Author Archives: luthsearch

Review: So You Want to Make a Double Bass; To Make a Double Bass; Double Bass Making

2002
AL#71 p.66   BRB6 p.540            read this article
David Riggs                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer turned his pages into a gathering of all the chief sources of useful bass making information, finding that in the end “there is a very deep well of information not in print.”

It Worked for Me: Cheap Spanish Guitar

2002
AL#71 p.65   BRB6 p.464            
Jonathon Peterson                                                                                           

▪ Small adjustable-width angle gauges for a through-the-soundhole approach to repair a fractured top on a Spanish guitar.

Product Reviews: Grizzly Pneumatic drum Sander

2002
AL#71 p.62   BRB6 p.485            
R.M. Mottola                                                                                           

▪ Mottola likes the Grizzly H2881 pump sander, a handheld drum sander he uses for sculpting neck heels and the like. He doesn’t however, much enjoy doing business with the Grizzly company. With 2 photos.

Sources: Schools and More

2002
AL#71 p.50               
Cyndy Burton                                                                                           

▪ The interest in lutherie is growing so quickly that sources of information and instruction are hard to keep up with. This list includes schools, on-line instruction, organizations, periodicals, and publishers.

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

Kit Review: Musicmaker’s Irish Bouzouki

2002
AL#71 p.44   BRB6 p.507            
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ Irish ‘zooks are cool, though they don’t much resemble bouzoukis and very few of them come from Ireland. The author finds the kit to be easily assembled and a bargain. Though the nontraditional materials may turn off some, the instrument is playable and sounds decent. With 13 photos.

See No Evil: Super-Safe Binding Router Jig

2002
AL#71 p.42   BRB6 p.398            
Harry Fleishman                                                                                           

▪ Harry can rout his guitars for binding with his eyes closed. Honestly! The system he explains uses a laminate trimmer suspended by a swinging arm and you can build it in your shop.With a photo and 2 diagrams.

Getting Wired: Rick Turner at ASL

2002
AL#71 p.36   BRB6 p.429            
Tom Harper                                                                                           

▪ Turner is an inventor, guitarmaker, and a wireman extraordinaire. Harper attended Turner’s wiring workshop at the American School of Lutherie and reports back what he learned there. With 4 photos.

Thoughts on Violin Setup

2002
AL#71 p.30   BRB6 p.392            read this article
Don Overstreet                                                                                           

▪ Everything about the violin must be just so, since there are few details that an experienced musician is going to overlook. The instruments can be extremely expensive and the work standards are very high. Overstreet is an old hand at the game, and here gives the straight info on getting it right.

Meet the Maker: Duane Heilman

2002
AL#71 p.24   BRB6 p.424            
John Calkin   Duane Heilman                                                                                       

▪ Heilman builds quirky, imaginative ukes that he auctions on-line. He’s also made hundreds of exotic picks that he sells the same way. With 17 photos.

Constructing the Spanish Rosette, Part 1

2002
AL#71 p.8   BRB6 p.368            
Eugene Clark   Jonathon Peterson                                                                                       

▪ How deeply do you want to dive into the matter of making rosettes? Here Clark will submerge you until you gasp for air or make a fine rosette, whichever comes first. Designing the rosette and dying the sticks receive deepest treatment, though no words are spared when describing the cutting and sizing of the materials. Everything is here. With 33 photos. Part Two will appear in a future issue of AL.

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

In Memoriam: Frederick Dickens

2002
AL#71 p.3   BRB6 p.348            read this article
Pauline Dickens   James Jones   Graham Caldersmith                                                                                   

▪ Dickens did R&D work at Bell Labs in his day job, and was among the first to look at the functioning of the guitar from a mathematical vantage point. He was known for his inquisitive mind and willingness to share his knowledge with others.

CAD Notebook

2002
AL#70 p.58   BRB6 p.510            
Dana Bourgeois                                                                                           

▪ This segment begins instruction in drawing a neck using MasterCam Draft, Version 8. If you stumble onto the perfect neck and wish to have it machine reproduced you may have to know this stuff. With 3 drawings.

Product Reviews: Tusq Martin-Style Bridge Pins

2002
AL#70 p.54   BRB6 p.470            
Fred Carlson                                                                                           

▪ Carlson ventures into Plasticland hoping to find a useful substitute for animal parts on his guitars. An aversion to both plastic guitar parts and animal slaughter leaves hardly any useful material for bridge saddles, and he sort of settles on a material called Tusq. Partly tongue-in-cheek and generally philosophical, the review concludes that beef bone saddles will be around for awhile yet.

Another Method for Calculating the Area of a Plate

2002
AL#70 p.53   BRB6 p.349            read this article
R.M. Mottola                                                                                           

▪ The author has simplified a computer technique for use with graph paper and pencil, and maintains that the system is accurate to about .5%. If you know the area of a plate you can figure out the volume of the soundbox, as in Raley’s article on p.52.

Calculating Soundbox Volume

2002
AL#70 p.52   BRB6 p.347            read this article
Dave Raley                                                                                           

▪ There are a number of reasons you might wish to know the volume of an instrument. Raley uses a spreadsheet program and some careful measuring to determine this figure.

Slotting Fretboards

2002
AL#70 p.48   BRB6 p.344            
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ Using templates and a tablesaw to slot fingerboards in minutes, and how to make your own templates. With 7 photos and 5 fret scales for off-beat scale lengths.

Audio Spectroscopy

2002
AL#70 p.44   BRB6 p.365            
R.M. Mottola                                                                                           

▪ With digital recording and spectrographic analysis software a computer can print out a diagram of an instrument’s tone spectrum, reducing the complicated issue of tone comparison to easy-to-read graphs. The scientifically inclined luthier may find that this helps him build better instruments, while others may decide that it’s another case of too much information. If you’ve found that intuition has carried you as far as it can you might check out the usefulness of “tone pictures”. With 5 bass guitar spectrographs.

Minotaur Guitars: An Experiment in the Staufer-Scherzer Tradition

2002
AL#70 p.40   BRB6 p.362            
Alain Bieber                                                                                           

▪ Bieber’s classical guitars feature removable, adjustable necks and slight double cutaways to increase fretboard access. They also look quite remarkable. With 8 photos.

The Hidden Gem of Thickness Sanders

2002
AL#70 p.36   BRB6 p.324            
Bruce Petros                                                                                           

▪ The author finds that the General Model 15-250 M1, for $1600, may be the most sander for the money that the small shop can afford. With 7 photos.

GAL Instrument Plan #47: 1869 Francisco Gonzalez Guitar

2002
AL#70 p.34   BRB6 p.343            
Jeffrey-R. Elliott                                                                                           

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

1869 Francisco Gonzalez: A Restoration

2002
AL#70 p.16   BRB6 p.328            
Jeffrey-R. Elliott                                                                                           

▪ Returning a historically important guitar to life is not only a painstaking project but also one that must be done with finesse and a respect for the instrument’s value as an historical document. This restoration took several months and much research and investigation, requiring the use of tools not normally associated with guitar repair. With 43 photos and a magazine-size version of GAL Plan #47 of the instrument under discussion.

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

Small Shop Production Techniques

2002
AL#70 p.12   BRB6 p.358            
Ralph Novak                                                                                           

▪ The author uses neck making in his example of how gearing up to make small runs of like parts can make the small shop more efficient and profitable. With a photo and 9 drawings.

Meet the Maker: Ralph Novak

2002
AL#70 p.4   BRB6 p.350            
John Calkin   Ralph Novak                                                                                       

▪ Novak has been on the guitar scene since the late ’60s, specializing in the creation and repair of electric instruments, though his expertise doesn’t end there. His best-known invention is probably the Novax fanned fret system, though his work with multi-string guitars deserves note. Mentions Charles LoBue. With 17 photos.

It Worked for Me: Spherically Arched Guitar Back

2002
AL#69 p.63   BRB6 p.463            
Peter Giolitto                                                                                           

▪ A way to plot the contours of the ribs and the back braces as alternative to buying or making a dished workboard for fitting a spherically-arched guitar back.

It Worked for Me: Fingertip Glue Removal

2002
AL#69 p.62   BRB6 p.461            
Marc Connelly                                                                                           

▪ A little goofball finger strap flashlight to illuminate the Dremel bit, and a Trac II razor to shave dried glue off fingertips.

Product Reviews: Delta and Performax Abrasive Planers

2002
AL#69 p.56   BRB6 p.481            
Harry Fleishman                                                                                           

▪ Guitar maker and teacher Fleishman compares two thickness sanders, the Performax 22-44 and the Delta 31-250, finding that both are useful, have different peculiarities, and that you are better off with either one than without a thickness sander at all. With 2 photos.

Kit Review: Musicmaker’s Regency Harp

2002
AL#69 p.48   BRB6 p.500            read this article
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ The author discovers that this kit provides a harp fit for a professional musician. The finished harp is a powerful instrument with a wide range, and though the kit is pricey it is easy to build. The process of lace finishing is described in detail. With 17 photos.

Lutherie Trivia

2002
AL#69 p.46               
Ervin Somogyi                                                                                           

▪ The wry Somogyi presents some little-known information that may not improve your work but will nicely occupy your mind as you carve a neck for the 50th time, or whatever. The meaning of many words has drifted so far from the roots of those words that, in the strictest sense, we no longer know what we are talking about, even though we continue to communicate very nicely. Mostly. A fun piece.

A Method for Specifying Contours of an Arched Plate

2002
AL#69 p.40   BRB6 p.301            
R.M. Mottola                                                                                           

▪ Not really a computer article, the author uses a CAD-like system of plotting the contours of an arched plate. The result is sort of a topo map of the plate that is used to rout the plate into terraces that are then faired into a finished plate. Mottola explains the drawing, not the machining. With 13 drawings.

The Search for the Lute Maker’s Donkey

2002
AL#69 p.36               
Andrew Atkinson                                                                                           

▪ The author’s focus is on recreating a lute maker’s shop, circa the late 16th century. Old paintings provide some of his most valuable research materials. He is not only interested in old tools, but in the old ways of making those tools. With 2 photos.

Meet the Maker: Kerry Char

2002
AL#69 p.28   BRB6 p.316            
Jonathon Peterson   Kerry Char                                                                                       

▪ Char is a guitar maker who also specializes in the restoration of old and odd instruments, particularly harp guitars by Knutsen and others. With 16 photos of vintage instruments.

Battery-Powered Instrument Amplifiers

2002
AL#69 p.22   BRB6 p.296            read this article
Joseph Ennis                                                                                           

▪ Build an amp that matches the resonance of your acoustic instrument. Build it into the instrument if you like. Ennis offers some math, some circuitry, and some advice to beginners who want the most portable amps for their instruments. With 9 photos and a circuit diagram.

The Heretic’s Guide to Alternative Lutherie Woods

2002
AL#69 p.13   BRB6 p.288            
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ This is an examination of 17 varieties of wood not usually associated with guitars, their bending characteristics, and how they look. Calkin’s opinions about tonewood have proven to be pretty controversial, but this article may help if you are tired of the same old look on your instruments. With 19 photos.

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

Controlling Soundboard Development

2002
AL#69 p.8   BRB6 p.305            
Larry Mills                                                                                           

▪ An introduction to free plate and fixed plate voicing of the guitar top, the latter using a jig to fix the braced plate much as it will be on the guitar, though tapping is used as the driver, not strings. Interesting, and a good presentation of current bracing notions. With 8 photos.

Questions: Top Woods

2001
AL#68 p.69   BRB6 p.205            
Ervin Somogyi                                                                                           

▪ The differences in the characteristics of the top woods European spruce, Sitka spruce, Engelmann spruce, and western red cedar.

Questions: B-45-12 Guitar

2001
AL#68 p.66   BRB6 p.326            
Robert Steinegger   David Freeman                                                                                       

▪ Info on the B-45-12, the best Gibson 12 string ever built, according to chapter 9 of Gibson’s fabulous flat-top guitars, by Whitford, Vinopal, and Erlewine.

CAD Notebook

2001
AL#68 p.62   BRB6 p.510            
Dana Bourgeois                                                                                           

▪ Previous columns saw the creation of a 3D wireframe computer image of a dreadnought guitar body. In this installment a 2D profile of a side is extracted from the software, from which the side set can be cut to shape before bending. With 6 diagrams.

It Worked for Me: Make a Toothed Plane Blade

2001
AL#68 p.58   BRB6 p.460            
Keith Davis                                                                                           

▪ Make a toothed blade for a block plane by annealing the blade, grinding a set of grooves, and re-tempering the blade. Also describes reducing the mouth with J.B. Weld.

Meet the Maker: Fernando Cardosa

2001
AL#68 p.54   BRB6 p.284            
Joao-Jose-de-Santana Borges   Fernando Cardosa                                                                                       

▪ AL has certainly included an international air this year, and this introduction to Brazilian luthier Cardosa adds to the festivities. With 8 photos.

Constructing an Under-Saddle Transducer

2001
AL#68 p.50   BRB6 p.314            read this article
R.M. Mottola                                                                                           

▪ Yes, you can make your own transducer pickups and save big bucks. Here’s how. Including 6 photos and 2 diagrams.

An Introduction to Metal Engraving

2001
AL#68 p.40   BRB6 p.266            
David Giulietti                                                                                           

▪ The pursuit of engraving skills demands just a small investment in tools but a large investment in determination and time. At least, for those not born to be artists. But the author makes it clear that there is hope for nearly all of us who truly wish to acquire this skill.

Meet the Maker: Tom Blackshear

2001
AL#68 p.28   BRB6 p.274            
Cyndy Burton   Tom Blackshear                                                                                       

▪ Blackshear has been building classical guitars since the ’50s. He has been strongly influenced by the work of Miguel Rodriguez. With 15 photos.

Working with Water-based Finish

2001
AL#68 p.24   BRB6 p.280            
John Kitakis                                                                                           

▪ Kitakis has a long history of jobs in wood finishing, so when he finally made the jump to water-based finish (in his case CrystaLac) he knew what he was doing. Working with CrystaLac isn’t quite the same as working with lacquer, but the author makes a good job of clearing the off-spray. With 5 photos.

Archtop Guitars: It All Creates Music

2001
AL#68 p.16   BRB6 p.250            
Bob Benedetto                                                                                           

▪ For a builder of orthodox archtop guitars Benedetto certainly has some iconoclastic ideas. His opinions about bridges, tailpieces, guitar setup, and tonewood may turn your head around. With 9 photos.

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

Meet the Maker: Bob Benedetto

2001
AL#68 p.8   BRB6 p.242            
Jonathon Peterson   Bob Benedetto                                                                                       

▪ Benedetto has had as large an impact on the modern archtop guitar as anyone. He’s also a really nice guy, unpretentious and level-headed. You’re gonna like him. With 11 photos.

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

Letter to the Editor: Hurdy-Gurdy

2001
AL#68 p.6               read this article
Wilfried Ulrich                                                                                           

▪ Wilfried has made a lot of real hurdy-gurdies. He says Americans tend to have a cartoonish view of the venerable drehleir. They ought to educate themselves and have more respect for a highly developed classical instrument. He eventually authored Plan#49 for us.

