quick-check pickup phase, and the different characteristics of high and low impedance pickups.

It Worked for Me: Laminated Binding Jig

1992
AL#30 p.48   BRB3 p.485            
Mark Tierney                                                                                           

▪ An easy to make jig with a wide jawed woodworkers vise to work down the edges of thin strips of veneer or laminated binding.

Taking the Guitar Beyond Equal Temperament

1992
AL#30 p.46   BRB3 p.210            read this article
Don Musser                                                                                           

▪ Musser tries to get the guitar to play in tune with itself by laying out the frets for just intonation, rather than equal temperament. Interchangeable fretboards allow the changing of keys and tunings. Pretty interesting, and the new fret pattern looks very bewildering and cool. Based on the work of Mark Rankin.

In Search of the Perfect Cone

1992
AL#30 p.44   BRB3 p.204            read this article
Tim Earls                                                                                           

▪ Multiple radius fingerboards revisited. Also called conical fretboards. Earls strives to put the design process into the hands of Joe Guitar maker using “barnyard” geometry. Seems to work. The article also contains a description of the Warmoth multiradius fretboard, which has become sort of the industry leader.

Meet the Maker: Richard Schneider

1992
AL#30 p.40   BRB3 p.206   ALA5 p.18         
Jonathon Peterson   Richard Schneider                                                                                       

▪ Many still have doubts about the merits of the Kasha versions of the classical guitar, but no one questions Schneider’s reputation as a masterful creator of instruments. This interview focuses on his time spent in Mexico learning the trade from Juan Pimentel.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s fifty best articles published before 2010.

Practicum Twelve: Making the Pegbox

1992
AL#30 p.28   HLC p.178            
Robert Lundberg                                                                                           

▪ Making and veneering the tapered pegbox. With 50 step-by-step photos and detailed captions.photos. This series ran for 19 installments in American Lutherie and has been collected into our hardback book Historical Lute Construction.

Free Plate Tuning, Part Three: Guitars

1992
AL#30 p.16   BRB3 p.136            read this article
Alan Carruth                                                                                           

▪ Accessibility and usefulness are the keys to this segment of Carruth’s study. He addresses the archtop, flattop, and classical guitars, and even builds a flattop out of oak to compare its tuning modes to conventional tonewoods. With many mode diagrams and plate graduation charts. Too many scientific studies leave the luthier asking, “So what do you want me to do?” Carruth offers some real-world suggestions. Parts One and Two were in AL#28 and AL#29.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s fifty best articles published before 2010.

Meet the Maker: Maurice Dupont

1992
AL#30 p.10   BRB3 p.200   ALA4 p.24         
Paul Hostetter   Maurice Dupont                                                                                       

▪ Meet a French guitar maker whose specialty is the recreation of Selmer guitars. Dupont even mills his own spruce. He is one of the more accessible foreign luthiers, and his guitars are available in the States. Mentions Maccaferri, Django Reinhardt.

Travels in French Lutherie

1992
AL#30 p.6   BRB3 p.196   ALA4 p.20         
Paul Hostetter                                                                                           

▪ AL is one of the few available resources that examines the foreign instrument scene in any detail. Hostetter’s chief interest lies in the Selmer Django guitars designed by Maccaferri, but he peeks into every nook that offers a glimpse of strange instruments. Along the way he meets Francois Charle and Maurice Dupont. With 5 photos of Selmers.

Builders Broadsided by Brazilian Ban

1992
AL#30 p.4               
R.E. Brune                                                                                           

▪ CITES restrictions on Brazilian rosewood include a ban on the import/export of objects that contain that wood. There are exceptions, however. Brune gives us the lowdown on the original agreement.

Violin Q & A: Asymmetrical Graduation/Oil Varnish Natural Drying/Baroque Fiddles

1992
AL#29 p.60   BRB3 p.446            read this article
Michael Darnton                                                                                           

▪ Darnton sheds light on asymmetrically graduated violin tops, natural drying vs. UV drying of varnish, and the market in Baroque fiddles.

Review: Making Guitar 1 by Daniel Fort and Owen Riss

1992
AL#29 p.59   BRB3 p.468            read this article
Lloyd Zsiros                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer likes this video at first, but after repeated viewing finds it comes up short. If you have all the books and still can’t get motivated, perhaps this tape will help.

Review: Identifying Wood: Accurate Results with Simple Tools by Bruce Hoadley

1992
AL#29 p.58   BRB3 p.467            read this article
Nicholas-Von Robison                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer decides this book isn’t perfect for the DIY wood analyzer, but it will do, especially since it’s the only game in town.

Review: The Luthier’s Mercantile Catalog for Stringed Instrument Makers

1992
AL#29 p.58   BRB3 p.467            read this article
Cyndy Burton                                                                                           

▪ Seldom does a new catalog cause so much excitement. The reviewer especially likes it for bedtime reading.

It Worked for Me: Low Cost Emergency Lathe

1992
AL#29 p.57   BRB3 p.485            read this article
Gerhart Schmeltekopf                                                                                           

▪ Rigging up a temporary reciprocating or ‘pole’ lathe.

