Category Archives: other

Electric Guitar Repair: Setups, Frets, and Inspiration

2024
AL#152 p.6               
Evan Gluck   Larry Fitzgerald                                                                                       

▪ Gluck is a beloved repeat presenter at GAL Conventions. This time, he brought along veteran New York repair guy Larry Fitzgerald. In addition to demonstrating fret-leveling techniques, they tell war stories of maneuvering their businesses to survive the recent global pandemic. Mentions Matt Brewster, Sam Ash, John Suhr, Rudy Pensa, Mandolin Brothers, Dan Erlewine, John Patitucci, Flip Scipio, LeRoy Aiello.

The Black British Timber

2024
AL#152 p.41               
Kevin Aram                                                                                           

▪ All the native trees on the British Isles yield light-colored wood. And in the case of guitar-making materials, blondes don’t have more fun. That’s why Kevin Aram was delighted to find that marinating oak for scores of centuries in an all-natural soup of organic chemicals will turn it black, and that nature already did all the work. He also visits a friend and his wonderful old Stennor bandsaw.

A Day with Luisa Willsher of Madinter

2024
AL#151 p.54               
Federico Sheppard                                                                                           

▪ An Art-school girl from the UK goes to Spain as a flamenco dancer. There she meets a guy who has a business selling wood to local luthiers. Things go well. The business grows and gets bought by StewMac, and now she’s VP of Global Sales. And if you go to their sawmill, you can pick up pelletized fuel of the finest rosewood. Mentions Bob Taylor.

My First Twenty Years

2024
AL#151 p.40               
Jay Anderson                                                                                           

▪ Innocently attending a James Taylor concert, an Art major learns to his surprise that guitars are made by people. It’s an epiphany that changes his life. He has a day job as a building contractor, but he transitions to a full-time maker of fully functional musical sculptures. Along the way he finds himself established as the fun “uncle” of talented group of young musicians. Mentions James Taylor, Jim Olson, Brian Sutherland, Jenn Bostic, Dave Fenley, Pablo Picasso, Emil Ernebro, JLD Bridge Truss System, Don Kendall, pyrography, Harry Fleishman, Kevin Aram, Charles Rufino, Chris Herrod.

Let’s Catch Up With Richard Bruné and Marshall Bruné

2023
AL#150 p.16               
Mark French                                                                                           

▪ Richard “R.E.” Bruné was in the GAL’s very first cohort and was an author and convention presenter from the very beginning. We’ve visited him a couple of times over the decades. His son Marshall was born into the business, and into the Guild. Together they run a large workshop and epicenter of classical guitar making, scholarship restoration, appreciation, and dealing.

Meet the Maker: Ken Parker

2023
AL#149 p.4               
Mike Doolin   Ken Parker                                                                                       

▪ Can you believe we have never “met” this guy? He’s a giant of the American Lutherie Boom, he was at the Guild’s 1979 Convention, and he has been a GAL member for over twenty years. The world knows him as the maker of the Fly solidbody guitar, but now he has returned to his first love: the archtop guitar. Mentions Larry Fishman, John D’Angelico, Jimmy D’Aquisto, Scott Chinery, Orville Gibson, Lloyd Loar, Raphael Ciani, Nick Lucas, Michael Greenfield, Sam Zygmuntowicz.

Review: Jeff Jewitt Finish Buffing Video

2022
AL#147 p.66               
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ Calkin gives the thumbs-up to a fine 5-hour video just about wet sanding and buffing a lacquer finish. Prepping and spraying the finish is a whole other matter, not covered here.

Letter to the Editor: Lutherie Estates

2022
AL#147 p.6               
James Condino                                                                                           

▪ Lutherie estates. That’s all the wood, tools, jigs, and parts left over when a luthier retires or passes away. What to do with these materials is becomeing a real issue as the origian; Lutherie Boomers age out. Condino says we will soon be drowning in this stuff.

Letter to the Editor: Importance of Connecting at GAL Conventions

2022
AL#147 p.7               
Ralph Novak                                                                                           

▪ The pandemic has taken a toll on many aspects of life. Novak keenly feels the loss of in-person interaction with luthiers, and looks forward to the upcoming GAL Convention.

Basic Steel-String Guitar Action Setup

2022
AL#147 p.24               
Robbie O’Brien                                                                                           

▪ Lutherie uber-pedagog Robbie O’Brien has taught beaucoup guitar makers and repair techs to set the action of steel string flattops, so his thoughts on the matter are crystal clear. Here he steps us through the process in a relaxed, logical, and concise presentation. From his 2017 GAL Convention workshop.

