Author Archives: luthsearch

Flamenco Capo

1977
DS#46   BRB2 p.25            
Don Alfieri                                                                                           

▪ Flamenco guitars are very light in weight, and a conventional capo could unbalance them and even change their sustain. This all-wood capo should correct the problem.

Tuning the Guitar

1977
DS#45   BRB1 p.288            
Ian Noyce                                                                                           

▪ ‘Bet you thought you knew how to tune a guitar. Some are fussier than others, right? Noyce explains that fussiness, and by examining the fussiness it can in part be designed out of the guitar. On the other hand, part of the problem is psycho-fussiness, meaning that you have to tune to suit the peculiarities of human hearing. They say that horses have perfect pitch, so tuning up must be much less of a chore for them.

Guitar Sound Criteria

1977
DS#44   BRB2 p.200            
Thomas Knatt                                                                                           

▪ Knatt discusses the elements of classical guitar construction that help create the sound he is after, such as thinning the top, the characteristics of the action and saddle, accuracy of fret placement, and the effects of brace shaving. Mentions Carleen Hutchins.

An Interview with Jeffrey R. Elliott

1976
GALQ Vol.4#3 p.6               
Kent Rayman   Jeffrey-R. Elliott                                                                                       

▪ Elliott discusses his teacher Richard Schneider, opening his own shop in Michigan, and classical guitars.

Son of Scrutiny

1976
GALQ Vol.4#2 p.20               
John Roberts   Robert Venn   Scott Thompson                                                                                   

▪ Response to the article, ‘Scrutiny: Roberto-Venn School of Lutherie’, which may have presented a very unfair picture of school activities.

Alexander Illitch Eppler

1976
GALQ Vol.4#1 p.8               
Kent Rayman   Alexander-I. Eppler                                                                                       

▪ Seattle-born Alexander Illitch Eppler is an established virtuoso, and a maker and player of balkan end-blown flutes.

Ruck-Brune Sanding Machine

1976
DS#37   LT p.70            
Derek Iverson                                                                                           

▪ Iverson’s was the first report on a truly useful shop-made thickness sander at a time when there were no inexpensive commercial units to be had.

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

A Harpsichord Primer

1976
DS#36               
E.O. Witt                                                                                           

▪ This comprehensive article first appeared in The Journal of the Audio Engineers Society, October 1975.

Intro To P.E.G.

1976
DS#35               read this article
H.E. Huttig                                                                                           

▪ PEG is a chemical that resembles Paraffin, is non-toxic, non-corrosive, colorless and odorless, and when applied to wood, greatly improves the dimensional stability and eliminates splitting and warp problems.

Bridge Plate Repair

1976
DS#34               
John Thierman                                                                                           

▪ The tops of many older flat-top steel string guitars will bulge up at the bridge due to the high tension of the steel strings.

Sheet Copper Oval

1976
DS#33   LT p.11            
Lawrence Lundy   W. Daum                                                                                       

▪ Roll up a thick tube of copper and shoot a propane torch into the back of it. that’s yet another way to make a bending iron.

Tool Steel

1976
DS#32   LT p.14            
H.E. Huttig                                                                                           

▪ Short history of steel and its principal alloys, plus a description of sharpening stones, and how to use and maintain them.

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

Neck Supporting Device

1976
DS#30               
Leo Bidne                                                                                           

▪ The function of this portable tool is to hold a guitar stationary and support the neck while fret leveling.

Pearl Inlay

1976
DS#29               read this article
John Thierman                                                                                           

▪ Inlay is the process by which one substance is inserted into a background, then sanded off flush, creating a pattern within the background substance.

Gibson Banjo

1976
DS#28               
Tom Morgan                                                                                           

▪ Recent popularity of the banjo and need for dissemination of bits of info have prompted this writing, in which the topics, types of shell, wood rim construction, tone rings, adjustment of string height, and correcting neck wrap are discussed.

Fret Spacing Template

1976
DS#27   LT p.4            
Tom Peterson                                                                                           

▪ Lay out one fret scale accurately, then very quickly plot the fret positions for any larger scale length with no math or measuring tools.

