Category Archives: guitar

A Review of Three Old Lutherie Books With An Emphasis on Their Guitar Sections

2010
AL#104 p.26               read this article
Jan Tulacek   Alain Bieber   James Buckland                                                                                   

▪ An overview of three 19th century lutherie texts, by G.A. Wettengei in 1828, J.C. Maugin in 1834, and Paul Hasiuck in 1907.

Reviews: The Responsive Guitar/Making the Responsive Guitar (box set) by Ervin Somogyi

2010
AL#102 p.64               read this article
Roger Alan Skipper                                                                                           

▪ This striking two-book set, ‘The Responsive Guitar’, about the physics, dynamics, acoustics, and construction of the guitar, and ‘Making the Responsive Guitar’, information on the workshop, tools, jigs, wood storage, etc, is a handsome tomb featuring hundreds of stunning color photographs.

19th Century Guitar Making Techniques

2010
AL#103 p.16      ALA3 p.28         
James Buckland                                                                                           

▪ Buckland on constructing replicas of 19th century guitars. From his 2008 GAL convention workshop. Includes good info on making flat-bottomed fret slots, like for bone frets or metal bar frets.

Meet the Maker: Nicolo Alessi

2010
AL#103 p.41      ALA5 p.55         
Federico Sheppard   Nicolo Alessi                                                                                       

▪ Alessi crafts highly sought after tuning machines of artistic beauty and technical sophistication in Luino, Switzerland.

Meet the Makers: Waldron Guitars

2010
AL#103 p.44               
Roger Alan Skipper   Erick Waldron   Kevin Waldron   Jonathon Waldron   David Miller                                                                           

▪ Waldron, a family business, switched from general contracting to guitar building in 2009, and is now a thriving lutherie company.

A Reinterpretation Of Baroque Soundhole Rose

2010
AL#102 p.58               
Michael McCarten                                                                                           

▪ McCarten devises a style with characteristics of both the ‘paper rose’ and single layer soundhole rose, but with an aesthetic not typical of traditional work.

Meet the Maker: Gregg Miner

2010
AL#102 p.38      ALA6 p.88         
Kathy Wingert   Gregg Miner                                                                                       

▪ Gregg Miner is dedicated to collecting instruments and restoring them to playing condition and through his research has acquired a wide network of historians, repairmen, and luthiers.

Low Stress Archtop Guitar Design

2010
AL#101 p.6               
Steve Grimes                                                                                           

▪ Steve Grimes has been experimenting with making lighter-built soundboards for archtop guitars and decreasing the breakover angle. Here he describes his low stress archtop method, which produces a superior tone and another option for customers.

Restoration of a Michelot Late Baroque Guitar

2010
AL#101 p.22               
D. and F. Sinier de Ridder                                                                                           

▪ In the 19th century Baroque guitars were not treasured antiques, they were merely old-fashioned. One that was chopped into a “Spanish” guitar back is restored back to its original configuration by a Parisian lutherie team.

Reducing Build Variation In Arched Plates

2010
AL#101 p.60               
Mark French   Eddie Efendy                                                                                       

▪ Imagine a CNC router carving an archtop guitar soundboard in an industrial situation. Quality control would check to confirm that parts are the same thickness. But really, we would like the tops made from stiffer material to be cut thinner. Efendy has an idea for making this happen automatically without any measurement or analysis needed.

Reviews: With Strings Attached: Art and Beauty of Vintage Guitars by Jonathon Kellerman

2010
AL#101 p.66               read this article
Walter Carter                                                                                           

▪ This book showcases Kellerman’s vast instrument collection, presented alphabetically by maker, and each accompanied by information on the model, acquisition, and sound of each instrument.

Total Flame Out, Retopping a Harp Guitar

2009
AL#100 p.38               
Harry Fleishman                                                                                           

▪ Replacing the top on a complicated instrument with as little refinishing and other stress as possible.

Crafting Marie’s Guitar

2009
AL#100 p.40      ALA5 p.68         
Christian Steinert                                                                                           

▪ Building an early period Baroque era guitar replica believed to be the onetime property of Marie Antoinette.

Owning and Playing the “Marie Antoinette” Guitar

2009
AL#100 p.41      ALA5 p.69         
Kent LaRue                                                                                           

▪ Thoughts on the Marie Antoinette guitar from a balladeer for Colonial Williamsburg’ a provider of 18 century music for visitors to the colonial capital.

Roped In

2009
AL#100 p.54               
C.F. Casey                                                                                           

▪ Building a Weissenborn-style instrument with the rope binding and rosette that Weissenborn used on high end models.

Questions: Double Neck Acoustic Guitar Plans

2009
AL#100 p.67               
Fred Carlson                                                                                           

▪ Some obvious design choices before building a double neck (6 and 12-string) acoustic guitar: neck, space, body size, design, and bracing.

Questions: Mystery Guitar

2009
AL#99 p.68               
Walter Carter                                                                                           

▪ Mystery parlor guitar is from Regal of Chicago, a usual suspect for inexpensive unlabeled instruments of the 20s and 30s.

Historical Influences in a Modern Guitar Design

2009
AL#100 p.6      ALA5 p.60         
Gary Southwell                                                                                           

▪ Southwell on using historical influences in contemporary work and design. From his 2006 GAL convention lecture.

Installing an Acoustic Pickup System in a Flattop Guitar

2009
AL#100 p.14               
Brian Michael   Alex Glasser                                                                                       

▪ Michael and Glasser on how to install a pickup system in an acoustic guitar using a Fishman Matrix blend. From their 2008 GAL convention workshop.

Meet the Maker: John Gilbert

2009
AL#100 p.20      ALA3 p.80         
John Mello   John Gilbert                                                                                       

▪ Gilbert, born in 1922, made his first guitar in 1965 while a tool designer at Hewlett-Packard. He has 120 guitars to his credit.

It Worked for Me: Archtop Guitar Bridge

2009
AL#99 p.65               
Luis Mesquita                                                                                           

▪ In one bundle we are offered a new design in archtop guitar bridge construction, an adjustable neck (no details), and a cool way to hide pickup controls in a side sound port. Way cool!

Review: Lyre-guitar: Etoile charmante, between the 18th and 19th centuries by Eleonora Vulpiani

2009
AL#99 p.67               read this article
John Doan                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer admires this book that takes a serious look at the lyre-guitar, an instrument that most of us—even those with a bent for history—give short shrift.

A Survey of Guitar Making Books

2009
AL#98 p.58               read this article
Graham McDonald                                                                                           

▪ The author rounds up a collection of acoustic guitar making manuals currently available to help us separate the wheat from the chaff. The serious student will no doubt end up with several of these books, but McDonald will help you decide which ones to buy first. Includes jacket photos of all the books discussed.

Building for Playability

2009
AL#99 p.7      ALA4 p.52         
David Freeman                                                                                           

▪ Some features of guitar construction make the instrument functional for normal humans and tuneful music making, and getting them wrong can/will destroy the guitars usefulness. Other features aren’t necessary but may make the instrument more comfortable to play or offer extended musical capabilities. Freeman addresses both aspects in this article taken from his 2008 GAL convention workshop. He’s not the least bit shy about reconfiguring the guitar’s shape or features to make musicians better and happier. Whether or not you wish to make such alterations, much of this stuff you better know if you wish to make musical instruments rather than guitar-shaped objects. With 5 photos, 3 charts, and a drawing.

Understanding Neck Rake

2009
AL#99 p.11      ALA1 p.2         
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ It sounds pretty high-falutin’ to talk about the geometry of the guitar, but in the lightest sense it’s a useable conceit. If the angles of the top design and neck joint aren’t right you won’t get an instrument that anybody wants to play, or can play. The author uses a mechanical, rather than mathematical, system to lay out the neck in relation to the body. You don’t have to know the angle involved, you just have to be intelligent. This, if you are a GAL member, is a given. With 6 photos.

