Category Archives: instruments

Finding Inspiration in Early 20th-Century Instruments

2024
AL#151 p.6               
Todd Cambio                                                                                           

▪ From his 2023 GAL Convention lecture. For decades, it was received wisdom that the inexpensive steel-string guitars, made in their millions before WWII in American factories using American woods, were crap. Todd Cambio has been taking another look, and finds a lot to like and even to emulate. Hear him out; it’s a ripping yarn. Mentions Gibson, Martin, Lyon and Healy, Harmony, Sears, Wilhelm Schultz, Oscar Schmidt, Stella, Galiano, poplar, tulip tree, oak, parlor guitar, ladder bracing, bajo sexto, R. Crumb, Lead Belly, John and Alan Lomax, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Willie McTell, Blind Blake, Lonnie Johnson, Carter family, Bristol sessions, Ernest Stoneman, Nick Lucas, Eddie Lang, Raphael Ciani, John D’Angelico, Lydia Mendoza, Guadalupe Acosta, Luis Acosta, Mike Acosta, Miguel Acosta, 12-string guitar, Michael Iuchi, mandolin, John Greven.

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.

In Memoriam: George A. Smith

2023
AL#150 p.64               
Maria Gonzalez-Leon                                                                                           

▪ George Smith was one of that rare breed: A self-starter guitar maker before the American Lutherie Boom. Here’s three fond remembrances by people who were glad to have known him well.

The Double-Neck WeissenBro

2023
AL#150 p.24               
Lee Herron                                                                                           

▪ A Dobro is good clean fun. And then maybe you’ll want to expand your lap-steel playing to include an acoustic Hawaiian guitar. Wouldn’t it be great to have them both on your lap at the same time? Do it. Go on; you are a luthier, you can mash them up. A Dobro… a Weissenborn… a WeissenBro!

Let’s Catch Up with Steve Klein

2023
AL#148 p.16               
Paul Schmidt   Steve Klein                                                                                       

▪ Steve Klein started his lutherie endeavors fifty-five years ago as a teenager in his parents’ house. Today he’s collaborating with Steve Kauffman on dazzlingly decorative acoustic guitars, and continuing to make innovative ergonomic solidbodies in his own shop. Mentions Fibonacci, Carl Margolis, Frank Pollaro, Leonardo DaVinci Steve Kauffman, Larry Robinson, Bob Hergert, Joe Walsh.

It Worked for Me: Saving Old Shielding Paint

2022
AL#147 p.69               
John Jordan                                                                                           

▪ Your bottle of expensive shielding paint is getting old and gloppy. Save it with simple material available at the art supply store.

Letter to the Editor: Mandolins in Heaven

2023
AL#148 p.7               
Steve Dickerson                                                                                           

▪ Some say we will play mandolins in heaven. Oh no? Go ahead; prove that we will not! Dickerson discusses this matter and reviews the evolution of his lutherie work.

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.

Earidescent Nightingales: A New Instrument Family

2022
AL#146 p.50               
Richard Bozung                                                                                           

▪ Here’s a new kind of autoharp that can change keys in seconds without retuning or switching chord bars. It’s easy to build, and sounds great because you play it with your ear pressed to the side.

The Musical Instrument Museum — A Must-See for Luthiers

2022
AL#145 p.32               
Mark French                                                                                           

▪ Frequent author Mark French spends a lot of time in the physics lab and the workshop. But here he emerges, blinking, into the Arizona sunshine to visit a fabulous musical instrument museum. In fact, it’s The Musical Instrument Museum.

Small is Beautiful: the Piccolo Balalaika

2022
AL#145 p.42               
Sjaak Elmendorp                                                                                           

▪ Here’s the story of a big guy and his little balalaika. After rashly promising a friend that he would make a balalaika although he knew nothing about the distinctively triangular Russian instrument. We’ve all been there, right? Sjaak went on to explore and build the rare descant member of the family. Mentions balalaika player Jan Van der Hoogt.