Letter to the Editor: Vacuum VS Screw Clamp

2001
AL#68 p.5               
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ Calkin says that he has been told many times that he should use a vacuum clamp to glue top braces. He proceeds to make a good case for his screw-and-bar clamping system.

Review: Music, Cognition, and Computerized Sound; An Introduction to Psychoacoustics edited by Perry R. Cook

2001
AL#67 p.60   BRB6 p.539            read this article
R.M. Mottola                                                                                           

▪ The luthier who has no interest in how human beings hear and interpret sound hasn’t really come to terms with instrument making at all. The reviewer likes this textbook that takes in this subject, though it sounds like heavy going.

Review: Dangerous Curves: The Art of the Guitar by Darcy Kuronen

2001
AL#67 p.60   BRB6 p.539            read this article
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ This is a picture book of guitars that the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, included in a show of artfully conceived instruments. The reviewer loves the style of the photography but gives the project a so-so evaluation.

CAD Notebook

2001
AL#67 p.51   BRB6 p.510            
Dana Bourgeois                                                                                           

▪ In the last installment we learned how to make a computerized outline of a guitar body using Mastercam software. In this installment we learn how to make a wireframe image that suggests three dimensions. With 5 diagrams.

Quick-and-Dirty Bridge and Brace Repair

2001
AL#67 p.42   BRB6 p.258            
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ Some instruments aren’t worth repairing because their value is less than the cost of the repair work. Unless, that is, you resort to superglue and a bit of trickery. On the cuatro used in the example a tailpiece is used along with the stock bridge to prevent steel strings from tearing the bridge off the top again. With 8 photos.

Making a Scraper Plane

2001
AL#67 p.40   BRB6 p.260            
Peter Giolitto                                                                                           

▪ Scraper planes are good for dressing down figured wood without tearing them up or following the grain. Here’s how to make one. With a photo and 5 drawings.

Meet the Maker: David Minnieweather

2001
AL#67 p.34   BRB6 p.206            
Jonathon Peterson   David Minnieweather                                                                                       

▪ Minnieweather lives in Oregon and makes some fine-looking electric basses, including a stunning electric upright. With 9 photos.

Sitar Making in India

2001
AL#67 p.6   BRB6 p.222            
Scott Hackleman                                                                                           

▪ Hackleman spent nearly a year in India learning one shop’s traditional ways of making sitars. The low state of technology in India, and the amazing work they do with so few tools, make this a fascinating read no matter what your interest in ethnic instruments. With 36 photos and 11 drawings.

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

Letter to the Editor: Defending Larry Sandberg’s Book

2001
AL#67 p.3               read this article
Harry Fleishman                                                                                           

▪ Harry Fleishman leaps to the defense of Larry Sandberg. He feels that Ben Hoff was too harsh in his criticism of Larry’s book The Acoustic Guitar Guide.

It Worked for Me: Worn Fingerboards

2001
AL#66 p.64   BRB6 p.458            
Keith Davis                                                                                           

▪ Making fills in worn fingerboards using fitted wood chips; an ebony fingerboard with ebony fills, a rosewood fingerboard with rosewood fills, etc.

It Worked for Me: Old Molds

2001
AL#66 p.64   BRB6 p.457            
Skip Helms                                                                                           

▪ 1″ rigid foam insulation is tough, accurately dimensioned, weighs almost nothing, and can be used to help freshly bent sides hold their shape.

Questions: Vinyl Gloves for French Polish

2001
AL#66 p.63               
John Park                                                                                           

▪ A painful swelling in the finger joints and a rash associated with epoxy sensitization as a result of wearing vinyl gloves for extended periods while French polishing.

CAD Notebook

2001
AL#66 p.60   BRB6 p.510            
Dana Bourgeois                                                                                           

▪ In this segment the author instructs how to get Mastercam Draft software to draw the outline of a particular guitar body. The one you want, that is, not just any old outline.

Product Reviews: Stew-Mac Brown Tape

2001
AL#66 p.58   BRB6 p.480            
Harry Fleishman                                                                                           

▪ Fleishman spends an entire column talking about a particular brown masking tape, and darn if he doesn’t make it sound like a fine use of space.

Review: Custom Knifemaking by Tim McCreight

2001
AL#66 p.57   BRB6 p.538            read this article
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer decides that if you want to make your first knife you just about can’t go wrong with this book.

Review: Custom Guitars: A Complete Guide to Contemporary Handcrafted Guitars edited by Simone Solondz

2001
AL#66 p.55   BRB6 p.536            read this article
Benjamin Hoff                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds this book too expensive and too incomplete to recommend on any level other than for the nice photography.

Kit Review: Musicmaker’s Hurdy-Gurdy

2001
AL#66 p.50   BRB6 p.496            read this article
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ Calkin barely knew what a hurdy-gurdy was when he began this kit, and afterwards he still wasn’t too sure. Not that it was the kit’s fault. The hurdy-gurdy (a mechanical fiddle) has nearly vanished from the musical scene and few details are to be found outside of museum blueprints. The kit turned out pretty good, though it makes no attempt at historical accuracy. Fun stuff, with 15 photos.

Vincente Tatay and His Guitars

2001
AL#66 p.47   BRB6 p.198            
Steve Newberry                                                                                           

▪ Tatay built guitars in the back room of a music store in WWII-era Manhattan. Newberry hung out then as a teenager. Not many of us have memories of our youth that are this cool. Alas. Or is it just that Newberry tells a really good tale? With 2 photos.

Wet Inlay

2001
AL#66 p.38   BRB6 p.194            read this article
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ Inlay advice using epoxy and Inlace mixed with various substances to fill the routed holes, rather than a solid such as MOp.With 8 photos.

Meet the Maker: Taku Sakashta

2001
AL#66 p.32   BRB6 p.238            
Jonathon Peterson   Taku Sakashta                                                                                       

▪ Sakashta left Japan to build both archtop and flattop guitars in California. He is definitely not afraid to design away from tradition. With 8 photos.

Conical Fretboard Radiusing Jig

2001
AL#66 p.28               read this article
Mike Nealon                                                                                           

▪ The author offers plans for a jig that uses a router to shape the surface of a conical fretboard. With 11 photos and 5 diagrams.

Meet the Maker: Sebastian Stenzel

2001
AL#66 p.20   BRB6 p.216            
Greg Hanson   Sebastian Stenzel                                                                                       

▪ Stenzel is a German who specializes in classical guitars. He shares much information about his guitars as well as some opinions that may surprise you. With 5 photos.

A Bridge for the 21st Century

2001
AL#66 p.16   BRB6 p.182            
Scott van-Linge                                                                                           

▪ The author has some unique ideas about how bridge and brace shape and weight effect the volume and tone of flattop guitars. His ultimate guitar bridge is going to make a lot of traditionalists nervous, but it is pretty in a minimalist fashion and should be a winner if it does what he claims. With 10 photos and a diagram.

Meet the Maker: Harry Fleishman

2001
AL#66 p.6   BRB6 p.186            
Ken Goodwin   Harry Fleishman                                                                                       

▪ Fleishman has been a guitar and bass designer/builder, a teacher of lutherie and writing, a longtime member of the GAL, a frequent contributor to AL and its current product reviewer. Harry is as well-known for his outrageous sense of humor as for the outrageous instruments he creates. With 10 photos.

In Memoriam: Robert Lundberg

2001
AL#66 p.5   BRB6 p.165            read this article
Jonathon Peterson   Jean Gilman   Lora Lundberg Schultz   Dorothy Bones   Ben Lundberg   Michael Yeats   Gunter Mark   Cyndy Burton   Jeffrey R. Elliott                                                           

▪ Lundberg was perhaps the foremost lute maker in America, a champion of building lutes in an historical manner, a longtime member and supporter of the GAL, and author of the landmark book Historical Lute Construction. Family and friends take a deep look at the significance of his life and work. With 10 photos.

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

Letter to the Editor: Guitar Dimensions and Harmonics

2001
AL#66 p.3               read this article
Joe-D. Franklin                                                                                           

▪ Joe Franklin believed that the secret to good sound in classical guitars was the exacting relationship between interior dimensions and the wavelengths of sound.

Letter to the Editor: Sloane Bass Tuners

2001
AL#66 p.3               read this article
Frederick-C. Lyman-Jr.                                                                                           

▪ Longtime GAL member Fred Lyman tells of the conversation that got Irving Sloane interested in making bass machines. Fred also gives a quick overview of his life in lutherie and wishes more lutherie info had been available to him in his youth.

It Worked for Me: Portable Amplification System

2001
AL#65 p.65   BRB6 p.456            
Francis Kosheleff                                                                                           

▪ A portable battery powered sound system featuring PA box cabinets designed to visually reflect the instruments played by the Balka quartet for a gig in the Santa Cruz mountains.

It Worked for Me: Profiling Heads

2001
AL#65 p.65   BRB6 p.456            
Peter Giolitto                                                                                           

▪ A method to profile the heads of classical guitars helps achieve a much more accurate shape more quickly than just drawing around a single template and working to the line; instead using shapes of workable metal.

Review: Installing Transducer Pickup Systems by Dan Erlewine

2001
AL#65 p.63   BRB6 p.536            read this article
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer recommends this video about installing under-the-bridge flattop guitar pickups.

Product Reviews: Fishman Voltage Doubler

2001
AL#65 p.59   BRB6 p.478            
Harry Fleishman                                                                                           

▪ AL’s Tool Meister reviews a bunch of circuit accessories from Stewart-MacDonald. He rejects the Black Ice crunch-adder but likes the Voltage Doubler, ConducTool, Megaswitch, and Yamaha 5-way switch.

Sources: Schools

2001
AL#65 p.52               
Cyndy Burton                                                                                           

▪ Lots of folks want to teach you to build stringed instruments. Here’s a 5-page list of them.

CAD Notebook

2001
AL#65 p.48   BRB6 p.510            
Dana Bourgeois                                                                                           

▪ No doubt many of us pursue lutherie as an escape from an ever-escalating technology that the rest of the world imposes upon us. If that’s you, skip this new column. If, however, you see yourself entering lutherie as a business you may find yourself shut out of future developments if you can’t speak CAD (Computer Aided Design). Bourgeois’ arguments for getting involved are strong, and you may even find a degree of fun in the pursuit. Working with Mastercam software to design guitars and parts will be the focus of future columns.

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

Meet the Maker: Sergio Huerta Chavez

2001
AL#65 p.44   BRB6 p.200            
Bruce Calder   Sergio Huerta-Chavez                                                                                       

▪ Chavez is a builder of guitars and violins from Mexico who has managed to find markets in the US. Lutherie-life south of the border is probably different than you think, especially if Paracho has been your only touchstone. With 5 photos.

Pre-finish Surface Preparation

2001
AL#65 p.39   BRB6 p.170            
Fred Campbell                                                                                           

▪ A large part of the secret to getting a fine gloss finish of any sort is the preparation of the wood before anything is even applied. Campbell has specialized in finish work for years and isn’t shy about sharing what he knows.

Meet the Maker: Eugene Clark

2001
AL#65 p.28   BRB6 p.174            
Jonathon Peterson   Eugene Clark                                                                                       

▪ Clark began his guitar building over 40 years ago, which makes him one of the true father figures of our craft. His life has been a crooked path, with interesting things at every jog in the road. You’ll like meeting him. With 12 photos.

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

Evolving the Dished Workboard

2001
AL#65 p.22   BRB6 p.210            
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ The dished workboard can make it easier to make better guitars. Calkin reveals several ways to make them more versatile, more accurate, and more fun to use. With 13 photos.

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

An American in Mirecourt, Part Two

2001
AL#65 p.10   BRB6 p.82            
Paul Schuback                                                                                           

▪ Schuback learned violin making in a small shop in France during the ’60s. This segment of his 1995 convention workshop lecture covers completing the plates and fitting the neck, fingerboard, nut, and soundpost to the body. There’s lots of local French color, old tools, and old ways presented here, as well as a bit of how the violin has changed since the days of the first Italian masters. Part One appeared in AL#63. With 33 photos, a diagram, and a sequence chart for building a violin.

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

In Memoriam: David Rubio

2001
AL#65 p.5   BRB6 p.204            read this article
Paul Fischer                                                                                           

▪ Born David Joseph Spinks, Rubio was an Englishman who adopted his Spanish nickname. He became a well-known maker of classical guitars, early instruments, and violins.

Product Reviews: Hipshot Ultralight Bass Tuners

2000
AL#64 p.61   BRB6 p.476            
Harry Fleishman                                                                                           

▪ Fleishman returns to this column after a long absence, and finds that he has a strong admiration for Hipshot Ultralight Bass Tuners. He also examines the Earvana intonated nut intended for Fender electric guitars and finds that they do improve intonation, though the installation is not a piece of cake. With 3 photos.

Kit Review: Stew-Mac’s D-28 Guitar

2000
AL#64 p.58   BRB6 p.493            
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ The author enjoyed building this kit and decides that it is a fine value as well as a good way to enter guitar making. With 14 photos.

Review: The Art of Violin Making by Chris Johnson and Roy Courtnall

2000
AL#64 p.56   BRB6 p.534            read this article
Michael Darnton                                                                                           

▪ Though the reviewer finds that this book shares a few of the same limitations as all other violin construction books, in the end “this is a great book (that) for the most part completely eclipses every previous violin making text.”

Review: Archtop Guitar Master Class Series Part 1: Focusing on Bridges and Tailpieces by Bob Benedetto

2000
AL#64 p.56   BRB6 p.534            read this article
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds this video to be more opinion than explanation, and that the limited amount of information included doesn’t justify its purchase.

From Firewood to Bracewood

2000
AL#64 p.50   BRB6 p.156            
Nathan Stinnette                                                                                           

▪ Stinnette is the Huss & Dalton Guitar Co. employee in charge of converting split red spruce trees into billets of brace wood, and then into guitar braces. The article describes how the rough chunks of wood are converted into quarter-sawn boards and then how the boards are made into braces. With 15 photos.

The Bassola

2000
AL#64 p.44   BRB6 p.136            
R.M. Mottola                                                                                           

▪ The author’s invention is an attempt to create the tone of the upright bass in a more portable instrument. The Bassola is a carved-plate instrument very much like a huge F-model mandolin, though not as large as a bass mandolin. It utilizes standard bass guitar strings and “fits in any car.” With 9 photos.

Clark Irish Harp Revisited

2000
AL#64 p.38   BRB6 p.160            
Craig Pierpont                                                                                           

▪ American Lutherie #61 offered a plan and description of the Clark Irish harp.Here harp maker Pierpont gives a more technical explanation of the Clark’s anatomy and explains why it is a good starting point for any prospective harp builder. With 9 photos and a set of diagrams.

