Liutaio Mottola Lutherie Information Website
Back when he had what his testy creditors so callously refer to as “a real job,” R.M. Mottola was an engineer. He now spends his time turning expensive wood into heaps of expensive sawdust, out of which emerges the occasional musical instrument.
▪ bio current as of 2002
2023
AL#148 p.63
R.M. Mottola
▪ Legit scientist Graham Caldersmith was an early GAL member and a prolific author for us and other journals. Those articles have now been gathered and published in a book. Our reviewer talks about the book, and about Caldersmiths position in the lutherie literature.
2022
AL#145 p.48
R.M. Mottola
▪ Mottola precisely describes his process for slotting a nut. All the spacing work is done on-screen, then printed out to make a template for the bench work.
2021
AL#144 p.4
R.M. Mottola
▪ Berge seeks plans for small classical guitars, suitable for kids. Readers suggest he look at commercially available student models and draw his own plans. Hope that was helpful.
2021
AL#143 p.60
R.M. Mottola
▪ Mottola gives short, not-too-technical summaries of two articles recently published online by Savart Journal. In the first, Mark French et al. take on the fraught task of “Comparing Subjective and Objective Data from a Pool of Classical Guitars.” In the second, Gabriele Caselli et al. present an “Analysis of Violin Combination Tones and their Contribution to Tartini’s Third Tone.”
2020
AL#141 p.62
R.M. Mottola
▪ Pickguard outlines are like body shapes; you could copy them, or you could sketch them freehand. Or, if you are serious about it, you could construct them geometrically. Mottola gives us step-by-step instructions for drawing a pickguard to fit any size or shape of guitar to get that authentic traditional look.
2020
AL#141 p.70
R.M. Mottola
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2019
AL#138 p.69
R.M. Mottola
▪ Can you chemically age new brass hardware? Probably not. Modern brass stuff has a bomb-proof coating that you can’t wash off.
2020
AL#139 p.3
R.M. Mottola
▪ Fixing a boo-boo.
2019
AL#138 p.48
R.M. Mottola
▪ Sometimes when a vintage instrument is being restored, you want to leave a few of the dings and a lttle of the funk, just for authentic flavor. Sometimes you want to leave the big dings and all the funk, and end up with something that is very tasty to a certain sophisticated palate. Mottola takes a century-old beater and ends up with a sweet-playing silk purse disguised as a sow’s ear. Mentions B&J, Buegeleisen and Jacobson, Oscar Schmidt, and Stella. Instrument is ladder-braced.
2019
AL#136 p.69
R.M. Mottola
▪ Can you still get Bradley signal generators, the kind used for glitter-testing instruments and instrument parts, now that Don Bradley has passed away? No, but there are many more-modern alternatives.
2019
AL#137 p.58
R.M. Mottola
▪ Mottola gives short, not-too-technical summaries of two articles recently published on-line by Savart Journal. The first is an update of frequent author Mark French’s efforts to define stringed instrument body outlines by use of math equations. The second looks at what can be learned about lutherie wood by reading ancient Chinese texts.
2018
AL#135 p.67
R.M. Mottola
▪ Info on slotting a fretboard to have 24 frets to the octave.
2019
AL#136 p.48
R.M. Mottola
▪ What’s the scale length? Isn’t it just twice the distance from the nut to the 12th fret? Yeah, kinda, but there can be a lot of complicating factors when working on old instruments. Like maybe the nut position was compensated, or just cut wrong. Or maybe the 12th fret was a little off. The fret positions might have been calculated using the old rule of 18. Here’s how to find out what’s really going on.
2018
AL#133 p.22
R.M. Mottola Mark French
▪ Mark French was a kid who took guitar lessons and paid the guy at the music store to change his strings. He went on to be an aerospace engineer, but with all that book learning he still did not know how guitars worked. Now he teaches college courses on guitar making and hangs out with captains of industry at Fender and Taylor.
2017
AL#131 p.71
R.M. Mottola
▪ How do I find the best compensation angle compromise for a steel string guitar saddle slot?
2017
AL#132 p.3
R.M. Mottola
▪ Mottola collected some data about string length compensation at the 2017 GAL Convention. He promises to publish soon.