A 2×4 Twofer

2022
AL#145 p.46               
C.F. Casey                                                                                           

▪ We sometimes hear of a luthier who enjoys the challenge of building an instrument from lumber-yard materials rather than from picked and approved tonewoods. but Casey goes one better when he makes two successful instruments from a single softwood two-by-four. And it had a knot in it, just for extra fun.

A Modern Venezuelan Cuatro

2021
AL#142 p.22               
Luis Colmenares                                                                                           

▪ The traditional Venezuelan cuatro is a small 4-string instrument with a distinctive flush fretboard and wooden tap plate covering the entire upper bout. See our GAL Instrument Plan #58. The author of this article is a working musician and a member of the Venezuelan diaspora. He has developed an electric version of the instrument for playing the evolving music of the Venezuelan culture.

Tuning a Marimba Bar and Resonator

2021
AL#142 p.55               
Max Krimmel                                                                                           

▪ If you are luthier who does not remember the name of Max Krimmel, you might be under age fifty. Max was a pack leader in the early days of the American Lutherie Boom, before he went on to specialize in a few of his many other artistic interests. Anyway, why and article about marimbas? As Max says, “Think of it as deep background learning.”

The Kitchenpunk Resophonic Lap Steel

2020
AL#139 p.48               
Lee Herron                                                                                           

▪ Check it out: a standard cheeze grater is easily adaptable as a guitar tailpiece. But why would you even want to know that? Because you are crafting an electric lap steel guitar on a kitchen theme, obviously! This instrument uses pots, pans, flatware, everything but the kitchen table. Wait a minute…. Yes, it actually does use the kitchen table.

Meet the Maker: John Jordan

2020
AL#140 p.10               
Paul Schmidt   John Jordan                                                                                       

▪ John Jordan was a young guy happily repairing instruments and making guitars when he got a commission to make an experimental electric violin. It turned out well enough to take his career in a new direction. Read his story and see some of his diverse and beautiful work. Mentions Ervin Somogyi, Shelley Rosen, Rolland Colella, Dave Matthews, Boyd Tinsley, nyckelharpa, D’Angelico, D’Aquisto, Neyveli S. Radhakrishna, Miri Ben Ari.

Review: Paredes’ Guitarra Clasica Moderna — Historia, diseno y construccion

2019
AL#137 p.66               
Juan-Oscar Azaret                                                                                           

▪ This new book is a thoroughly illustrated step-by-step method for making classical guitars, using mostly inexpensive small power tools. It also takes a luthier’s look at a dozen different instruments by well-known hand-makers. Yes, it is only in Spanish. But even if you do not read Spanish, our reviewer says you will probably still get a lot out of it. The author of the book, Luis Alberto Paredes Rodriguez, is a long-time Guild member, a GAL Convention presenter, and an AL author. He takes a close look at twelve different guitar designs, by Voboam; Stradivari; Grobert; Lacote; Panormo; Torres; Esteso; Hauser; Ramírez; Fleta; Schneider/Kasha; Romanillos; and Smallman. He goes so far as to build one of each.

Meet the Maker: Shaun Newman

2019
AL#136 p.36               
Mike Gluyas   Shaun Newman                                                                                       

▪ Although he had fallen in love with the classical guitar the first time he heard one as a teenager, Shaun Newman was already well along in a career as a language teacher when he first tried to make one. He was lucky enough to find a mentor in his corner of England, and he has been making and restoring an impressive variety of fine instruments for the last thirty years.

Happy 85th Birthday, Maestro Jose!

2018
AL#134 p.4               
Monica Esparza                                                                                           

▪ There was a party in Spain when luthier, scholar, teacher, and author Jose Romanillos turned 85. Luthiers, musicians, dignitaries gathered to honor him. We get a close-up look through the eyes of his longtime admirer and student Monica Esparza.

Appreciations of Jose Luis Romanillos Vega

2018
AL#134 p.9               
Monica Esparza   Josep Melo   Stefano Grondona   Antigoni Goni                                                                               

▪ Two guitarists and a luthier tell their stories of working with Romanillos.

In Memoriam: Peter Kyvelos

2017
AL#130 p.63               read this article
R.M. Mottola                                                                                           

▪ Kyvelos was a world-respected maker of middle Eastern ouds. See his detailed step-by-step article on oud construction in American Lutherie #94 and American Lutherie #95.