Meet the Maker: Rick Turner

2000
AL#64 p.20   BRB6 p.140            
Jonathon Peterson   Rick Turner                                                                                       

▪ Not frequently is one person so often in the right place at the right time with the skills to take advantage of the situation. Turner has “been there and done that” as an inventor and designer of instrument electronics as well as a repairman, designer, and manufacturer of Alembic guitars and basses and Turner-brand electric and acoustic guitars. His story is as colorful as it is informative. With 21 photos.

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

The Classic Guitar: Four Perspectives

2000
AL#64 p.6   BRB6 p.118            
Jeffrey-R. Elliott   Greg Byers   Eugene Clark   Gary Southwell                                                                               

▪ Four note-worthy builders of the classical guitar talk about their influences, their building philosophies, and some of the their construction techniques in a panel discussion that should inspire anyone interested in the instrument. With 26 photos.

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

Opinion

2000
AL#63 p.64               read this article
Keith Hill                                                                                           

▪ Hill suspects that many luthiers pursue their craft to please the eye more than the ear because that is what they know how to do, and also that the road of pure science cannot lead them back to the straight path.

Review: Sunburst Finishing by Dan Erlewine and Don MacRostie

2000
AL#63 p.61   BRB6 p.533            read this article
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer admires this video as a look at the real world of guitar finishing, where standards are high and problems are bound to arise.

Product Reviews: Livos Oil Finish

2000
AL#63 p.56   BRB6 p.471            read this article
Fred Carlson                                                                                           

▪ Mr. Fred spins a tale about new finish products, then reviews the orange oil-based finish products from Livos.

Nine Electric Guitar Construction References

2000
AL#63 p.50               read this article
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ The best of these books and videos should put you well on the way to making professional quality electric instruments. You should know about the others, too, if only so you know to avoid them.

V Joint a la Geza

2000
AL#63 p.46   BRB6 p.114            
Cyndy Burton                                                                                           

▪ The V joint is an elegant, traditional method of adding a pitched headstock to a classical guitar. This 20-photo essay follows the able hands of Geza Burghardt as he completes the entire operation.

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

Meet the Maker: Clive Titmuss

2000
AL#63 p.40   BRB6 p.130            
Gordon Gray   Clive Titmuss                                                                                       

▪ Titmuss is a Canadian who builds and performs upon the lute. He’s also a lute historian and a musicologist. It takes an interesting person to make a mostly-forgotten piece of the past come alive, which is what Titmuss does. With 8 photos.

Getting Fit

2000
AL#63 p.34   BRB6 p.108            
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ OK, so you’ve got all the parts for your flattop guitar body prepped for construction. How do you get all the pieces to fit together? The author details the construction methods used at the Huss & Dalton Guitar Co, all of which should prove useful to any small shop.With 21 photos.

An American in Mirecourt

2000
AL#63 p.20   BRB6 p.82            
Paul Schuback                                                                                           

▪ This piece would be important just as an historical document of Schuback’s apprenticeship to a French violin maker in the early ’60s. The inclusion of his current shop practices and building methods makes it an article that everyone interested in the violin should read. With 33 photos and 5 diagrams.

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

Meet the Collector: Sheldon Urlik

2000
AL#63 p.10   BRB6 p.72            
Cyndy Burton   Sheldon Urlik                                                                                       

▪ When a collector becomes a historian his importance to lutherie takes on a new dimension. Urlik’s collection begins with Torres and extends to many important current, and can be examined by anyone in his book A Collection of Fine Classical Guitars, from Torres to the Present. With 19 photos.

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

In Memoriam: Nicholas Von Robison

2000
AL#63 p.3   BRB6 p.88            read this article
Tim Olsen                                                                                           

▪ Nick was a multi-faceted friend of the GAL and instrumental in its on-line existence. He was a frequent AL author, especially on the subject of botany.

Review: Taylor on Guitars: New Neck Designs by Bob Taylor, Taylor Guitars

2000
AL#62 p.63   BRB6 p.532            read this article
Woody Vernice                                                                                           

▪ This video is used to explain the design of the new Taylor neck. The reviewer likes it as more than the selling aid that Taylor envisioned, that for him it opened the discussion for the future role of the handbuilder.

Review: From Harp Guitars to the New Hawaiian Family: Chris J. Knutsen, History and Development of the Hawaiian Steel Guitar by George T. Noe and Daniel L. Most

2000
AL#62 p.62   BRB6 p.531            read this article
Jonathon Peterson                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer recommends this book that traces the history of harp and Hawaiian guitars, focusing sharply of the life and work of Knutsen.

Meet the Maker: Henry Stocek

2000
AL#62 p.59   BRB6 p.66            read this article
John Calkin   Henry Stocek                                                                                       

▪ Stocek began a small business to supply the guitar trade with pickguard stock that resembles pre-war celluloid. He loves old Martins, bluegrass, and “the right look,” and all three have altered his life. With 2 photos.

It Worked for Me: Classical Bridge Gluing

2000
AL#62 p.58               
Peter Giolitto                                                                                           

▪ A method utilizing a go-bar deck as alternative to gluing on a classical bridge using clamps through the soundhole.

Product Reviews: Frets.com CD

2000
AL#62 p.54   BRB6 p.470            
Fred Carlson                                                                                           

▪ Carlson examines Frank Ford’s “Frets.Com, A Luthier’s Notebook”, an ongoing CD-ROM project taken from Ford’s website and finds that it offers more information than one reviewer can deal with. The reviewer also looks at the Fret Tang Expander and the Fret Tang Compressor, 2 tools invented by Ford, and finds them a good addition to his tool kit. With 4 photos.

Kit Review: The Riverboat Banjo from Musicmaker’s Kits

2000
AL#62 p.50   BRB6 p.490            read this article
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ This is the first of a new semi-regular column. The Riverboat features massive amounts of wood to paint or carve, as well as a head adjustment system that eliminates all of the traditional banjo hardware. Calkin likes it. With 7 photos.

Router Jig for Shaping a Neck

2000
AL#62 p.46               read this article
Mike Nealon                                                                                           

▪ Nealon’s jig allows a router to fully shape the neck behind the heel, including the diamond on the back of the headstock. With 15 photos and 6 diagrams.

Meet the Maker: Masaru Kohno

2000
AL#62 p.42   BRB6 p.62            
Andrea Tacchi   Masaru Kohno                                                                                       

▪ Kohno classicals are ranked with the best of 20th century guitars. His youth in pre-war Japan was an experience unfamiliar to most of us, though his path toward higher standards of craftsmanship is one that many luthiers have traveled. His life was not an ordinary one. With 5 photos.

Development of the European Guitar 1780-1880 and its Relevance to Modern Guitar Design

2000
AL#62 p.26   BRB6 p.48            
Gary Southwell                                                                                           

▪ The evolution of the guitar was not a straight-line event. Though both the classical and the steelstring have been more or less fixed in form for over a hundred years the century before that has not been well-documented. Here Southwell has begun to repair that oversight. A luthier with a keen sense of history, he has used the guitars of this period to inform and guide his own creations. With 37 photos of historical and Southwell guitars.

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

Meet the Maker: David Freeman

2000
AL#62 p.18   BRB6 p.42            
Jonathon Peterson   David Freeman                                                                                       

▪ Freeman is an independent thinker who builds a wide variety of instruments and runs his own lutherie school in Canada. He’s also outspoken and articulate. You’ll be glad you met him here. With 21 photos.

Designing the Archtop Guitar for Sound

2000
AL#62 p.6   BRB6 p.32            
John Monteleone                                                                                           

▪ No one in the field of archtop guitars is more respected than Monteleone. This article represents his full thoughts on the instrument as of 1998. With 12 photos and 4 drawings.

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

Letter to the Editor: Passing of Jim Norris

2000
AL#62 p.3   BRB6 p.81            
R.E. Brune                                                                                           

▪ Mentions the death of Jim Norris, who “was instrumental in bringing the classical guitar to Chicago in the late 1950s and early 1960s…”

Questions: Flamenco Strings and Setup

2000
AL#61 p.64   BRB6 p.113            
R.E. Brune                                                                                           

▪ Info on typical string clearances at the 1st and 12th frets on a flamenco guitar, based on GAL plan #42 (1951 M. Barbero) by R.E. Brune.

Review: Spray Finishing Basics by Dan Erlewine and Don MacRostie

2000
AL#61 p.63   BRB6 p.531            read this article
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer likes this video for its good advice to luthiers who have no access to professional equipment. Those who already have a booth and good spray gear will also benefit from the instruction. The 2 jobs involved are both electric guitars finished in colors.

Review: The Player’s Guide to Guitar Maintenance by Dave Burrluck

2000
AL#61 p.62   BRB6 p.530            read this article
Dave Zogg                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer decides that this very pretty book should serve all but the tool-disabled to care for their guitars.

Review: Guitar Finishing Step-by-Step by Dan Erlewine and Don MacRostie

2000
AL#61 p.62   BRB6 p.530            read this article
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer recommends this book to anyone who wishes to spray lacquer, but especially to those who wish to recreate many of the electric guitar finishes the factories have put out.

It Worked for Me: Adding Table Space

2000
AL#61 p.61   BRB6 p.448            
R.M. Mottola                                                                                           

▪ A way to quickly ‘add’ table space to a drill press, bandsaw, or spindle sander is with a couple of fret bar clamps, such as those made by True Grip.

Sources: Schools and More

2000
AL#61 p.55               
Cyndy Burton                                                                                           

▪ This is a list of lutherie schools in the USA, Canada, and the British Isles, followed by a list of organizations, periodicals, and publishers of interest to luthiers.

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

Product Reviews: Stew-Mac Neck Jig

2000
AL#61 p.52   BRB6 p.468            
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ Good grades are given to the Stew-Mac neck jig, a fretting aid. The fret nippers intended for jumbo fret wire is greeted with mixed emotions. The Allen mandolin tailpiece is found to offer grace and dignity to any mando with a bridge high enough to allow its use.

The Acoustical Characteristics of the Concert Cymbalom

2000
AL#61 p.46               read this article
Janos Pap                                                                                           

▪ The cymbalom is the mother of hammered dulcimers. It may also be the mother of the piano. It’s also a complex animal to build, though building it isn’t the focus here. What can be learned by rolling an instrument into an acoustics laboratory? We’re still not sure. With 17 charts, three drawings, and a photo of the beast in question.

Meet the Maker: Fabio Ragghianti

2000
AL#61 p.40   BRB6 p.28            
Harry Fleishman   Fabio Ragghianti                                                                                       

▪ Ragghianti is an Italian luthier. It’s interesting that luthiers from around the world seem to think of their instruments in the same terms. This easily allows them to immediately find a common ground regardless of their cultural background or language. Ragghianti came to America, then Fleishman went to Italy. The terrain didn’t seem to make a lot of difference. With 3 photos.

The P-1 Guitar

2000
AL#61 p.38   BRB6 p.26            
Kevin-B. Rielly                                                                                           

▪ The P-1 is a funky plywood guitar intended for the lowest end of the handmade market. That’s a real tough slot to fill, but Rielly seems curious about the possibilities and not too concerned about staking his livelihood on the little devils. There’s a moral here, though: there is someone hungry for almost anything you can make. Finding that guy may be the hard part. With 5 photos.

Clark “Neo-Irish” Harp

2000
AL#61 p.34   BRB6 p.22            
David Riggs                                                                                           

▪ The Celtic harp has become something of a cult object. The author offers his plans as a place to begin creation and not as an idea frozen in stone. There are 7 photos of construction details, along with some suggestions of how to proceed. The plans are a shrunken version of GAL full-size blueprint #45.

Still Voicing, Still Dreaming

2000
AL#61 p.28   BRB6 p.18            
Dana Bourgeois                                                                                           

▪ Ten years after the GAL convention lecture that made him a guru to most of the steelstring clan, Bourgeois has new information to offer about the construction and voicing of the flattop guitar. With 2 photos.

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

Meet the Maker: David Rivinus

2000
AL#61 p.20   BRB6 p.12            
Jonathon Peterson   David Rivinus                                                                                       

▪ This luthier has redesigned the viola into a beast he calls the Pellegrina. Its ergonomic design can potentially extend the working life of violists while supplying the tone they need for the most exacting jobs. The price, however, is a way-cool new look for the instrument. Way-cool for some, at least. With 12 photos and 3 drawings of different viola bridges.

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

Reinventing the Celluloid Tortoise

2000
AL#61 p.17   BRB6 p.10            read this article
Henry Stocek                                                                                           

▪ Stocek loves vintage Martins, and resupplying the world with pre-war style pickguard and binding stock has become his passion. His story is proof that recreating the past can be much harder than simply getting along with the present. It’s also the story of how celluloid is made.

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

Meet the Maker: Geza Burghardt

2000
AL#61 p.4   BRB6 p.2            
Cyndy Burton   Geza Burghardt                                                                                       

▪ Burghardt and his family emigrated to Canada from Hungary in 1988 with few worldly goods and little English and proceeded to carve out a niche in a fashion we have grown accustomed to hearing about in these pages. He seems to prefer classical guitars and hand tools. Included is an 8-picture description of the jig he uses to slot the sides into the necks of his guitars, and 7 other photos.

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

Sources

1999
AL#60 p.52               
Cyndy Burton                                                                                           

▪ This column updates several source lists that have appeared in past issues. If you need it to build instruments, you should find a supplier here.

It Worked for Me: Fret Slot Cutting Fixture

1999
AL#60 p.50   BRB5 p.505            
Stan Tucker                                                                                           

▪ A fixture to cut fret slots using an older 9″ DeWalt radial-arm saw to measure and cut accurate fret slots for odd scale lengths.

Review: Assembling a Solidbody Electric Guitar by Dan Erlewine

1999
AL#60 p.48   BRB5 p.485            read this article
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ All it takes to slap together a parts guitar is a screwdriver and some common sense, right? Way wrong! The reviewer decides that this video should be figured into the budget of every first-time guitar assembler.

Review: Mandolin Magazine

1999
AL#60 p.48   BRB5 p.485            read this article
Randy Allen                                                                                           

▪ Mandolin magazines come and go. The small market must cramp their longevity. Then reviewer likes this latest contender, and if it’s as good as he says we all hope it will hang around for awhile.

Product Reviews: Moto-Tool Bases; Neck-Making Tools: JAWS

1999
AL#60 p.44   BRB5 p.436            
Fred Carlson                                                                                           

▪ Hi-Tone instrument cases are reviewed and not found wanting, “a contender for the handsomest case out there, and very solidly built.”

Refret With David Santo

1999
AL#60 p.39   BRB5 p.432            
Todd Novak                                                                                           

▪ Clear text and 19 photos explain how to do a fret job the old fashioned way—no fancy-shmansy new jiggery or expensive tools. Fret jobs have been done this way since the advent of barbed fret wire, and it’s good to be reminded that self-reliance and skill can still get the job done.

Healdsburg 1999

1999
AL#60 p.36               
Jonathon Peterson                                                                                           

▪ Healdsburg has become a Mecca for makers and fans of custom guitars. If you weren’t there you don’t have to be square, these 15 photos and Peterson’s crisp text will clue you in on what you missed.