Letter: Photos to Document Your Tools and Jigs

2022
AL#146 p.3               
Taffy Evans                                                                                           

▪ When the day comes when you want to give away your tools and jigs, that will be easier to do if you remember what they were for. Document them with photos now. You will be glad you did.

Letter: Early Kasha/Schneider Guitar Lilli VII

2022
AL#146 p.5               
Ted Moniak                                                                                           

▪ Mentions Richard Schneider, Michael Kasha, and how to determine guitar value for appraisal and considerations for purchase. See letter same issue same title from Jeffrey R. Elliott.

Letter: Early Kasha/Schneider Guitar Lilli VII

2022
AL#146 p.5               
Jeffrey-R. Elliott                                                                                           

▪ Mentions Richard Schneider, Michael Kasha, and how to determine guitar value for appraisal and considerations for purchase. See letter same issue same title from Ted Moniak.

Meet the Maker: Cindy Hulej

2022
AL#146 p.14               
Max Mclaughlin                                                                                           

▪ Here’s a story that will sound familiar to a lot of us old farts of the Lutherie Boom generation for the decades-old echoes that it evokes. A bold young person wants to do unusual and arty things with guitars, and they find an older mentor in the crowded back room of a New York City guitar store. That takes you back, don’t it Gramps?

The Difficult Case of Getting Too Old

2022
AL#146 p.22               
Don Barnes                                                                                           

▪ Remember those heroic old days when a few of us self-starting hippies dreamed of a forging a renaissance of guitar making in America? Well if you do, you are probably already past “retirement age.” What will become of all your tools and wood? Will your grandkids just toss them out? Time to start thinking about it. Sorry.

Closing Up Shop

2022
AL#146 p.23               
Samuel Barnes                                                                                           

▪ Remember those heroic old days when a few of us self-starting hippies dreamed of a forging a renaissance of guitar making in America? Well if you do, you are probably already past “retirement age.” What will become of all your tools and wood? Will your grandkids just toss them out? Time to start thinking about it. Sorry.

Meet the Maker: David Thormahlen

2022
AL#146 p.26               
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ David Thormahlen started making many kinds of string instruments in the woodshop in college, and then made a strategic decision to focus his lutherie career on lever harps. It all worked out well, and he still makes guitars, mandolins, and bouzoukis in addition to the harps. He shows us some of his gluing fixtures which involve bicycle inner tubes; some stretched, some inflated.

Meet the Maker: Matt Brewster

2022
AL#145 p.25               
Evan Gluck                                                                                           

▪ Imagine you were a guitar repair guy, and there was another guitar repair guy in your same town. What would you do about it? If you were Evan Gluck, or any other enlightened, right-thinking luthier, you would march right over there and make him your best friend. These guys have a blast “competing” in the same market, sharing stories, customers, tools, and techniques. And yes, it does help if your hometown has over eight million people in it. Mentions Brian Moore, Dan Erlewine, Michael Bashkin, Ian Davlin, Jimmy Carbonetti.

Letter: How Do You Close Up Shop?

2021
AL#144 p.5               
Rossco Wright                                                                                           

▪ Long-time GAL member and small-scale guitar manufacturer Wright asks how one should wrap up a lutherie business when the time comes to retire.

Letter: Praising Dragonplate as a supplier of carbon rods

2022
AL#145 p.3               
Raven Ravary                                                                                           

▪ Raven likes the Dragonplate company as a supplier of graphite epoxy material. Awesom customer service, he says.

The $75 Guitar Challenge

2021
AL#142 p.40               
Doug Hunt   Mark French                                                                                       

▪ Two luthiers dare each other to make a useful guitar for a total investment of $75 each. One makes a flattop, the other a solid body. There are rules, and rules are meant to be broken.

Lutherie Curmudgeon

2021
AL#142 p.60               
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ Sometimes a bargain is no bargain, like when the work that a power tool accomplishes is less valuable than space it uses in your shop. If you don’t love something, set it free.

When Your Business Hits a Bump

2020
AL#141 p.18               
Evan Gluck                                                                                           

▪ What should you do when an unexpected event upsets the smoothly-running apple cart of your guitar-repair business? Don’ freak out. Take good advice from the trustworthy folks around you, and proceed with confidence. That’s the story, but raconteur and lutherie superstar Evan Gluck tells it better.

Questions: Should I Get a Receipt When I Drop Off My Guitar For Repair?