It Worked for Me: String Tension/Hand Pressure

1992
AL#29 p.57   BRB3 p.484            
Richard Echeverria                                                                                           

▪ Fixing the common problem encountered with the Gibson style ABR and Schaller Nashville tune-o-matic guitar bridge: they collapse.

It Worked for Me: Clothespin Clamp

1992
AL#29 p.57   BRB3 p.484            
Tim Earls                                                                                           

▪ Variation on a modified clothespin clamp. The original was submitted in 1980 by Bruce Scotten and appears on page 26 of Lutherie Tools.

It Worked for Me: Soaking Guitar Sides

1992
AL#29 p.56   BRB3 p.480            
Bill Garofalo                                                                                           

▪ Soaking guitars sides without resorting to vats and trays, using a piece of 4″ plastic pipe with a capped end, secured vertically to a wall or cabinet.

Electronic Answer Man

1992
AL#29 p.54   BRB3 p.426            read this article
Rick Turner                                                                                           

▪ A new column is born. What is pickup phase and polarity? Why do positions 2 and 4 on a 5-way Strat switch sound funky? Turner knows and tells all.

Free Plate Tuning, Part Two: Violins

1992
AL#29 p.42   BRB3 p.136            read this article
Alan Carruth                                                                                           

▪ Carruth tries to keep it light as he describes the glitter dances that should improve your violins, and even sheds light on cello plate tuning. If you feel threatened by the dryness of science just relax and give it a try. Carruth is on your side. Really. With a whole bunch of drawings. Part One was in AL#28. Part Three follows in AL#30. The entire series appears in BRB3.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

The Sawmill at Poussay

1992
AL#29 p.38   BRB3 p.174            
Gayle Miller   Ken Sribnick                                                                                       

▪ Visit a water-powered French sawmill that supplies tonewood to 350 luthiers. With 7 photos. Mentions George Miller.

GAL Instrument Plan #32: Dyer Harp Guitar

1992
AL#29 p.34   BRB3 p.192   ALA6 p.27         
Todd Brotherton                                                                                           

▪ This is the guitar into which Michael Hedges breathed new life. A full-scale instrument plan. See the GAL website for a low-rez preview.

Harp Guitar: That Extra-String Thing

1992
AL#29 p.20   BRB3 p.178   ALA6 p.10         
Jonathon Peterson                                                                                           

▪ Most people who even knew what one was thought of the harp guitar as a less-than-useless dinosaur. Then came Michael Hedges. Peterson looks back at a strange instrument whose best music might just lie in the future. With 49 photos and a number of good drawings. Mentions Torres, Hauser I, Scherzer, Staufer, Mozzani, Gibson, Knutsen, Martin, and so on.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s fifty best articles published before 2010.

Practicum Eleven: Installing the Half Binding

1992
AL#29 p.15   HLC p.172            
Robert Lundberg                                                                                           

▪ The half binding is made and let into the soundboard edge. With 24 step-by-step photos and detailed captions. This series ran for 19 installments in American Lutherie and has been collected into our hardback book Historical Lute Construction.

Practicum Ten: Installing the Points and Fingerboard

1992
AL#29 p.10   HLC p.162            
Robert Lundberg                                                                                           

▪ The points are inlaid into the top, and the fingerboard is attached to the neck. The process is shown for both veneered necks and plain necks. With 40 step-by-step photos and detailed captions. This series ran for 19 installments in American Lutherie and has been collected into our hardback book Historical Lute Construction. This article is listed twice due to differences between the magazine series and the final form of the book.

The Spanish Guitar at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

1992
AL#29 p.6   BRB3 p.194   ALA3 p.2         
R.E. Brune                                                                                           

▪ Brune outlines the first major exhibition of Spanish guitars ever mounted in America. With 8 photos, including one of Santos Hernandez. Also mentions Torres, M. Ramirez, Segovia, Simplicio, Barbero, Romanillos, and others.

Review: The Gibson Guitar (Volumes 1 & 2) by Ian C. Bishop

1991
AL#28 p.60   BRB3 p.466            read this article
Gary Frisbie                                                                                           

▪ Books from the 70s written by an Englishman and intended to provide a wealth of info on Gibson guitars built from 1950 to the end of the 70s. Book 1 covers all the major lines of solidbody and hollowbody electrics, jazz and flattop acoustics. Book 2 covers omissions and inaccuracies in book 1, plus Epiphones, Kalamazoos, and Dwight guitars

Violin Q & A: Bridge Cutting/Fiddle Points/Overhanging Fingerboard/Epoxy Superglue Repair Uses

1991
AL#28 p.56   BRB3 p.446            read this article
Michael Darnton                                                                                           

▪ Why are bridges always made of maple? Why do fiddles have points? How does one tune a fingerboard? Do epoxy or superglue have any accepted uses on the violin? Darnton furnishes answers.

Meet the Maker: Michael Darnton

1991
AL#28 p.51   BRB3 p.124            read this article
Jonathon Peterson   Michael Darnton                                                                                       

▪ Peterson gives us the biographical scoop on American Lutherie’s Violin Q&A man.