Project Evia

1999
AL#60 p.30   BRB5 p.412            
Joseph Curtin                                                                                           

▪ Evia is Curtin’s shorthand for Experimental Viola, a design he has created in wood and which he hopes to transfer into graphite and foam. Perhaps the time for change is finally upon us. Many think they can see the end of first-quality tonewood, and if we’re going to alter a 500-year-old tradition by changing wood species, why not change all the way and leave wood behind? Curtin (a widely respected creator of bowed instruments) seems certain that synthetic instruments of tonal excellence are less than a decade away. With 19 photos.

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

Meet the Maker: Bob Gernandt

1999
AL#60 p.28   BRB5 p.420            
John Calkin   Bob Gernandt                                                                                       

▪ This North Carolina luthier likes to use native timber in the wide variety of instruments he builds. His particular interest is the Irish bouzouki and cittern.

The Maalaea Special

1999
AL#60 p.22   BRB5 p.408            
Rich Mermer                                                                                           

▪ Are you familiar with the Weissenborn Hawaiian guitars of the ’20s? How ’bout the acoustic lap steel work of David Lindley? Well, Lindley often plays a Weissenborn, which is lap guitar with a sound chamber that includes a hollow neck (think of a guitar whose mother was frightened by a fretted dulcimer). Rich Mermer doesn’t build exact Weissenborn copies, but a very similar design. His good plan is a single-page diagram with a chart of measurements. With 12 photos.

On the Selection and Treatment of Bracewoods

1999
AL#60 p.19   BRB5 p.417            
Ervin Somogyi                                                                                           

▪ How important is the grain orientation of your braces? Is quartersawn wood really the stiffest? Somogyi ran a small series of tests that suggest that information we all trust and take for granted may be little more than lutherie mythology. With 3 photos and a chart.

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

Arching and Voicing in Violin Plates

1999
AL#60 p.16   BRB5 p.399            
Graham Caldersmith                                                                                           

▪ Caldersmith offers this article as an aesthetic link with his more scientific treatise in AL#58. The shape of a fiddles sound can be explained technically, then interpreted into a wooden shape that must please the maker’s artistic eye. If you’ve been scratching your head over the meaning of all the technical gobbledygook, this may be the information you’ve been waiting for. With a drawing and 11 photos of the carving process.

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

Expanding Steel String Design

1999
AL#60 p.6   BRB5 p.422            
Fred Carlson   Harry Fleishman   William Eaton   Saul Koll                                                                               

▪ The market for flattop guitars probably isn’t evolving away from tried and true designs at all, but individual luthiers are working on instruments that would baffle (and hopefully intrigue) Orville and old C.F. These four groundbreaking guitarmakers got together to discuss their work in front of an audience at the 1998 GAL convention, and if their work and philosophies don’t show you anything you must be hopelessly lost in the nostalgic past. This article is a condensed version of that discussion. With 24 photos.

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

Letter to the Editor: Trip To Spain

1999
AL#60 p.4               
R.E. Brune                                                                                           

▪ Brune’s letter gives us an update of the Spanish flamenco scene as he found it during a visit to Spain in May of 1999. With 3 photos.

Review: Shoptalk 5 by Todd Sams, Don MacRostie, Dan Erlewine

1999
AL#59 p.65   BRB5 p.484            read this article
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer likes this instruction video that is ultimately intended to sell product, and finds that the instruction far outweighs the salesmanship angle of this Stew-Mac tape.

Review: Research Papers in Violin Acoustics, 1975-1993 edited by Carleen Hutchins and Virginia Benade

1999
AL#59 p.63   BRB5 p.483            read this article
David Hurd                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds that the expense and daunting technical nature of this two-volume set should not prevent individuals from acquiring them and wading in. He admonishes that one never knows what will come out of such reading, but that nothing will come of it if it isn’t attempted.

Review: Advanced Inlay Techniques by Larry Robinson

1999
AL#59 p.63   BRB5 p.478            read this article
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ Robinson not only continues to widen the scope of instrument inlay, he invites others to come along and shows them how to do it. The reviewer is very enthusiastic about this video tape.

Review: Acquired of the Angels by Paul William Schmidt

1999
AL#59 p.62   BRB5 p.482            read this article
Linda Manzer                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds this book about the life and work of John D’Angelico and James D’Aquisto “is a wonderful and carefully prepared book,” though perhaps not free of errors.

It Worked for Me: Bow Making Planes

1999
AL#59 p.60               
Ken Altman                                                                                           

▪ French bowmaking planes very much like the ones used by Stephan Thomachot, who gives bowmaking workshops at Oberlin College.

Questions: Crystalac

1999
AL#59 p.59               
Eric Aceto                                                                                           

▪ Inquiries on switching to water based lacquer after developing an allergy to low toxic lacquer, Crystalac in particular.

Product Reviews: Routing Jig; Router Base for Moto Tool; Fingerboard/Bridge Heating Iron

1999
AL#59 p.56   BRB5 p.452            
Fred Carlson                                                                                           

▪ Carlson checks out Iboney, a specially treated cow bone used for nuts and saddles. Also in this column is an examination of 3 Stew-Mac tools, a fingerboard and bridge heating iron, a purfling cutter attachment for the Dremel MultiPro, and a binding cutter for the Stew-Mac version of the MultiPro router base. Fred likes the Iboney, and decides that both Stew-Mac Dremel attachments are better made than the Dremels themselves. The heating iron passes inspection, too, but the GAL Tool Guy feels a bit luke-warm about it.

Gene Rhinehart: Northwest Resophonic Connection

1999
AL#59 p.50   BRB5 p.392            
Jonathon Peterson                                                                                           

▪ Rhinehart has built Dobro-style guitars for years, and was among the first to furnish custom resonator cones to the industry. Includes a new plan format, a one-page diagram of a square neck guitar with a chart of dimensions. Different methods of seating the cone are discussed, and 8 photos show some of the details of Rhinehart’s work.

Making Compensated Saddles

1999
AL#59 p.46   BRB5 p.396            
Jeff Huss   Mark Dalton                                                                                       

▪ Hand carved and compensated bone saddles are a mark of finesse. Fine work is all about the details, and Huss and Dalton discuss a detail that is often overlooked but easy to make. With 8 photos.

Meet the Maker: Grit Laskin

1999
AL#59 p.39   BRB5 p.402            
Gordon Gray   Grit Laskin                                                                                       

▪ Laskin is a well-known maker of masterful guitars and a groundbreaking artist in inlay concept and design. He’s also a novelist and a recording artist. If the 9 photos of his guitars and inlay work don’t inspire you, you’re certainly from an old school of lutherie.

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

A New Look at the Chromatic Dulcimer

1999
AL#59 p.36   BRB5 p.390            
Merv Rowley                                                                                           

▪ Rowley may have been the first to use metal rod for frets rather than fret wire, a technique often attributed to Richard Schneider. He has built dulcimers for many years and has been something of an innovator. Here he examines the chromatic, rather than the diatonic dulcimer, and decides that perhaps it’s time has come and how to make it most acceptable to those who already play the conventionally fretted instrument. With a photo and two charts.

Kasha Collaboration, Part 2

1999
AL#59 p.22   BRB5 p.332            
Jonathon Peterson   George Majkowski   Boaz Elkayam                                                                                   

▪ George Majkowski and Boaz Elkayam complete their work on 10 Kasha guitars to honor the memory of Richard Schneider and to keep his work alive. The hand tools involved, the strange method of fretting, and the cool vacuum clamps, as well as the design philosophy behind the guitars, make this a pair of articles not to be missed. The Old World meets the future here and they blend very nicely. With 58 photos.

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

Meet the Maker: Steve Kauffman

1999
AL#59 p.18   BRB5 p.386            
David Melly   Steve Kauffman                                                                                       

▪ Kauffman had been a luthier for sometime before he apprenticed to Steve Klein. Today he builds Klein acoustics in his own shop as well as his personal line of guitars. He’s a thoughtful and thought-provoking man, and you’ll be glad you met him. With 6 photos.

The Squishy Subject of Restoration Ethics

1999
AL#59 p.6   BRB5 p.374            
Frank Ford                                                                                           

▪ A top repairman tackles the sticky subject of what repair and restoration work should be tackled in this age of vintage instrument mania, especially in the area of elective surgery. Even today’s utilitarian instruments may be tomorrow’s hot collectibles, so every instrument that passes over our bench has to be considered in this light. What work should we refuse, and what are our liabilities for the work we do? Includes 41 photos, mostly of vintage guitars and mandolins.

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

Questions: Dovetail Joining Method

1999
AL#58 p.60               
Lawrence Smart                                                                                           

▪ Information on the dovetail method for joining the instrument neck to body including calculating the degree of neck angle, dimensions of the dovetail cuts, procedures for making the cuts, and adjusting any improper fit.

It Worked for Me: Mandolin Side Heights

1999
AL#58 p.58   BRB5 p.501            
John Monteleone                                                                                           

▪ A good method for finding the height of mandolin family sides using a violin soundpost height gauge.

It Worked for Me: Guitar Finishing Holder

1999
AL#58 p.58   BRB5 p.501            
Andrea Andalo                                                                                           

▪ A simple device to hold guitars during the finishing phase which consists of an upright which can be held in a vise and a workboard which the neck can be secured.

Review: Julian Bream, the Foundations of a Musical Career by Stuart W. Button

1999
AL#58 p.57   BRB5 p.481            
Cyndy Burton                                                                                           

▪ Bream began when the classical guitar world was small, indeed. The reviewer finds this collection of letters about Bream’s early years to be small, expensive, and enjoyable.

Review: Violin Making—Live! Watch Me Make a Cello, Step-by-Step by Henry Strobel

1999
AL#58 p.56   BRB5 p.481            read this article
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds this set of three video tapes (about 6-hrs. worth) to be roughly made but perhaps invaluable to the learn-at-home crowd.

Review: Making and Playing Musical Instruments by Jack Botermans, Herman Dewit, and Hans Godefroy

1999
AL#58 p.55   BRB5 p.480            read this article
David Riggs                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer likes this book about building assorted folk and flea market instruments, though he doesn’t expect serious luthiers to have much use for it. Not unless they like to kick back with a tin can banjo, that is. A fun book for unserious moments.

Review: Ring the Banjar! The Banjo in America from Folklore to Factory, by Robert Lloyd Web

1999
AL#58 p.55   BRB5 p.480            read this article
Woody Vernice                                                                                           

▪ In 1984 the MIT museum sponsored an exhibition of banjos built predominantly in and around Boston. This book is sort of the catalog of that show, complete with two essays about the history of the banjo and the Bostonians who built the factories. The reviewer decides that if you like the open-back banjo you’ll enjoy this book.

Product Reviews: Chapin Insight Guitar Inspection Camera

1999
AL#58 p.52   BRB5 p.449            
Fred Carlson                                                                                           

▪ How would you like a video camera that can snoop inside your guitar? Carlson examines the Chapin Insight guitar inspection camera and finds that it’s loads of fun and probably very useful to a repairman who has the $350 to improve his inspection capabilities.

Why Lutherie?

1999
AL#58 p.49               
Ervin Somogyi                                                                                           

▪ Why do you lutherize? Really, why? Luthiers may be more inclined to look inward than others, but they’re no more inclined to talk about what they find there than anyone else. Somogyi’s eloquent confession might spark the rest of us into talking more deeply about our art and craft.

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

About the Cello Tailpiece

1999
AL#58 p.46   BRB5 p.370            
Eric Fouilhe                                                                                           

▪ What affect does the tailpiece have on your latest fiddle? Bet you don’t even know! We’ll bet you haven’t even thought about it! The cello is the object of concern here, but is there a large difference? The cello tailpiece has evolved into an inelegant plastic lump, and Fouilhe maintains that it’s often a source of sonic foul play, sort of like a 200-pound jockey on a race horse. He makes his case with 3 photos and 2 drawings.

Calculating Arc Parameters

1999
AL#58 p.42   BRB5 p.355            
Jon Sevy                                                                                           

▪ If first-year college math pushed your left-brain functions to the limit (been there, done that) you may cringe at the sight of the simplest equation. If so, check out this article. Modern luthiers build arcs into many of their instruments, and if you don’t know how to create them to lay out your own jigs you’ll be forever at the mercy of tool suppliers. Worse yet, when someone asks what the radius of your back plate is you can shrug your shoulders and look like an idiot. Let Sevy solve your problem. You can do it!

Meet the Maker: Gary Southwell

1999
AL#58 p.38   BRB5 p.366            
Cyndy Burton   Gary Southwell                                                                                       

▪ Southwell makes gut-strung guitars that may be strange or more-or-less conventional, but always elegant, and he makes them for some high-profile patrons. His specialty is pre-classical or “salon” guitars. He’s an eloquent Englishman whom you’ll be happy to meet. With 6 photos.

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

Reconciling Structural and Acoustic Design in Violin Making

1999
AL#58 p.32   BRB5 p.362            
Graham Caldersmith                                                                                           

▪ Everyone knows that the most responsive instruments often teeter on the edge of self-destruction from string tension. Building fine-sounding instruments that will also have a reasonable lifespan is one of our general goals. Caldersmith takes a scientist’s view of the violin and decides that arching design is the key to longevity, while an understanding of free-plate tuning is needed to release the tonal qualities the luthier seeks. He furnishes 7 charts and diagrams to help make his case, as well as a photo of his Australian self. But what we all want to know is if a pursuit of science will eventually enhance our luthier’s intuition. Is it better to think or to feel? Do we really have to choose?

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

Kasha Collaboration, Part 1

1999
AL#58 p.20   BRB5 p.332            
Jonathon Peterson   George Majkowski   Boaz Elkayam                                                                                   

▪ Boaz Elkayam and George Majkowski extend the work of Michael Kasha and Richard Schneider in a project that entails the construction of 10 guitars. A wide variety of building techniques involving hand and power tools, as well as vacuum clamping, is necessary to make these complicated instruments. An unlikely pairing of craftsmen contributes to our understanding of one of the most controversial instrument designers of our times, and the memory of a respected luthier and teacher. With 26 photos.

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

Meet the Maker: Bonnie Carol

1999
AL#58 p.16   BRB5 p.358            
John Calkin   Bonnie Carol                                                                                       

▪ Bonnie Carol has been a mainstay on the dulcimer scene for three decades. She is alive and well in Colorado, still building and performing. With 9 photos of her shop, instruments, and construction process. Mentions Max Krimmel.

The Chainsaw Lutherie of Tom Ribbecke, Part 3

1999
AL#58 p.6   BRB5 p.262            
Jay Hargreaves                                                                                           

▪ The final installment in the series, parts 1 & 2 were in AL#56 and #57, respectively. In this segment the sides are bent, the body is assembled and bound, the neck is fitted to the body, and attention is given to tuning the plates. Special consideration is given to making the adjustable bridges as well as Tom’s elegant ebony/graphite tailpiece. With 36 photos and a drawing.