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

Developing the Modern 20-String Concert Harp Guitar

2009
AL#99 p.30      ALA6 p.78         
Jeffrey R. Elliott                                                                                           

▪ Even if you don’t care much about harp guitars you’ll enjoy the thought processes that went into the string of instruments documented in this article. If you are into harp guitars this is must reading. The initial harp guitar developed by John Sullivan, John Doan, and Jeffrey Elliott owed little to similar instruments of the past other than a basic shape, and the harp guitars that came after the first one have refined the new ideas. With 15 photos of complete and instruments progress, a string gauge and tuning chart, and a mini-plan of 1986 guitar that started the series. Full-size plans are available as GAL Plan #61.

Restoring a Battle Axe

2009
AL#97 p.48               
Roger Alan Skipper                                                                                           

▪ Skipper decides to save the life of a Martin D-28 that most of us would use for spare parts and firewood. A new top is made and severely cracked sides and back are restored to usefulness by interesting techniques that offer strength and renewed life rather than cosmetic perfection. In other words, a repair that mere mortals can afford. Good job! With 12 photos.

The Archtop Guitar: Perspectives on the Present and Future

2009
AL#98 p.6               
Steve Grimes   Ted Megas   Tom Ribbecke   Jeffrey R. Elliott                                                                               

▪ This article is taken from a 2008 GAL convention panel discussion. Seems like these discussions are getting livelier and more interesting, no matter what field of lutherie may draw you the most. The interaction makes the archtop guitar seem more vital and the personal disclosures add depth to the subject. Not that we’re talking about life and death. Well, to the panelists it may be more important than that, and we’ll bet you’ll be drawn in. Perhaps changes are in the air. Nylon strings? Chambered bodies? Oh, they won’t threaten the old jazz box too much, but it’s good to know that nothing remains forever unchanged. With 23 photos.

Meet the Maker: Cyndy Burton

2009
AL#98 p.18      ALA3 p.58         
Tim Olsen   Cyndy Burton                                                                                       

▪ Burton has been tenacious in her pursuit of the classical guitar, traveling widely and learning from the likes of William Cumpiano, Eugene Clark, and Jeffrey Elliott, making a name for herself in what has largely been a man’s world. We’re all members of her fan club and rejoice at finally knowing more about her. With 17 photos.

Electric Guitar Setup

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.

Meet the Maker: James Buckland

2009
AL#98 p.36      ALA3 p.18         
John Calkin   James Buckland                                                                                       

▪ Buckland is a classical performer and teacher who also builds guitars, not and unheard of combination but a rare one. He is especially knowledgeable about guitar history and the little known Terz guitar, of which he is an authority. If that sounds dull you should also know that he started as a Canadian lefty who was initially inspired by Jimi Hendrix, among other rockers. He’s still a lefty, but now we have him in America. Canada has probably been sulking ever since. With 10 photos.

Meet the Maker: Michael Dunn

2009
AL#97 p.18      ALA4 p.42         
Jonathon Peterson   Michael Dunn                                                                                       

▪ Canadian Dunn studied guitar making in Spain but ended up specializing in Maccaferri-style guitars. He uses an internal soundbox similar to the original design. His use of wood inlay and marquetry, as well as his choice of body woods is original, playful, and stunning. He is also a lutherie teacher of note. Read this and have fun. Mentions Bill Lewis, George Bowden, Jose Orti, jose Pepe Ferrer, Shelley Park, Chuck Shifflet, Bill Rivere, Patrick Olmstead, Sonny Black, Ray Nurse, ted Turner, Tim Hobrough, Bob Brozman.

What is the Flamenco Guitar?

2009
AL#97 p.28               
R.E. Brune   Eugene Clark   John Park   Jeffrey R. Elliott                                                                               

▪ This is a transcription of a 2006 GAL convention panel discussion. Put a tap plate on a classical guitar; now do you have a flamenco guitar? Differences between the two guitars have largely been accentuated by the modern need to specialize and categorize. But beyond that, this is a fascinating conversation between four of the leading builders in the field and you don’t have to be a maker of nylon strung guitars to enjoy the details they offer and their pleasure in each others company.

Curtate Cycloid Arching

2008
AL#96 p.26               
David Cohen                                                                                           

▪ There are reasons why you might wish to describe the arch of an instrument mathematically. You might also wish to create an arch template by using math. Here’s a way to go about it. This is not for the math challenged among us. With 4 photos and 9 charts/diagrams.

Meet the Maker: Ted Davis

2008
AL#96 p.42               
James Condino   Ted Davis                                                                                       

▪ Davis’ lutherie exploits goes back to the ’70s. He was one of the first of the recent red spruce believers, and he harvested many trees to supply himself and a few others who were lucky enough to key into his business. He made guitars, mandolins, and dulcimers to support his hotrod automobile habit. He had strong opinions about wood that run counter to modern beliefs, and had the experience to back them up.Davis died before the interview was published. He will be missed. With 15 photos.

Blind Listening Evaluation of Classical Guitar Soundports

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.

Peg Shapers That You Can Adjust

2008
AL#96 p.58               
David Golber                                                                                           

▪ The author got tired of hard-to-use commercial peg shapers, so he made a better one of his own. He describes it as a tool for actual human beings. With 6 photos and a drawing.

Reviews: The Guitar in America, Victorian Era to Jazz Age by Jeffrey J. Noonan

2008
AL#96 p.65               read this article
Don Overstreet                                                                                           

▪ The book is about the Banjo, Mandolin, and Guitar Movement that ended with the Great Depression. While the reviewer admits that there is little here for luthiers, there is a ton of interesting material for the musical history buff. This time is where many of the instrument icons we all copy came from.

Reviews: Building the Selmer-Maccaferri Guitar by Michael Collins

2008
AL#96 p.66               read this article
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer enjoyed this 14-hour DVD set but advises that it’s not the last word in the construction of a fine guitar.

Florida Gold

2008
AL#95 p.59               
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ Mike Brittain (see previous article) sent a set of Florida rosewood to the GAL office, and the office staff looked around for someone to build a guitar out of it. Calkin answered the call. Well, someone had to scarf up the free wood, didn’t they? That Mike Brittain’s a swell guy, isn’t he? So this is the story of one particular guitar. By the way, the Florida rosewood in question is Dalbergia sissoo, not the Dalbergia latifolia most often used for guitars. But it looks great, works great, and sounds great. With 5 photos.

Reviews: Classical Guitar Making, A Modern Approach to Traditional Design, by John S. Bogdonovich

2008
AL#95 p.64               read this article
John Mello                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds this book to be “an impressive achievement, a logical first choice of the available stand-alone methods for classical guitar construction.”

A Life in Lutherie: A Discussion with Manuel Velazquez and His Son Alfredo

2008
AL#96 p.6      ALA3 p.68         
Robert Ruck   Jeffrey R. Elliott   Manuel Velazquez   Alfredo Velazquez                                                                               

▪ Manuel Velazquez built his first guitar in 1929. Can you imagine that? His son Alfredo is carrying on the tradition, though Manuel has not retired. He has definite opinions about what woods make the best guitar and how they should be finished. He is a giant in the business and must be admired for his tenacity as much as his ability. And a fun interview to boot. Mentions Bobri, Andres Segovia, Torres, Santos Hernandez, and Hermann Hauser. With 36 photos.

Meet the Maker: Kathy Wingert

2008
AL#96 p.18      ALA1 p.60         
Cyndy Burton   Kathy Wingert                                                                                       

▪ Wingert has as extensive a lutherie background as anyone, and even does Chladni glitter tests on her guitars (which, by the way, look exquisite). Her daughter Jimmi has a growing reputation as an inlay artist. How rare is a mother/daughter team in lutherie? Mentions Bob Mattingly, Larry Robinson and Harvey Leach. With 12 photos.