2019
AL#136 p.71               
Stan Werbin                                                                                           

▪ Stan Werbin of Elderly Instruments does not want to speak for other shops, but he says his busy repair shop is always happy to provide any needed paperwork.

Our Man in Manhattan: The American Guitars of the Tatay Family

2019
AL#136 p.22               
January Williams                                                                                           

▪ Before there were cheap Spanish guitars from Asian factories, there were cheap Spanish guitars from hard-working Spanish luthiers using traditional methods. If there was an inexpensive classical guitar kicking around your house or dorm room before about 1965, it might very well have been a Tatay. The family business was in Valencia, Spain, but they had an outpost in New York where one of the brothers turned out instruments at an amazing pace.

Tatay Instrument Identification and Dating Guide

2019
AL#136 p.28               
January Williams                                                                                           

▪ There are Tatay guitars, and then there are Tatay guitars. They could be from Valencia or New York; from one of four generations of the family; from one maker or his brother, father, son, uncle, or cousin. This article helps you sort them out. Photos of representative guitars, and lots of photos of labels from the various eras.

Guitar Making: The Luthier’s Bench and the Factory

2018
AL#135 p.54               
Mark French                                                                                           

▪ Lutherie is changing. Digital tools are transforming factories, and also opening new possibilities to individual shops. This brigs up new issues. Like, what if the normal accuracy gets so high that the instruments sound too similar to each other? Will it become desirable to build in a certain amount of random variation?

Warmoth Guitar Products in the 21st Century

2018
AL#134 p.16               
Tim Olsen                                                                                           

▪ Ken Warmoth is one of the pioneers of the Strat-compatible guitar parts scene, starting small in the 1970s and working up to the sophisticated operation he runs today. He’s a born engineer, constantly refining and rethinking each operation for better accuracy and efficiency. Of course these days that involves CNC machines, and he’s got them. But you may be surprised to see which operations use them and which don’t. Our last visit with Ken was in 1991, so there is some catching up to do.

Let’s Catch up with Harry Fleishman

2018
AL#134 p.42               
Michael Bashkin   Harry Fleishman                                                                                       

▪ Everybody knows Harry Fleishman, right? We first “Met the Maker” in 2001, but by then Harry had already been an active GAL author and convention attendee for some time. Now we are catching up with him. This recent chapter of his story is a doozy, with major moves, businesses opening and closing, fruitful collaborations, international travel, and new beginnings.

Business Tips for the Repair Shop

2018
AL#133 p.62               
Paul Neri                                                                                           

▪ Here’s some good, simple advice on how to keep your repair customers happy from a guy with decades of experience.

Meet the Maker: Michael Bashkin

2017
AL#132 p.6               
Brian Yarosh   Michael Bashkin                                                                                       

▪ Michael Bashkin came to lutherie after earlier passions and careers in photography and tropical forestry. But for decades now he has been happily Geppettoing it, building beautiful steel string guitars in a cavernous industrial space. Mentions Harry Fleishman and Abe Wechter.

Meet the Maker: Jason Lollar

2017
AL#130 p.6               
Tim Olsen   Jason Lollar                                                                                       

▪ Jason Lollar attended the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery way back when founders John Roberts and Bob Venn were still instructors. Jason went on to do a lot of guitar repair and some guitar making, but his early interest in winding pickups eventually grew into a twenty-person shop specializing in reproducing vintage models.

Techniques for Guitar Repair Efficiency

2017
AL#130 p.28               
Erick Coleman   Evan Gluck   Eron Harding                                                                                   

▪ Erick, Evan, and Eron called this workshop “Making Bread with Bread-and-Butter Repairs.” Their emphasis was on tools and techniques to help you get a lot of the usual repair jobs done in a short time and at a high level of quality. from their 2014 GAL Convention workshop.

Let’s Catch Up With Linda Manzer

2017
AL#129 p.6               
Cyndy Burton   Linda Manzer                                                                                       

▪ The prolific maker of high-end flattop and archtop guitars talks about her mentors Jean Larrivee and Jimmy D’Aquisto, the lutherie biz, her collaborations with guitarist Pat Metheny, and a recent project in cooperation with other Canadian luthiers. Also mentions Paul Simon.

Letter to the Editor: Instrument Resurrection Stories

2008
AL#96 p.3               read this article
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ Calkin’s letter is concerned with repair shop work ethics, customer relations, and job burnout. It’s really about an old-timer surveying modern society and finding it lacking in some ways.

