2023
AL#150 p.38
Mark French Devon Pessler Alyssa Fernandez
▪ Ya talk about rabbit holes. Research into guitar intonation just gets deeper and deeper. This article homes in on individual string compensation at the nut, plus small adjustments to the position of the 1st and 2nd frets. Industrial strength data collection. Heed the eggheads.
2023
AL#149 p.4
Mike Doolin Ken Parker
▪ Can you believe we have never met this guy? Hes a giant of the American Lutherie Boom, he was at the Guilds 1979 Convention, and he has been a GAL member for over twenty years. The world knows him as the maker of the Fly solidbody guitar, but now he has returned to his first love: the archtop guitar. Mentions Larry Fishman, John D’Angelico, Jimmy D’Aquisto, Scott Chinery, Orville Gibson, Lloyd Loar, Raphael Ciani, Nick Lucas, Michael Greenfield, Sam Zygmuntowicz.
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 hes 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.
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.
2022
AL#146 p.14
Max Mclaughlin
▪ Here’s a story that will sound familiar to a lot of us old farts of the Lutherie Boom generation for the decades-old echoes that it evokes. A bold young person wants to do unusual and arty things with guitars, and they find an older mentor in the crowded back room of a New York City guitar store. That takes you back, don’t it Gramps?
2022
AL#145 p.25
Evan Gluck
▪ Imagine you were a guitar repair guy, and there was another guitar repair guy in your same town. What would you do about it? If you were Evan Gluck, or any other enlightened, right-thinking luthier, you would march right over there and make him your best friend. These guys have a blast “competing” in the same market, sharing stories, customers, tools, and techniques. And yes, it does help if your hometown has over eight million people in it. Mentions Brian Moore, Dan Erlewine, Michael Bashkin, Ian Davlin, Jimmy Carbonetti.
2022
AL#145 p.52
John Calkin
▪ Using simple, non-dedicated tooling, Calkin steps us through his straightforward, no-nonsense process of routing control cavities in solid guitar bodies.
2021
AL#144 p.56
Debbie French Mark French
▪ There is a national movement to teach teachers how to teach STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and math) to high-school students; you have them make guitars. Turns out people think it’s fun to make guitars. Who knew?
2021
AL#143 p.66
John Calkin
▪ This is a major instructional video from Robbie O’Brien’s school, with a running time of 14 hours.
2021
AL#144 p.3
Anya Ezhevskaya
▪ A fancy prototype shred guitar built, then lost, then found. Mentions Russ Lintz, Eric Stadler.
2021
AL#142 p.5
John Calkin
▪ Two luthiers trade cigar-box guitar builds.
2021
AL#142 p.40
Doug Hunt Mark French
▪ Two luthiers dare each other to make a useful guitar for a total investment of $75 each. One makes a flattop, the other a solid body. There are rules, and rules are meant to be broken.
2021
AL#142 p.64
John Littel
▪ A positive review for this arty book about luthier Freeman Vines. Tintype photos are featured.
2020
AL#141 p.67
Carl-David Hardin
▪
2020
AL#140 p.67
Mike Doolin
▪ A positive review. Mentions Martin, Gibson, National, D’Angelico, Selmer, Les Paul, Fender Stratocaster, Danelectro, Vox, Val-Pro.
2020
AL#141 p.50
Mark French
▪ Here come the robots. Although CNC routers are not yet at the Jetsons stage, we are far beyond the days when computer-driven tools were only in luthiers’ dreams, not their workshops. Mark French brings us up to date as he selects and installs an inexpensive machine in his home shop.
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.
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.
2020
AL#140 p.52
Glen Friesen
▪ Some public servants take on challenging tasks that many of us would fear to attempt. I’m not talking about fire fighters or the people who change light bulbs on the tops of suspension bridges. I’m talking about high school shop teachers. And here’s a guy who has been teaching guitar making in public school for twenty years. Hats off to you, sir! And respect to the students. These guitars look pretty good.
2019
AL#138 p.28
John Calkin
▪ Got a used humbucker, a wall stud, some extruded aluminum, and a couple other odds and ends? Make a lap steel guitar! Author John Calkin likes to get right down to business. There’s nothing precious or over-thought here. Minimum tooling, maximum lutherie fun. This is how Leo Fender got his start, ya know.
2019
AL#136 p.69
Ken Warmoth
▪ What’s the deal with deep V-shaped necks on old guitars?