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

Sources: Schools

1999
AL#57 p.64               
Cyndy Burton                                                                                           

▪ If you’re looking for formal lutherie instruction in the UK, Canada, or US, this list of schools is your best place to start.

Review: Tambura by Dusan Brankov

1999
AL#57 p.63   BRB5 p.480            read this article
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds that this book will guide any luthier through the construction of this instrument that is sort of a simple guitar from Yugoslavia.

Review: Acoustics of Wood by Voichita Buchur

1999
AL#57 p.62   BRB5 p.479            read this article
Nicholas-Von Robison                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds that this technical tome about how wood vibrates may have a lot of value to any luthier who wants to work out the math, but that its high price will make it unavailable to most.

Product Reviews: Turbo Carver

1999
AL#57 p.58   BRB5 p.436            
Fred Carlson                                                                                           

▪ Carlson takes over the GAL test pilot seat for new tools. This time he flies the Turbo-carver, an ultra-speed carving tool similar to (but not as elaborate as) a dentist drill. Carlson likes the tool but can’t seem to find a lot of use for it in lutherie. And though the tool is fairly inexpensive, he also questions its lifespan.

Violin Views

1999
AL#57 p.56   BRB5 p.458            
Michael Darnton                                                                                           

▪ Good violins often come with a certificate of authenticity, but what does that mean? What are the legal ramifications of a certificate, and who writes them? Are they trustworthy? How does one gain the necessary expertise to write certificates? Cool stuff, even if you could care less about fiddles.

Meet the Maker: Steve Kinnaird

1999
AL#57 p.53   BRB5 p.327            
John Calkin   Steve Kinnaird                                                                                       

▪ Kinnaird is a minister, luthier, blues guitarist, and all-around nice guy. You’ll be glad you met him. With 4 photos.

Domestic Tranquility

1999
AL#57 p.50   BRB5 p.324            
Paul McGill                                                                                           

▪ McGill’s lutherie shop is in his basement, and keeping his house free of fumes and dust involved lots of planning and not a little money. Here’s how he did it. With 3 photos and a drawing.

A Few Realities About Runout

1999
AL#57 p.48   BRB5 p.322            
Don Musser                                                                                           

▪ Musser supplies wood to the trade, and his notions about grain runout may surprise you. Wood from split billets doesn’t guarantee a minimum of runout unless the billet itself has absolutely no runout. Does it matter? Musser thinks so. With 4 photos.

Adjustable Dished Workboard

1999
AL#57 p.46   BRB5 p.330            
Kevin-B. Rielly                                                                                           

▪ By now we all know about using dished workboards to create a radius on flat instrument plates. Rielly’s board is easier to make than most, and can be adjusted for either the top or back radius. With 6 photos.

Tales of True Companionship

1999
AL#57 p.40   BRB5 p.317            
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ Calkin builds a uniquely shaped travel guitar called the True Companion, and here explains its construction as well as the jigs he devised for production building. The plan is a mini-version of GAL Plan #44. With 14 photos, including one of the sternest luthier of the year. Ya’ll remember to smile when it’s your turn!

Estimating an Initial Soundboard Thickness

1999
AL#57 p.32   BRB5 p.310            
David Hurd                                                                                           

▪ Uke maker Hurd was once a research scientist, and intuitive instrument construction is not his bag. Using his formula luthiers can compare known wood species with unknowns and learn what to expect of the new ones. He also offers some top dimensions for instruments of the ukulele family. With 5 charts and much math.

The Chainsaw Lutherie of Tom Ribbecke, Part 2

1999
AL#57 p.24   BRB5 p.262            
Jay Hargreaves                                                                                           

▪ In this installment the top plate is carved and braced. Ribbecke roughs out the plates in a unique vacuum cage that goes a long way toward keeping his shop clean. The chainsaw wheel he attaches to his grinder gives this series its name, and speeds the carving process dramatically. Tuning the top isn’t completed until the guitar is assembled in the next segment. Part 1 was in AL#56. Includes 20 photos.

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

Meet the Maker: Joshia de Jonge

1999
AL#57 p.22   BRB5 p.300            
Cyndy Burton   Joshia de-Jonge                                                                                       

▪ Joshia’s classical won high praise during the listening session at the GAL’s 1998 convention, quite an achievement for a 19-year-old woman. But then, just about every member of her family builds guitars. Her free-spirited optimism may be as much a product of her upbringing as her youth. With 3 photos.

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

Stick with Hide Glue

1999
AL#57 p.14   BRB5 p.302            
Frank Ford   Don MacRostie                                                                                       

▪ The authors believe that hot hide glue is the best adhesive for virtually all construction and most repair jobs. Here’s why they think so and how they handle this ancient material. Includes diagrams of the customized glue pots used by both men, 15 photos, and a hide glue grading chart.

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

More Binding Tips and Tools

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.

Binding Guitars

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.

Letter to the Editor: Correction to AL#56 Article

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.

It Worked for Me: Cheap Fret Bender

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.

Questions: Playability Variables

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.

Violin Views

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.

Product Reviews: Fretless Bass Strings, Coconut Cup, Duct Tape Lutherie

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.

Sources: Plans

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.

Clearly Protective

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.

Searching for Blue Significance

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.

Meet the Maker: David “Kawika” Hurd

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.

The Chainsaw Lutherie of Tom Ribbecke, Part One: The Neck

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.

Martin Tenor Ukulele

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.

Shaping the Sound: A Personal Approach to Building Classical Guitars

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.

Meet the Maker: Linda Manzer

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.

The Modern Mandolin

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.

Letter to the Editor: Luthier Groups

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.

Letter to the Editor: Acacia

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.

Letter to the Editor: Oversize Bass

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.

Letter to the Editor: Building Spreadsheets

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.

Review: 1996 Luthier’s Art; 1997 Luthier’s Art

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.

Review: How to Repair Your Diatonic Accordion or Concertina by John Townley and Jehan Paul

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.

Review: Basic Inlay Techniques and Intermediate Inlay Techniques by Larry Robinson

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.

Review: Wood: The Best of Fine Woodworking

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.

Review: Basic Pickup Winding and Complete Guide to Making Your Own Pickup Winder by Jason Lollar

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.

Questions: Bridge Finish

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.

Violin Views

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?

Questions: Soundboard/Neck Relationship

1998
AL#55 p.60   BRB5 p.208            
Tom Blackshear                                                                                           

▪ The relationship of the soundboard to the neck on classical and flamenco guitars.

It Worked for Me: Neck/Body Joint Jig

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.

Meet the Maker: Paul Jacobson

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.

Length of Newt’s Tail by Width of Dragon’s Hair

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.

The Frame Guitar

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.

Meet the Maker: David Gusset

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.

Meet the Maker: Paul McGill

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.

GAL Instrument Plan #42: 1951 Marcelo Barbero Flamenco Guitar

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.

Sabicas’ 1951 Marcelo Barbero

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.

In Memoriam: Irving Sloane

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.

Product Reviews: Wood Thickness Indicator, Nut Files, Fret Slot Cleaning Tool

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.

Review: Spray Finishing by Andy Charron

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.

Review: Archtop Guitar Design and Construction by Robert Benedetto

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.

Review: Easy Guitar Maintenance and Repair by Harvey Citron

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.

Review: A Collection of Fine Spanish Guitars from Torres to the Present by Sheldon Urlik

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.

Violin Views

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.

It Worked for Me: Clamping Loose Brace Ends

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.

It Worked for Me: Rough Carving Device

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.

After the Fox: How Charles Changed my Lutherie Life

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.

Meet the Maker: Joseph Curtin

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.

It’s Called a What? Some Thoughts on the Irish Bouzouki

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.

Meet the Maker: Judy Threet

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.

1997 Tokyo Musical Merchandise Trade Show

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.

French Polishing with Eugene Clark

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.

Review: The Classical Guitar: A Complete History edited by John Morrish

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.

Sources: Wood

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.

Violin Q & A: Violin Volume/Defective A String/High Gloss Oil Finish/Nicks

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?

Questions: Guitar Making Graduated Projects

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.

Questions: Epoxy as Filler

1998
AL#53 p.59   BRB5 p.147            
Fred Campbell   Douglas Somervell                                                                                       

▪ Differing clarifications on using epoxy as filler on rosewood under nitrocellulose lacquer.

Product Reviews: Guitar Cradle, Mirror, Fret Tools, Go-Bars, Guitar Neck Removal Jig, Pro 7A Mike

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!

Ten Fiddle Books

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.

It Worked for Me: Dent Puller/Reshaper

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.

Semihemispherical Fret Ends

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.

Meet the Maker: George Fortune, Jr.

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.

Crazy Like Charles Fox: Guitar Making Jigs for the 21st Century, Part 2

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.

A Tale of Two Schools

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’.

Meet the Maker: Shelley Park

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.

D’Aquisto’s Design Development: Another View

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.

Three Decades of Innovation captions

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.

Remembering Jimmy

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.

D’Aquisto’s Design Development

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.

It Worked for Me: Cave-In Correction

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.

Sources: Organizations and More

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!

Review: Tom Ribbecke’s Archtop Building Course

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.

Product Reviews: Sewing Shop Finds; Cutting Burs; Spring Clamps

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.

Violin Q & A: Post Crack/Clear Varnish/Small Violin

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.

Hangin’ with Augie

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.

Meet the Maker: Augustino LoPrinzi

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.

The Restoration of Agustin Barrios’ Francisco Simplicio

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.

Meet the Maker: R.E. Brune

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.

Scroll Carving

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.

Crazy Like Charles Fox: Guitar Making Jigs for the 21st Century, Part 1

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.

Meet the Maker: Charles Fox

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.

The 1997 Healdsburg Guitar Festival

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.

Letter to the Editor: Wood Resonation

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.

Product Reviews: Crack Repair Set

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.

Sources: Glues and Finishes

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.

It Worked for Me: Gww Case Company

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.

It Worked for Me: Strap Button

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.

It Worked for Me: Laminated Wood Tailpiece

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.

It Worked for Me: Dulcimer Fret Installation

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.

Violin Q & A: Quarter Sawn Wood/Thickening Alcohol Varnish Solution/Chin Rest/Lake Pigments

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.

Review: Guitar Electronics with Lindy Fralin

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.

Review: The Ukulele, A Visual History by Jim Beloff

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.

Review: Gibson’s Fabulous Flat-top Guitars by Eldon Whitford, David Vinopal, and Dan Erlewine

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.

Review: Woodshop Dust Control by Sandor Nagyszalanczy

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.

Review: Things About the Guitar by Jose Ramirez III

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.”

Review: Musical Instrument Design by Bart Hopkin

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.

Meet the Makers: Jeffrey Huss and Mark Dalton

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.

Of Sympitars and Suzalynes

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.

Finger Planes, the Cheap and Easy Way

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.

Meet the Maker: Boaz Elkayam

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.

Rocky Mountain Tonewood Alternatives

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.

Meet the Maker: Hermann Hauser III

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.

Binding Router Jig

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.

The Design and Construction of an Eccentric Guitar

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.

Scale Length and Tone

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.

It Worked for Me: Four Tool Ideas

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.

Violin Q & A: Raised Bridges/Fitting New Pegs/Loose Bass Bar/Fingerboard Tan Streaks/Russian String Setup

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.

Product Reviews: Fret Tang Pliers, Bridge-Slotting Jig

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.

Meet the Maker: Kent Everett

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.

Understanding Nitrocellulose Lacquer

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.

Meet the Maker: Michael Hornick

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.

The Concert Zither

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.

A Feast for the Eye

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.

Meet the Maker: Arul Dominic Xavier

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.

How Frank Frets

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.

Review: A Bow Making Course taught by Joseph Regh

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.

Violin Q & A: Arching Style Effects on Tone

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.

It Worked for Me: Router Bit Blades

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.

It Worked for Me: Tool Box

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.

Product Reviews: Moto-Tool Bases; Neck-Making Tools: JAWS

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.

Resetting a Neck with Jeff Traugot

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.

Wood Identification for Luthiers

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.

Time is the Enemy

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.

Soundboard Doming

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.

Meet the Maker: Fred Carlson

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.

Stage Acoustic Guitars

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.

Passport to Spain

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.

Meet the Maker: Rene Baarslag

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.

List of Reviews

1997
   LW p.134            
Staff                                                                                           

▪ Abstracts of reviews of books, videos, and periodicals related to the themes of this book.

Sources of Supply

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.

Lutherie Schools

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.

Apprenticeships

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.

Learning Guitar Making

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.

Half-and-Half Tops

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.

Cutting and Inlaying Pearl

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.

Wood Bibliography

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.

Top 40 Wood List

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.

Glossary of Basic Wood Terms update

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.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

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.

It Worked for Me: Welding Supply Store Tools

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.

Violin Q & A: Dark Sounds/Violin Books

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.

Sources: Plans

1996
AL#48 p.52               
Cyndy Burton                                                                                           

▪ A list of all the instrument plans that Burton could track down, and where to buy them.

Product Reviews: Cutting Tools

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.

Nineteen Stew-Mac How-to Videos 2

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.

Two-Part Dovetail Jig

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.

My Incredibly Accurate but Slightly Overengineered Dovetail Resetting Jig

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.

Meet the Maker: John Mello

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.

The Guitar Neck: Its Design and Physics

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.

Meet the Maker: Bishop Cochran

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.

Cranking Out Baroque Guitars

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.

Letter to the Editor: News From Greece

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.

Sources: Tools and Hardware

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.

Review: Como Hacer una Guitarra by Hernan Rengifo Canas

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.

Review: Dobro Set Up & Maintenance by Paul Beard

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.

Amplifying Acoustic Instruments

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.

Meet the Maker: Marc Silber

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?

Classic Guitar Intonation

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.

Meet the Maker: Geoff Stelling

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.

California Meetin’, The 1996 Healdsburg Guitar Makers Festival

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.

The Jakaltek Maya Guitarria

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.

Retro Voicing the Flattop Guitar

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.

It Worked for Me: Repairs

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.

Product Reviews: American School of Lutherie (Charles Fox)

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.

Meet the Makers: Two Gentlemen From Auckland

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.

Alternative Archtop Considerations

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.

Meet the Merchant: Todd Taggart

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.

Your Most Important Machine

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.

The Neapolitan Mandolin

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.

The Luthiers Have Taken Over the Asylum

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.

Letter to the Editor: Debbie Suran Article AL#45

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.

Review: Acoustic Guitars and Other Fretted Instruments: A Photographic History by George Gruhn and Walter Carter

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.

Review: The Complete Guide to Sharpening by Leonard Lee

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.”

Review: The Rickenbacker Book: A Complete History of Rickenbacker Guitars by Tony Bacon and Paul Day

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.”

It Worked for Me: Removing White Glue

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.

It Worked for Me: Hollow Radius Forms

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.

Product Reviews: LMI Adjustable-Radius Sanding Block

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.

Nineteen Stew-Mac How-to Videos 1

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.

Questions: Banjo-Lin

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.

Questions: Making Bows

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.

Quick and Cheap Peghead Splining Fixture

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.