A Luthier’s Choices

2006
AL#87 p.6               
Kenny Hill                                                                                           

▪ Hill has made guitars for eons, harvested his own wood, taught lutherie in a prison, and opened shops in Mexico and China. Not to mention that he’s a fine guitarist. The man has been around. This piece is part biography, part how-to, and all interesting. He’s led an interesting life, and he’s not that old. With 9 photos.

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

The Cole Clark Guitar

2005
AL#83 p.14   BRB7 p.358            
Michael Finnerty   Bradley Clark                                                                                       

▪ Cole Clark Guitars is an Australian company specializing in computer designed and manufactured flattop and electric guitars. Rather than use CNC machines to duplicate old guitar styles of construction they have modified their designs to suit the potentials of the machinery, which in the end reduces expensive hand labor by as much as half. A sidebar mentions the lutherie uses of 3 Aussie wood varieties. With 10 photos.

Meet the Maker: Bob Jones

2005
AL#81 p.46   BRB7 p.306            
Bruce Calder   Bob Jones                                                                                       

▪ Jones is one of the “big guys” in the New York City instrument repair scene. He owns some very cool collectables. He’s worked for some of the biggest names in the industry. He has definite opinions about how to get into the business. How could you not read this? With 13 photos, including one of a double neck Selmer.

Meet the Maker: Frank Ford

2004
AL#80 p.10   BRB7 p.236            
Jonathon Peterson   Frank Ford                                                                                       

▪ Sometimes an interviewer has to pry information out of a person. Not so with Frank Ford, who unleashes a wonderful account of his life as a repairman in the Bay area. Prominently mentioned are Richard Johnston, Jon Lundberg, Dan Erlewine, Gryphon Instruments, and Mario Martello. Inspirational stuff, including 14 photos.

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

Meet the Dealer: Armin Kelly

2004
AL#80 p.28   BRB7 p.254            
Cyndy Burton   Armin Kelly                                                                                       

▪ Meet the dealer? Well, when a dealer has such a strong influence in the lives of the luthiers he represents, why not? If you build, and if you want to sell through a dealer, you need to read this interview. Besides, Kelly’s enthusiasm is so infectious it will send you right back to your workbench. Boutique guitar builders and shops are relatively new to the steel string, but it has always been the way among classical guitar people. This is why. With 3 photos.

Is Guitar Design an Oxymoron?

2003
AL#76 p.8   BRB7 p.110            
Steve Klein                                                                                           

▪ Klein delivers a lecture that asks as many questions as it attempt to answer. Why has guitar design seemed to stall when so many other fields are jumping into the future? What do musicians really want? How can we make musicians want what we want to build? Is there any more to improve on the steel string guitar? A thought-provoking piece, indeed. With 13 photos.

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

Meet the Maker: John Greven

2003
AL#76 p.16   BRB7 p.116            
Mike Doolin   John Greven                                                                                       

▪ This wonderful interview has the kind of depth that only happens when friends talk. It takes familiarity to know what to ask and how to answer. Humor permeates this discussion of alternative woods, business ploys, the Internet, and in general living the life of a successful luthier. Greven has been in the business as long as anyone and is generous with his advice and experience. With 22 photos.

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

Meet the Makers: Sue and Ray Mooers of Dusty Strings

2004
AL#77 p.8   BRB7 p.142            
Jonathon Peterson   Sue Mooers   Ray Mooers                                                                                   

▪ This is a wonderful story of how a couple began a basement lutherie business and ended up employing 36 people in the creation of fine harps and hammered dulcimers. Everybody in the lutherie trades should be this nice and interesting (and the wonder of it is that so many are!). With 37 photos, including a bunch of the harp assembly shop.

Meet the Maker: Steve Grimes

2003
AL#74 p.20   BRB7 p.48            
Jonathon Peterson   Steve Grimes                                                                                       

▪ Grimes is one of the premier archtop builders of our times. His flattops aren’t bad, either. He worked for years in the Northwest before moving to Hawaii, where the slack-key guitar scene has impacted his flattop designs.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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: 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.

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 Erickson   Ralph Novak

▪ Repair pricing workshop from 1992 GAL convention.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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: 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.

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.

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 (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.

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.

Entrepreneurs in Spite of Ourselves

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

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

A Talk with Bob Taylor

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

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

Meet the Maker: Michael Darnton

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

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

Meet the Maker: Hideo Kamimoto

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

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

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

Meet the Maker: Donald Warnock

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

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

Giveaway Dulcimers

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

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

Let’s Get Busy: an interview with Chris Brandt

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

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

Using Your Work Space from the 1990 GAL Convention panel

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

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

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

Meet the Maker: Myles Gilmer

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

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

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

Meet the Maker: Herb David

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

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

Looking at Lutherie Schools

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

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

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

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

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

Meet the Maker: Hartley Peavey

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

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

An Interview with Stewart Pollens

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

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

Accident Prevention: A Case History

1988
AL#14 p.57               read this article
Jeffrey-R. Elliott                                                                                           

▪ Elliott observes that one of the best ways to ensure the safety of a guitar is to make sure it is a good fit in its case.