Spanish Students Stop Traffic in Paris

2017
AL#131 p.44               
Paul Ruppa                                                                                           

▪ Without the mandolin orchestra fad of the early 20th-century, we might not see Gibson mandolins today except in museums. The story of the pop-music sensation that triggered that fad is even more curious and unlikely than we have previouosly known. Get the straight poop here. Includes extensive historical references and illustrations.

Lutherie Curmudgeon

2017
AL#129 p.64               
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ Calkin’s manifesto of outlaw lutherie. He says real lutherie can be fun, spontanious, quick, and cheap. Relax. It’s good for you.

Reviews: McDonald’s The Mandolin — A History

2016
AL#128 p.68               
G.D. Armstrong                                                                                           

▪ Graham McDonald has written books about mandolin-family instrument construction as well as speaking at GAL Conventions and writing for AL. Now he has written a book about mandolin history, and long-time GAL member GD Armstrong likes it. John Calkin gives a good review to a recent addition to Robbie O’Brien’s large and deep online lutherie instruction catalog. This one focuses on Kent Carlos Everett’s fret work techniques.

Letter to the Editor: Experimental solidbody guitar by Doc Kauffman

2017
AL#129 p.3               
Leo Bidne                                                                                           

▪ An electric guitar by pioneering designer Doc Kauffman uses a speaker cone in place of a resophonic cone.

Using the Golden Section to Design a Kamanche

2009
AL#98 p.57               read this article
Ahanali Jahandideh   Mitra Jahandideh   Hadi Abbaszadeh   Samad Jahandideh                                                                               

▪ The Kamanche is a Persian bowed instrument with a skin head. The authors use a ratio of the value of phi to define its size, a trick violin makers have used for a long time. With one photo and 4 drawings.

GAL Instrument Plan #60: Two Tuvan Instruments

2009
AL#98 p.44               read this article
Thomas Johnson                                                                                           

▪ The instruments are the igil and the morin khuur. They may figure prominently on the top of the pops in Tuva, but we bet you’ve never heard of them. Obscure instruments are fun and exotic, just like foreign places (where the heck is Tuva, anyway?). Both are fretless and played with a bow. One is covered in goat or fish skin and one is not. Either would have looked right in place in “Conan the Barbarian”. That’s a compliment, not a slight. Full scale plans are available as GAL plan #60. With 4 photos and a mini-plan. See the GAL website for a low-rez preview.

The Colombian Andean Bandola

2008
AL#96 p.34               read this article
Luis-Alberto Paredes-Rodriguez   Manuel-Bernal Martinez                                                                                       

▪ The Andean bandola (isn’t that cool to say? Makes you want to have one) looks like a big 6-course flattop mandolin, though it stems just as much from the guitar. Bandola development went into over drive during the 1960s and continues today. In fact, the authors have developed a bandola family. One version owes a lot to the ever-influential Greg Smallman. With 25 photos, a string gauge chart, and a tuning chart. Includes reduced image of GAL Instrument Plan #59.

Meet the Maker: Graham McDonald

2009
AL#97 p.42               
John Calkin   Graham McDonald                                                                                       

▪ Aussie McDonald has built many sorts of instruments, though he has come to specialize in mandolins and bouzoukis and has written a pair of books about their construction. He has also contributed a number of articles to American Lutherie over the years. It becomes apparent that like is different in Australia. We should all take a field trip there. With 8 photos.

Constructing the Middle Eastern Oud with Peter Kyvelos, Part Two

2008
AL#95 p.18               read this article
R.M. Mottola   Peter Kyvelos                                                                                       

▪ The oud is the Arabic ancestor of the lute, as well as being a popular contemporary instrument in many parts of the world. Part One of this two-part series was printed in AL#94. This part concerns the construction of the soundboard and neck of the instrument. With 33 photos.