A Talk with Bob Taylor

1991
AL#28 p.34   BRB3 p.126   ALA4 p.10         
Phillip Lea   Bob Taylor                                                                                       

▪ Few people in Guitarland are as outspoken and clear-headed as Bob Taylor. Others might say he’s just opinionated. He believes a good guitar is a good guitar, no matter if it was whittled by Gepeto or cranked out by a dozen computer-guided milling cutters. This article offers a peek into the Taylor factory and a guided tour through one man’s thoughts about the contemporary guitar. With 28 photos.

Entrepreneurs in Spite of Ourselves

1991
AL#28 p.32               read this article
Ralph Novak                                                                                           

▪ If you build instruments for money you should learn about running a business. Novak relates his good experiences at a college workshop for entrepreneurs.

Free Plate Tuning, Part One: Theory

1991
AL#28 p.18   BRB3 p.136            read this article
Alan Carruth                                                                                           

▪ Most acoustic scientists are not prepared to reduce their work to a plane-by-the-numbers chart of an instrument top.Neither is Carruth. It remains to be seen what improvements free plate tuning will offer to the average guitar, but there is every chance that luthiers who ignore the work as an inartistic invasion of their craft and art will be left in the dust. Carruth invites you to get on board right now. Parts Two and Three are in AL#29 and AL#30. The entire series apperas together in BRB3.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s fifty best articles published before 2010.

Practicum Ten: Installing the Points and Fingerboard

1991
AL#28 p.15   HLC p.162            
Robert Lundberg                                                                                           

▪ The points are inlaid into the top, and the fingerboard is attached to the neck. The process is shown for both veneered necks and plain necks. With 40 step-by-step photos and detailed captions. This series ran for 19 installments in American Lutherie and has been collected into our hardback book Historical Lute Construction.

Practicum Nine: Attaching the Belly

1991
AL#28 p.8   HLC p.156            
Robert Lundberg                                                                                           

▪ The top is glued to the bowl and trimmed. With 19 step-by-step photos and detailed captions. This series ran for 19 installments in American Lutherie and has been collected into our hardback book Historical Lute Construction.

Review: The Modern Classical Guitar for Friend or Builder by Donald M. Sprenger

1991
AL#27 p.60   BRB3 p.465            read this article
C.F. Casey                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds this book to be mostly a rehash of Irving Sloane’s Classic Guitar Construction.

Violin Q & A: Removing Fingerboards/Sound Hole Size

1991
AL#27 p.56   BRB3 p.446            read this article
Michael Darnton                                                                                           

▪ Darnton explains how to disassemble a fiddle, and the effects of soundhole size on violin performance.

Questions: Lutherie School List

1991
AL#27 p.54               
Cyndy Burton                                                                                           

▪ A revised, verified, but by no means complete list of lutherie schools and a resource list of organizations and journals which have useful information for instrument makers.

A Day on Lost Mountain

1991
AL#27 p.52   BRB3 p.122   ALA5 p.21         
Jonathon Peterson                                                                                           

▪ Richard Schneider discusses his current work at “the most beautifully situated guitar shop in the world.” The Kasha influence upon the classical guitar keeps evolving in the hands of this masterful builder/teacher.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

Meet the Maker: Hideo Kamimoto

1991
AL#27 p.46   BRB3 p.118            
Joseph-R. Johnson   Hideo Kamimoto                                                                                       

▪ The famous repairman/author discusses his book, his history as a luthier, and his expectations for his own future.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

The Portuguese Guitarra: A Modern Cittern

1991
AL#27 p.34   BRB3 p.108            read this article
Ronald-Louis Fernandez                                                                                           

▪ This instrument is a lovely looking cittern, sort of a big mandolin with 12 strings. The traditional tuners are unique, compact, and distinctly ungraceful, but they allow—indeed, encourage—the use of a wonderfully distinctive headstock. With 16 photos.

Building the Prima Gusli

1991
AL#27 p.26   BRB3 p.100            read this article
James Flynn                                                                                           

▪ This instrument is a unique and graceful-looking Russian folk psaltery, a sophisticated version of the lap harp grade schoolers play by sliding numbered sheet music under the strings.

Using Your Work Space from the 1990 GAL Convention panel

1991
AL#27 p.4   BRB3 p.80            
Chris Brandt   R.E. Brune   Jeffrey-R. Elliott   Richard Schneider   Ervin Somogyi   David Wilson                                                                       

▪ A look inside the shops of six professional luthiers, featuring floor plans, tooling descriptions, notes on lighting and specialized machinery, and ideas about how work space can help (or hurt) your lifestyle. With a good Q&A segment and 63 photos.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s fifty best articles published before 2010.

Review: Making Stringed Instruments — A Workshop Guide by George Buchanan

1991
AL#26 p.60   BRB3 p.464            read this article
C.F. Casey                                                                                           

▪ This British D.I.Y. book offers alternative diction, syntax, and approach to the material.

Review: Fine Woodworking Design Book Five

1991
AL#26 p.59   BRB3 p.464            read this article
Harry Fleishman                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer admires the beauty of the book’s photography, but seems hesitant to recommend it since so little of it is dedicated to musical instruments.

Review: Steel-String Guitar Construction by Irving R. Sloane

1991
AL#26 p.58   BRB3 p.463            read this article
David Riggs                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds that this book offers good, solid instruction to the person building their first guitar.