Reviews: Step by Step Guitar Making by Alex Willis

2008
AL#94 p.63               read this article
John Mello                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds this book to be a useful addition to the beginning luthier’s library, but that it falls short of being a stand alone teaching text.

Quick Cuts: Chris Pantazelos’ 7-String Classical Guitar

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.

The Al-Tho Design, an Experiment in Classical Guitar Bracing

2008
AL#95 p.8               
Alain Bieber                                                                                           

▪ Amateur luthier Bieber and his professional mentor pursue a new direction in classical guitar bracing that spans 10 guitars over the course of the article. Although Greg Smallman is quoted as an inspiration, the Al-Tho designs look nothing like the lattice system we’ve become familiar with. Nor do they look like anything else seen to date. Very interesting stuff. With 11 photos, 2 diagrams, and 2 charts.

From Trash to Treasure

2008
AL#95 p.32      ALA5 p.76         
Tobias Braun                                                                                           

▪ Braun took on the job of restoring a massively injured Spanish factory guitar made approximately in 1900. This is not only a close look at how such work is done, but an examination of how these guitars were made. It’s not a Torres, but it’s pretty cool. With 41 photos and 4 catalog page reproductions.

Meet the Maker: Dan Fobert

2008
AL#95 p.50               
Andy Avera   Daniel Fobert                                                                                       

▪ Fobert is a Texas builder of archtop guitars who is unusually obsessed with making as many of the parts for his guitar as possible, not including (yet!) the tuners. There are luthiers who worship old guitars and work to reproduce them, and luthiers who can’t be bothered with something that’s already been done. Fobert is one of the latter. With 6 photos.

Meet the Maker: Paul Fischer

2008
AL#94 p.36      ALA3 p.52         
Woodley White   Paul Fischer                                                                                       

▪ Fischer has been building guitars for 50 years and has completed over 1000 instruments. He apprenticed as a harpsichord maker, then learned guitar making from David Rubio. As with any good interview, it quickly becomes apparent that who we are is more fascinating than what we do. With 15 photos.

Fabio’s Excellent Nicaraguan Adventure

2008
AL#93 p.56               read this article
Mike Moger                                                                                           

▪ Three luthiers travel to war-ravaged Nicaragua to teach a class in guitar making. Why? It’s an effort to aid job diversity and economic growth to an area often reduced to subsistence farming for a living. With 6 photos.

Quick Cuts: An Experimental Carbon-Reinforced Guitar

2008
AL#93 p.64               
Peter Vile                                                                                           

▪ The author gives us a quick look at his carbon fiber/balsa, lattice-braced guitars with wingless bridges, and what he achieved with them. He mentions Kasha/Schneider, Greg Smallman, Jurgen Meyer, and Gila Eban. With 3 photos and 6 sketches.

Questions: Morales Guitar

2008
AL#93 p.66               
Tatsuo Miyachi                                                                                           

▪ A brief history of how Morales guitar brand relates to the Zen-On music company, a Japanese sheet music publisher which also sells a wide range of musical instruments. Zen-On goes back to the 1960s and the Hayashi Gakki company.

Reviews: La Chitarra di Liuteria—Masterpieces of Guitar Making, by Stefano Grondona and Luca Waldner

2008
AL#93 p.70               read this article
Tom Harper                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer much admires this book that attempts to supply the reader with an emotional appreciation of specific guitars made during the late 18th century to the mid-20th century.

Meet the Collectors: Forderer and Westbrook

2008
AL#94 p.18               
Cyndy Burton   Jim Forderer   James Westbrook                                                                                   

▪ As presented in this interview, Jim Forderer and Jim Westbrook are both collectors of guitars of the 19th century, a time period which included the development of the classical guitar. But most of their examples are about the evolution of that instrument and not about the finished post-Torres species. They are unique individuals with strange and wonderful tastes in guitars. With 17 photos and a dendrochronological analysis of the top of a very early Martin guitar.

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

Meet the Maker: Robert Ruck

2008
AL#93 p.10               
Jonathon Peterson   Robert Ruck                                                                                       

▪ Ruck has been one of the bright lights among American classical guitar makers for a long time, and this lengthy interview not only shows him to be a fascinating individual with an interesting history, but dwells at some length on the development of his guitars and the bracing patterns and other features he has evolved. Among his influences are Juan Mercadal, John Shaw, Hart Huttig, Neil Ostberg, and Manuel Barrueco. With 24 photos and a bracing diagram.

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

Harp Guitars: Past, Present, and Future

2008
AL#93 p.20      ALA6 p.64         
Mike Doolin   Kerry Char   Gary Southwell   Fred Carlson                                                                               

▪ Harp guitars have undergone a renaissance of sorts, in construction alternatives as well as the music that is being invented for them. Players want banks of super treble strings as well as an extended bass range. Luthiers have responded with new designs and different string configurations that make newer harp guitars more user friendly, more graceful, and musically more pertinent. The four members of this panel discussion are among the leading small builders of these interesting mega-guitars. With 53 photos and 2 sketches.

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

A Mid-19th-Century Martin Guitar

2008
AL#93 p.35      ALA1 p.90         
Jeff Liverman                                                                                           

▪ No size designation is given to this Martin, and no dimensions are printed on the scaled down plans reproduced in the magazine. The author’s guess is that the guitar was made in the 1840-1850 period. Though we automatically assume that a flattop guitar uses steel strings, Martin guitars of this period invariably were intended for gut strings and reproductions intended for use with steel strings should use very light strings indeed. With 4 photos. Complete full-size plans for this guitar are available as GAL Instrument Plan #57.

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

Letter to the Editor: Carbon Fiber for Guitar Tops and Braces

2007
AL#92 p.5               
Benz Tschannen                                                                                           

▪ Benz is doing some pretty sophisticated work with classical guitar tops stiffened with graphite threads and epoxy.

Building with the Spanish Solera

2007
AL#92 p.8      ALA5 p.30         
Eugene Clark                                                                                           

▪ An American master of the classical guitar explains how he builds using the solera, a workboard with a radius scraped into the body area to provide a slightly arched top.Clark places a strong emphasis on proper layout and hand tools. With 25 photos.

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

Meet the Maker: Scott Baxendale

2007
AL#92 p.20      ALA4 p.36         
Steve Wiencrot   Scott Baxendale                                                                                       

▪ Baxendale has lived a hyperactive life as a repairman and builder in several parts of America, including a stint working for Stuart Mossman and then as owner of the Mossman company, and repairman for the Hard Rock Cafe chain and Gruhn Guitars, before opening his own shops in Denver. Few luthiers live as hard or cover as much territory. With 14 photos.

Meet the Maker: Stephen Sedgwick

2007
AL#92 p.40      ALA6 p.50         
Jonathon Peterson   Stephen Sedgwick                                                                                       

▪ Harp guitars fascinate a lot more people than actually play them, so it takes a brave luthier to jump into the field. Sedgwick comes off as a delightfully modest man who is determined to make harp guitars or bust. His guitars are smallish and choice. This is yet another interview that makes it clear that life is different in other countries (England, in this case), and understanding that is one of the best reasons to travel. A wonderful interview, with 9 photos. Mentions London College of Furniture, London Guildhall University, London Metropolitan University.

Questions: Cypress Spanish Guitar

2007
AL#91 p.69               
R.E. Brune   James Westbrook                                                                                       

▪ What does one do with a historical instrument that has been badly treated?, in this case a Cypress Spanish guitar made by Santos Hernandez in 1919, given a glossy paint job, then stripped and sanded in the 1970s.

There’s a Hole in the Bucket

2007
AL#91 p.6               read this article
Cyndy Burton                                                                                           

▪ Burton’s micro history of sideports (holes in the sides, in addition to the front soundhole) in stringed instruments serves as an introduction to the next three articles. Luthiers she mentions include John Monteleone, Robert Ruck, Alain Bieber, Gennero Fabricatore, Kenny Hill, Alan Carruth, Roger Thurman, and Augustino LoPrinzi. With 9 photos.