Lead Filled Beer Can

1976
DS#25   LT p.11            
Dick DeNeve                                                                                           

▪ The best thing you can do with a beer can is empty it. The next best thing might be to put a heating element in the empty can and then fill it with lead to make a bending iron.

Torch and Pipe Bending Iron

1976
DS#25   LT p.10            
Tim Olsen                                                                                           

▪ Four variations on the propane torch and water pipe.

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

Hangers for Spraying

1976
DS#24               
Tim Olsen                                                                                           

▪ Utilizing 12 gauge plastic coated copper wire to hang an object for spraying with lacquer and other finishes.

FoMRHI is Born

1975
GALNL Vol.3#5,6 p.33               
Jeremy Montagu                                                                                           

▪ The Fellowship of Makers and Researchers of Historic Instruments (FoMRHI) is a Brittish organization which formed shortly after the GAL. They are still in business as of 2016.

Luthiers Whimsy

1975
GALNL Vol.3#5,6 p.30               
Tim Olsen                                                                                           

▪ Three illustrated humorous poems that will only mean anything to luthiers.

Epitaph for a Luthier: Miguel Company

1975
GALNL Vol.3#5,6 p.25   BRB2 p.23            
H.E. Huttig                                                                                           

▪ A number of builders impacted the lutherie scene simply by keeping the craft alive during the dark days of the ’50s and early ’60s, even though they are all but forgotten today. Company fled Castro’s Cuba to Florida, where he made all manner of guitars and Latin instruments.

Museum Services for Luthiers

1975
GALNL Vol.3#5,6 p.19   BRB2 p.48            
Laurence Libin                                                                                           

▪ Luthiers who deal in restoration and re-creation of old instruments may find that museums may harbor help that is otherwise unavailable, and you may not have to visit the museum to avail yourself of its services. Libin discusses what museums are usually prepared to do to help researchers, and how to deal with museums when you need their help.

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

Luthiers Library

1975
GALNL Vol.3#5,6 p.17               read this article
Frederick Battershell                                                                                           

▪ The Successful Craftsman: Making Your Craft Your Business by Alex Bealer, is a book that promises a great deal and delivers nothing of lasting value, thus betraying its author’s profession, advertising.

Presses Roll at Vetus Pigmentum

1975
GALNL Vol.3#5,6 p.3               
Staff                                                                                           

▪ The GAL purchased a very-used AB Dick offset press which they used for years to print the Guild’s publications.

1975 Convention coverage

1975
GALNL Vol.3#3               
Staff                                                                                            

▪ The 1975 GAL Convention was a small event by any standard, but it set the pattern for the successful GAL Conventions which followed. It had embreonic forms of the features of a modern convention: exhibition, lectures, demos, concerts. R.E. Brune hosted it at Northwestern University.

Pilgrimage to Cheltenham

1975
GALNL Vol.3#2 p.10               
H.E. Huttig                                                                                           

▪ A visit to the Applebys in Cheltenham on the occasion of their publication, Guitar News, coming to an end. You can find Guitar News at www.digitalguitararchive.com/2019/11/guitar-news.

Manuel Davila: Renaissance Man

1975
GALNL Vol.3#2 p.1   BRB2 p.61            
H.E. Huttig                                                                                           

▪ Hutting happens across Manuel Davila in Guatemala City, who builds guitars that are completely original and do not follow tradition in construction and decoration.

1902 Martin

1975
DS#21               
Anonymous                                                                                           

▪ This pair of informative pictures was contributed to the Guild by a repairman of long experience and excellent reputation.

Resophonic Guitars

1975
DS#20               
Robert-F. Gear                                                                                           

▪ Since the late 60s the national metal-bodied guitars and Dobros have become one of the hottest items among collectors, blues players, and bluegrass enthusiasts alike.

Tamburitzas

1975
DS#18               read this article
Nick Hayden                                                                                           

▪ A rundown on the Tamuritza family, which came first from Yugoslavia, from the smallest Prim (transposing instrument) to the Brach (alto member) to the Berda (bass member).