Review: Guitar Player Repair Guide by Dan Erlewine

1991
AL#26 p.58   BRB3 p.463            read this article
Manny Bettencourt                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds that this book is an invaluable resource for the professional repairman and will let the amateur evaluate a potential repair and decide whether or not he has the skill to tackle it.

Violin Q & A: Wolf Note/Tone Longevity/Violin Finishes

1991
AL#26 p.52   BRB3 p.446            read this article
Michael Darnton                                                                                           

▪ Darnton discusses wolf tones, the life span of new fiddles, and why lacquer is never used on a violin.

Let’s Get Busy: an interview with Chris Brandt

1991
AL#26 p.48   BRB3 p.56            
Jonathon Peterson                                                                                           

▪ Brandt owns a luthiers co-op, and finds it makes more sense and money than four men running their own separate shops do. He’s got the lowdown on keeping records, using time efficiently, sharing labor, hiring a front man, and turning over work quickly. Lots of business hints and tips for any luthier, regardless of your position.

Giveaway Dulcimers

1991
AL#26 p.47   BRB3 p.477            
Keith Davis                                                                                           

▪ Here’s the premise: build a boatload of one-string noisemakers and give them away. Inspire kids to make music. Take a tax break.

Meet the Maker: Donald Warnock

1991
AL#26 p.42   BRB3 p.32            read this article
Cyndy Burton   Donald Warnock                                                                                       

▪ It’s wonderful that this interview is in the same issue as interviews with Larrivee and Warmoth, since they are opposites. The first two are sort of factory moguls, and Warnock is the gentlemanly craftsman/artist. All have forged a successful life on their own terms, and the contrast is delicious.

Birth of the Strat-Compatible Parts Industry

1991
AL#26 p.33   BRB3 p.53            
Lynn Ellsworth   Ken Warmoth   Jay Hargreaves                                                                                   

▪ Hargreaves interviews two giants of the Strat compatible parts industry.

Inside Warmoth Guitar Products

1991
AL#26 p.26   BRB3 p.60            
Ken Warmoth                                                                                           

▪ Most in-the-know electric guitar folks consider Warmoth necks and bodies to be the best going. Here’s how they’re made. With 22 photos.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

Meet the Maker: Herb David

1991
AL#26 p.14   BRB3 p.46            
Dan Erlewine   Herb David                                                                                       

▪ It’s tough to be in business and stay successful. It’s really tough to stay in business and keep having fun, too. Herb David tells how he runs his business, builds a few instruments, stays in shape, has fun. Here’s the last line of his personal prayer: “Deliver me from temptation but keep me in touch.” You gotta love the guy. Mentions Sam Varjebedian and Terry Horvath.

Thoughts on Steel String Guitar Making

1991
AL#26 p.8   BRB3 p.37   ALA4 p.28         
Jean Larrivee                                                                                           

▪ Larrivee has overseen the creation of 15,000 acoustic guitars and 12,000 electrics. Much of what he has to say pertains as strongly to the one-off builder as it does to another industry giant, and he doesn’t hold back on anything.

Meet the Maker: Myles Gilmer

1991
AL#26 p.5   BRB3 p.42            
Todd Brotherton   Myles Gilmer                                                                                       

▪ Gilmer buys wood from all over the globe and sells it to a number of special interests in the woodworking field. He’s been around, he’s concerned about the forests and ethical harvesting, and he’s articulate. Without the Gilmers of America there would be very few independent professional instrument makers.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

Letter to the Editor: Bosch Laminate Trimmer and Cheap Mando Family

1991
AL#26 p.3               read this article
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ When his Dremel died, he got a Bosch laminate trimmer to replace it. He loves the Bosch and does not miss the Dremel.

Review: How to Make a Violin Bow by Frank V. Henderson

1991
AL#25 p.60   BRB3 p.462            read this article
David Riggs                                                                                           

▪ A useful how-to book with clear, concise directions on bow making and other lutherie practices.

Violin Q & A: Violin Pics/Aligning Ribs/Revarnishing Quality Instruments/Buzz

1991
AL#25 p.56   BRB3 p.446            read this article
Michael Darnton                                                                                           

▪ Darnton turns some pictures of a mystery fiddle into a thousand words. Or a few hundred, anyway. Then he moves on to discuss distorted ribs, retouching varnish, and tracking down a mystery buzz. He adds an update about his varnish formula.

Bending Sides with Silicone Blankets

1991
AL#25 p.52   BRB3 p.30            read this article
Michael Keller                                                                                           

▪ Silicon heat blankets are good for more than bending sides. Keller touches upon other uses, but his instructions for making forms and putting them to use is the focus here, and they cover about all you need to know. Once you have the blanket, the forms are cheap to make.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

Hidden Reinforced Peghead Repair

1991
AL#25 p.50   BRB3 p.29            
Jim Merrill   Bill Colgan                                                                                       

▪ This repair involves removing part of the fingerboard and sinking support splines from the top of the instrument, rather than from the back.

Seth Summerfield, Luthier

1991
AL#25 p.48   BRB3 p.24            
Bill Colgan   Greg Bernd                                                                                       

▪ Like many of his generation, eighty-year-old Summerfield led a hard life. He didn’t turn to professional instrument making until he reached what many would call old age, but after that he didn’t waste any time. There’s quite a few Seth Summerfields out there, and their story is always a good one.