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

Sideways

2007
AL#91 p.8               read this article
John Monteleone                                                                                           

▪ Ace archtop builder Monteleone is an advocate of side soundports (holes in the sides, in addition to the front soundhole) and has employed them for over a decade. His article includes personal background, developmental work on his sideported instruments, and construction techniques. With 3 photos.

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

Herr Helmholtz’ Tube

2007
AL#91 p.11               read this article
Mike Doolin                                                                                           

▪ The author found that a sideport (hole in the side, in addition to the front soundhole) in his guitar changed its voice in an undesirable way. Adding a bass reflex tube to the hole returned the guitar to a tonal range he liked. He remains luke warm to the benefits of side ports. With 5 photos.

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

Three Holes are Better than One

2007
AL#91 p.12               read this article
Robert Ruck                                                                                           

▪ Ruck has been adding sideports (holes in the sides, in addition to the front soundhole) to his classical and flamenco guitars for many years and is a strong advocate of their advantages. The incidents that led him to incorporate ports are very interesting. He mentions Roger Thurman and Augustino LoPrinzi. With 1 photo.

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

Meet the Maker: C.F. Martin IV

2007
AL#91 p.14               
C.F. Martin IV                                                                                           

▪ The author is the current chief of the venerable family business. He provides a candid look at Martin Guitar company history as well as a short examination of alternative wood varieties. Highly entertaining, with 5 photos.

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

A Rare Glimpse Inside an Early Martin Guitar

2007
AL#91 p.19      ALA1 p.5         
Rob Hoffman                                                                                           

▪ This is a detailed examination of a parlor guitar by Martin that pre-dates the company’s famed X bracing. With 15 photos.

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

Grading on the Curves

2007
AL#91 p.24               
Steve Andersen                                                                                           

▪ This is a very detailed look at how a notable builder of archtop guitars fits tone bars and bridges to his instruments. With 22 photos.

Gibson L-00 Flattop Guitar, Circa 1937

2007
AL#91 p.35      ALA1 p.46         
Kerry Char                                                                                           

▪ Char presents a hasty but interesting look at Gibson’s L-series guitar while zeroing in on the L-00, probably the most desirable member of the family. Learn how it was made, why they failed structurally, and examine the 2-page version of GAL Plan #55. With 8 photos.

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

GAL Instrument Plan #55: Circa 1937 Gibson L-00 Guitar

2007
AL#91 p.36      ALA1 p.46         
Kerry Char                                                                                           

▪ A full-scale instrument plan. See the GAL website for a low-rez preview.

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

Sustain and Electric Guitar Neck Joint Type

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.

Taylor Today

2007
AL#90 p.22      ALA1 p.72         
Mark French                                                                                           

▪ Taylor Guitars started out as the sort-of-goofy new kid on the block and has grown into the largest production steel string guitar facility in the country. Maybe you’ll learn something from this factory tour and maybe you won’t, but it’s always fascinating to see how the big guys do things. It’s the state of the art in large production. With 25 photos.

Build Variation in a Group of Acoustic Guitars

2007
AL#90 p.28      ALA1 p.78         
Mark French   Kendall Brubaker                                                                                       

▪ The authors measured frequency response of dozens of similar Taylor guitars using a hammer and a noncontacting laser displacement sensor. The big surprise was that guitars made of various woods didn’t differ very much. Well, some people were surprised. With 4 photos and 7 graphs.

Meet the Maker: Kenny Hill

2007
AL#90 p.32               
Cyndy Burton   Kenny Hill                                                                                       

▪ Hill is an amazing man who has been a classical performer, a harvester of his own tonewood, a teacher of prisoners, an entrepreneur who has opened guitar factories in three countries, and a really nice guy. And more! Truly a fascinating individual. With 9 photos.

Meet the Maker: Mervyn Davis

2007
AL#90 p.46               
Rodney Stedall   Mervyn Davis                                                                                       

▪ Davis’ South African upbringing inspires a wonderful decorative sense in his instruments. He’s built a ton of different stuff but may end up best known for his wildly unique modular guitars called Smooth Talkers. With 16 photos.

Mechanical Compliance for Soundboard Optimization

2007
AL#90 p.8               
David Hurd                                                                                           

▪ Hurd believes that the fastest way to great instruments is science, and it’s hard to argue with such a rational man. His jigs measure the deflection of top plates while under tension, and once he carves the top and braces to the numbers he wants he’s done. Period. Sort of makes intuition obsolete. This could also be math heavy if he didn’t offer an Internet spread sheet to ease the pain. With 7 photos and 7 figures/charts.

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

Meet the Maker: Chris Jenkins

2007
AL#89 p.18      ALA4 p.32         
Steve Kinnaird   Chris Jenkins                                                                                       

▪ Texas luthier Jenkins has become an inspiration to those who have seen his work, though he drew his own inspiration and instruction from Charles Fox, Harry Fleishman, Ervin Somogyi, and Fred Carlson. He’s a classic example of what can be accomplished by seeking out talented instruction rather than fiddling one’s own way up the learning curve. With 12 photos.

Meet the Maker: Dmitry Zhevlakov

2007
AL#89 p.38               
Federico Sheppard   Dmitry Zhevlakov                                                                                       

▪ This is not only the story of a Russian luthier who also makes beautiful rosettes for other builders, but is another example of how the Internet has changed the world — in this case for better. With 9 photos.

Jim Norris’ Lattice Bracing

2007
AL#89 p.42               
Brent Benfield                                                                                           

▪ Lattice bracing in various forms seems here to stay. Norris’ construction method uses graphite fibers in epoxy, and is unique in that it allows the guitar to be strung before the body is officially closed, permitting tuning of the top while the braces are still completely accessible. With 18 photos and a diagram.

Double-Top Guitars

2006
AL#88 p.8      ALA3 p.90         
Randy Reynolds                                                                                           

▪ Double-top guitars utilize a top made of two thin layers of spruce separated by a honey-comb material called Nomex. So few people have heard such guitars that the jury is still out (way out) concerning double-top benefits, but here’s how they are made and why. One thing seems sure—the guitar market is large enough to absorb every idea, so no facet of guitar evolution is likely to die out before its time. With 13 photos.

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: Benoit Meulle-Stef

2006
AL#88 p.34      ALA6 p.56         
Jonathon Peterson   Benoit Meulle-Stef                                                                                       

▪ Meulle-Stef is a French harp guitar luthier who lives and works in Belgium. The harp guitar has deep roots in Europe and he is familiar with all of them. His own instruments have a grace that harp guitars often lack (and check out his fan-braced steel-string top!) This is another sign that lutherie has always been a global industry, even though American guitarmakers tend to forget or ignore it. With 22 photos and a drawing.

Rapid Prototypes of the Flattop Guitar

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.

Review: The Century That Shaped the Guitar by James Westbrook

2006
AL#88 p.63               read this article
Bryan Johanson                                                                                           

▪ No, it wasn’t the 20th century, silly. It was the 19th century in which the classical guitar grew up.The reviewer calls this book wonderful, informative, and generous. There is also a CD available of 19th century guitar music played on restored instruments of the time.

Low-Tech Prototyping Jigs and Methods

2007
AL#89 p.6      ALA1 p.10         
Tim Shaw                                                                                           

▪ Shaw has worked for large guitar companies for decades. Currently with Fender, he runs an independent shop that makes prototype instruments for all the factories that fall under the Fender banner. He also does repairs on discontinued models where the factory equipment has been dismantled. Accomplishing one-off projects or small runs of parts is no different for a big company than for an independent luthier, they just have the luxury of big-budget equipment. Shaw’s methods of jigging up for parts manufacture incorporating speed and safety can be used by many one-off shops to hustle production and instrument development. Good stuff from one of the aces in the business. With 34 photos.

