Tag Archives: Greven¸ John

How I build Forty Eight Guitars a Year- With Almost No Tooling- Part 2

2014
AL#118 p.18      ALA4 p.66         
John Greven                                                                                           

▪ John Greven is famous for making a lot of guitars in his basement, all by himself, with a very limited set of tools. Greven gives us the step-by-step rundown. Part One was in American Lutherie #117. Part Two is the final installment and takes us up through the binding, the construction of the neck, inlay, and finishing. From his 2011 GAL convention workshop.

How I build Forty Eight Guitars a Year- With Almost No Tooling- Part 1

2014
AL#117 p.6      ALA4 p.66         
John Greven                                                                                           

▪ John Greven discusses the application of his 3 tiered system (rough assembly, finesse, finish) throughout his 50 year career, which involves building 6 to 8 guitars at a time. From his 2011 convention workshop. The second and final part of this series is in AL#118.

Thoughts on 12-String Guitars

2013
AL#113 p.50               
Roger-Alan Skipper   Dana Bourgeois   Frank Ford   Charles Freeborn   David Freeman   Evan Gluck   John Greven   George Gruhn   Arnold M.J. Hennig   Bruce Petros   Andy Powers   Tim Shaw   Marc Silber   Robert Steinegger                                       

▪ 13 builders discuss various aspects of 12-string guitars.

Hearing Voices: A Recipe for Voicing the Steel String Guitar

2013
AL#114 p.6               
John Greven                                                                                           

▪ John Greven on voicing steel string guitars based on the criteria: power, responsiveness, projection, articulation, depth of tone, and sustain. From his 2011 GAL convention workshop.

Recreating the Vintage Martin Peghead Joint

2010
AL#102 p.28      ALA1 p.50         
John Greven   Charles Freeborn                                                                                       

▪ Greven and Freeborn demonstrate their methods for accomplishing the original complicated and elegant Martin head/neck joint.

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

Questions: Industry Pricing Standards

2007
AL#92 p.66               
Dana Bourgeois   Mark Campellone   John Greven                                                                                   

▪ Pricing standards and retail price structure varies and is negotiable between builder and retailer. Figures are discussed.

Questions: Linings and Corner Blocks

2004
AL#77 p.68   BRB7 p.107            
John Greven   Eugene Clark   Charles Fox   Greg Byers   Gernot Wagner                                                                           

▪ A rationale, acoustic or structural, for single blocks VS solid linings VS kerfed linings between the sides and back and the sides and top when building a first guitar.

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.

Decorative Guitar Heel Carving

2003
AL#75 p.56   BRB7 p.100            
John Greven                                                                                           

▪ Heel carving is one of the few decorative effects usually permitted on steel string guitars. Carved heels look cool and, according to Greven, aren’t that hard to do. The tools required are minimal and the impact on the instrument large, a really fine combination. With 11 photos.

Waterborne Solutions

2003
AL#73 p.24               read this article
Mike Doolin   John Greven                                                                                       

▪ Finding good water-based instrument finishes becomes more important as luthiers (and various state and federal government agencies) become more health conscious. The authors are both Portland people, and by trying different materials and application techniques and then combining their discoveries they have made big leaps toward finding the perfect alternative to lacquer. With 9 photos.

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

Greven Images

2002
AL#72 p.8   BRB6 p.438            
John Greven                                                                                           

▪ Greven’s inlay work specializes in large easily repeatable designs highlighted by engraving of a photographic quality. His pearl-cutting techniques are pretty strange, but no one can argue with the quality of the finished work. With 18 photos and a pair of drawings of graver types and angles.