First Impressions of America

1991
AL#25 p.47   BRB3 p.28            read this article
George Gorodnitsky                                                                                           

▪ Gorodnitski fled Russia for an unknown fate in the USA. This article is only one column long, but it’s pretty striking. You may never think the same way about the Rose Parade again.

Meet the Maker: George Gorodnitski

1991
AL#25 p.44   BRB3 p.26            
Jonathon Peterson   George Gorodnitsky                                                                                       

▪ A Russian luthier moves to L.A. and shows up in Tacoma. He was trained in violins and moved on to electric guitars. This is what it was like, rockin’ in the USSR.

Attic Strads, and Why What’s Worth Something Is Worth What It’s Worth

1991
AL#25 p.42   BRB3 p.22            read this article
Michael Darnton                                                                                           

▪ Why are some fiddles worth so much? Which ones might you find that will provide good investments? Which sleepers should you look for if you want a really good inexpensive violin for playing? Darnton doesn’t offer the last word, but his advice is worth heeding. Mentions Stradivari, Guarnari.

Meet the Maker: Dan Erlewine

1991
AL#25 p.36   BRB3 p.13            
Tim Olsen   Dan Erlewine                                                                                       

▪ Is there any doubt that Erlewine is the world’s best-known guitar fixer? He’s also a heck of a nice guy. Editor Olsen nailed Erlewine’s feet to the floor long enough to answer a few questions. With 4 neat snapshots. Mentions Herb David, Mike Bloomfield.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

Julian Bream’s 1973 Romanillos Guitar

1991
AL#25 p.22   BRB3 p.2            
Kevin Aram                                                                                           

▪ Aram offers an anecdotal history of one of the most influential classical guitars of our time. With 26 photos. Mentions Hauser I, Torres.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

A Low Cost Bass, Part 2

1991
AL#25 p.14   BRB2 p.430            
Frederick-C. Lyman-Jr.                                                                                           

▪ Lyman continues his crusade for a low-cost, high performance bass viol. Part 1 was printed in the previous issue.

Looking at Lutherie Schools

1991
AL#25 p.6   BRB3 p.16            
Steve Banchero   David Freeman   Larry Kirmser   David Vincent   Donald Warnock                                                                           

▪ A panel of lutherie teachers talks it over at the 1990 GAL Convention.

A Survey of Seventeen Luthiers

1990
   LT p.114            
Steve Andersen   Chris Brandt   R.E. Brune   Ted Davis   Jeffrey R. Elliott   James Flynn   Bob Gleason   Hideo Kamimoto   Robert Lundberg   Frederick C. Lyman Jr.   John Monteleone   Robert Ruck   Richard Schneider   Ervin Somogyi   Al Stancel   Robert Steinegger   Janet Toon                           

▪ Seventeen established luthiers were asked to list ten hand tools, five power tools, and five supplies used as tools. This info was used to determine the most essential tools, including specifics, model and size, source, and any special uses.

Japanese Water Stones

1990
   LT p.22            
Dale Brotherton                                                                                           

▪ Traditionally-trained woodworker offers an understanding of the stones and how they are used.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

Questions: Electric Guitar Wiring

1990
AL#24 p.59   BRB2 p.485            
Bob Zatzman   Jim Morris   Ralph Novak   Matt Umanov   Ron Lira                                                                           

▪ Wiring information for electric guitars.

Try Cherry!

1990
AL#24 p.56   BRB2 p.469            
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ Calkin encourages the use of alternative tonewoods. He offers advice about choosing cherry boards and methods of finishing cherry instruments that he has found attractive.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

Violin Q & A: Cooking Varnish/Fiddle Neck/Neck Finish Treatment/Peg Shaper

1990
AL#24 p.54   BRB2 p.486            
Michael Darnton                                                                                           

▪ Details include cooking varnish, finishing necks, causes of neck cracks, and adjusting a peg shaper to match your peg reamer.

Practicum Eight: Shaping, Veneering, and Attaching the Neck

1990
AL#24 p.40   HLC p.142            
Robert Lundberg                                                                                           

▪ The neck blank has already been fitted to the bowl. Now it is shaped, veneered, and attached. With 49 photos and detailed captions. This series ran for 19 installments in American Lutherie and has been collected into our hardback book Historical Lute Construction.

Working with Koa

1990
AL#24 p.38   BRB2 p.460            
Bob Gleason                                                                                           

▪ A Hawaiian guitar maker passes on some of his tricks for the successful use of an indigenous wood. With 4 photos of his sidebending procedure.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

A Low Cost Bass

1990
AL#24 p.30   BRB2 p.430            
Frederick-C. Lyman-Jr.                                                                                           

▪ Lyman builds a bass with a lauan body and a top of quartersawn 2x4s, and is quite pleased with the outcome. There are only 2 photos, but a lot of text. Lyman’s conventional basses are in the hands of many well-known musicians. He certainly knows the difference between good and bad instruments. Part 2 follows in the next issue.