2017
AL#132 p.50
R.M. Mottola
▪ Louis Panormo was a popular and influential instrument maker in mid-19th-century London. Some of the features of his guitars and the methods he must have used to produce them can be puzzling to 21st-century luthiers raised on the ideas and standards which have come down to us from Antonio Torres and his disciples. Author Mottola builds a Panormo replica and takes the opportunity to speculate on the master’s motivations.
2017
AL#130 p.62 read this article
R.M. Mottola
▪ Jim Mouradian, shown here with his son Jon, ran a guitar repair shop and made electric basses. He was a generous and happy mentor to many.
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.
2017
AL#129 p.52
R.M. Mottola
▪ Grab a piece of paper and a pencil. See if you can find that old plastic triangle. Mottola steps you through the process of actually drawing the outline of an Orchestra Model guitar. Keep a candle handy. If the power goes out you can keep working.
2017
AL#129 p.68
John Calkin R.M. Mottola
▪ There is no company offering a torrifying service, but maybe you can do something similar in a home oven. I said maybe. Don’t blame the GAL if you make a stinking mess. Or worse.
2017
AL#130 p.52
R.M. Mottola
▪ Did ancient folk know what they were doing? Or did they just have the bad luck to be born too soon? This article can’t settle that question definitively, but it does give some new and helpful information for luthiers. Graphs compare the pitch accuracy of fret scales calculated by the 12th-root-of-2 method vs the Rule-of-18 method. Appropriate string length compensation is considered.
2016
AL#127 p.67
R.M. Mottola
▪ Where do you get cases for huge custom flattop basses?
2016
AL#126 p.60
R.M. Mottola
▪ RM describes, in plain English, the contents of two new articles of original research. In the first, high-powered microscopes are used to see if strings really do “wear out” or just get gunked up. In the other, a bunch of spruce samples are carefully finished and tested to see if different types of finish have different effects on acoustic damping.
2016
AL#126 p.52
R.M. Mottola
▪ These simple jigs and techniques will help you quickly and easily get the alignment of a bolt-on guitar neck just right.
2015
AL#121 p.58
R.M. Mottola
▪ RM Mottola works to build bridges between the dusty bustle of the lutherie shop and the bookish clutter of the egghead’s cubicle. (If the word “math” does not evoke a shuddering fear based on high-school humiliation, check out the Savart Journal, an online research publication hosted by the GAL.) RM describes, in plain English, the contents of two new articles of original research.
2015
AL#121 p.68
R.M. Mottola
▪ Conversion formula for modeling the relationship between the torque on a bolt and the clamping pressure of the bolt in threaded inserts.
2014
AL#119 p.54
R.M. Mottola
▪ Remember the good old Versa Vise? They don’t make it any more. Boo! But now Garrett Wade makes a similar unit. Yay! Is it any good? Mottola takes a close look and delivers his report.
2014
AL#118 p.68
R.M. Mottola
▪ Reading up on the subjects of psychoacoustics, human sensory evaluation, music synthesis, audio electronics, and magic, in order to provide some insight on general guitar acoustics.
2014
AL#118 p.70
R.M. Mottola
▪ Mottola translates the arcane jargon of this article for us general readers.
2014
AL#118 p.70
R.M. Mottola
▪ Mottola translates the arcane jargon of this article for us general readers.
2014
AL#117 p.48
R.M. Mottola
▪ An examination of varnish techniques to create the illusion of aged instruments and other aesthetic effects.
2014
AL#117 p.60
R.M. Mottola
▪ Guitar-making in Nineteenth Century London by James Westbrook is reviewed by R.M. Mottola, who discusses research and techniques in his own building of 19th century instruments.
2014
AL#117 p.69
R.M. Mottola
▪ Building a guitar in which the neck attaches to the body as a banjo neck attaches to it’s rim and a soundboard bracing to accommodate this.
2013
AL#116 p.63
R.M. Mottola
▪ The second book on guitar technology from Mark French, Purdue mechanical engineering technology professor, presented in a more generally accessible, less math intensive manner than the previous volume.