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

The White Collar Luthier

1988
AL#13 p.46   BRB2 p.26            
Tim Shaw                                                                                           

▪ In his convention lecture Shaw compares the life of an independent luthier with life inside the Gibson custom shop, and finds that the rewards of one are different than the rewards of the other, but that either can offer an attractive way of living.

The Steel String Guitar Today

1987
AL#11 p.32   BRB1 p.474            
Max Krimmel   Jean Larrivee   Bruce Ross   Ervin Somogyi   Robert Steinegger                                                                           

▪ Such panel discussions are always interesting, but this one especially so, mostly because three of the five panelists run one-man shops. The questions (and even many answers) don’t seem to change much from year to year, but it’s good to hear from some smaller voices in the industry for a change.

Review: Appraisers Reference Manual of Authentic String Instruments and Bows by Thomas E. Florence

1987
AL#11 p.51   BRB1 p.502            read this article
George Manno                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds this to be the one book that every violin shop and instrument appraiser should own. ‘Nuff said.

So, You Want To Be My Apprentice!

1986
AL#7 p.52               
Ken Cartwright                                                                                           

▪ Cartwright lists the qualities that he expects in an apprentice, and also details what he expects to offer the apprentice in return.

Letter to the Editor: Sharing Information

1986
AL#6 p.3               
Dick Boak                                                                                           

▪ Boak warns us that luthiers must keep up with the times and a changing market as we pursue our craft, and that complacency is a vice none of us can afford.

The Well-Unpublished Luthier

1986
AL#6 p.14   BRB1 p.190            read this article
William Cumpiano                                                                                           

▪ Cumpiano goes to some length telling of the travails and trials of producing the book, Guitarmaking: Tradition and Technology.

In the Ramirez Workshop

1985
AL#4 p.36   BRB1 p.140   ALA5 p.2         
William Tapia                                                                                           

▪ Tapia relates the history of Ramirez guitars and tells of his time there learning to properly repair them.

Letter to the Editor: Making a Living as a Luthier

1985
AL#3 p.2   BRB1 p.79            read this article
Bob Benedetto                                                                                           

▪ Benedetto offers advice on making a living as a luthier.

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

Rendezvous with Destiny, a Symposium ’85 talk

1985
AL#3 p.8   BRB1 p.80            
C.F. Martin-IV                                                                                           

▪ Martin, currently head of the Martin Guitar Company, offers some personal history and business advice to luthiers.

The Business of Lutherie: 1984

1985
AL#2 p.8   BRB1 p.58            read this article
Ted Davis   Steve Grimes   Bob Meltz   Matt Umanov                                                                               

▪ This panel discussion from the 1984 GAL Convention features Bob Meltz, Matt Umanov, David Sheppard, Ted Davis, and Steve Grimes. Straight talk on the realities of being a one-man lutherie shop.

Where Are They Now?

1985
AL#2 p.13   BRB1 p.56            read this article
Tim Olsen                                                                                           

▪ An update of the 1980 Lutherie Business panel discussion, featuring George Gruhn, Max Krimmel, Steve Klein, Robert Lundberg, and R.E. Brune.

The Business of Lutherie

1981
GALQ Vol.9#4 p.10   BRB1 p.48            read this article
R.E. Brune   George Gruhn   Steve Klein   Max Krimmel   Robert Lundberg                                                                           

▪ The economic atmosphere surrounding lutherie has changed a lot since this 1980 panel discussion, but tapping into the lutherie boom is no easier than it ever was. Max Krimmel followed his genius out of guitarmaking many years ago, but the rest of these gentlemen are still active, and their longevity suggests that they knew what they were talking about so long ago. Panel discussions aren’t often as much fun as this one.

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

Patents

1981
DS#193   BRB2 p.292            
Scott McKee                                                                                           

▪ So, your brand new gadget is about to change music forever, huh? You’d better know how to protect it and yourself. McKee explains the patent process and how to do much of your own footwork.

Copyrights

1981
DS#182   BRB2 p.292            
Scott McKee                                                                                           

▪ Copyright interest, remedies for infringement, period, and ownership.

Museum Services for Luthiers

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

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

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