Meet the Maker: Ivo Pires

1990
AL#24 p.26   BRB2 p.465            
Jonathon Peterson   Ivo Pires                                                                                       

▪ America (and indeed, the world) is so deep with people who have had a meaningful life in some phase of lutherie that we should cease being surprised to discover an unknown person who has already racked up 30 or 40 years of experience. Pires is one of those folks, and his story is charming and illuminating. The cream seems to rise wherever it may be.

Graduation Marking Device

1990
AL#24 p.25   BRB2 p.449            
Michael Darnton                                                                                           

▪ Darnton’s contrivance marks the finished thickness on violin plates that have already been carved to within 1mm-2mm of final tolerances, and it is simple to make.

Voicing the Steel String Guitar

1990
AL#24 p.16   BRB2 p.470            
Dana Bourgeois                                                                                           

▪ This is perhaps the strongest article ever published in American Lutherie about voicing the top and bracing of the steel string guitar. The fallout from this piece has been very wide spread.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s fifty best articles published before 2010.

Talk about Archtops

1990
AL#24 p.6   BRB2 p.422            
Steve Andersen   Steve Grimes   Ted Beringer   Jonathon Peterson                                                                               

▪ This informal roundtable discussion delves deeply into the background, influences, and work of three builders at a time when the archtop guitar was just coming into its own for the second time. With 7 photos.

Letter to the Editor: Start by Building a Dulcimer

1990
AL#24 p.5               read this article
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ Calkin warns about being too precious about making a first guitar from fine wood. He says grab any old wood and build a mountain dulcimer.

Questions: Parchment Roses

1990
AL#23 p.60   BRB2 p.485            
Christopher Allworth   C.F. Casey                                                                                       

▪ The Ashmolean Museum (Oxford, England) has available working drawings of a 1641 guitar by Rene Voboam, including details of construction of the parchment rose.

Review: Constructing a Bluegrass Mandolin by Roger Siminoff

1990
AL#23 p.57   BRB2 p.503            
David Riggs                                                                                           

▪ Riggs used Siminoff’s F-model book to build an A-model mandolin. His review offers building tips from his own experiences, as well as recommendations for changes in the book.

Lutherie in Romania

1990
AL#23 p.54   BRB2 p.420            
Gabriel Petric                                                                                           

▪ AL #23 takes its second glimpse at instrument making in a strange land and finds that the concerns of luthiers are the same the world over. With 7 photos.

Practicum Seven: Fitting the Belly and Planing the Neck

1990
AL#23 p.48   HLC p.136            
Robert Lundberg                                                                                           

▪ Fitting the many brace ends to the sides of the bowl and ensuring that the subtle topography of the soundboard will be right.With 21 photos and detailed captions. This series ran for 19 installments in American Lutherie and has been collected into our hardback book Historical Lute Construction.

Practicum Six: Completing the Bowl and Fitting the Neck

1990
AL#23 p.42   HLC p.130            
Robert Lundberg                                                                                           

▪ In this segment Lundberg prepares the bowl for removal from the mold, fits the neck and the countercap, reinforces the ribs, and fits the belly to the bowl. Contains 22 step-by-step photos and captions. This series ran for 19 installments in American Lutherie and has been collected into our hardback book Historical Lute Construction.

GAL Instrument Plan #28: Swahili Kibangala (African Banjo)

1990
AL#23 p.28   BRB2 p.411            
James Hillier                                                                                           

▪ The kibangala is a seven string, four-course instrument carved from solid wood that utilizes a skin head. The plan is a shrunken version of our full-scale Plan #28.

Meet the Maker: Jose Yacopi

1990
AL#23 p.24   BRB2 p.414            
Roberto Blinder   Jose Yacopi                                                                                       

▪ Blinder interviews an Argentine instrument maker about his career, his guitars, wood, and strings. With 4 photos.

Violin Q & A: Fingerboard Tearouts/Resharpen Peg Reamer/Tailpiece Saddle/Fingerboard Top/White Bridges

1990
AL#23 p.22   BRB2 p.486            
Michael Darnton                                                                                           

▪ Topics include sharpening a peg reamer, dealing with fingerboard tearout, tailpiece setup, pitching the neck, and staining the bridges.

Meet the Maker: George Smith

1990
AL#23 p.20   BRB2 p.398            
Jonathon Peterson   George-A. Smith                                                                                       

▪ Smith is a veteran builder of many instruments who prefers to specialize in guitars and harpsichords.

Windows in Time: An Interview with Collector and Harp Guitarist John Doan

1990
AL#23 p.14   BRB2 p.406            
Jonathon Peterson                                                                                           

▪ Doan describes his collection of oddball zithers.

Waterglass vs. Calcium Silicate

1990
AL#23 p.12   BRB2 p.393            
John Chipura                                                                                           

▪ This is a wood treatment shoot-out. Waterglass is a controversial ingredient in violin finishing. Chipura makes a case for using calcium silicate instead.

Meet the Maker: Dana Bourgeois

1990
AL#23 p.8   BRB2 p.386            
Gila Eban   Dana Bourgeois                                                                                       

▪ This interview took place while Bourgeois was designing acoustic guitars for Paul Reed Smith, an enterprise that never came to fruition but which led to Bourgeois starting his own company in Maine. He talks about his early days as a luthier and his association with Eric Shoenberg.

Opinion

1990
AL#22 p.50               
Alan Carruth                                                                                           

▪ Carruth is a champion and practitioner of acoustic science. Here, he defends his field against artistic criticism.

