Tag Archives: Carruth¸ Alan

In Memoriam: Don Bradley

2016
AL#127 p.71               read this article
Deb Olsen   Chris Herrod   Alan Carruth   Fred Carlson                                                                               

▪ Ouch. It’s tough to lose an old friend like good ol’ Don Bradley. Maker of frequency generators, keeper of llamas, attender of GAL Conventions, super great guy.

Wood Stiffness: An Analysis of a Substantial Sample of Woods of Interest to Guitar Makers

2016
AL#125 p.20               
James Blilie   Alan Carruth                                                                                       

▪ Blilie and Carruth examine the stiffness and density of individual wood samples, making the process more quantifiable.

Hunting the Elusive Guitar Wolf

2013
AL#114 p.42               
Alan Carruth                                                                                           

▪ Carruth examines the guitar wolf, (a ‘bad’ note linked to some feature of the resonant structure of the instrument or strings) where it lurks, and how to deal with it in an organized fashion.

Meet the Maker: Alan Carruth

2012
AL#112 p.40               
Tom Harper   Alan Carruth                                                                                       

▪ The curious and driven mind of Alan Carruth and the application of this curiosity to all aspects of the musical instrument world for over 30 years.

Letter to the Editor: Technical qualm with Jim Blilie’s article in AL#100

2010
AL#101 p.4               read this article
Alan Carruth                                                                                           

▪ More than minor disagreements with points in Blilie’s overall excellent article in AL#100, stiffness and density-relation among them.

Questions: String Tension and Purity of Tone

2009
AL#99 p.68               read this article
Alan Carruth                                                                                           

▪ Alan Carruth checks the relationship between higher tension and purer tone by mounting plain steel strings on a test rig.

Questions: North American Wood

2008
AL#94 p.66               
Mark French   Ned Steinberger   Alan Carruth                                                                                   

▪ Synthetic fretboard materials such as phenolic-impregnated kraft paper laminate as an alternative to tropical hardwoods.

The “Corker” Guitar: A Sideport Experiment

2008
AL#94 p.56               
Alan Carruth                                                                                           

▪ Carruth built a classical guitar with many ports cut in the side. By closing the ports with corks in various combinations he tested the usefulness of sideports and tried to establish the physics behind their use. Though this guitar did not make a believer out of him, he admits that his results are somewhat inconclusive. With one photo and a slew of charts and figures concerning the air modes of his guitar with various sideports open.

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

Meet the Maker: Carleen Hutchins

2006
AL#86 p.32               read this article
Alan Carruth   Carleen Hutchins                                                                                       

▪ Even if you couldn’t care less about violins you will be fascinated by this woman’s life. She has built and studied bowed instruments for as long as anyone, and her contributions to the field may be beyond estimating. If everyone’s life was as busy and fulfilling as Hutchins’ the world would be a far different place than it is. With 4 photos and relative drawings of the 8 instruments in the new violin family.

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

The New Violin Family

2006
AL#86 p.36               
Alan Carruth                                                                                           

▪ Specifications and diagrams for the members of the New Violin Octete developed by Carleen Hutchins and the Catgut Acoustical Society.

Octet 2005: First Convention of the New Violin Family Association

2006
AL#85 p.44               
Alan Carruth                                                                                           

▪ A few people have long struggled to expand the violin family from four members to perhaps eight. There isn’t airtight agreement here. But the family is growing. This description of the 2005 convention seems to explain how successful the new sprouts on the family tree might be,. With 1 photo,

Questions: Measuring Guitar Efficiency

2003
AL#73 p.66   BRB7 p.22            
Alan Carruth                                                                                           

▪ A method of measuring an acoustic guitar’s efficiency that can be performed by the average luthier without the resources of a fully equipped lab.

It Worked for Me: Removing White Glue

1996
AL#45 p.57   BRB4 p.499            
Alan Carruth                                                                                           

▪ An alternative method for removing white glue is the use of acetic acid, handy where the use of steam would be objectionable.

Paradoxes in Guitar Acoustics

1996
AL#45 p.22   BRB4 p.285            
Alan Carruth                                                                                           

▪ How is it that some makers build consistently superior guitars even though, scientifically speaking, they have no direct control over the thing that makes them superior (high frequency response)? Carruth is a long-time researcher and acoustician. This 1995 lecture transcription is about the design compromises that luthiers face while pursuing the ultimate guitar. With 6 drawings and 2 photos.

HD-28 Soundboard Replacement

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

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

Catguts and Glitter and Horsehair on Bowsticks

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

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

The Anti-Murphy Concert

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

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

Free Plate Tuning, Part Three: Guitars

1992
AL#30 p.16   BRB3 p.136            read this article
Alan Carruth                                                                                           

▪ Accessibility and usefulness are the keys to this segment of Carruth’s study. He addresses the archtop, flattop, and classical guitars, and even builds a flattop out of oak to compare its tuning modes to conventional tonewoods. With many mode diagrams and plate graduation charts. Too many scientific studies leave the luthier asking, “So what do you want me to do?” Carruth offers some real-world suggestions. Parts One and Two were in AL#28 and AL#29.

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

Free Plate Tuning, Part Two: Violins

1992
AL#29 p.42   BRB3 p.136            read this article
Alan Carruth                                                                                           

▪ Carruth tries to keep it light as he describes the glitter dances that should improve your violins, and even sheds light on cello plate tuning. If you feel threatened by the dryness of science just relax and give it a try. Carruth is on your side. Really. With a whole bunch of drawings. Part One was in AL#28. Part Three follows in AL#30. The entire series appears in BRB3.

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

Free Plate Tuning, Part One: Theory

1991
AL#28 p.18   BRB3 p.136            read this article
Alan Carruth                                                                                           

▪ Most acoustic scientists are not prepared to reduce their work to a plane-by-the-numbers chart of an instrument top.Neither is Carruth. It remains to be seen what improvements free plate tuning will offer to the average guitar, but there is every chance that luthiers who ignore the work as an inartistic invasion of their craft and art will be left in the dust. Carruth invites you to get on board right now. Parts Two and Three are in AL#29 and AL#30. The entire series apperas together in BRB3.

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

Opinion

1990
AL#22 p.50               
Alan Carruth                                                                                           

▪ Carruth is a champion and practitioner of acoustic science. Here, he defends his field against artistic criticism.

Violin Bridge Holder

1986
AL#7 p.54   BRB1 p.439            
Alan Carruth                                                                                           

▪ Carruth describes a fixture he uses to hold a violin bridge while it is being tuned. It will save your fingers and help prevent cracking the bridge.

Hardening and Tempering Steel

1984
DS#291   LT p.16            
Alan Carruth                                                                                           

▪ General process of identifying and heat treating steel for use in edge tools.

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

Violin Bridge Tuning

1982
DS#224   BRB2 p.349            
Alan Carruth                                                                                           

▪ Unhappily, a new violin bridge is just an unusable flake of wood. You not only need to adjust it for proper action but tune it to help bring the most out of the instrument. Here’s how. With 5 drawings.

Sanding Board Tip

1981
DS#199   LW p.95            
Alan Carruth                                                                                           

▪ The author offers a simple trick for making flat-bottom sanding blocks. Includes a drawing.

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.