2013
AL#114 p.62
R.M. Mottola
▪ Short, not too technical summaries of selected research on violin arching curves, comparing violins to the human voice, and the initial behavior of nylon guitar strings.
2012
AL#112 p.70
R.M. Mottola
▪ Identifying pictured Gibson manufacturing molds.
2012
AL#112 p.20
R.M. Mottola Antoine Coupal Dalgleish Gabriel Marcotte Colin Prevost-Lemire Pascal Scott Vincent Cleroux
▪ A profile of the entire Bruand School graduating class of 2011, a private lutherie school affiliated with L’Institut des Metiers d’Art of the college Du Vieux-Montreal, based in Montreal. All six graduates attended the 2011 convention exhibition.
2012
AL#110 p.71
R.M. Mottola
▪ Cutting, shaping, and fretting phenolic resin guitar fingerboards.
2012
AL#111 p.32
R.M. Mottola
▪ A study of the geometric relationship between the fretboard of the flattop guitar and the top of the instrument.
2012
AL#109 p.44
John Calkin R.M. Mottola
▪ Mottola is involved in various lutherie activities including electrical engineering, experimental instrument building, and technical writing and reporting for American Lutherie magazine.
2012
AL#109 p.58
R.M. Mottola
▪ A milestone in ‘how to’ lutherie publications on the construction of flattop guitars, packaged in two large volumes: one on design and one on construction.
2012
AL#109 p.64
R.M. Mottola
▪ Short, not too technical summaries of topics including violin bowing direction, violin arching profiles, optimizing guitar vibration mode, and damping in wound guitar strings.
2011
AL#108 p.56 ALA2 p.76
R.M. Mottola
▪ A production technique using a bridge mask applied to the guitar top before finishing, which decreases screw-up potential.
2011
AL#106 p.54 ALA2 p.62
R.M. Mottola
▪ A new method for clamping the binding of a guitar into its recess while the glue dries, involving an MDF frame and rubber wedges.
2011
AL#105 p.65
R.M. Mottola
▪ Building an acoustic bass with a very small body.
2011
AL#106 p.5
R.M. Mottola
▪ The Savart Journal is an open access online journal featuring research articles on all aspects of science and technology of musical instruments.
2010
AL#104 p.68
R.M. Mottola
▪ Finding 190 proof ethanol or ethyl alcohol (everclear) in New York.
2011
AL#105 p.38
R.M. Mottola
▪ Mottola explains the water content, liquor taxes, sources, and denaturants of alcohols used as solvents in French polishing.
2010
AL#103 p.60 read this article
R.M. Mottola
▪ An enhancement to the model for drawing guitar body outline halves presented in AL#97.
2010
AL#101 p.54
R.M. Mottola
▪ The author concludes that the inserts “for metal” are more effective for application when using threaded inserts to bolt necks onto flattop guitars.
2009
AL#99 p.60 read this article
R.M. Mottola
▪ Do you know why certain parts of our lives can’t be altered? Because smarter people than us are in control. If you are artistic enough, you can lay out a nice guitar shape with just a pencil and paper. If you are smart enough (not that being smart negates the possibility of artistic talent) you can use geometric forms and even a computer to shape a graceful guitar. If you are neither artistic nor smart you’ll have to copy something that’s already been done. This story is for smart people. With 12 drawings.
2009
AL#98 p.70 read this article
R.M. Mottola
▪ A generally accepted yet arguable assertion is that the higher the string tension, the more pure the tone.
2009
AL#97 p.52 read this article
R.M. Mottola
▪ No, you won’t find plans for any particular instrument here, or even any plan in the conventional GAL sense. This article is about intelligently laying out the body shape of a guitar using 11 parameters. Don’t let your brain glaze over yet, this isn’t about geometry or classical design theory, it’s about using simple design elements to create graceful body shapes using several historical outlines guitars as examples and then moving on to shapes you might create to make the guitar more beautiful or efficient (to you, at least). There is some math (horrors!) but of a simple variety mostly embodying ratios. Have you ever built a guitar from a freehand drawing and found that it wasn’t quite the work of art you intended? Well, you don’t have to do that any more. With 16 drawings, a chart, and a photo.