Violin Varnish

1990
AL#22 p.38   BRB2 p.376            
Michael Darnton                                                                                           

▪ Violin people think about finishes in a way that guitar makers have difficulty grasping. It is an obsession. Darnton’s lengthy article discusses varnish types and components and offers a few recipes. It doesn’t seem fair that guitar folks don’t get to play with stuff called dragons blood, sandarac, and propolis, to name just a few. Such exotic incantations are bound to improve a finish, don’t you think?

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

Meet the Maker: Hartley Peavey

1990
AL#22 p.34   BRB2 p.402            
George Manno   Hartley Peavey                                                                                       

▪ This is an interview with Hartley Peavey, whose manufacturing empire includes electric guitars, amplifiers, and other electronic gear for musicians. Topics include computerized manufacturing, offshore guitars, artist endorsements, and the Peavey business philosophy.

Violin Q & A: Cooking Varnish

1990
AL#24 p.54   BRB2 p.495            
Michael Darnton                                                                                           

▪ When you are cooking violin varnish, how much smoke is enough? And how much is too much? BTW, if it explodes in flames, you went too far.

Violin Q & A: Fiddle Fingerboard Contour

1990
AL#22 p.32   BRB2 p.488            
Michael Darnton                                                                                           

▪ Does a fiddle’s fingerboard need relief? Yes, and doing it right has an ellement of elegance that would not be obvious to a guitar maker.

Violin Q & A: First Fiddle Reading List

1990
AL#22 p.32   BRB2 p.486            
Michael Darnton                                                                                           

▪ Darnton suggests the most basic reading list for those wishing to make their first violin.

Meet the Maker: Nancy Conescu

1990
AL#22 p.29   BRB2 p.392            
Cyndy Burton   Nancy Conescu                                                                                       

▪ Conescu offers insight into the value of formal lutherie training. After violin making school she worked for years under the watchful eye of master repairmen and builders.

Spruce Bridge Plate

1990
AL#22 p.28   BRB2 p.384            
Rion Dudley                                                                                           

▪ Dudley adds a 1/10″ layer of spruce between the instrument top and the bridge plate of a 12-string guitar, and under the bridge of a flattop mandolin. He likes the results, but is uncertain what the operation actually does to the performance of the top.

Practicum Five: Tuning the Belly

1990
AL#22 p.20   HLC p.122            
Robert Lundberg                                                                                           

▪ In this episode Lundberg tunes the belly, or top, of the lute. The belly is already braced and the bridge is glued to it, but it is not yet attached to the bowl. Contains 21 photos, 3 diagrams, and detailed text. This series ran for 19 installments in American Lutherie and has been collected into our hardback book Historical Lute Construction.

Lutherie — The Hard Way

1990
AL#22 p.18               
John Larsen                                                                                           

▪ Larsen built his first guitar in 1950. His article describes the difficult road folks had to follow before the Information Age engulfed lutherie.

Guitar String Action

1990
AL#22 p.15   BRB2 p.389            
Don Teeter                                                                                           

▪ The guitar repair guru talks about setting up acoustic and electric guitars, installing truss rods in old instruments, superglues, saddle materials, and bridge designs.

Andalusia and the Modern Guitar

1990
AL#22 p.10   BRB2 p.372            
R.E. Brune                                                                                           

▪ Brune maintains that strict definitions separating the classical and flamenco guitars were not formulated until the 1950s, before which they often shared many of the characteristics that now separate them.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

A New Mandolin Family

1990
AL#22 p.4   BRB2 p.368            
Otis-A. Tomas                                                                                           

▪ This Canadian luthier used the proportions of musical harmony to design his mando family. His instruments have carved tops and an arched back that utilizes five staves. Very pretty. With 3 photos and several drawings.

Questions: Finish Removal

1990
AL#21 p.58               
Tim Olsen                                                                                           

▪ Refer to data sheet 280 for information on neutralizing the residues of paint strippers.

Opinion

1990
AL#21 p.56               
Nicholas-Von Robison                                                                                           

▪ Robison is concerned about the plight of the world’s tropical forests, but pleads that a boycott of rain forest wood will backfire on the would-be conservationists.

The Mandolin Orchestra in America, Part Three

1990
AL#21 p.44   BRB2 p.262            
Joseph-R. Johnson                                                                                           

▪ A number of non-mandolins were considered to be intrinsic parts of the mandolin orchestras. This installment of the series looks at all the boys in the band (and some girls, too). With 16 photos and a few drawings.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

Wood Treatment and Sizing Materials

1990
AL#21 p.38   BRB2 p.362            
Rick Rubin                                                                                           

▪ The goal is to preserve instrument wood for centuries, or make it stiffer. Either or both will do. Rubin examines a list of wood additives and lets the reader decide what to do.

Who Made Marie Antoinette’s Guitar?

1990
AL#21 p.36   BRB2 p.352            
Robert Lundberg   R.E. Brune                                                                                       

▪ Lundberg says that perhaps he’s tracked down Marie’s own luthier. Brune examines the evidence and decides he’s not prepared to jump on board. With 3 fine photos.