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

Constructing the Middle Eastern Oud with Peter Kyvelos, Part One

2008
AL#94 p.8               read this article
R.M. Mottola   Peter Kyvelos                                                                                       

▪ The oud, of course, is the Arabic ancestor of the lute, as well as being a popular contemporary instrument in many parts of the world. Kyvelos has been building them since 1970. The story offers a bit of background on the oud, a few of its recent historical builders, and Kyvelos himself, though most emphasis is placed upon the construction of the instrument. This part mostly concerns the construction of the bowl of the instrument. With 33 photos.

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

The Venezuelan Cuatro

2008
AL#94 p.42               
Aquiles Torres                                                                                           

▪ This instrument is a small 4-string guitar with 14 frets clear of the body and no frets over the body, a flush fretboard, and a large veneer tap plate. Note: the Cuatro built for the article has 17 frets clear of the body. The story includes 38 photos and a shrunken version of GAL Plan #58.

Review: Building the Kamanche by Nasser Shirazi

2007
AL#92 p.64               read this article
Barbara Goldowsky                                                                                           

▪ Mr. Shirazi’s book give clear and precise direction for building all the parts of this Persian instruments, as well as information about building five different body types. This is perhaps the only AL book review that includes a nice interview with the author. With 1 photo.

The Santur

2007
AL#92 p.35               read this article
Javad Naini                                                                                           

▪ The santur is the Persian version of the hammered dulcimer, often tuned to scales that would make it unplayable by Western musicians. With 9 photos and a 2-page version of GAL Plan #56.

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

Construction of the Colombian Tiple

2007
AL#90 p.40               
Anamaria Paredes-Garcia   R.M. Mottola                                                                                       

▪ Cross a 12-string flattop with a classical guitar and you get the Colombian tiple, only the tiple has four courses of three steel strings. Inside, though, it’s a classical. Follow the construction of the instrument in the shop of Alberto Paredes in this photo tour. With 41 photos. Sr. Paredes authored GAL Plan #51, Colombian Tiple. See AL #82.

The Trio Romantico and the Requinto

2007
AL#89 p.34               read this article
C.F. Casey                                                                                           

▪ The requinto is a small classical guitar tuned a forth higher than standard tuning, and is the lead instrument in a form called Trio Romantico. Casey discusses the history of the instrument and offers a plan of one particular example. With 7 photos and a 2-page version of GAL Plan #54.

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

The Imperator

2006
AL#88 p.16               read this article
Alain Bieber                                                                                           

▪ The lyre guitar goes back centuries. Lyre instruments in general go back millennia. The author couldn’t resist resurrecting the harp guitar, bringing it up to current standards. His research covers a wide look at art history as well a guitar history. Fascinating! With 14 photos and 2 drawings.

Meet the Maker: Jose “Pepito” Reyes Zamora

2006
AL#88 p.48               read this article
C.F. Casey   Jose Zamora                                                                                       

▪ Reyes-Zamora is a proud Puerto Rican who made it his business to rescue portions of the country’s history from oblivion. He has specialized in resuscitating the Puerto Rican tiple, an instrument unlike others of the same name. With 6 photos.

Fourth International Puerto Rican Tiple Conference

2006
AL#86 p.54               
C.F. Casey                                                                                           

▪ Luthiers probably believe that quality instruments made in the Western Hemisphere all come from North America because that’s all they hear about. Not so! The Puerto Rican lutherie scene may be small but the luthiers are just as intense about their craft as American and Canadian builders. So what’s a Puerto Rican tiple, anyway? You better read this to find out. Just don’t confuse it with the Martin or Colombian tiple—Puerto Rican luthiers have their pride, too! With 5 photos.

The Irish Bouzouki: A Mandolin on Steroids

2006
AL#85 p.8               
Graham McDonald                                                                                           

▪ McDonald’s forte has become the oversized mandolin called the Irish Bouzouki. Here he unloads a ton of information about building them with flattops and carved tops with several forms of neck attachment and scale lengths, including pin bridge and tailpiece models. Zowie! With 25 photos and 5 drawings.

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

It Worked for Me: Hardanger Fiddle Pegs

2005
AL#83 p.61   BRB7 p.501            
David Golber                                                                                           

▪ Restoring old decorated Hardanger fiddle pegs. You need to preserve the old carved button, so this method involves grafting it to a new shaft.