Meet the Maker: Tom Shinness

2006
AL#87 p.34      ALA6 p.46         
Jonathon Peterson   Tom Shinness                                                                                       

▪ Shinness is a harp guitarist who builds his guitars by cutting and pasting—using real instruments! Cool guy! With 4 photos.

Meet the Maker: Rodney Stedall

2006
AL#87 p.44               
Tom Harper   Rodney Stedall                                                                                       

▪ Stedall is a South African optometrist/luthier and coordinator of the Guild of South African Luthiers. Are you surprised that South Africa has a guitar scene? Well, these days it can happen anywhere. With 6 photos.

Fabio’s Fabulously Simple Neck Joint

2006
AL#87 p.50               
Fabio Ragghianti                                                                                           

▪ The author’s joint uses a simple spline. Steel-string guys may be skeptical but Ragghianti says it works fine on his archtops, too. With 9 photos.

Questions: Restoring Manzanero Guitar

2006
AL#87 p.67               
Jeffrey R. Elliott   Cyndy Burton                                                                                       

▪ Proper way to fix a Manzanero guitar with poorly repaired cracks on the top and back, a pulled up neck, and a poor refinish.

Arched Plate Carving, Part Three, Barring the Top Plate, and Graduating the Back Plate

2006
AL#86 p.6               
Chris Burt                                                                                           

▪ This segment wraps up Burt’s series on plate carving. Every luthier, but especially beginning luthiers, should read his “Word to the wise” paragraph, the best piece of advice you are ever likely to read. With 19 photos and a drawing.

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

Modern Approaches to Adjustable Neck Joints

2006
AL#86 p.24      ALA1 p.28         
Harry Fleishman   Mike Doolin                                                                                       

▪ This neck joint should eliminate neck resets. Its pretty complex but within the grasp of any guitarmaker. With 23 photos and a drawing.

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

Alternative Headstock Decoration and Truss Rod Adjustment Access

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.

A Luthier’s Choices

2006
AL#87 p.6               
Kenny Hill                                                                                           

▪ Hill has made guitars for eons, harvested his own wood, taught lutherie in a prison, and opened shops in Mexico and China. Not to mention that he’s a fine guitarist. The man has been around. This piece is part biography, part how-to, and all interesting. He’s led an interesting life, and he’s not that old. With 9 photos.

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

Arched Plate Carving, Part Two, Graduating the Top Plate and Cutting the f-Holes

2006
AL#85 p.30               
Chris Burt                                                                                           

▪ Burt’s in-depth examination of plate carving continues. His techniques are old-school, relying on tap tones to define plate stiffness and definite tonal relationships between the top and back plates. With 9 photos and a drawing.

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

Controlling Classical Guitar Neck Angle

2006
AL#85 p.37               
Rodney Stedall                                                                                           

▪ Using the Spanish foot requires that the neck angle of a classical guitar be established before the back is glued to the instrument, which locks all the parts firmly (and hopefully permanently) together. Stedall’s method will further your understanding of this problem and help you achieve the results you seek. With 1 drawing and 1 photo of a jig used to stiffen the body while the ribs are sanded to receive the back.

Meet the Maker: Greg Byers

2006
AL#85 p.38      ALA3 p.40         
Woodley White   Greg Byers                                                                                       

▪ Byers has been around for a long time. He has an intuitive idea of what sound he is seeking in his guitars and a clinical approach to finding it. That’s quite a combination, and he is quite an interesting fellow. With 7 photos.

Resurrecting the Family Guitar

2006
AL#85 p.46               
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ Some instruments aren’t valuable enough to warrant extensive repair work but are too interesting to throw away. Enter the resurrectionist. In this case the subject is a ’30s tenor guitar by Regal. Cracks are fixed, braces are replaced, a new bridge is made, and the neck is refitted. With 21 photos.

DVD Review: In Search of the Harp Guitar, It’s History, Players, and Makers, hosted by John Doan

2006
AL#85 p.64               read this article
Cyndy Burton                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer enjoyed this DVD, though she seems hesitant to recommend it to anyone seeking solid information about building a harp guitar. It’s a tour of the contemporary harp guitar scene important to anyone who wishes to be part of that society in any guise.

It Worked for Me: Fitting Braces Into Arched Plates

2006
AL#85 p.65               
John Hagen                                                                                           

▪ This fixture provides a means for fitting braces to arched plates that is fast, accurate, and fool proof. The brace is held stationary against the soundboard while a strip of sandpaper is moved under it.

Arched Plate Carving, Part One: Establishing the Outside Surface

2005
AL#84 p.36               
Chris Burt                                                                                           

▪ This is an in-depth look at the tools and procedures used in carving the plates of an archtop instrument. The first article in this series appeared in AL#83, and subsequent articles will follow.

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

Review: Build a Steel String Guitar with Robert O’Brien by Robert O’Brien

2005
AL#84 p.60   BRB7 p.536            read this article
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ Though the reviewer found fault with this CD-ROM he decides that for the beginner it is better instruction than any book on the subject.

Review: Building an Acoustic Guitar by Dan Erlewine and Todd Sams

2005
AL#84 p.61   BRB7 p.537            read this article
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ This 70 minute video demonstrates building an acoustic guitar from a Stew-Mac kit, and may be a bit misleading in it’s title.

Letter to the Editor: Elliott Torres Restoration Article

2005
AL#84 p.3   BRB7 p.545            
R.E. Brune                                                                                           

▪ Brune comments on the restoration of the Torres guitar covered in AL #83. Brune worked on this guitar previous to Elliott’s restoration, and he offers two more photos of the instrument.

19th-Century Rosette Marquetry for 21st-Century Guitars

2005
AL#84 p.6   BRB7 p.392            
Greg Byers                                                                                           

▪ With tools you’ve probably already got in your shop you can make mosaic rosettes that look modern and yet somehow traditional. The techniques differ from the bricks and tiles made of old and are more akin to the processes of making fancy purflings. Cooler than anything, but not for the impatient among us. With 31 photos and a pair of diagrams.

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

Meet the Maker: Del Langejans

2005
AL#84 p.18   BRB7 p.402            
Mark Swanson   Del Langejans                                                                                       

▪ Langejans is a resourceful guitar maker with a big-time clientele. Many of his designs are unique, as is his finishing material and some of the wood he uses. He has strong opinions about how to get started and survive in the business, which have apparently worked for him very well. With 9 photos.

2003 Manuel Reyes Flamenco Guitar

2005
AL#84 p.33   BRB7 p.410            
Tom Blackshear                                                                                           

▪ One page of notes plus a 2-page spread of GAL full-size plan #53 of a Reyes flamenco guitar.

GAL Instrument Plan #53: 2003 Manuel Reyes Flamenco Guitar an Instrument Plan

2005
AL#84 p.34   BRB7 p.411            
Tom Blackshear                                                                                           

▪ A full-scale instrument plan. See the GAL website for a low-rez preview.

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.

The Cole Clark Guitar

2005
AL#83 p.14   BRB7 p.358            
Michael Finnerty   Bradley Clark                                                                                       

▪ Cole Clark Guitars is an Australian company specializing in computer designed and manufactured flattop and electric guitars. Rather than use CNC machines to duplicate old guitar styles of construction they have modified their designs to suit the potentials of the machinery, which in the end reduces expensive hand labor by as much as half. A sidebar mentions the lutherie uses of 3 Aussie wood varieties. With 10 photos.

Restoring Tarrega’s 1888 Torres

2005
AL#83 p.18   BRB7 p.364            
Jeffrey R. Elliott                                                                                           

▪ Restoring famous instruments is a tricky business. If they are also old, well-played, and abused by poor storage facilities the work becomes a cross between knowledge, craft, and art. Elliott goes where few of us would care to travel, explaining every step of restoration as he goes. Perhaps as important is what he doesn’t do. The ethics of restoration is a foundation of the story. With 42 photos as well as a 2-page spread of GAL full-size plan #52.