Heelblock Hank: His Story, Part Three

1990
AL#21 p.35   BRB2 p.311            
Louis-“Buddy” Hale   Michael-H. Price                                                                                       

▪ The GAL’s own comic book hero signs off. Parts One and Two were printed in AL #19 and AL#20.

Reflections on Segovia’s Guitars at the Metropolitan

1990
AL#21 p.32   BRB2 p.358            
Jeffrey-R. Elliott   Cyndy Burton                                                                                       

▪ The authors make a cross-country pilgrimage to examine two world famous classical guitars, one by Manuel Ramirez and one by Hermann Hauser Sr. The wonder is that there are riddles there yet to be solved.

Ren-Shape Precision Molding Material

1990
AL#21 p.31               read this article
Ed Beylerian                                                                                           

▪ Luthiers try lute molds of a new synthetic material. Its stability is pleasing but its strength may make it of limited use for some.

Practicum Four: Making the Bridge

1990
AL#21 p.16   HLC p.110            
Robert Lundberg                                                                                           

▪ Lundberg makes the bridge and glues it to the braced top. Contains 49 step-by-step photos and detailed captions, plus 7 diagrams. This series ran for 19 installments in American Lutherie and has been collected into our hardback book Historical Lute Construction.

The Multiple-Scale Fretboard

1990
AL#21 p.14   BRB2 p.364            
Ralph Novak                                                                                           

▪ Novak’s patented fretboard uses slanted frets that alter the scale length from string to string, growing longer toward the bass side. He lists a series of improvements over the normal fretboard.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

Meet the Maker: Michael Yeats

1990
AL#21 p.12   BRB2 p.354            
Cyndy Burton   Michael Yeats                                                                                       

▪ Training, ethics, money—all luthiers face the same dilemmas, but it’s possible that those who face the field of professional classical musicians are tried a little harder. Yeats offers straight talk about all three issues.

On the Path of Utter Dedication

1990
AL#21 p.8   BRB2 p.346            
Jose Romanillos                                                                                           

▪ A dedicated person lives a life of joy and frustration. Finding a suitable balance is the tough part. Romanillos aims his thought at the guitar and strikes a much larger target.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

Questions: Cantos Guitars

1989
AL#20 p.58   BRB2 p.482            
J.G. Molnar   Marc Silber                                                                                       

▪ Cantos work was primitive but his materials good; the flamencos being of real Spanish cypress with fairly good spruce tops.

Review: L’ELAN

1989
AL#20 p.56               read this article
Francis Kosheleff                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds this little Canadian magazine put out by a lutherie school to be “interesting but not too deep.”

Heelblock Hank: His Story, Part Two

1989
AL#20 p.55   BRB2 p.310            
Louis-“Buddy” Hale   Michael-H. Price                                                                                       

▪ The informational comic strip continues. Part One was in AL #19. The final part follows in AL#21.

Practicum Three: Making the Belly

1989
AL#20 p.40   HLC p.94            
Robert Lundberg                                                                                           

▪ Lundberg makes a complete lute top including carving the rose and bracing the soundboard. Contains 57 photos and 6 diagrams with detailed captions. This series ran for 19 installments in American Lutherie and has been collected into our hardback book Historical Lute Construction.

Six Lutherie Tools

1989
AL#20 p.32   BRB2 p.330            
Jeffrey-R. Elliott   Jonathon Peterson                                                                                       

▪ The 6 tools are: a guitar cradle, a grimel (hand purfling cutter), a hand circle cutter, a shooting board, a circle cutting jig for the Dremel tool, and water stones for tool sharpening.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

String Making: Old and New

1989
AL#20 p.22   BRB2 p.320            
James Rickard                                                                                           

▪ Life inside the D’Addario company. With 25 photos and 3 drawings.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

An Interview with Stewart Pollens

1989
AL#20 p.18   BRB2 p.316            
Cyndy Burton   Stewart Pollens                                                                                       

▪ Pollens is Associate Conservator of the Department of Musical Instruments at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. How does a major museum maintain its instruments? How do they view their responsibilities to their collections? How does one train to do the work? Here it is.

The Mandolin Orchestra in America, Part Two

1989
AL#20 p.8   BRB2 p.262            
Joseph-R. Johnson                                                                                           

▪ Johnson examines the mandolin orchestra at the turn of the century when an aggressive ad campaign by Gibson changed the look and sound of the American mandolin forever. With 13 photos. Part One is in AL#19. Part Three is in AL#21.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.

Letter to the Editor: Poplar in Dan Electro Necks

1989
AL#20 p.6               
Ron Lira                                                                                           

▪ The “poplar” used in Danelectro necks is really the wood of the tulip tree. It’s not a proper poplar, but it is what they call “poplar” at the hardware store.

Wonders of the Lutherie World: The Feral Balalaika

1989
AL#19 p.61               
Francis Kosheleff                                                                                           

▪ The well known fact that domestic animals abandoned in the forest will revert to their ancestral state, as applied to stringed instruments.

Three Legged Bridge

1989
AL#19 p.59   BRB2 p.479            
Francis Kosheleff                                                                                           

▪ Got a movable bridge instrument with ladder-style bracing? Want to try a bridge design that might offer an improvement in tone? Kosheleff has an idea you should look at.