Measuring Archtop Musical Instruments

2005
AL#83 p.6               
Chris Burt                                                                                           

▪ Do you own or have access to archtop instruments that you’d like to duplicate? Ever wonder why they sound so good, or why they don’t? Use this article to map out the plate thicknesses, arch heights, and neck angles. Measure everything you can get your hands on. Become an expert. Tell your friends how they’re going wrong. Be the hero of your lutherie group.With 6 photos.

Review: Folk Harp Design and Construction by Jeremy H. Brown

2005
AL#83 p.52   BRB7 p.532            read this article
C.F. Casey                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer notes that this book is more about harp construction theory than about actual construction techniques, but decides that that is where the emphasis should be. He notes that the section of string length vs. string tension is especially useful, and that the book as a whole should have an important place on any harp makers’ reference shelf.

Quick Cuts: The Boujmaa Brothers’ Moroccan Lutherie Shop

2005
AL#82 p.54               read this article
Bruce Calder                                                                                           

▪ Take a 2-page, 6-photo journey to a lutherie shop around the world. The ouds and other instruments are vastly different from American Normal and their decoration is almost beyond description.

Teaching the Dream to Sing

2005
AL#82 p.6   BRB7 p.320            
Fred Carlson                                                                                           

▪ Carlson makes some of the world’s coolest, most graceful, and weirdest stringed instruments. Focusing on a harp guitar he calls the Flying Dream he discusses at length how he designs and builds his creations. There is lots of detailed info here that will help you build the instruments you see in your mind, as opposed to the ones for which you can already buy a blueprint. Truly inspirational. With 42 photos and 10 drawings.

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

The Colombian Tiple

2005
AL#82 p.34   BRB7 p.341            
Luis-Alberto Paredes-Rodriguez                                                                                           

▪ Tracking the evolution of Spanish-based South American instruments can be complicated. Fortunately luthiers don’t have to care about it since we live in the present, or at least many of us try to. The Colombian tiple is a four course, 12-string instrument a bit smaller than a classical guitar, and not like the Martin tiple at all. The heart of this article is the 2 page version of GAL plan #51. The text dabbles with instrument history and offers a string gauge chart as well as a family tree of the tiple, bandola, and guitar. The most intriguing text involves the author’s method in compensating the nut when different gauges of strings are used in the same course. With 1 photo.

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

Review: El Tiple Puertorrqueno: Historia, Manual y Metodo by Jose Reyes-Zamora

2005
AL#81 p.58   BRB7 p.527            read this article
C.F. Casey                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer enjoyed this Spanish-only book about the Puerto Rican tiple, which includes the instrument’s history, how to build it, and how to play it.

Review: The Bouzouki Book, by Graham McDonald

2004
AL#80 p.58   BRB7 p.525            read this article
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer found this book about several ways of constructing the Irish bouzouki to be up-to-date, useful, and generally well written, though the huge number of typos bothered him.

Review: The Vihuela de Mano and The Spanish Guitar: A Dictionary of the Makers of Plucked and Bowed Musical Instruments of Spain by Jose L. Romanillos and Marian Harris Winspear

2004
AL#80 p.59   BRB7 p.526            read this article
Bryan Johanson                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer gushes about the detail and quality of research that went into the book, as well as the authors’ enthusiasm for their subjects.

Review: Setar Construction, An Iranian Musical Instrument, by Masser Shirazi

2004
AL#77 p.64               read this article
Marc Connelly                                                                                           

▪ The setar is a “long-necked, fretted, 3-or 4-stringed instrument with a gourd-shaped soundbox,” (reviewer’s description). The reviewer loves this book about how to construct the setar, admires it for its detail and concision, and enjoys the fact that it is printed in both English and Persian script (in 2 sections, not both at once).

Meet the Maker: Jeffrey Yong

2004
AL#78 p.46   BRB7 p.200            
John Calkin   Jeffrey Yong                                                                                       

▪ Yong hails from Malaysia, a country not often associated with fine lutherie. Nevertheless, he makes a lot of instruments that look very contemporary and tasty, and he has access to varieties of wood that would make many of us very envious. With 10 photos.