2009
AL#97 p.68
R.M. Mottola
▪ Information on oval rosette jigs appears in AL#41, pg. 34 and BRBAL#4, pg. 140, ‘Making Oval Mandolin Rosettes’ by Jonathon Peterson.
2009
AL#98 p.46
John Svizzero R.M. Mottola
▪ Both authors made their own CNC machines, which impresses the heck out of us. The coolest thing about CNC fret slotting, aside from the dead certain accuracy, is the ability to cut slots with blind ends. Unbound fretboards can look bound. All the machine specs you’ll need to duplicate their efforts are included, and even us dummies can grasp what they’re about. With 4 photos.
2008
AL#96 p.54 ALA3 p.25
R.M. Mottola
▪ Do you believe that soundports on the side of a guitar make a difference to the sound perception of the guitarist? Do you believe they don’t? Either way, you should consider the facts presented in this article. It may change the way you build guitars, but it won’t give you more faith in the hearing of humans, even of professional musicians. With 1 photo and 3 charts.
2008
AL#94 p.64
R.M. Mottola
▪ The builder followed the work of Greg Smallman in this lattice-braced guitar, though he omitted the carbon fiber used in Smallman’s designs. He found the system to be so successful that he abandoned traditional brace patterns in subsequent guitars. With 4 photos.
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.
2008
AL#93 p.67
R.M. Mottola Tim Olsen
▪ Determining the scale length of an instrument from a piece of the fingerboard.
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.
2007
AL#92 p.67
Tom Nelligan R.M. Mottola
▪ Highly specialized low frequency ultrasonic instruments can be used to measure the thickness of the skin of the top on a fully assembled instrument without damaging the top.
2007
AL#90 p.67 ALA2 p.35
R.M. Mottola
▪ A gauge that can measure any radius and be used to directly read the radius of any curve.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
2007
AL#91 p.52
R.M. Mottola
▪ Using as-identical-as-possible mock guitars and scientific instruments the author concludes that bolt-on necks sustain longer than either neck-through or glued-in necks, but that there was no discernible difference in sustain perceptible to the humans used as test subjects — pretty surprising results. With 7 photos, 2 graphs, and three spectrographs.
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.
2007
AL#89 p.56
R.M. Mottola
▪ Most repair people know that on a fretboard with a tight radius the upper frets have to be milled flatter than the first frets if the player wants to bend strings without “fret-out.” Most just file several times until the get the results they are after. What they are really doing is trying to turn the playing surface into a conical section. Mottola’s method is more precise. Consider it the thinking man’s way to dress frets for the most optimum action. With 7 figures, 6 photos, and a chart.
2007
AL#89 p.67
James Westbrook R.M. Mottola
▪ A source for fret wire in repairing an old guitar in which the frets are thin flat bars on their sides with barbs at the bottom.
2006
AL#88 p.42 ALA1 p.68
R.M. Mottola
▪ Have you got design ideas that are radical or just untried? Perhaps you should toss together a trial instrument before you risk squandering valuable time on a master work that doesn’t work. Here’s how, with an emphasis on building with plywood and even Formica. With 10 photos and a drawing.
2006
AL#87 p.40
R.M. Mottola
▪ Parametric solid modeling is a usable step between computer aided design and computer aided manufacturing. It permits a three-dimensional picture of a part to be made. A CNC machine doesn’t need it, but a designer might in order to better visualize what it is the machine is about to make. If this makes no sense to you, welcome aboard. But CAD/CAM/CNC-made instrument parts are here to stay, even for small shops. Understanding the process will give you an edge over the stick-in-the-muds who can’t be bothered. With 9 illustrations.
2006
AL#87 p.65
R.M. Mottola
▪ A string that can be put on a 17″ scale length instrument with an after length to the tailpiece of about 6″ that is strong enough to reach a mandolin E tuning without breaking.
2006
AL#86 p.42
R.M. Mottola
▪ Strict traditions have hampered the evolution of musical instrument decoration, but the creativity of some luthiers will not be held back. Make your logos on your computer. Iron your labels right onto the wood. Engrave decorations with a desktop CNC. We haven’t begun to try what might be done, but this article might awaken you to the possibilities. With 21 photos.