2019
AL#136 p.69
James Buckland
▪ What’s the deal with deep V-shaped necks on old guitars?
2018
AL#135 p.16
Dan Erlewine Erick Coleman Chelsea Clark
▪ “Uncle Dan” Erlewine has been a constant presence in the American Lutherie Boom era, because he personifies the can-do ethos that underlies the whole dang movement: figure something out, and tell everybody about it. As a young man hoping to move from rocker to luthier, he found a generous mentor in Herb David of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dan has paid that forward many times as he has brought young people into his shop and given them a place to grow. Mentions Herb David, Mark Erlewine, Jerry Garcia, Albert King, John O’Boyle, David Surovel, Bryan Galloup, Charlie Longstreth, Tom Erlewine, Gary Brawer, Joe Glaser, Steve Olson, Albert Garcia, Elliot John-Conry, Adam Fox, Exodus Almasude, Johan Powell, Max Feldman, Paul Lampley, Aaron Smiley, Rodrgo Gomez, Chelsea Clark. From his lecture at the 2017 GAL Convention.
2018
AL#134 p.16
Tim Olsen
▪ Ken Warmoth is one of the pioneers of the Strat-compatible guitar parts scene, starting small in the 1970s and working up to the sophisticated operation he runs today. He’s a born engineer, constantly refining and rethinking each operation for better accuracy and efficiency. Of course these days that involves CNC machines, and he’s got them. But you may be surprised to see which operations use them and which don’t. Our last visit with Ken was in 1991, so there is some catching up to do.
2018
AL#134 p.42
Michael Bashkin Harry Fleishman
▪ Everybody knows Harry Fleishman, right? We first “Met the Maker” in 2001, but by then Harry had already been an active GAL author and convention attendee for some time. Now we are catching up with him. This recent chapter of his story is a doozy, with major moves, businesses opening and closing, fruitful collaborations, international travel, and new beginnings.
2017
AL#131 p.66
Paul Eliasson Orn Eliasson
▪ Relax. The clunky Frankenstein of a nut in this photo is not the design to which the article title refers. The Eliasson design is sleek and compact.
2017
AL#130 p.6
Tim Olsen Jason Lollar
▪ Jason Lollar attended the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery way back when founders John Roberts and Bob Venn were still instructors. Jason went on to do a lot of guitar repair and some guitar making, but his early interest in winding pickups eventually grew into a twenty-person shop specializing in reproducing vintage models.
2017
AL#130 p.28
Erick Coleman Evan Gluck Eron Harding
▪ Erick, Evan, and Eron called this workshop “Making Bread with Bread-and-Butter Repairs.” Their emphasis was on tools and techniques to help you get a lot of the usual repair jobs done in a short time and at a high level of quality. from their 2014 GAL Convention workshop.
2014
AL#119 p.6
Stephen Marchione
▪ Marchione offers a semihollow model that is a response to his professional touring clients’ desire for a smaller, tougher guitar with all the fine quality and detail of a full archtop. He steps us through his building process, which gets a little help from a CNC machine. From his 2011 GAL convention workshop.
2012
AL#110 p.22
Erick Coleman Evan Gluck
▪ Erik and Evan talk about fine-tuning brand new electric guitars; addressing typical problems. From their 2011 GAL convention workshop.
2012
AL#109 p.61
Veronica Merryfield
▪ A book aimed at the musician, the hobbyist, and luthier who is open to new ideas; divided into 6 sections on beauty, playability, sound, parts, materials, finishes, and completion.
2012
AL#109 p.62
Melanie Heizer
▪ A book aimed at the musician, the hobbyist, and luthier who is open to new ideas; divided into 6 sections on beauty, playability, sound, parts, materials, finishes, and completion.
2012
AL#109 p.63
Veronica Merryfield
▪ The KSM bass bridge has a number of interesting features and is very well made.
2009
AL#98 p.28
Erick Coleman Elliot John-Conry
▪ Two disciples of Dan Erlewine explain the latest techniques of setting up the electric guitar. All the details and specs are there, as well as a bit of philosophy. OK, not too much philosophy, but this is a chunk of fun taken from their 2006 GAL convention presentation and they function well in front of a crowd. AL doesn’t get a lot of electric input, which makes this piece more important. With 10 photos.
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.
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.
2004
AL#77 p.22 BRB7 p.156
John Calkin
▪ Dealing with a store saves you the hassle of dealing with customers but includes the uncertainties of not having access to the customers. The pros and cons are examined. Meanwhile, a Gretsch electric guitar fingerboard is removed, the truss rod swapped out, and the instrument is restored, all in good detail. With 10 photos.