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.

An Authentic Hurdy-Gurdy

2004
AL#77 p.30   BRB7 p.162            
Wilfried Ulrich                                                                                           

▪ Whether the hurdy-gurdy is a fascination or an abomination is up to each listener, but it has to be built right to be given a fair shot. Ulrich uses historical examples as a basis for his instruments, then modifies them to suit contemporary players. This article contains some hurdy-history, photos of a museum hurdy, and a magazine-size version of GAL Plan #49. Also included are photos and drawings of Ulrich’s hurdy-gurdy, a chart of dimensions for laying out the key box, and a series of drawings to help explain the inner workings of the beast. You, too, can enjoy a bit of history in all its hurdy-glory.

Meet the Maker: Dake Traphagen

2003
AL#75 p.42   BRB7 p.76            
Jonathon Peterson   Dake Traphagen                                                                                       

▪ For those who really make an impact in lutherie complete immersion in the craft is the rule, not the exception. Long days, few breaks, and a lot of work. Traphagan is a good example. Floating to the top of the heap isn’t a simple matter. Still, one can get there while maintaining a sense of humor and a continuing appreciation for the mysteries of the craft, and Traphagan is also a good example of that, too. A really good interview with 10 photos and three diagrams of guitar tops.

Meet the Maker: Do Viet Dung

2003
AL#74 p.40   BRB7 p.66            read this article
Andy DePaule   Do Viet-Dung                                                                                       

▪ A common, if unspoken, theme that runs through AL is how different humans are around the world even though they may share the same work or obsessions. Vietnamese luthier Dung is a prime example. Things are different over there. May we keep sharing, but may we all remain different! With 9 photos.

Some Traditional Vietnamese Instruments

2003
AL#74 p.43   BRB7 p.69            read this article
Andy DePaule                                                                                           

▪ A short discussion that includes the Dan ty ba, Dan guyet, Dan bau, Dan tran, and Dan tam thap luc. With 5 photos.

Meet the Maker: Edward Victor Dick

2002
AL#72 p.24   BRB6 p.404            
Ken Goodwin   Edward-Victor Dick                                                                                       

▪ A Canadian now living in Denver, Dick has a long and varied career as a builder, repairman, and teacher. He builds a wide array of instruments, including some fascinating sound sculptures. The 13 photos illustrate his versatility as a builder and artist.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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: 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.

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.

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.

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’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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Building the Prima Gusli

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

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

The Portuguese Guitarra: A Modern Cittern

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

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

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.

Lutherie in Romania

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

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

Meet the Maker: George Smith

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

▪ Doan describes his collection of oddball zithers.

The Mandolin Orchestra in America, Part Three

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

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

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

Three Legged Bridge

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

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

Review: L’ELAN

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

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

The Mandolin Orchestra in America, Part One

1989
AL#19 p.34   BRB2 p.262            
Joseph-R. Johnson                                                                                           

▪ Mandolin mania in America was a social phenomenon that was inflated to the max by the Gibson Company advertising propaganda. This portion of the series details the rise of the mandolin orchestras and mandolin clubs. With 9 photos and a Gibson cartoon. Part Two and Part Three follow in AL#20 and AL#21.

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

Toward a Classic Guitar Family

1989
AL#18 p.20   BRB2 p.222            
Graham Caldersmith                                                                                           

▪ Caldersmith and the Canberra Guitar Ensemble work toward developing a series of classical guitars to match the range of the violin family.

An Experimental Tenor Violin

1989
AL#18 p.36               read this article
Frederick-C. Lyman-Jr.                                                                                           

▪ Lyman not only comes up with a new instrument, but also writes the article as a lesson in problem solving as he worked toward an uncertain goal.

Review: From the Pages of Experimental Musical Instruments, Vol. III

1988
AL#16 p.55   BRB2 p.493            
Tim Olsen                                                                                           

▪ It’s hard to tell when the reviewer is being enthusiastic or facetious, but I think he likes this cassette collection of odd musical noises (noisy musical oddities?).