2006
AL#85 p.63
R.M. Mottola
▪ Changing the depth of a guitar’s ribs to modify the manner in which the bindings are fitted to the binding ledge.
2005
AL#84 p.22 BRB7 p.386
R.M. Mottola
▪ Instruments with domed plates must have the rib assembly altered to accept the topography of the plates. This can be done after assembly or before bending. The author offers an overview of how either can be accomplished.
2005
AL#83 p.59 BRB7 p.473
R.M. Mottola
▪ Typical instrument dimensions for guitars, mandolins, violins, etc for use in CAD drafting.
2005
AL#82 p.38 BRB7 p.344
R.M. Mottola
▪ It’s not necessary to understand the physics of sound to be a great instrument maker, but it can’t hurt. Many of us would like to believe that we succeed using experience and strong intuition and don’t need science. Maybe an analytical mind just gets in the way, no? Or maybe the science guys are just smarter than the rest of us and we need an excuse not to stand in the same light that they do. Who knows? Anyhow, the Helmholtz resonance is the lowest vibratory mode of an instrument, though not necessarily the lowest note that instrument is capable of. All the rest of sound physics is built on top of the Helmholtz resonance, and Mottola devolves the science enough for the rest of us to understand. It’s fun but in the end it’s not clear that it really matters. For the few among us with operational math brains all the formulas are presented in a sidebar.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
2005
AL#82 p.41 BRB7 p.348
R.M. Mottola
▪ Here’s the numbers and how to use them.
2005
AL#81 p.59 BRB7 p.528 read this article
R.M. Mottola
▪ The right side of the brain is creative and the left side is analytical. It’s nice when they can work together, but for most of us one side or the other is dominant. The reviewer (who is admittedly left-brained) would like even right-brained luthiers to read this book, though he admits that they may struggle. Intelligent people shouldn’t ignore any source of information that may improve their work. Those who become luthiers to escape from real work may not grasp this concept.
2004
AL#80 p.22 BRB7 p.248
R.M. Mottola
▪ Savart built a simplified violin that apparently sounded very good. This was long ago. The author uses Savart’s general principles to build a much simplified upright bass that compares to the traditional design in sound. But the scale length is 34″, and it can use electric bass guitar strings if desired. An interesting concept and a cool looking instrument. With 14 photos. Included is a one-page version of GAL Plan #50 of Mottola’s bass.
2004
AL#80 p.27 BRB7 p.253
R.M. Mottola
▪ A full-scale instrument plan. See the GAL website for a low-rez preview.
2004
AL#79 p.58 BRB7 p.234
R.M. Mottola
▪ An outside mold is one that the instrument under construction sits inside of. Weird, huh? The author has made changes to his molds that make them into side bending forms as well. Pretty cool. With 3 diagrams.
2004
AL#77 p.60 BRB7 p.169
R.M. Mottola
▪ If you are not fascinated by computers you probably don’t want a personal CNC machine of any size. If lutherie is your escape from modern technology, you are also excused. But if computers and robots and programming turn you on you may want to combine your hobbies by investing in and/or building a small CNC machine. (The word hobby seems to connote such a lack of seriousness that we use it hesitatingly, but you know what we mean.) Mottola finds that his little CNC has moved his work beyond what he might attempt without it, as well as speeding up and spiffing up stuff that he used to do by other means. This is not so much a how-to as a why-do, but if it doesn’t charge you up, then computer-aided manufacturing is not for you. With 8 photos.
2004
AL#78 p.51 BRB7 p.220
R.M. Mottola
▪ A couple decades ago electric musicians believed that the only way to get good sustain and tone was by playing a heavy guitar or bass. Guitarists gave up on this a few years ago, but bass players have been slower to go light. The author specializes in bass instruments, and the design he includes here weighs less than six pounds while surrendering precious little to much heavier bass guitars With 4 photos and 2 diagrams.
2003
AL#76 p.64 read this article
R.M. Mottola
▪ Mottola says it makes no diff. He points to an article in by Steve Newberry in BRB2 p.106, which see.