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

GAL Instrument Plan #52: 1888 Antonio de Torres Classic Guitar an Instrument Plan

2005
AL#83 p.32   BRB7 p.378            
Jeffrey R. Elliott                                                                                           

▪ A full-scale instrument plan. See the GAL website for a low-rez preview.

Amplifying Acoustic Guitars Update

2005
AL#83 p.36               
Harry Fleishman   Mike Doolin                                                                                       

▪ Two experts in the field of acoustic amplification discuss available equipment as well as why few of them seem to work as well as we might wish. They do not dumb down the technical talk, so be prepared to expand your vocabulary and your mind. With 2 photos and 4 diagrams.

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

Quick Cuts: The 13-string Chiavi-Miolin Guitar

2005
AL#83 p.42               read this article
Johannes Labusch   Ermanno Chiavi                                                                                       

▪ Few harp guitars are nylon strung. Fewer still have frets under all the strings. The Chiavi-Miolin is unique, weird, and strangely beautiful. Its goal is to play piano and lute literature without leaving out notes. With 4 photos.

Meet the Maker: Jay Hargreaves

2005
AL#83 p.44   BRB7 p.380            
Todd Rose   Jay Hargreaves                                                                                       

▪ Bass maker Hargreaves is hardly a stranger to AL readers. Here he stands on the other end of the interview as he discusses his work as well as his affiliations with Michael Kasha and Richard Schneider.

Review: The Guitar of Andres Segovia Hermann Hauser 1937

2005
AL#83 p.53   BRB7 p.533            read this article
Tom Harper                                                                                           

▪ This offering includes a pamphlet by R.E. Brune and Don Pilarz that includes 30 color photos of this guitar, a new full-size blueprint by Brune, a CD of music by Segovia, and a poster. The reviewer concludes that “as a builder of classical instruments I really can’t imagine passing up this compilation.” ‘Nuff said.

Review: Build Your Own Lap Steel Guitar by Martin Koch

2005
AL#83 p.55   BRB7 p.533            read this article
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer notes that luthiers with a modicum of experience may find this book and CD combination lacking in useful new information. However, he enjoyed the reading/viewing and decides that the beginning electric luthier could do much worse than starting with Koch’s work.

Questions: Canting Bass Side of Fretboard

2005
AL#83 p.58   BRB7 p.453            
Eugene Clark   David Hurd   Jeffrey R. Elliott                                                                                   

▪ Canting the bass side of the fretboard on classical guitars and resulting saddle and string compensation.

It Worked for Me: Replacing Bridge Plates in Dreadnoughts

2005
AL#81 p.64   BRB7 p.496            
Keith Davis                                                                                           

▪ Removing and replacing bridge plates in dreadnought guitars the K.I.S.S. (keep it simple, stupid) way.

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.

Fitting Flamenco Pegs

2005
AL#82 p.44   BRB7 p.350            
Aaron Green                                                                                           

▪ As far as looks go, guitars with wooden tuning pegs are the cat’s patoot. Regarding long-term functioning, though… well, maybe you better read Green’s article. His method of installing hidden maple bushings in the headstock should put you way ahead of the game. With 21 photographs.

Diagnosis: Lutherie

2005
AL#82 p.51               
Ervin Somogyi                                                                                           

▪ So you’ve made a guitar but it’s not all you hoped for. You have the opportunity to discuss it with your peers and they all have a cure. Unhappily the methods of correction don’t jibe. Somogyi finally got a response he could live with. It saved his guitar and eventually turned into an unexpected sale. The whole trick is in lucking into the right guy to talk to.

It Worked for Me: Wedges for Classical Sides

2004
AL#80 p.64   BRB7 p.495            
Brent Benfield                                                                                           

▪ Taking the lead from Jose Romanillos in fitting bent sides into slots cut in the sides of the Spanish heel to join the neck to the body.

Structuring Acoustics with Carbon Fiber

2005
AL#81 p.8   BRB7 p.274            
Steve Kauffman                                                                                           

▪ Kauffman and friend Steve Klein have used carbon fiber (graphite/epoxy) in as many guitar applications as anyone, stopping short (I think) of an entirely graphite instrument. If you’ve only dabbled with graphite truss rods and such you have no idea how hotly some others are pursuing synthetic materials to make wood guitars sound better and last longer. “All natural materials” has been a battle cry for decades, but perhaps the time is ripe for making natural materials better than nature had in mind. You be the judge. With 36 photos.

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

Guitar Swap!

2005
AL#81 p.22               read this article
John Calkin   Steve Kinnaird                                                                                       

▪ Two luthiers decide to build guitars for each other, a straight across trade and with a minimum of rules. Its wonderful fun if the anxiety doesn’t kill you. With 5 photos.

Neck and Bridge Geometry for Domed Guitar Tops

2005
AL#81 p.36   BRB7 p.296            
Jon Sevy                                                                                           

▪ All those cool pre-war Martins not withstanding, many luthiers believe that domed guitar tops are the way to go. But they can complicate construction in unforeseen ways. Sevy offers a mathematical cure, a set of formulas for predicting neck pitch and saddle height. Probably not for the math challenged, but give it a look before you abandon this path. With 4 charts and 5 diagrams.

Meet the Maker: Bob Jones

2005
AL#81 p.46   BRB7 p.306            
Bruce Calder   Bob Jones                                                                                       

▪ Jones is one of the “big guys” in the New York City instrument repair scene. He owns some very cool collectables. He’s worked for some of the biggest names in the industry. He has definite opinions about how to get into the business. How could you not read this? With 13 photos, including one of a double neck Selmer.

Meet the Dealer: Armin Kelly

2004
AL#80 p.28   BRB7 p.254            
Cyndy Burton   Armin Kelly                                                                                       

▪ Meet the dealer? Well, when a dealer has such a strong influence in the lives of the luthiers he represents, why not? If you build, and if you want to sell through a dealer, you need to read this interview. Besides, Kelly’s enthusiasm is so infectious it will send you right back to your workbench. Boutique guitar builders and shops are relatively new to the steel string, but it has always been the way among classical guitar people. This is why. With 3 photos.

Removable and Adjustable Necks for Classical Guitars

2004
AL#80 p.38   BRB7 p.262            
Alain Bieber                                                                                           

▪ The author offers a nice history of guitars built with adjustable and/or removable necks and states a variety of reasons why we should build our guitars with this feature today. The benefits of adjustability are pretty irrefutable, and modern adjustable systems are easier to incorporate than the dovetail joint so commonly seen. The effect upon instrument tone seems to be minor or nonexistent. This is a very convincing article. With 10 photos and 5 diagrams. Mentions Fabricatore, Staufer, Scherzer, Lacote, others.

Experiments in Audio Spectroscopy

2004
AL#80 p.48   BRB7 p.260            
John C. Moore                                                                                           

▪ Spectroscopy turns instrument noise into pictures, or graphs. As the author points out, the equipment for accomplishing this has now left the lab and is available to the home user. It may take some time to find out if these graphs are useful to the builder of instruments, but as Moore states, the only way to find out is to get started. With 12 graphs and 2 photos.

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.

Questions: Side Sound Ports

2004
AL#80 p.61   BRB7 p.259            
Robert Ruck                                                                                           

▪ Sound ports in guitar sides near the neck to help boost the sound for the player, especially the hard of hearing, and even the audience.

Questions: Dished Soundboard

2004
AL#80 p.61   BRB7 p.349            
R.E. Brune                                                                                           

▪ A highly valued classical guitar from the 60s that has developed a dish between the bridge and the sound hole.

Eight Concerns of Highly Successful Guitar Makers

2004
AL#79 p.6   BRB7 p.206            
R.E. Brune                                                                                           

▪ In a sense Brune is laying down the law for successful classical guitar making. Much of it will be useful to any builder, and all of it is interesting because Brune is an interesting man who has his thoughts together. Not to mention that he’s a heck of a luthier with a deep background in the history of his craft. With 30 photos and 8 diagrams. Mentions Santos Hernandez, Marcelo Barbaro, Ignacio Fleta, Hermann Hauser, Sr.