2003
AL#74 p.63 BRB7 p.75
Harry Fleishman
▪ Built in guitar effects customization without dealing with the complications of the circuit board.
2002
AL#72 p.62
Bishop Cochran
▪ A manufacturer of guitar amp kits.
2002
AL#72 p.36 BRB6 p.410
Jonathon Peterson Saul Koll Ralph Patt
▪ Jazz guitarist Ralph Patt and luthier Saul Koll have teamed up to make archtop 8-string electric guitars that are tuned in thirds rather than standard tuning. The guitars look a little strange because there is no taper to the fingerboards. You’ll have to read the article to understand the thinking behind them. Watching Patt play must confuse the heck out of other guitarists. With 14 photos.
2002
AL#71 p.36 BRB6 p.429
Tom Harper
▪ Turner is an inventor, guitarmaker, and a wireman extraordinaire. Harper attended Turner’s wiring workshop at the American School of Lutherie and reports back what he learned there. With 4 photos.
2002
AL#70 p.12 BRB6 p.358
Ralph Novak
▪ The author uses neck making in his example of how gearing up to make small runs of like parts can make the small shop more efficient and profitable. With a photo and 9 drawings.
2002
AL#70 p.4 BRB6 p.350
John Calkin Ralph Novak
▪ Novak has been on the guitar scene since the late ’60s, specializing in the creation and repair of electric instruments, though his expertise doesn’t end there. His best-known invention is probably the Novax fanned fret system, though his work with multi-string guitars deserves note. Mentions Charles LoBue. With 17 photos.
2001
AL#66 p.32 BRB6 p.238
Jonathon Peterson Taku Sakashta
▪ Sakashta left Japan to build both archtop and flattop guitars in California. He is definitely not afraid to design away from tradition. With 8 photos.
2000
AL#64 p.20 BRB6 p.140
Jonathon Peterson Rick Turner
▪ Not frequently is one person so often in the right place at the right time with the skills to take advantage of the situation. Turner has “been there and done that” as an inventor and designer of instrument electronics as well as a repairman, designer, and manufacturer of Alembic guitars and basses and Turner-brand electric and acoustic guitars. His story is as colorful as it is informative. With 21 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
2001
AL#65 p.3
Ric McCurdy
▪
2000
AL#63 p.50 read this article
John Calkin
▪ The best of these books and videos should put you well on the way to making professional quality electric instruments. You should know about the others, too, if only so you know to avoid them.
2000
AL#61 p.62 BRB6 p.530 read this article
Dave Zogg
▪ The reviewer decides that this very pretty book should serve all but the tool-disabled to care for their guitars.
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.
1999
AL#60 p.48 BRB5 p.485 read this article
John Calkin
▪ All it takes to slap together a parts guitar is a screwdriver and some common sense, right? Way wrong! The reviewer decides that this video should be figured into the budget of every first-time guitar assembler.
1998
AL#56 p.64 BRB5 p.309
Jeffrey R. Elliott
▪ The variables that influence the ‘feel’ or playability of instruments with the same scale length, string gauge, and setup.
1998
AL#55 p.58
Cyndy Burton
▪ Where to get pickups, condenser mikes, electric guitar parts, and general electronics gear.
1998
AL#55 p.63 BRB5 p.477
Bishop Cochran
▪ The reviewer finds that this book is weak on pickup design considerations but that it will ultimately set the luthier free to customize his sound and escape the high cost of commercial pickups.
1998
AL#54 p.55 BRB5 p.476
John Calkin
▪ The reviewer finds that this video is a good learning device for anyone wishing to learn how to set up their electric guitar or bass, perhaps less so for acoustic players.
1998
AL#54 p.65 BRB5 p.193
Tim Shaw
▪ Clay used in the position marker cavities of old fretboards.
1997
AL#51 p.13
Kevin B. Rielly
▪ One guitar, two necks, and two distinct functions: half solidbody with magnetic pickups, half hollow with a piezo pickup.Not to mention a look you haven’t seen before. With 6 photos.
1997
AL#51 p.49 BRB5 p.472
John Calkin
▪ This video is about designing, making, and repairing pickups, starting at the bottom. The reviewer enjoyed the tape and found that it taught him new material in a manner that didn’t frighten him off.