2003
AL#75 p.62 BRB7 p.106
R.M. Mottola
▪ Cool beans! Radius gauges you can cut out of the magazine and use on your instruments. Jeez, I mean gauges that you can Xerox, then cut out and mount on a backer board and use on your instruments. What was I thinking?
2003
AL#75 p.64 BRB7 p.503
R.M. Mottola
▪ The author tries out soft cases (gig bags) by Colorado Case Co. and finds them to be satisfying though pricey. With 5 photos.
2003
AL#74 p.36 BRB7 p.62
R.M. Mottola
▪ A tight-fisted and humorous look at buying select tools, wood, and strings without draining your bank account. With 4 photos and a drawing.
2003
AL#74 p.62 BRB7 p.73
R.M. Mottola
▪ Glued on VS floating bridges on flattop guitars.
2003
AL#73 p.57 BRB7 p.20
R.M. Mottola
▪ Does plywood have a place in the luthier’s bag of tricks? The author thinks it may, and gives us some examples to think about. With 2 photos.
2002
AL#71 p.68 BRB6 p.96
R.M. Mottola
▪ Building an archtop bass in the same style as Robert Benedetto’s archtop guitars.
2002
AL#72 p.44 BRB6 p.436
R.M. Mottola
▪ The author has devised a set of layout gauges for positioning the side markers and fretboard dots of his guitars, easily assuring himself that all dots will be nicely and quickly centered. A set of gauges for various scale lengths is included for photocopying.
2002
AL#72 p.60 BRB6 p.486
R.M. Mottola
▪ The reviewer examines the Asturmes ES/RV spray gun and finds that it’s the answer to the finish problems he’s found, and at a reasonable price. With one photo.
2002
AL#71 p.62 BRB6 p.485
R.M. Mottola
▪ Mottola likes the Grizzly H2881 pump sander, a handheld drum sander he uses for sculpting neck heels and the like. He doesn’t however, much enjoy doing business with the Grizzly company. With 2 photos.
2002
AL#70 p.44 BRB6 p.365
R.M. Mottola
▪ With digital recording and spectrographic analysis software a computer can print out a diagram of an instrument’s tone spectrum, reducing the complicated issue of tone comparison to easy-to-read graphs. The scientifically inclined luthier may find that this helps him build better instruments, while others may decide that it’s another case of too much information. If you’ve found that intuition has carried you as far as it can you might check out the usefulness of “tone pictures”. With 5 bass guitar spectrographs.
2002
AL#70 p.53 BRB6 p.349
R.M. Mottola
▪ The author has simplified a computer technique for use with graph paper and pencil, and maintains that the system is accurate to about .5%. If you know the area of a plate you can figure out the volume of the soundbox, as in Raley’s article on p.52.
2002
AL#69 p.3
R.M. Mottola
▪ R.M. says IntelliCAD software is good enough, and it is free.
2002
AL#69 p.40 BRB6 p.301
R.M. Mottola
▪ Not really a computer article, the author uses a CAD-like system of plotting the contours of an arched plate. The result is sort of a topo map of the plate that is used to rout the plate into terraces that are then faired into a finished plate. Mottola explains the drawing, not the machining. With 13 drawings.
2001
AL#68 p.50 BRB6 p.314 read this article
R.M. Mottola
▪ Yes, you can make your own transducer pickups and save big bucks. Here’s how. Including 6 photos and 2 diagrams.
2001
AL#68 p.60 BRB6 p.484 read this article
R.M. Mottola
▪ Product reviews include Ameritage cases, a Grizzly H2881 drum sander, and an Asturomec ES/RV detail spray gun.
2001
AL#68 p.66
R.M. Mottola
▪ Where to have your lutherie questions answered online.
2001
AL#67 p.60 BRB6 p.539 read this article
R.M. Mottola
▪ The luthier who has no interest in how human beings hear and interpret sound hasn’t really come to terms with instrument making at all. The reviewer likes this textbook that takes in this subject, though it sounds like heavy going.
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.
2000
AL#61 p.61 BRB6 p.448
R.M. Mottola
▪ A way to quickly ‘add’ table space to a drill press, bandsaw, or spindle sander is with a couple of fret bar clamps, such as those made by True Grip.