Meet the Maker: Don Overstreet

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).

Talkin’ Repair

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.

Paradoxes in Guitar Acoustics

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.

Decorative Techniques in Lutherie

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.

Ecuadorian Diary

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.

Letter to the Editor: First Guitar

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.

It Worked for Me: Fretted Dulcimer

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.

It Worked for Me: Banjo Rim Binding Clamp

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.

Review: Making and Modifying Woodworking Tools by Jim Kingshott

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.”

Opinion

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?

Violin Q & A: Pitch of the Neck/Elmers Glue/Poplar

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.

Product Reviews: More Stew-Mac Tools

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.

That Fine Shine: Applying Nitrocellulose Lacquer

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.

Meet the Maker: Saul Koll

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.

Designing and Tuning the Hammered Dulcimer

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.

Developing Models for Contemporary Violinmaking

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.

Meet the Maker: Michael Gurian

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.

Manuel Velazquez: A Man Who Loves the Guitar

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.

NCAL Awards Concocted, Awarded, Reported

1995
AL#43 p.65               
Ervin Somogyi                                                                                           

▪ Recognizing the accomplishments of the volunteer work of NCAL (Northern California Association of Luthiers) with a special award, the Swiss Army Banjo.

Review: Checklist of Technical Drawings of Musical Instruments in the Public Collections of the World by Rob van Acht

1995
AL#43 p.61               read this article
Robert Lundberg                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds that this book is too limited in its scope, and recommends against its purchase. However, he maintains that a sensibly revised edition would be an important and welcome resource, and that such a revised edition is in the works.

Review: Electric Guitar Setups by Hideo Kamimoto

1995
AL#43 p.60   BRB4 p.466            
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds that this should be a useful book for any but the most experienced repairman.

It Worked for Me: Redwood Top Classical Guitar

1995
AL#43 p.59   BRB4 p.495            
Filippo Avignonesi                                                                                           

▪ Adding two fairly stiff but very light braces between the 3 center fan braces between the waist bar and the bridge patch to add a little more kick to a redwood topped classical guitar.

It Worked for Me: Glue Roller

1995
AL#43 p.58   BRB4 p.495            
Chris Foss                                                                                           

▪ A cobbled together glue roller to edge glue 6 hammered dulcimer tops at a time, each made up of 4 pieces.

It Worked for Me: Carving Machine Alternative

1995
AL#43 p.58   BRB4 p.495            
Andy DePaule                                                                                           

▪ Using a table saw with a dado blade to rough carve the edges of tops and backs for archtop guitars, mandolas, and violins for lack of a carving machine.

It Worked for Me: Neapolitan Mandolin

1995
AL#43 p.57   BRB4 p.495            
Jonathon Peterson                                                                                           

▪ Using an inspection light and mirror to locate the position of the old brace from leftover glue through the sound hole on a damaged American made Neapolitan mandolin.

Product Reviews: Stew-Mac Tools

1995
AL#43 p.48   BRB4 p.432            
Harry Fleishman                                                                                           

▪ Fleishman examines and enjoys two tools from Stewart-MacDonald, the Bridge Saddle Routing Jig and the Adjustable Fret Slotting Saw.

Calculating Fret Intervals with Spreadsheet Software

1995
AL#43 p.46               
Wayne Kelly                                                                                           

▪ If you have access to a PC (and you obviously do) you can use this article to set up your own fret slotting system. Not about how to cut slots, but where to cut them.

Meet the Maker: Jess Wells

1995
AL#43 p.24   BRB4 p.212            
Jonathon Peterson   Jess Wells                                                                                       

▪ Wells specializes in the creation of early stringed instruments. Here he discusses that particular market, his training, and the history of the viola da gamba. With 17 photos.

Ebony and African Blackwood: Rare Gifts of Nature

1995
AL#43 p.18   BRB4 p.198            
Nicholas-Von Robison                                                                                           

▪ Both of these woods have recently become available as body wood for stringed instruments. Robison offers a technical look at two beautiful woods, and tries to predict their futures.

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

Lattice Bracing Guitar Tops

1995
AL#43 p.11   BRB4 p.206            
Jim Williams                                                                                           

▪ Williams discusses the building style he has borrowed from Greg Smallman for classical guitars. With 14 photos, plus drawings.

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

Meet the Maker: Jim Williams

1995
AL#43 p.8   BRB4 p.202            
Todd Brotherton   Jim Williams                                                                                       

▪ Australians continue to make a mark in the evolution of the guitar. Williams made his mark as an author, as well. He discusses his background and his instruments.

It Worked for Me: D’Aquisto Machine Sharpening Scrapers

1995
AL#42 p.64   BRB4 p.493            
Ric McCurdy                                                                                           

▪ Some tips gleaned from John Monteleone and company about Jimmy D’Aquisto’s scraper sharpening methods.

Violin Q & A: Polish/Saddle Height/Seam Glue/Beginner Stylistic Mistakes/Spotty Oil Varnish

1995
AL#42 p.60   BRB4 p.442            
Michael Darnton                                                                                           

▪ Why can’t I get the proper degree of polish from my varnish? How high should a saddle be? Why do my violins come apart during varnishing? What stylistic mistakes are most common? Why is oil varnish so nasty?

Review: The Conservation and Technology of Musical Instruments, A Bibliographic Supplement to Art and Archaeology Technical Abstracts, Vol. 28, edited by Cary Karp

1995
AL#42 p.57   BRB4 p.481            
Robert Lundberg                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds that although the abstracts are clear and well written, the quality and usefulness of the abstracted material is not judged. The unwary may be sent on a long search for information of little, or dangerous, use.

Review: The Physics of Musical Instruments by Neville H. Fletcher and Tom Rossing

1995
AL#42 p.57   BRB4 p.466            
Don Bradley                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds that the authors have made an invaluable reference for studying the vibration of all types of musical instruments.

Review: Electric Guitars and Basses, a Photographic History by George Gruhn and Walter Carter

1995
AL#42 p.56   BRB4 p.465            
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer is enthusiastic about this picture book but decides that it may have no relevance to the life of a typical luthier.

Product Reviews: Highlander Transducer

1995
AL#42 p.54   BRB4 p.431            
Harry Fleishman                                                                                           

▪ Fleishman examines the Highlander acoustic guitar pickup and decides it’s pretty good, but not perfect. He has never met the perfect pickup, so far.

Electronic Answer Man

1995
AL#42 p.51   BRB4 p.416            
Rick Turner                                                                                           

▪ Turner’s system of tuning an acoustic guitar pickup is elaborate. He also talks about amps for the acoustic guitar.

Meet the Maker: Des Anthony

1995
AL#42 p.48   BRB4 p.194            
Cyndy Burton   Des Anthony                                                                                       

▪ An Australian guitarmaker talks about Australian wood, his instruments, and the Australian vacation system.

Dedicated Drill Press for Hammered Dulcimer Production

1995
AL#42 p.44   BRB4 p.190            
Chris Foss                                                                                           

▪ Foss describes his permanent setup for drilling tuning pin and hitch pin holes in dulcimer pin blocks.

Meet the Makers: Klaus and Peppe Reischel

1995
AL#42 p.42   BRB4 p.188            
David Riggs   Klaus Reischel   Peppe Reischel                                                                                   

▪ The Reischels make Landstrofer tuners, high-quality German gears for classical guitars.

HD-28 Soundboard Replacement

1995
AL#42 p.40   BRB4 p.192            
Alan Carruth                                                                                           

▪ Carruth ran mode and frequency tests on the old top and the replacement top.The goal was to reproduce the quality of the old airlines-damaged top.

Museum Collections as Resources for Musical Instrument Makers

1995
AL#42 p.26   BRB4 p.160            
John Koster                                                                                           

▪ Koster explains what you can hope to gain by examining museum instruments, how to approach a museum, and what to do when you get there. With 21 photos.

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

A Walk in the Suburban Woods

1995
AL#42 p.22   BRB4 p.184            
Keith Hill                                                                                           

▪ A maker of classical guitars harvests some strange local trees to try out as instruments.

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

Tailoring Sound in Classic Guitars

1995
AL#42 p.12   BRB4 p.174            
Robert Ruck                                                                                           

▪ Ruck spends most of his time in this lecture talking about top design and finishing. With 13 photos and several drawings, plus a detailed list of his finish materials and procedures.

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

It Worked for Me: Miniature Bow Saw Tool

1995
AL#41 p.58   BRB4 p.490            
Antonio Masiello                                                                                           

▪ A tool much like a miniature bandsaw which uses a string of a given size to cut a slot for a string of the same size.

Violin Q & A: Fingerboard Step/Rib Junction Angles/French Belgian Cello Bridges/Oil Varnish Zits/French Polish Cracks

1995
AL#41 p.56   BRB4 p.442            
Michael Darnton                                                                                           

▪ Why is there a step in the neck behind the nut of my fiddle? What angle are the junctions of the ribs cut to at the corners? What’s the difference between French and Belgian cello bridges? Zits in the varnish? Why does my French polish crackle?

Opinion

1995
AL#41 p.54               
Ervin Somogyi                                                                                           

▪ Somogyi believes that ethics is a cloudy but deep issue that all luthiers must contend with. Simply trying to do your best work is not the end of the issue.

Review: The Art of Inlay by Larry Robinson

1995
AL#41 p.53   BRB4 p.464            
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds that if you wish to push your inlay work beyond the traditional patterns you may find this book indispensable.

Review: Making an Archtop Guitar by Bob Benedetto

1995
AL#41 p.52   BRB4 p.463            
Tom Ribbecke                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds that this book sets a new standard for guitarmaking books in general, and that it should affect the evolution of the archtop guitar for many years to come.

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

Questions: Wood Toxicity

1995
AL#41 p.50   BRB4 p.22            
James Holst                                                                                           

▪ 3M’s gold free-cut A-weight open coat has no stearates or additives and lasts a very long time.

Product Reviews: Sabine Stealth Tuner

1995
AL#41 p.48   BRB4 p.429            
Harry Fleishman                                                                                           

▪ Fleishman examines the battery-powered Stealth guitar tuners from Sabine, which are meant to be mounted on the guitar. He finds them useful but aesthetically hard to hide on the instrument.

Felix Manzanero and his Collection of Antique Guitars

1995
AL#41 p.40   BRB4 p.144            
Ronald-Louis Fernandez                                                                                           

▪ It’s untrue that all the old builders were stodgy old putzes locked into a cold tradition. Some of their guitars were pretty far out. With 21 photos.

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

Meet the Maker: Lara Espley

1995
AL#41 p.38   BRB4 p.152            
Nicholas-Von Robison   Lara Espley                                                                                       

▪ Espley is a Canadian maker of wonderfully distinctive instruments. Here she talks about her favorite woods (purpleheart, koa), her training, and the gender gap.

Making Oval Mandolin Rosettes

1995
AL#41 p.34   BRB4 p.140            
Jonathon Peterson                                                                                           

▪ Seven luthiers explain how they cut that oval slot.

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

GAL Instrument Plan #39: Hammered Dulcimer

1995
AL#41 p.29   BRB4 p.137            
Debbie Suran   Nicholas-Von Robison                                                                                       

▪ Suran’s design allows for the least amount of tension over the side bridges, which contributes to instrument stability. A full-scale instrument plan. See the GAL website for a low-rez preview.

Meet the Maker: Debbie Suran

1995
AL#41 p.26   BRB4 p.134            
Nicholas-Von Robison   Debbie Suran                                                                                       

▪ Suran is a performer/builder of hammered dulcimers.

A Practical Approach to Hammered Dulcimers

1995
AL#41 p.18   BRB4 p.154            
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ The goal is to make the lightest possible instrument that will stay in tune. Calkin examines bracing, bridge design, scale lengths, wood, and hammer design. With 9 photos and several drawings.

The Guitar Family, Continued

1995
AL#41 p.10   BRB4 p.126            
Graham Caldersmith                                                                                           

▪ Caldersmith is working to expand the voice range of guitar ensembles, both classical and steel string. With 4 photos and frequency response graphs. The first installment of Caldersmith’s work with a classical guitar family came way back in AL#18.

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

Product Reviews: Onboard Preamps

1994
AL#40 p.56   BRB4 p.427            
Harry Fleishman                                                                                           

▪ Fleishman tests the L.R. Baggs Micro Drive preamp and the MEQ-932 preamp available from Martin. Both units are for acoustic guitars, and the reviewer found them both to be a good value but not necessarily interchangeable.

Electronic Answer Man

1994
AL#40 p.54   BRB4 p.416            
Rick Turner                                                                                           

▪ Have you got a new idea about wiring a guitar or bass? Turner helps you decide if it may be worth the effort of trying it out. The fact that a new wiring system will work doesn’t mean anyone will want to hear it. Or buy it. Or care at all.

Vreeble and Veneer

1994
AL#40 p.50   BRB4 p.82            
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ Calkin’s pair of articles first takes a look at Vreeble, a form of lacquer-based crackle paint, and then at refinishing an electric bass with curly maple veneer.

Resetting a Dovetailed Guitar Neck

1994
AL#40 p.42   BRB4 p.116            
Bryan Galloup                                                                                           

▪ Detailed captions for 36 photos explain how to cook the neck out of a flattop and put it back on the way it ought to be.

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

Fretboard Materials: A Semiscientific Survey

1994
AL#40 p.40   BRB4 p.112            
C.F. Casey                                                                                           

▪ Casey devised his own methods of testing fingerboard woods for strength and abrasion resistance. His results will probably surprise you.

Meet the Maker: Jim Roden

1994
AL#40 p.38   BRB4 p.114            
Jonathon Peterson   Jim Roden                                                                                       

▪ Roden is a dulcimer maker and a forester, so he understands that we need to preserve forests and we need to cut them, too. He freely addresses both sides of the coin.

Ain’t Nobody’s Business But My Own

1994
AL#40 p.28   BRB4 p.102            
Dan Erlewine   Tom Ribbecke   Fred Campbell   David Howard   Sheldon Dingwall   Harry Fleishman   David Colburn   Kathy Currier   Will Bremers   Jack Langley   John Jordan   Dana Bourgeois   Heidi Spurlin   Ken Fallon   Dave Schneider   Cary Clemments   Ron Chacey   Bart Reiter   Mike Jarvis   Greg Hoffman   Dave Lindahl   Tom Costanza   Chuck Erikson   Ralph Novak

▪ Repair pricing workshop from 1992 GAL convention.

Two Travel Guitars and Their Makers

1994
AL#40 p.24   BRB4 p.124            
Jonathon Peterson   Rossco Wright   Larry Roberts                                                                                   

▪ Classical guitarists are too fussy to simply travel with a shrunken guitar. These two luthiers offer instruments that suit the special needs of special guitarists.

Segovia’s 1912 Manuel Ramirez

1994
AL#40 p.18   BRB4 p.96            
R.E. Brune                                                                                           

▪ There is an undying interest in the Segovia guitars. Brune offers good description as well as 10 photos and a complete set of plans. The plans are a reduced version of our full-scale Plan # 38.