1997
AL#49 p.20 BRB5 p.12
John Calkin
▪ How to make thin-body guitars intended to be plugged in on stage. The bodies are hollowed from solid stock. Design considerations are emphasized. Production jigs are described, as are a set of jigs for making bridges. With 14 photos.
1996
AL#48 p.4 BRB4 p.205
Rudy Walker
▪ Walker sends photos and a description of an electric guitar designed around the Monkees logo of the mid-’60s.
1996
AL#48 p.14 BRB4 p.386
Jonathon Peterson Bishop Cochran
▪ Cochran is a player/maker of electric and acoustic/electric guitars who uses machine shop equipment and supplies to create his instruments. The emphasis is on precision work, duplicable procedures, and practical designs. With 26 photos.
1996
AL#47 p.30 BRB4 p.346
John Calkin Geoff Stelling
▪ A profile of one of the leaders in high-end banjos, featuring a tour of the shop, production techniques, construction methods, and banjo/motorcycle cross-pollination.
1996
AL#45 p.58 BRB4 p.468
Richard Beck
▪ The reviewer finds that this is a “best value in a guitar history and identification book.”
1995
AL#44 p.32 BRB4 p.242
Jonathon Peterson Saul Koll
▪ Koll has fashioned a living by creating unique, often bizarre, guitars, both acoustic and electric. For many, ideas often come easy, it’s selling them that’s hard. Koll has found a niche. With 23 photos.
1995
AL#43 p.50 BRB4 p.416
Rick Turner
▪ Turner talks about the Grateful Dead and some of their gear.
1995
AL#43 p.54 BRB4 p.405
Andy DePaule
▪ The pedal steel is an instrument, it is also a precision machine.
1995
AL#42 p.56 BRB4 p.465
John Calkin
▪ The reviewer is enthusiastic about this picture book but decides that it may have no relevance to the life of a typical luthier.
1995
AL#42 p.57 BRB4 p.466
Don Bradley
▪ The reviewer finds that the authors have made an invaluable reference for studying the vibration of all types of musical instruments.
1995
AL#41 p.47 BRB4 p.416
Rick Turner
▪ Turner discusses solder, and a pickup pan pot.
1994
AL#40 p.8 BRB4 p.90
Curt Carpenter
▪ Carpenter tells of his VA-sponsored apprenticeship to a legend of the electric guitar industry. A fine string of anecdotes. Carpenter actually moved in with Doc Kauffman and his wife, relived all the old stories, learned to build guitars, visited with Leo Fender, met Rudy Dopera, and made pickups. Carpenter left the army to enter the Guitar Wars.
1994
AL#40 p.54 BRB4 p.416
Rick Turner
▪ Have you got a new idea about wiring a guitar or bass? Turner helps you decide if it may be worth the effort of trying it out. The fact that a new wiring system will work doesn’t mean anyone will want to hear it. Or buy it. Or care at all.
1994
AL#39 p.36 BRB4 p.72
Dan Erlewine
▪ In the last issue Erlewine described how he made a new “old” Tele body. In this installment he attacks the neck, quite literally. With 40 photos.
1994
AL#39 p.56 BRB4 p.416
Rick Turner
▪ Turner updates the membership on some wire work he has done lately in his own shop.
1994
AL#39 p.25 BRB4 p.70
John Calkin
▪ The focus here is electric guitar pickguards, both wood and plastic. Some tips carry over to acoustic pickguards.
1994
AL#38 p.54 BRB4 p.484
John Jordan
▪ Options from easiest to most difficult for grounding strings to achieve noise reduction.
1994
AL#38 p.8
George Gorodnitsky
▪
1994
AL#38 p.18 BRB4 p.28
Dan Erlewine
▪ How do you make a new electric guitar that looks like it spent forty years in the bar wars? Erlewine uses two finishes with incompatible shrink rates, rope, the concrete floor, you name it! Creativity can be harsh, but his Tele certainly looks vintage.
1994
AL#37 p.56 BRB4 p.416
Rick Turner
▪ Turner’s column is all about the essential electronic measuring instruments for the guitar shop.
1993
AL#36 p.56 BRB3 p.426 read this article
Rick Turner
▪ Turner warns repairmen not to get in over their heads with custom electronics work, and describes two elaborate jobs that came out right for all concerned.
1993
AL#36 p.63
Gene Rhinehart
▪ Drawings of the duolian metal body guitar (12-fret neck).