The Witten-Rawlins Collection

1988
AL#15 p.56   BRB2 p.100            
Joseph-R. Johnson                                                                                           

▪ Johnson offers a brief note about the Witten-Rawlins collection that was recently acquired by the Shrine to Music Museum. With photos and a museum checklist.

Review: The Shrine to Music Museum — A Pictorial Souvenir

1988
AL#15 p.69   BRB2 p.492            
Tim Olsen                                                                                           

▪ The Shrine to Music Museum holds some of the world’s most important collections of musical instruments. This inexpensive volume is not only a great souvenir to those who have visited the museum, but a valuable research resource.

Review: From the Pages of Experimental Musical Instruments, Volume II

1988
AL#13 p.57   BRB2 p.490            
Tim Olsen                                                                                           

▪ Olsen admits to an interest in odd musical noises. This cassette gets his approval as “interesting,” and not a lot more.

The Sami-Sen

1987
AL#12 p.18   BRB1 p.452            read this article
Nicholas-Von Robison                                                                                           

▪ Robison offers description, anecdotes, 4 photos, and a drawing of an instrument that might be crudely described as a Japanese 3-string banjo. The plans are a shrunken version of our full-scale Plan #16.

Electric Violin: The New Frontier

1987
AL#12 p.50               read this article
George Manno                                                                                           

▪ Manno examines the Zeta JV-205 and the EV-5 Barrett electric violins and finds them exceptional. High marks go to both, but especially to the Zeta.

Repairing the Sitar

1987
AL#11 p.24   BRB1 p.432            read this article
Dave Schneider                                                                                           

▪ Don’t take that repair job without this article! One question remains unanswered: why does sanding the finish of a sitar release such a strong smell of tobacco?

American Plucked String Instruments at the Shrine to Music Museum

1987
AL#10 p.44   BRB1 p.398            
Joseph-R. Johnson                                                                                           

▪ This is a checklist of what to look for when you get there. Also, a reason to go.

Non-Traditional Aesthetics in Lutherie: Developing a New Design

1987
AL#11 p.8               
Steve Klein                                                                                           

▪ The following four articles demonstrate how innovation and individual flair can lead to instruments that don’t resemble the rest of the pack.

Marvels Among the Reeds

1987
AL#11 p.10   BRB1 p.419            read this article
Susan Norris                                                                                           

▪ Norris offers no details about her asymmetric 10-string fiddle, but the one good photo adds much to a delightful little article.

Review: From the Pages of Experimental Musical Instruments, Volume 1 by Experimental Musical Instruments

1987
AL#9 p.56   BRB1 p.500            read this article
Tim Olsen                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer is enthusiastic about the mind-opening possibilities of this booklet/cassette combination.

Building the Tar

1987
AL#10 p.30   BRB1 p.382            read this article
Nasser Shirazi                                                                                           

▪ The tar (or Persian banjo) is a classical Iranian instrument, the body of which is carved from a mulberry log and covered in lambskin. The neck traditionally incorporates rams horn and camel bone. Exotic, fascinating, wonderfully politically incorrect. Some alternate materials are listed for those who can’t wait for their camel to die. With 6 photos, 2 sketches, and a scaled down version of GAL Plan #14.

Letter to the Editor: Shirazi Article AL#4

1986
AL#8 p.5               
David Golber                                                                                           

▪ Golber adds information to the Shirazi article about the Persian kamanche (AL#4). Specifically, what kind of skin is traditionally used for the soundboard of the instrument.

Hardanger Fiddle

1986
AL#7 p.24               
E.M. Peters                                                                                           

▪ A brief description of a typical Norwegian fiddle accompanies Peters’ plans for the same, along with a photo of two Hardangers and a drawing of useful ornamentations. The plans are a reduced version of our full-scale Plan #11. Hardangers utilize a set of sympathetic strings and may be tuned in over twenty ways.

Review: The Early History of the Viol by Ian Woodfield

1986
AL#5 p.53   BRB1 p.495            read this article
Christopher Allworth                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds the book to be “important and useful” to builders who wish to pursue the early viols.