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

Meet the Maker: Lester DeVoe

2004
AL#78 p.20   BRB7 p.192            
Cyndy Burton   Lester DeVoe                                                                                       

▪ A maker of flamenco guitars discusses guitarists and instruments. A good interview can be as inspiring as a good how-to, and this is a good interview. Mentions Santos Hernandez, Sabicas, Paco de Lucia.

Tales of Topographic Arches

2004
AL#78 p.45   BRB7 p.199            
Michael Darnton                                                                                           

▪ By making a topo map of the spherical arch you wish your top or back to be (in 1/32″ intervals in this example) one only has to lay an outline of the guitar on the map and chart the contour of the sides. So easy. So elegant. So how come it wasn’t more obvious? With one photo and one diagram.

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

Is Guitar Design an Oxymoron?

2003
AL#76 p.8   BRB7 p.110            
Steve Klein                                                                                           

▪ Klein delivers a lecture that asks as many questions as it attempt to answer. Why has guitar design seemed to stall when so many other fields are jumping into the future? What do musicians really want? How can we make musicians want what we want to build? Is there any more to improve on the steel string guitar? A thought-provoking piece, indeed. With 13 photos.

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

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.

Making an Access Panel

2003
AL#76 p.52   BRB7 p.132            
Larry Mills   Chris Jenkins                                                                                       

▪ Replacing the conventional guitar tail block with an access panel is an appealing idea whose time has come. Why you should use it and how it is made is the focus of this article. This may be the first article of its kind. Pretty humorous, too. With 15 photos.

Shifting Gears on a Gretsch

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.

Geza’s Precision Assembly Jig

2003
AL#75 p.6   BRB7 p.86            
Geza Burghardt   Cyndy Burton                                                                                       

▪ Geza Burghhardt builds classical guitars on a workboard rather than a mold, but it isn’t just any old workboard. Its carefully jigged up for accuracy and guitar-to-guitar consistency and his jigs are nearly as pretty as his guitars. Well, to another luthier, anyhow. With 17 photos.

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.

Kit Review: LMI’s OM Guitar

2003
AL#74 p.48   BRB7 p.538            
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ The oversize nature of the parts in this kit offers the ability to build guitars that are wider and/or deeper than the standard Martin OM. The author builds one he calls the magnum, a normal OM shape that has the depth of a dreadnought. He finds it to be a thoroughly top-flight instrument. With 18 photos and a sidebar about the author’s Ferrari OM, an attempt to build the lightest possible instrument that will still thrive in the real world.

Forces on Archtop Guitars

2003
AL#74 p.30   BRB7 p.56            
Franz Elferink                                                                                           

▪ A variety of forces begun by simple string tension not only make our instruments function but may eventually tear them apart. With a little math we can determine what those forces are and sort of decide if our archtops are beefy enough to withstand them. With 3 drawings.

Bridge Positioning Fixture

2003
AL#73 p.62   BRB7 p.34            
Pete Barthell                                                                                           

▪ As the title indicates, a nice fixture for finding the proper location of the classical guitar bridge. With 6 photos and a set of diagrams.

Remembering Robert Bouchet

2003
AL#74 p.6   BRB7 p.32            
Philippe Refig                                                                                           

▪ Bouchet (1898-1986) was one of only a handful of guitar makers that kept the craft alive previous to the “lutherie boom” we are now enjoying. His small output belies the influence he had on the classical guitar. The author knew Bouchet and has written a charming, if too short, biography. With 1 photo.

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

Meet the Maker: Steve Grimes

2003
AL#74 p.20   BRB7 p.48            
Jonathon Peterson   Steve Grimes                                                                                       

▪ Grimes is one of the premier archtop builders of our times. His flattops aren’t bad, either. He worked for years in the Northwest before moving to Hawaii, where the slack-key guitar scene has impacted his flattop designs.

Constructing the Spanish Rosette, Part 2

2003
AL#73 p.14   BRB6 p.368            
Eugene Clark   Jonathon Peterson                                                                                       

▪ Clark is one of the old American masters of lutherie. Building an original rosette in the Spanish tradition is way more complicated than routing a channel and poking in some abalone, as steel stringers are apt to do, but with Clark’s instruction you can do it. Includes 22 photos. Part 1 appeared in AL #71.

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

Stop Giving Your Guitar the Finger

2003
AL#73 p.40   BRB7 p.2            
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ Everyone develops little work habits or adopts minor tools that together make a big difference in their work and the pleasure they find in it. This is one man’s collection of odds and ends that changed the quality and quantity of his work. With 15 photos.

Ted’s Excellent Adventures

2003
AL#73 p.46   BRB7 p.18            
Steve Regimbal                                                                                           

▪ Take a quick look at three adventurous instruments by archtop builder Ted Berringer. They are a 12-string octave guitar, a 5-string mandolin, and a 6-string archtop made entirely of spruce. With 12 photos.

Castles in Spain

2002
AL#72 p.18   BRB6 p.400            
Stephen Frith                                                                                           

▪ How would you like to learn guitar making in a Spanish castle? How about under the tutelage of Jose Romanillos? Cool, huh? Frith explains what it’s like. Any organization with a staff member named Big Pep has to be pretty far out. With 19 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.

Tuning in Thirds

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.

Meet the Maker: Michihiro Matsuda

2002
AL#72 p.46   BRB6 p.433            
Michael Bashkin   Michihiro Matsuda                                                                                       

▪ Changing countries and cultures to enhance one’s skills must be a daunting and exhilarating experience. Matsuda came from Japan to learn lutherie in Arizona, then apprenticed in California. His designs are innovative and his guitars lovely to behold. With 9 photos.

Constructing the Spanish Rosette, Part 1

2002
AL#71 p.8   BRB6 p.368            
Eugene Clark   Jonathon Peterson                                                                                       

▪ How deeply do you want to dive into the matter of making rosettes? Here Clark will submerge you until you gasp for air or make a fine rosette, whichever comes first. Designing the rosette and dying the sticks receive deepest treatment, though no words are spared when describing the cutting and sizing of the materials. Everything is here. With 33 photos. Part Two will appear in a future issue of AL.

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

Getting Wired: Rick Turner at ASL

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.

It Worked for Me: Cheap Spanish Guitar

2002
AL#71 p.65   BRB6 p.464            
Jonathon Peterson                                                                                           

▪ Small adjustable-width angle gauges for a through-the-soundhole approach to repair a fractured top on a Spanish guitar.

Meet the Maker: Ralph Novak

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.

Small Shop Production Techniques

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.

1869 Francisco Gonzalez: A Restoration

2002
AL#70 p.16   BRB6 p.328            
Jeffrey R. Elliott                                                                                           

▪ Returning a historically important guitar to life is not only a painstaking project but also one that must be done with finesse and a respect for the instrument’s value as an historical document. This restoration took several months and much research and investigation, requiring the use of tools not normally associated with guitar repair. With 43 photos and a magazine-size version of GAL Plan #47 of the instrument under discussion.

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

GAL Instrument Plan #47: 1869 Francisco Gonzalez Guitar

2002
AL#70 p.34   BRB6 p.343            
Jeffrey R. Elliott                                                                                           

▪ A full-scale instrument plan. See the GAL website for a low-rez preview.

Minotaur Guitars: An Experiment in the Staufer-Scherzer Tradition

2002
AL#70 p.40   BRB6 p.362            
Alain Bieber                                                                                           

▪ Bieber’s classical guitars feature removable, adjustable necks and slight double cutaways to increase fretboard access. They also look quite remarkable. With 8 photos.

CAD Notebook

2002
AL#70 p.58   BRB6 p.510            
Dana Bourgeois                                                                                           

▪ This segment begins instruction in drawing a neck using MasterCam Draft, Version 8. If you stumble onto the perfect neck and wish to have it machine reproduced you may have to know this stuff. With 3 drawings.