1993
AL#35 p.24 BRB3 p.370
Nicholas Von Robison Tom Ribbecke
▪ As an adviser to the trade, a builder of high quality guitars, and teacher, Ribbecke has had a strong influence on the work of many luthiers. This interview sketches his beginnings in lutherie.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1993
AL#35 p.58 BRB3 p.426 read this article
Rick Turner
▪ Turner spends nearly 2 pages talking about electric guitar wiring harnesses, which wire to use, and what pot values to try.
1993
AL#34 p.52 BRB3 p.426 read this article
Rick Turner
▪ This column is dedicated to combining magnetic and piezo pickups.
1993
AL#33 p.56 BRB3 p.492
Bill Garofalo
▪ One of a kind solidbody electric tuning mechanism.
1993
AL#34 p.24 BRB3 p.334 ALA6 p.30
Jonathon Peterson
▪ In AL#29 Peterson looked back at the harp guitar. This time he takes a forward look. A number of luthiers find fascination and a new potential in the big beast, and this is the best look at their results to date. With 28 photos and 8 detailed drawings. Also available is GAL full-scale Plan #34, the Klein solidbody electric harp guitar.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1993
AL#34 p.30 BRB3 p.340
Steve Klein
▪ A full-scale instrument plan. See the GAL website for a low-rez preview.
1992
AL#31 p.62 BRB3 p.426 read this article
Rick Turner
▪ Turner goes deep with information about the effect of wire insulation size on the character of a pickup, and explains the construction of guitar capacitors.
1992
AL#30 p.51 BRB3 p.426 read this article
Rick Turner
▪ Turner explains how to help quiet a buzzy Silvertone, quick-check pickup phase, and the different characteristics of high and low impedance pickups.
1992
AL#30 p.56 BRB3 p.469 read this article
Lloyd Zsiros
▪ The reviewer finds that although the book offers no information on playing or building guitars, it is otherwise an excellent resource and a pleasure to read. The photos are excellent and the book covers a lot of ground.
1991
AL#28 p.60 BRB3 p.466 read this article
Gary Frisbie
▪ Books from the 70s written by an Englishman and intended to provide a wealth of info on Gibson guitars built from 1950 to the end of the 70s. Book 1 covers all the major lines of solidbody and hollowbody electrics, jazz and flattop acoustics. Book 2 covers omissions and inaccuracies in book 1, plus Epiphones, Kalamazoos, and Dwight guitars
1992
AL#29 p.54 BRB3 p.426 read this article
Rick Turner
▪ A new column is born. What is pickup phase and polarity? Why do positions 2 and 4 on a 5-way Strat switch sound funky? Turner knows and tells all.
1991
AL#27 p.60 BRB3 p.465 read this article
Kevin Kobie
▪ The reviewer finds that this book is a well-written, useful reference about all Fender guitars.
1991
AL#26 p.58 BRB3 p.463 read this article
Manny Bettencourt
▪ The reviewer finds that this book is an invaluable resource for the professional repairman and will let the amateur evaluate a potential repair and decide whether or not he has the skill to tackle it.
1991
AL#26 p.22 BRB3 p.72 read this article
Rick Turner
▪ Time management advise from a guy who has done a lot of business.
1991
AL#26 p.26 BRB3 p.60
Ken Warmoth
▪ Most in-the-know electric guitar folks consider Warmoth necks and bodies to be the best going. Here’s how they’re made. With 22 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1991
AL#26 p.33 BRB3 p.53
Lynn Ellsworth Ken Warmoth Jay Hargreaves
▪ Hargreaves interviews two giants of the Strat compatible parts industry.
1991
AL#25 p.36 BRB3 p.13
Tim Olsen Dan Erlewine
▪ Is there any doubt that Erlewine is the world’s best-known guitar fixer? He’s also a heck of a nice guy. Editor Olsen nailed Erlewine’s feet to the floor long enough to answer a few questions. With 4 neat snapshots. Mentions Herb David, Mike Bloomfield.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1991
AL#25 p.44 BRB3 p.26
Jonathon Peterson George Gorodnitsky
▪ A Russian luthier moves to L.A. and shows up in Tacoma. He was trained in violins and moved on to electric guitars. This is what it was like, rockin’ in the USSR.
1990
AL#24 p.59 BRB2 p.485
Bob Zatzman Jim Morris Ralph Novak Matt Umanov Ron Lira
▪ Wiring information for electric guitars.
1990
AL#22 p.34 BRB2 p.402
George Manno Hartley Peavey
▪ This is an interview with Hartley Peavey, whose manufacturing empire includes electric guitars, amplifiers, and other electronic gear for musicians. Topics include computerized manufacturing, offshore guitars, artist endorsements, and the Peavey business philosophy.