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

Catguts and Glitter and Horsehair on Bowsticks

1994
AL#40 p.14   BRB4 p.86            
Alan Carruth                                                                                           

▪ Impressions of lectures given on the first day of the GAL 1992 convention in Vermillion South Dakota, held in conjunction with the Catgut Acoustical Society.

Doc and Leo and Me

1994
AL#40 p.8   BRB4 p.90            
Curt Carpenter                                                                                           

▪ Carpenter tells of his VA-sponsored apprenticeship to a legend of the electric guitar industry. A fine string of anecdotes. Carpenter actually moved in with Doc Kauffman and his wife, relived all the old stories, learned to build guitars, visited with Leo Fender, met Rudy Dopera, and made pickups. Carpenter left the army to enter the Guitar Wars.

Violin Q & A: E String Breakage/Neck Removal

1994
AL#39 p.58   BRB4 p.442            
Michael Darnton                                                                                           

▪ Darnton tells what to look for if a certain string breaks consistently, and how to remove a firmly attached violin neck.

Product Reviews: Bob Smith Glues

1994
AL#39 p.54   BRB4 p.425            
Harry Fleishman                                                                                           

▪ The GAL’s tool man examines Bob Smith Industries line of epoxies and CA glues and finds that they shoot down the competition.

Review: New Zealand Timbers by Norman C. Clifton

1994
AL#39 p.51   BRB4 p.463            
Marc Worsfold                                                                                           

▪ This book only concerns itself with wood varieties that grow large enough to harvest for lumber. In that light, the reviewer finds it to be an “excellent, well-researched book that gives a different view of New Zealand resources other than sheep.”

Review: Making Master Guitars by Roy Courtnall

1994
AL#39 p.49   BRB4 p.461            
Kevin Aram                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds that his good first impression of the book is dimmed by six months spent in its company. He maintains that the information is inconsistent and not in the best interest of the beginning luthier, nor complete enough for the experienced builder.

Review: Strobel Series for Violin Makers, books one through four and a preview of book five

1994
AL#39 p.46   BRB4 p.458            read this article
Robert Lundberg                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds that Strobel’s books are useful and accurate, and that the author has made a brave attempt to encourage luthiers to make their own violins, rather than strict copies of master instruments. Always look for the latest edition of each volume since changes and updates often accompany each new edition.

Review: A Guide to Useful Woods of the World

1994
AL#39 p.46   BRB4 p.458            
Nicholas-Von Robison                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds the book to be accurate and that the authors and editor did their best to escape the dry, technical aspects of wood science.

Opinion

1994
AL#39 p.44               
Andrea Tacchi                                                                                           

▪ Tacchi opines that perhaps our attitude toward our work has too hard an edge, that we may be too eager to lose sight of the artist within us to produce the best work we are capable of.

Just Beat It! Making a New Fender Neck Look Old

1994
AL#39 p.36   BRB4 p.72            
Dan Erlewine                                                                                           

▪ In the last issue Erlewine described how he made a new “old” Tele body. In this installment he attacks the neck, quite literally. With 40 photos.

The Anti-Murphy Concert

1994
AL#39 p.34               read this article
Alan Carruth                                                                                           

▪ Fine musicians get together with acousticians and luthiers to try old against the new. No agreements are reached, but apparently a good time was had by all.

The Tiple

1994
AL#39 p.30   BRB4 p.62            
Jorge Gonzalez                                                                                           

▪ Outwardly, the tiple resembles a biggish ukulele with 10 strings arranged in four courses. Tuning arrangements vary with geography. In America the Martin tiple is the best known.

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

Making Pickguards

1994
AL#39 p.25   BRB4 p.70            
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ The focus here is electric guitar pickguards, both wood and plastic. Some tips carry over to acoustic pickguards.

Meet the Maker: Eric Meyer

1994
AL#39 p.18   BRB4 p.65            
Jonathon Peterson   Eric Myer                                                                                       

▪ Meyer’s current gig is the manufacture of violin fittings. He describes his peg making process in detail.

Bridge and Bridge Patch Replacement

1994
AL#39 p.10   BRB4 p.52            
Bryan Galloup                                                                                           

▪ Here’s the whole story, with some tools for heat removal of the parts not seen in the magazine before. Pull those worn parts and make your own replacements. With 38 photos.

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

Product Reviews: Bourgeois Transducer/Mic Combo

1994
AL#38 p.52   BRB4 p.424            
Harry Fleishman                                                                                           

▪ Fleishman has made himself an expert in the field of amplifying the acoustic guitar. Here he examines the Transducer/Mic Combo, from Dana Bourgeois Guitars, and decides that it is a “real bargain.”

Making Flat Cases

1994
AL#38 p.48   BRB4 p.59            
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ How to make hardshell, vinyl-covered, fur-lined cases for instruments that won’t fit into a stock case.

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

Heed Herr Helmholtz (or How I Built My First Guitar Twice)

1994
AL#38 p.44   BRB4 p.48            
Mike Doolin                                                                                           

▪ Anyone willing to dismantle their first guitar deserves a lot of credit, especially if it came out cosmetically pristine the first time. Doolin replaced the top of his first guitar to bring the bass response up to spec. With 9 photos and a lot to think about.

The Ukrainian Bandura: A Distant Relative of the Harp Guitar

1994
AL#38 p.34   BRB4 p.42            
Francis Kosheleff                                                                                           

▪ A typical bandura looks like a melted acoustic guitar with about a hundred extra strings spread across the body. OK, not that many. A lot, though. Kosheleff knows these Russians well.

Meet the Makers: Nick Kukich and Jeanne Munro

1994
AL#38 p.30   BRB4 p.36            
Jonathon Peterson   Nick Kukich   Jeanne Munro                                                                                   

▪ The folks from Franklin Guitars are outspoken and articulate. Are steel string makers really the “bottom feeders” of the guitar world? Kukich was there at the rebirth of the OM guitar.

A Look at Lutherie in Bubenreuth, Germany

1994
AL#38 p.26   BRB4 p.20            
David Riggs                                                                                           

▪ Sometimes German instruments can look downright, well, German! Not the ones that Riggs captured on film, though. Perhaps the whole world is now one big melting pot.

Segovia’s 1937 Hauser: Top and Back Thicknesses

1994
AL#38 p.24   BRB4 p.34            
R.E. Brune                                                                                           

▪ Brune made a map of plate dimensions using a new (and expensive) gizzy called the Elcometer. Then he decides that plate thickness probably isn’t so big a deal. Well, at least you have a model to guide you.

Fe, Fi, Faux Fender

1994
AL#38 p.18   BRB4 p.28            
Dan Erlewine                                                                                           

▪ How do you make a new electric guitar that looks like it spent forty years in the bar wars? Erlewine uses two finishes with incompatible shrink rates, rope, the concrete floor, you name it! Creativity can be harsh, but his Tele certainly looks vintage.

Practicum Eighteen: Installing the Nut, Frets, and Strings

1994
AL#38 p.8   HLC p.226            
Robert Lundberg                                                                                           

▪ Lundberg makes the nut, ties on the frets, and strings up the lute. With a string tension formula and an explanation of the rule of 18 for locating frets. Contains 33 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.

It Worked for Me: Waterproof Hide Glue

1994
AL#37 p.59   BRB4 p.483            
Keith Hill                                                                                           

▪ A violin gluing method using waterproof hide glue to battle humidity and which renders the dried glue less susceptible to attack from mold and bacteria.

Review: The History and Artistry of National Resonator Instruments by Bob Brozman

1994
AL#37 p.57   BRB4 p.458            
Ron Lira                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer says, “I’m so impressed with this book I could just bust!” Apparently America now has a National heaven.

Electronic Answer Man

1994
AL#37 p.56   BRB4 p.416            
Rick Turner                                                                                           

▪ Turner’s column is all about the essential electronic measuring instruments for the guitar shop.

Product Reviews: The Apprentice

1994
AL#37 p.52   BRB4 p.422            
Harry Fleishman                                                                                           

▪ Fleishman spent a month doing all his repair work on The Apprentice, an instrument holder from WidgetWorks, and declares that he can’t give it up.

Ash Varnish: A modern Alchemist’s Recipe

1994
AL#37 p.44   BRB4 p.23            
Keith Hill                                                                                           

▪ Hill cooks up a varnish that resembles the fiddles in the early paintings, not those same fiddles 300 years later. A hundred years from now he expects his violins to be prettier than anyone’s.

Floyd

1994
AL#37 p.42               read this article
Nicholas-Von Robison                                                                                           

▪ Local color and good humor are key ingredients of this peek at an independent-minded violinmaker. Arizona rosewood? Manzinita tuning pegs?

Cutting Michigan Maple

1994
AL#37 p.40               read this article
Elon Howe                                                                                           

▪ Another luthier turns woodcutter using a Wood Mizer portable bandsaw, and maple isn’t the half of it. With 4 photos and a diagram for sawing logs into “bastard cut” mandolin wood.

Practicum Seventeen: Finishing the Belly and Neck

1994
AL#37 p.32   HLC p.218            
Robert Lundberg                                                                                           

▪ Lundberg cleans, scrapes, waxes, and oils the various parts of the lute that will not receive shellac finishing. With 29 step-by-step photos, detailed captions, and two recipes for lute wax. This series ran for 19 installments in American Lutherie and has been collected into our hardback book Historical Lute Construction.

Violin Setups, Part Two

1994
AL#37 p.26   BRB3 p.352            read this article
Michael Darnton                                                                                           

▪ And you thought you knew all there was to know about making that fiddle play. Darnton continues his instruction from AL#35. This time he tunes and fits the bridge, strings, tailpiece, saddle, and end button. With 13 photos.

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

Meet the Maker: John Koster

1994
AL#37 p.22   BRB4 p.17            
Nicholas-Von Robison   John Koster                                                                                       

▪ How does a man become conservator to a famous collection of stringed instruments, and just exactly what does he do after he’s there? Koster maintains the collection at the Shrine to Music Museum.

James L. D’Aquisto: Building the Archtop Guitar. The Soundboard

1994
AL#37 p.10   BRB4 p.6            
Tim Olsen                                                                                           

▪ Olsen travels from the general (in the preceding article) to the specific. He zeros in on D’Aquisto’s soundboard work for a detailed examination. With 47 photos.

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

James L. D’Aquisto: Building the Archtop Guitar. A Brief Overview

1994
AL#37 p.6   BRB4 p.2            
Tim Olsen                                                                                           

▪ Nobody built a better archtop than D’Aquisto did. Olsen outlines the procedures and peculiarities of a famous luthier’s work.

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

CITES Paperwork Update

1994
AL#37 p.5               
R.E. Brune                                                                                           

▪ If you attempt to move across international borders any artifact containing wood from a CITES tree (which includes Brazilian rosewood) you may risk confiscation if first you don’t fill out the right forms and pay the proper fees. It’s a slow and expensive process, and Brune’s forecast for the future is even scarier.

Product Reviews: Trem-Setter and Tuning Gizmos

1993
AL#36 p.60   BRB3 p.441            
Harry Fleishman                                                                                           

▪ Toolman tries out the Hipshot Extender Key for guitars, and the Hipshot Trilogy bridge. He finds them to be useful products with specific uses.

Violin Q & A: String Recommendations/Purfling Grooves

1993
AL#36 p.58   BRB3 p.446            read this article
Michael Darnton                                                                                           

▪ Darnton discusses classical violin strings and a timesaving method of cutting the purfling slots.

Electronic Answer Man

1993
AL#36 p.56   BRB3 p.426            read this article
Rick Turner                                                                                           

▪ Turner warns repairmen not to get in over their heads with custom electronics work, and describes two elaborate jobs that came out right for all concerned.

At the Workbench of the Twelfth Fret

1993
AL#36 p.52   BRB3 p.422            
Jonathon Peterson                                                                                           

▪ Four repairmen offer a variety of tips about altering mechanical archtop bridges, adding more “pop” to fretless bass necks, soldering and shielding electrics, carbide bandsaw blades, abrasive cord, superglue, cutting saddle slots, double-stick tape, bending plastic binding, beveling pickguard stock, replacing bar frets with T-frets, and restoring headstocks to look old.

Jatoba

1993
AL#36 p.50   BRB3 p.420            read this article
Nicholas-Von Robison   Debbie Suran                                                                                       

▪ Two luthiers examine an alternative wood and find that their samples do not match each other, and that their research texts don’t match descriptions, either. Two chunks of wood point to a common problem for those who are driven to be different.

Sharpening Scrapers

1993
AL#36 p.46   BRB3 p.416            
Robert Lundberg                                                                                           

▪ Scrapers are wonderfully useful tools despite the difficulties they often pose to beginners. Lundberg explains how to tame them.

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

Meet the Maker: Scot Tremblay

1993
AL#36 p.40   BRB3 p.405            
Jonathon Peterson   Scott Tremblay                                                                                       

▪ Trembley is a Canadian luthier who specializes in the guitars of the 19th century, both as a maker and a restorationist. He has studied the subject deeply. With 12 photos and a scale drawing of an 1816 Salon Guitar by Jose Martinez. This plan is a reduced version of GAL full-scale Plan #36.

Practicum Sixteen: Fitting the Pegs

1993
AL#36 p.32   HLC p.210            
Robert Lundberg                                                                                           

▪ Lundberg explains how to fit the many pegs of graduating length and diameter. With 26 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.

What You Should Know About the Hardanger Fiddle

1993
AL#36 p.26   BRB3 p.410            read this article
David Golber                                                                                           

▪ The chief difference between the Hardanger and a normal violin is its use of sympathetic strings, though other differences abound. Ornate decoration is also usual. Golber offers a good description of a typical Hardanger and how to set it up.With 9 photos and a number of drawings.

Principles of Guitar Dynamics and Design

1993
AL#36 p.16   BRB3 p.396            
Ervin Somogyi                                                                                           

▪ Somogyi delves into many of the technical considerations of guitar design and construction. With a large number of drawings.

Meet the Maker: Ervin Somogyi

1993
AL#36 p.12   BRB3 p.393            
Ervin Somogyi   Colin Kaminski                                                                                       

▪ Many of us suffer periods of lutherie burnout, but few as dramatically as Somogyi, whose house and shop were lost in a great California fire. This interview offers early background information and an update of how he has coped since the fire.

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

Finishing Techniques for Hiding Repair Work

1993
AL#36 p.6   BRB3 p.380            
Dan Erlewine                                                                                           

▪ Erlewine hides his wooden patches under a field of colored French polish, then paints over it with simulated wood grain, and then might shoot a sunburst around everything. Old European craftsmen would smile in recognition of these tricks, but they are seldom applied to guitars.

In Memoriam: Mario Maccaferri

1993
AL#35 p.63   BRB3 p.503            read this article
John Monteleone                                                                                           

▪ Remembering Mario Maccaferri, creator of guitars made by Selmer of Paris and made famous by Django Reinhardt, major contributor to the field of injection molding plastic, and overall self made man.