String Metals and Windings

1975
DS#17   BRB2 p.105            
Joseph Valentich                                                                                           

▪ The scale of instrument and string tension, string materials and string winding, core wire and wrapping wire size, and acoustic and electric strings for application to ethnic fretted instruments.

French Polish Part 3 (Conclusion)

1975
DS#16               
R.E. Brune                                                                                           

▪ After initial finish application, the surface of the instrument will appear rough and unrefined, therefore it is necessary to rub out the finish to produce a perfect surface, then apply the final polish.

Basic Guitar Electronics

1975
DS#15               
Bob Petrulis                                                                                           

▪ The first of a series of articles on basic instrument electronics, this time covering magnetic pickups, transducer pickups, contact mics, volume and tone controls, and soldering.

Splicing on a New Peghead

1975
DS#14   LW p.114            
Tim Olsen                                                                                           

▪ Sometimes a peghead break is so traumatic that the best plan is just to toss the old one in the trash and start over. Here’s how (using mostly hand tools), and don’t be surprised if the rebuilt neck is better than the original. With 13 illustrations.

Charlie Christian Pickup

1975
DS#13   BRB2 p.19            
Doc Kauffman                                                                                           

▪ One of the pioneers of the solidbody guitar gives a brief description of one of the first successful pickups, complete with 3 full-scale drawings of the pickup and a sketch of its flux pattern compared to a more contemporary pickup.

French Polish Part 2

1975
DS#12               
R.E. Brune                                                                                           

▪ French polishing, after mixing and properly preparing the shellac as per the instructions in the last installment.

Electronic Aiding of Stringed Instrument Sound

1975
DS#10               read this article
R.W. Burhans                                                                                           

▪ Information and resources for string-sound transducers, low power audio, amplifiers, electronic filters, resonant boxes, and parts and supplies.

Soundboards

1975
DS#9   LW p.16            read this article
David Sturgill                                                                                           

▪ The function of the soundboard in any musical instrument is to convert the mechanical energy produced by the strings to sound waves in the atmosphere.

Glue for Inlay

1975
DS#7               
Tim Olsen                                                                                           

▪ Use fine wood dust and epoxy for inlay. Duh. But this was 1975, and the first time anybody said it in print.

Questionnaire Results

1975
DS#5               
Bob Petrulis                                                                                           

▪ Of the 68 responses to the luthier questionnaire, 13 claimed to be amateurs, 24 part time professionals, and 23 professionals.

A Few Notes on Luthier’s Schools

1974
GALNL Vol.2#2 p.5               
Harry Misuriello                                                                                           

▪ Anyone wishing a formal and traditional luthier education, and its attendant seriousness, should investigate the following utilities.

Calculating Fret Scales

1974
DS#4   LW p.104            read this article
Bob Petrulis                                                                                           

▪ The author gives you the math to lay out the frets for any scale length and demonstrates how to use a computer spread sheet to do the same operation a lot faster. With a drawing and two charts.

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

Finishes

1974
DS#3               read this article
R.E. Brune                                                                                           

▪ As a hobby, Brune has collected many obscure and archaic recipies for varnishes and other potions, which he discusses here.

Review: The Modern Harpsichord by Wolfgang Joachim Zuckerman

1973
GALNL Vol.1#1 p.4               read this article
J.R. Beall                                                                                           

▪ The Modern Harpsichord by Wolfgang Joachim Zuckermann is a large, well illustrated, intelligently written and edited volume that lists and comments of most of the known makers of today.

Sketchy Diagram of the Amazing Ruck-ReBrune Sanding Machine

1973
GALNL Vol.1#1 p.3               
R.E. Brune                                                                                           

▪ The first mention of an abrasive planer in our literature. We eventually printed a lot of suggestions for different versions.

The American Luthier: A New Era

1973
GALNL Vol.1#1 p.1               read this article
J.R. Beall                                                                                           

▪ A growing number of intelligent people are looking for work that is individual, creative, challenging, and fulfilling in the stringed instrument world.