1990
AL#23 p.13 BRB2 p.413
Ralph Novak
▪ Novak finds a simple method of getting electric guitar pickups in phase.
1990
AL#21 p.14 BRB2 p.364
Ralph Novak
▪ Novak’s patented fretboard uses slanted frets that alter the scale length from string to string, growing longer toward the bass side. He lists a series of improvements over the normal fretboard.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1989
AL#19 p.5 read this article
Anthony D. Blokzyi
▪ Blokzyi furnishes a description of the Gittler guitar, an all stainless steel, skeletonized instrument.
1989
AL#18 p.48 BRB2 p.280
George Manno Les Paul
▪ The long-lived jazzer/inventor/guitar designer talks mostly about his long association with Gibson.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1988
AL#16 p.54 BRB2 p.493
Mark Humpal
▪ The reviewer finds that if you just like to look at guitars, and don’t demand art quality photos, you’ll like this book and its 1200 pictures.
1988
AL#16 p.57 BRB2 p.480
Bob Zatzman
▪ Slanted pickups, loosened truss rod, and classified ads.
1988
AL#16 p.57 BRB2 p.480
Hans Larsson
▪ Slanted pickups, loosened truss rod, and classified ads.
1988
AL#13 p.16 BRB2 p.12
Tim Olsen Jean Larrivee
▪ Life inside the Larrivee guitar shop during its electric/acoustic phase. With 19 photos.
1987
AL#12 p.52
Paul Hamer
▪ Hamer’s lecture captures the electric guitar in mid-evolution. He mentions retrofit pickups, locking trem systems, and the Roland guitar synth. He is obviously thrilled to be a part of the parade.
1987
AL#11 p.44 BRB1 p.440
Tim Olsen
▪ A rollicking, good-time account of a era gone by and a free-spirited maker of outrageous electric guitars who was pretty much unknown outside of his own territory. It’ll make you feel good.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1987
AL#9 p.34 BRB1 p.332
Dave Schneider
▪ A ’68 paisley Tele is reborn, complete with Parsons B and E benders and a complete refinishing from the foil on up.
1986
AL#8 p.49 BRB1 p.298
Denny Rauen
▪ Rauen corrects an action problem by changing the fingerboard at a time when most repairmen were correcting the problem in the frets. He uses a multiradius fretboard which is also called a conical fretboard.
1986
AL#8 p.49 BRB1 p.298
Tim Olsen
▪ Editor Olsen figures that for the lowest string action a fingerboard must resemble a cone shape, rather than a cylinder. Find other related articles by searching for the term conical.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s fifty best articles published before 2010.
1986
AL#7 p.53 BRB1 p.260
Denny Rauen
▪ Rauen’s installation procedure is meant to remove as little wood from the guitar body as possible. This is not a procedure for retrofitting the bridge system to guitars using a stock Fender-style bridge, but for dropping it onto a new body or one with a hardtail bridge.
1985
AL#3 p.38 BRB1 p.90
Ed Mettee
▪ Photos and sketches fill out a description of a knockdown solidbody guitar that fits into a briefcase.
1985
AL#2 p.53 BRB1 p.488 read this article
C.F. Casey
▪ The reviewer calls this the best of the popular (as opposed to scholarly) histories of the guitar.
1982
DS#228 LT p.66
J.V. Buehrer
▪ Uses an oversize template to index of the outsides of the router base.
1981
GALQ Vol.9#2 p.10 LW p.70
Rick Turner
▪ Turner started his lutherie life as part of the Grateful Dead’s clan of artists, engineers, and craftsmen, but ended up with his own company which built distinctive electric guitars. This shop tour includes 11 photos.
1980
DS#152 LT p.68
James Cassidy
▪ Templates of this kind use oversized bushings on the router base as a cutting guide.
1979
GALQ Vol.7#4 p.20 BRB2 p.62
Tim Shaw
▪ This is just about as good a description of how pickups work as you are going to find. Shaw was a main man at Gibson, and relates several of the design considerations to specific guitars. If pickups are really this easy to understand why do they seem so mysterious? Includes 4 diagrams of how pickups are built.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1975
DS#15
Bob Petrulis
▪ The first of a series of articles on basic instrument electronics, this time covering magnetic pickups, transducer pickups, contact mics, volume and tone controls, and soldering.