Opinion: Classic Guitars Are Too Quiet

1993
AL#35 p.60               
Paul Hurley                                                                                           

▪ Hurley believes that classical guitars aren’t loud enough, and that if design changes can’t make improvements, perhaps concert halls should be changed or amplification used. He wishes to boost the popularity of guitar concerts.

Electronic Answer Man

1993
AL#35 p.58   BRB3 p.426            read this article
Rick Turner                                                                                           

▪ Turner spends nearly 2 pages talking about electric guitar wiring harnesses, which wire to use, and what pot values to try.

Product Reviews: Sperzels and Waverlies

1993
AL#35 p.54   BRB3 p.441            
Harry Fleishman                                                                                           

▪ The Guild’s resident tool and hardware tester takes a look at Waverly vintage-style tuners, Sperzel locking machine heads, and the Trem-Setter stabilizing device. All are given the nod of approval.

Violin Q & A: Neck Thickness/Tightness/D String Reach/Tilt Of Fingerboard

1993
AL#35 p.52   BRB3 p.446            read this article
Michael Darnton                                                                                           

▪ What are the proper dimensions and shape of the neck? What is a “tight” fiddle? What is fingerboard tilt? What does a player mean when he says he “can’t reach” the D string? Darnton answers all.

Another Look at Fretting

1993
AL#35 p.48   BRB3 p.368            
Ralph Novak                                                                                           

▪ Good fretwork is complicated, but practice makes it a staple in the repairman’s income. Novak offers advice garnered from twenty-odd years in the business.

In Memoriam: Arthur Overholtzer

1993
AL#35 p.44   BRB3 p.500            read this article
Bruce McGuire                                                                                           

▪ Overholtzer is cussed and discussed, but he had an undeniable influence on the American classical guitar scene. He built Spanish guitars in a very un-Spanish manner.

Practicum Fourteen: Finishing the Bowl

1993
AL#35 p.34   HLC p.196            
Robert Lundberg                                                                                           

▪ The bowl is finished with shellac and rubbed out. With 38 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.

Some Alternative Lutherie Woods

1993
AL#35 p.26   BRB3 p.372            read this article
Tom Ribbecke                                                                                           

▪ Ribbecke gathered information from across the country for this talk, an introduction to the woods that may eventually—like it or not—change the look of the instruments we make and play.

Meet the Maker: Tom Ribbecke

1993
AL#35 p.24   BRB3 p.370            
Nicholas-Von Robison   Tom Ribbecke                                                                                       

▪ As an adviser to the trade, a builder of high quality guitars, and teacher, Ribbecke has had a strong influence on the work of many luthiers. This interview sketches his beginnings in lutherie.

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

GAL Instrument Plan #35: The Malagasy Kabosy

1993
AL#35 p.21   BRB3 p.392            
Paul Hostetter                                                                                           

▪ Using these drawings and text you can make your own kabosy in a few days. A full-scale instrument plan. See the GAL website for a low-rez preview.

It’s a Kabosy

1993
AL#35 p.16   BRB3 p.386            read this article
Paul Hostetter                                                                                           

▪ The kabosy is a folk instrument from Madagascar. It comes in several body shapes, but always has a neck with the same layout of staggered frets, many of which don’t completely cross the fingerboard. It’s easy to build and fun to play once your eyes stop being baffled by the weird frets.

Violin Setups, Part One

1993
AL#35 p.6   BRB3 p.352            read this article
Michael Darnton                                                                                           

▪ To the uninitiated, violin setup seems to have way too many steps for the small number of moveable parts involved. Taken one step at a time, the mystery falls away. Darnton explains the tools and procedures he uses to get the most out of a violin. This segment includes fitting pegs, correcting problems with the nut, making a fingerboard, and fitting a soundpost. Part Two is printed in AL#37. With 30 photos.

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

In Memoriam: Hammond Ashley

1993
AL#34 p.61   BRB3 p.499            read this article
David Wilson   Peggy Warren                                                                                       

▪ Remembering Hammond Ashley, aged 91, advocate of fine music and fine musical instrument making.

It Worked for Me: Fingerboard Binding Clamp Jig

1993
AL#34 p.59   BRB3 p.494            
Colin Kaminski                                                                                           

▪ This jig used for clamping fingerboard bindings fixes the problem of clamping the binding against the fingerboard and keeping the white and black lines flush with the bottom edge of the fingerboard.

It Worked for Me: Used Vacuum Pumps

1993
AL#34 p.58   BRB3 p.491            
Colin Kaminski                                                                                           

▪ A modified Blue Point K-1020 vacuum pump to recycle refrigerant from automotive air conditioners, per California state law.

Product Reviews: Dan Erlewine’s Don’t Fret video

1993
AL#34 p.56   BRB3 p.439            read this article
Harry Fleishman                                                                                           

▪ Fleishman examines a rash of Stew-Mac fretting tools and their fretting video. He gives the green light to the entire package after extensive testing.

Violin Q & A: Instrument Tone/Reaming For Pegs/Yellow Cold Glue/Stains

1993
AL#34 p.54   BRB3 p.446            read this article
Michael Darnton                                                                                           

▪ What adjustments change the tone of a violin? Should new pegs be reshaped or should the pegbox holes be opened to fit them? Which glue for a top center seam? Are stains really useless?

Questions about Segovia’s 1937 Hauser

1993
AL#34 p.41   BRB3 p.351   ALA3 p.51         
R.E. Brune                                                                                           

▪ Is the Met’s Segovia Hauser the famous Hauser? Probably, but maybe not. That such mysteries can remain about the most famous classical guitarist ever is quite heartening.

A New Look at Harp Guitars

1993
AL#34 p.24   BRB3 p.334   ALA6 p.30         
Jonathon Peterson                                                                                           

▪ In AL#29 Peterson looked back at the harp guitar. This time he takes a forward look. A number of luthiers find fascination and a new potential in the big beast, and this is the best look at their results to date. With 28 photos and 8 detailed drawings. Also available is GAL full-scale Plan #34, the Klein solidbody electric harp guitar.

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

Meet the Maker: Michael Sanden

1993
AL#34 p.20   BRB3 p.330   ALA6 p.24         
Jonathon Peterson   Michael Sanden                                                                                       

▪ A Swedish guitar maker comes to America for a round of twenty-questions. When non-Americans step out on Lutherie Road the trip isn’t necessarily the one we imagine. Sanden shares a lot of information about his mentor, Georg Bolin.

Applications of the Silicone Heating Blanket in Violin Making

1993
AL#34 p.18   BRB3 p.328            read this article
George Borun                                                                                           

▪ Not many people make the mental leap from violins to the space age easily. Borun did, and found the connection useful. His list of uses extends far beyond bending the ribs.

Meet the Maker: Bart Reiter

1993
AL#34 p.14   BRB3 p.324            read this article
Paul Hostetter   Bart Reiter                                                                                       

▪ Reiter is perhaps the best known current maker of open back banjos. He traces his beginnings and some specifics of the banjo market. With 3 photos.

A Timely Top Replacement

1993
AL#34 p.6   BRB3 p.316   ALA5 p.22         
Jeffrey-R. Elliott                                                                                           

▪ Elliott believes that top replacements might be far more common in the future than they are now. Instruments with tired tops might have them replaced rather than retire the rare/irreplaceable hardwoods that comprise the rest of the instrument. Anyhow, he tried it out. Here he presents a description of the operation and the ethics involved, with 23 photos.

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

CITES Tree List

1993
AL#34 p.5               
Nicholas-Von Robison                                                                                           

▪ Any artifact containing wood from a CITES tree might be impounded at any international border. This list may help you if you travel or do import/export.

Letter to the Editor: Lutherie Art

1993
AL#34 p.4               
Ervin Somogyi                                                                                           

▪ Somogyi was burned out of house and shop during the Oakland Hills Firestorm. He describes his plight and how the Crafts Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) helped rescue him. If you need such help, or if you would like to contribute to CERF, Somogyi tells how.

Questions: Hurdy-Gurdies

1993
AL#33 p.59               read this article
Harry Schwab                                                                                           

▪ Obtaining technical details or blueprints on the inner workings of the Swedish nyckelharp and the chromatic keyboard of a hurdy gurdy.

Review: Building a Herringbone-style Acoustic Guitar by Don MacRostie and Dan Erlewine

1993
AL#33 p.57   BRB3 p.471            read this article
Dave Maize                                                                                           

▪ Videos begin to get their due in the review department. The reviewer decides this tape is a valuable aid for the first-time builder.

Product Reviews: Dean Markley SST

1993
AL#33 p.54   BRB3 p.437            
Harry Fleishman                                                                                           

▪ Fleishman tests the Dean Markley SST acoustic guitar pickup (saddle/transducer) and decides that it may fit certain needs but it doesn’t offer faithful reproduction of the guitar’s acoustic sound.

Carving Neck Facets

1993
AL#33 p.48   BRB3 p.306            
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ Calkin offers a neck shaping method that gives preconceived notions a chance to be born. What you want in a neck is what you get, quickly and with straight lines.

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

Shortening Schaller Shafts

1993
AL#33 p.46   BRB3 p.310            read this article
David Golber                                                                                           

▪ If stock tuners stick up too far from the top of your headstock you can fix them, but it requires a machinist’s lathe.

Sustainability: An Issue Facing Luthiers

1993
AL#33 p.40   BRB3 p.298            read this article
John Curtis                                                                                           

▪ Curtis is a wood dealer and a founder of WARP (Woodworkers Alliance for Rainforest Protection). Here he examines international law, species extinction, conservation, and local economies in the Third World. Oh yeah, and the American luthier’s place in this scheme.

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

Big Blue Ladder

1993
AL#33 p.39   BRB3 p.309            read this article
Harold Turner                                                                                           

▪ Turner thinks you might like to try white pine as a tonewood. But you’ll have to harvest it yourself. Here are some suggestions about how to go about it.

At the Workbench

1993
AL#33 p.36   BRB3 p.303            
Wes Brandt                                                                                           

▪ A well-known repairman delivers eight tips, including an alternate way to bend a Venetian cutaway, tool tips, and a way to bend sides more accurately.

Micro-mesh

1993
AL#33 p.35   BRB3 p.308            
David Freeman                                                                                           

▪ Micro-mesh is the latest word in sandpaper. In fact, it’s not even paper and it doesn’t feel sandy. Freeman and his students use it for all wet-sanding chores, including the final gloss finish. It’s that fine.

Reproducing the Finish of the “Rawlins” Stradivari Guitar

1993
AL#33 p.30   BRB3 p.292            
Geary Baese                                                                                           

▪ When a violin guy gets on the trail of an old guitar it comes out sounding an awful lot like a violin article. And when Stradivari is involved what else can one expect? Baese makes an educated guess about the materials and techniques that finished a famous guitar. With 8 photos.

The Great White Sitka

1993
AL#33 p.26   BRB3 p.290            read this article
Jeffrey-R. Elliott                                                                                           

▪ How does one hack a log that’s 11′ wide into 4000 guitar tops? Very carefully! With 9 photos detailing the decimation of Moby Spruce. By the way, this is a log that Steve McMinn rescued from the pulp mill.

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

Building Hollow Radius Forms

1993
AL#33 p.23   BRB3 p.476            
Colin Kaminski                                                                                           

▪ Kaminski’s form uses two sheets of plywood of different thickness. They are stacked and screwed together down the center, and the thin sheet is curved by placing rows of wedges between them. A wood frame is built around the plywood, then polyester is poured between the sheets to make the radius permanent. It works, but it can be messy.

Torres Guitar Restoration

1993
AL#33 p.14   BRB3 p.280            
R.E. Brune                                                                                           

▪ Brune describes a rare 11-string Torres guitar and the manner in which he restored it. With 11 photos and a half-page of drawings. Mentions Romanillos.

Brazilian Guitar Makers

1993
AL#33 p.12   BRB3 p.278            read this article
Roberto Gomes                                                                                           

▪ Gomes offers a list and short description of some current Brazilian builders.

Brazilian Tonewoods

1993
AL#33 p.9   BRB3 p.275            read this article
Roberto Gomes                                                                                           

▪ Straight from the horse’s mouth—a Brazilian guitar maker talks about Brazilian tonewood. Ever wonder what a living rosewood tree looks like? Well, wonder no more. With 6 photos and a range map.

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

Meet the Maker: Roberto Gomes

1993
AL#33 p.6   BRB3 p.272            
Cyndy Burton   Roberto Gomes                                                                                       

▪ A Brazilian guitar maker comments upon his situation in Brazil and his first trip to America as a luthier.

It Worked for Me: Thinline Switch Fisher Line/Clay Dot Replacements/Fret Size Selector/Cloth Braided Wire/Tune-O-Matic Bridge Wire

1992
AL#32 p.68   BRB3 p.489            
Richard Echeverria                                                                                           

▪ Quickie tips on the thinline switch fisher-line, clay dot replacements, fret size selector, cloth braided wire, and tune-o-matic bridge wire.

Violin Q & A: Fingerboard Flatness/Leaning Bridge/Hide Glue

1992
AL#32 p.64   BRB3 p.446            read this article
Michael Darnton                                                                                           

▪ What should one expect from a purchased ebony fingerboard? Should a fiddle bridge lean back, and how far? Can you offer hints about using hide glue? Darnton’s wide experience rescues another page of readers.

Review: The Workbench Book by Scott Landis

1992
AL#32 p.62   BRB3 p.470            read this article
Robert Lundberg                                                                                           

▪ This marvelous book of workbenches will fill you with ideas of how to improve the ‘heart’ of your own shop.

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

Repairing Catalyzed Finishes

1992
AL#32 p.58   BRB3 p.270            
Jim Grainger                                                                                           

▪ Grainger swears that this work is easy and profitable, and makes it seem so. The secret ingredient is called Final Coat, a Mohawk product.

Meet the Maker: Guy Rabut

1992
AL#32 p.52   BRB3 p.268            read this article
Tim Olsen   Guy Rabut                                                                                       

▪ A long-time Guild member makes it as a violinmaker in the Big Apple after a twenty-year run. Mentions Ed Campbell, Peter Prier, Rene Morel.

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

Hellfire! or How Not To Build A Banjo

1992
AL#32 p.47   BRB3 p.257            read this article
Harold Turner                                                                                           

▪ Build a banjo and scare the congregation, and not with music. Luthier humor, and more good local color. Turner was there when the banjo bomb was invented. A shrinking calf skin head was the culprit.

Antonio Raya: Granada’s Rising Star

1992
AL#32 p.46   BRB3 p.265            
Lisa Hurlong                                                                                           

▪ An adopted daughter of Granada describes an up-and-coming Spanish guitar maker. Good local color. Mentions Antonio Marin.

Chemical Stains

1992
AL#32 p.44   BRB3 p.266            read this article
Michael Darnton                                                                                           

▪ Nothing is easy for fiddle people. When they aren’t tweaking and gluing wood they are stirring up a witch’s brew in their home chem labs. Darn if Darnton doesn’t sound like he likes it, though. Buy some fancy wood. Trick it into changing color.

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

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