2023
AL#150 p.5
Martin Moen
▪ An Australian retiree has made a cello, and intends to make more.
2023
AL#150 p.5
Martin Moen
▪ An Australian retiree has made a cello, and intends to make more.
2014
AL#117 p.24
Paul Ruppa
▪ Paul Ruppa traces the largely unknown history of the American F-hole Mandolin, Mandola, and Mandocello to their roots in the Waldo brand; originating with the Barrows Music Company in Saginaw, Michigan.
2012
AL#112 p.6
James Ham
▪ Using a variety of unusual instruments, Ham attempts to debunk the myth in traditional violin making that the classical solution is the only good solution. From his 2011 GAL convention lecture.
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.
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.
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.
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.
1996
AL#48 p.5 BRB4 p.205
Kerry Char
▪ Char sends several photos of a unique resophonic mando-cello he made for Gregg Miner.
1996
AL#46 p.56 BRB4 p.442
Michael Darnton
▪ Darnton discusses the glues he keeps in his shop.Also, setting up the cello.
1995
AL#44 p.54 BRB4 p.442
Michael Darnton
▪ What is neck pitch, and what does it do to/for the violin? How does one deal with an Elmer’s glue repair? Why is poplar sometimes used for the cello and viola? Darnton tells all.
1995
AL#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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
1990
AL#24 p.13 BRB2 p.446
Steve Banchero Janet Toon
▪ A collection of violin and cello makers harvests spruce in the national forest.
1989
AL#18 p.44 BRB2 p.246
Jack Levine
▪ Levine made a deep-throated caliper for accurately measuring the thickness of the cello plate that is not removed, when the other is.
1989
AL#17 p.40 BRB2 p.194
Jack Levine
▪ Levine solves a problem many of us might face at first: How to set up shop in a confined, shared workspace. The solution is a takedown mold and a secure footlocker for tools and work in progress.
1989
AL#17 p.55
Janet Toon
▪ Source of violoncello measured drawings.
1988
AL#15 p.30 BRB2 p.82
Tim Olsen Hammond Ashley
▪ This is a “factory tour” of the Ham Ashley shop.They specialize in the larger members of the violin family.
1987
AL#10 p.28 BRB1 p.482 read this article
George Manno
▪ Manno fields 2 pages of questions about building and repairing the fiddle family, from the basic “What kinda glue?” to “What kind of cello bridge to aid projection?”
1987
AL#9 p.10 BRB1 p.311
Tim Olsen Don Overstreet
▪ A concise description and 3 photos explain a repair done in the Schuback shop.
1987
AL#9 p.6 BRB1 p.304 read this article
Paul Schuback
▪ In this fascinating lecture from the 1986 GAL convention Schuback speaks of his apprenticeship to a French violin maker in 1962, then goes on to offer details about instrument construction, wood, and a Q&A session.
1986
AL#5 p.32 BRB1 p.180 read this article
Ernest Nussbaum
▪ Nussbaum describes his “travel cello,” a takedown frame-body/neck which uses a transducer to produce full sound.
1979
DS#113 LT p.41
Frederick Battershell
▪ Humongous spool clamp.