Luthiers’ Hotline

1986
AL#6 p.51               
Bill Hultgren                                                                                           

▪ Hultgren mentions a source for elephant ivory, though he finds its use unethical. He also warns that anthrax can be contracted from working with infected ivory, and that most American doctors will not recognize its symptoms. St. Croix instrument kits get a nod of approval.

The Cimbalom

1986
AL#5 p.38   BRB1 p.186            read this article
Alexander-I. Eppler                                                                                           

▪ Eppler describes the most sophisticated member of the hammered dulcimer family, but offers no construction information.

Luthier’s Hotline

1985
AL#4 p.50               
Bill Hultgren                                                                                           

▪ Hultgren offers quick advice about obtaining instrument kits and why one should use them, and mentions two sources of used instruments.

Review: Geometry, Proportion, and the Art of Lutherie

1985
AL#4 p.53   BRB1 p.492            read this article
R.E. Brune                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds that this book about Renaissance and Baroque stringed instruments is “the most intense 178 pages of treatise on the art of lutherie. . . . Lots of math, and “exquisite” drawings of 33 instruments.

Building the Kamanche

1985
AL#4 p.27   BRB1 p.126            read this article
Nasser Shirazi                                                                                           

▪ Shirazi offers a history of the Persian bowed instrument as well as plans and construction advice. The kamanche is a four-stringed neck attached to a gourd. The plans are a reduced version of our full-scale Plan #9.

Embarrassing Moments in Lutherie

1985
AL#1 p.53               
Carl McFarland                                                                                           

▪ McFarland drilled up through the face of a finished tamburah when drilling holes for string anchors in the tail area of the sides.

Handmaking Zither Pins

1983
DS#246   BRB2 p.455            
Bruce Day                                                                                           

▪ Tuning pins on antique zithers are different and larger than modern steel pins. Fortunately they are not hard to make. Here’s how, including 2 drawings.

GAL Instrument Plan #3: Irish Bouzouki

1982
DS#230   BRB2 p.462            
Rich Westerman                                                                                           

▪ Westerman was among the first to produce quantities of Irish bouzoukis, or citterns. Here he offers an explanation of his design, as well as a blueprint for the instrument. The plans are available as GAL Instrument Plan #3.

In Search of the Lost Cobza

1981
GALQ Vol.9#3 p.20   BRB2 p.458            
Hardy-B. Menagh                                                                                           

▪ The cobza is an obsolete, nearly-neckless lute from Romania. The author capitulates his efforts to track one down while touring the cobza’s homeland. With 3 photos.

Constructing a Medieval Lyre

1981
DS#195   BRB2 p.258            
John Taye                                                                                           

▪ There must certainly be more than one way to make a lyre, especially since the instrument was never standardized. Taye uses a series of drawings, a blueprint, and a photo to help explain how he chose his version and how he builds them.

Folk Harp Design

1980
DS#156   BRB2 p.284            
R.L. Robinson                                                                                           

▪ Robinson was a champion of the folk harps long before the current Celtic music craze. He built a lot of harps, and had some strong opinions about how it should be done. With a photo and 14 drawings.

Hurdy-Gurdies

1980
DS#134   BRB2 p.298            
Alan Carruth                                                                                           

▪ There’s nothing like a hurdy-gurdy to help you win the hearts of the damsels at a Renaissance fair. Carruth offers helpful advice about making one that even plays music! Turn that crank and relive the Middle Ages! With 5 drawings.

Basic Sitar Repair

1979
DS#115   BRB1 p.94            
Thom Lipiczky                                                                                           

▪ Sitars are wonderful to look at, strange to hold, lovely to listen to, and peculiar to repair and set up.These days, when vintage instrument values make repair a high-risk endeavor, Lipiczky’s offbeat cures for broken gourds and loose frets are a breath of fresh air. Sitar repair has no doubt advanced since 1979, but we’ll have to take what we can get as far as instruction is concerned. The Indian words make for exotic reading, and the chart of string gauges may save your bacon one strange day.

Manuel Davila: Renaissance Man

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

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