Meet the Maker: Kerry Char

2002
AL#69 p.28   BRB6 p.316            
Jonathon Peterson   Kerry Char                                                                                       

▪ Char is a guitar maker who also specializes in the restoration of old and odd instruments, particularly harp guitars by Knutsen and others. With 16 photos of vintage instruments.

A Method for Specifying Contours of an Arched Plate

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.

Archtop Guitars: It All Creates Music

2001
AL#68 p.16   BRB6 p.250            
Bob Benedetto                                                                                           

▪ For a builder of orthodox archtop guitars Benedetto certainly has some iconoclastic ideas. His opinions about bridges, tailpieces, guitar setup, and tonewood may turn your head around. With 9 photos.

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

Meet the Maker: Tom Blackshear

2001
AL#68 p.28   BRB6 p.274            
Cyndy Burton   Tom Blackshear                                                                                       

▪ Blackshear has been building classical guitars since the ’50s. He has been strongly influenced by the work of Miguel Rodriguez. With 15 photos.

CAD Notebook

2001
AL#68 p.62   BRB6 p.510            
Dana Bourgeois                                                                                           

▪ Previous columns saw the creation of a 3D wireframe computer image of a dreadnought guitar body. In this installment a 2D profile of a side is extracted from the software, from which the side set can be cut to shape before bending. With 6 diagrams.

Questions: B-45-12 Guitar

2001
AL#68 p.66   BRB6 p.326            
Robert Steinegger   David Freeman                                                                                       

▪ Info on the B-45-12, the best Gibson 12 string ever built, according to chapter 9 of Gibson’s fabulous flat-top guitars, by Whitford, Vinopal, and Erlewine.

Meet the Maker: Bob Benedetto

2001
AL#68 p.8   BRB6 p.242            
Jonathon Peterson   Bob Benedetto                                                                                       

▪ Benedetto has had as large an impact on the modern archtop guitar as anyone. He’s also a really nice guy, unpretentious and level-headed. You’re gonna like him. With 11 photos.

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

CAD Notebook

2001
AL#67 p.51   BRB6 p.510            
Dana Bourgeois                                                                                           

▪ In the last installment we learned how to make a computerized outline of a guitar body using Mastercam software. In this installment we learn how to make a wireframe image that suggests three dimensions. With 5 diagrams.

Review: Dangerous Curves: The Art of the Guitar by Darcy Kuronen

2001
AL#67 p.60   BRB6 p.539            read this article
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ This is a picture book of guitars that the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, included in a show of artfully conceived instruments. The reviewer loves the style of the photography but gives the project a so-so evaluation.

Questions: Guitar Stand

2001
AL#67 p.62               
Cyndy Burton                                                                                           

▪ A noncomprehensive list of classical guitar dealers who may be interested in a high end classical guitar stand.

Meet the Maker: Sebastian Stenzel

2001
AL#66 p.20   BRB6 p.216            
Greg Hanson   Sebastian Stenzel                                                                                       

▪ Stenzel is a German who specializes in classical guitars. He shares much information about his guitars as well as some opinions that may surprise you. With 5 photos.

Meet the Maker: Taku Sakashta

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.

Vincente Tatay and His Guitars

2001
AL#66 p.47   BRB6 p.198            
Steve Newberry                                                                                           

▪ Tatay built guitars in the back room of a music store in WWII-era Manhattan. Newberry hung out then as a teenager. Not many of us have memories of our youth that are this cool. Alas. Or is it just that Newberry tells a really good tale? With 2 photos.

Review: Custom Guitars: A Complete Guide to Contemporary Handcrafted Guitars edited by Simone Solondz

2001
AL#66 p.55   BRB6 p.536            read this article
Benjamin Hoff                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds this book too expensive and too incomplete to recommend on any level other than for the nice photography.

CAD Notebook

2001
AL#66 p.60   BRB6 p.510            
Dana Bourgeois                                                                                           

▪ In this segment the author instructs how to get Mastercam Draft software to draw the outline of a particular guitar body. The one you want, that is, not just any old outline.

Meet the Maker: Eugene Clark

2001
AL#65 p.28   BRB6 p.174            
Jonathon Peterson   Eugene Clark                                                                                       

▪ Clark began his guitar building over 40 years ago, which makes him one of the true father figures of our craft. His life has been a crooked path, with interesting things at every jog in the road. You’ll like meeting him. With 12 photos.

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

Meet the Maker: Sergio Huerta Chavez

2001
AL#65 p.44   BRB6 p.200            
Bruce Calder   Sergio Huerta Chavez                                                                                       

▪ Chavez is a builder of guitars and violins from Mexico who has managed to find markets in the US. Lutherie-life south of the border is probably different than you think, especially if Paracho has been your only touchstone. With 5 photos.

CAD Notebook

2001
AL#65 p.48   BRB6 p.510            
Dana Bourgeois                                                                                           

▪ No doubt many of us pursue lutherie as an escape from an ever-escalating technology that the rest of the world imposes upon us. If that’s you, skip this new column. If, however, you see yourself entering lutherie as a business you may find yourself shut out of future developments if you can’t speak CAD (Computer Aided Design). Bourgeois’ arguments for getting involved are strong, and you may even find a degree of fun in the pursuit. Working with Mastercam software to design guitars and parts will be the focus of future columns.

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

Letter to the Editor: Guitar Dimensions and Harmonics

2001
AL#66 p.3               read this article
Joe D. Franklin                                                                                           

▪ Joe Franklin believed that the secret to good sound in classical guitars was the exacting relationship between interior dimensions and the wavelengths of sound.

Meet the Maker: Harry Fleishman

2001
AL#66 p.6   BRB6 p.186            
Ken Goodwin   Harry Fleishman                                                                                       

▪ Fleishman has been a guitar and bass designer/builder, a teacher of lutherie and writing, a longtime member of the GAL, a frequent contributor to AL and its current product reviewer. Harry is as well-known for his outrageous sense of humor as for the outrageous instruments he creates. With 10 photos.

The Classic Guitar: Four Perspectives

2000
AL#64 p.6   BRB6 p.118            
Jeffrey R. Elliott   Greg Byers   Eugene Clark   Gary Southwell                                                                               

▪ Four note-worthy builders of the classical guitar talk about their influences, their building philosophies, and some of the their construction techniques in a panel discussion that should inspire anyone interested in the instrument. With 26 photos.

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

Meet the Maker: Rick Turner

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.

Review: Archtop Guitar Master Class Series Part 1: Focusing on Bridges and Tailpieces by Bob Benedetto

2000
AL#64 p.56   BRB6 p.534            read this article
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds this video to be more opinion than explanation, and that the limited amount of information included doesn’t justify its purchase.

Kit Review: Stew-Mac’s D-28 Guitar

2000
AL#64 p.58   BRB6 p.493            
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ The author enjoyed building this kit and decides that it is a fine value as well as a good way to enter guitar making. With 14 photos.

In Memoriam: David Rubio

2001
AL#65 p.5   BRB6 p.204            read this article
Paul Fischer                                                                                           

▪ Born David Joseph Spinks, Rubio was an Englishman who adopted his Spanish nickname. He became a well-known maker of classical guitars, early instruments, and violins.

Review: Taylor on Guitars: New Neck Designs by Bob Taylor, Taylor Guitars

2000
AL#62 p.63   BRB6 p.532            read this article
Woody Vernice                                                                                           

▪ This video is used to explain the design of the new Taylor neck. The reviewer likes it as more than the selling aid that Taylor envisioned, that for him it opened the discussion for the future role of the handbuilder.

Meet the Collector: Sheldon Urlik

2000
AL#63 p.10   BRB6 p.72            
Cyndy Burton   Sheldon Urlik                                                                                       

▪ When a collector becomes a historian his importance to lutherie takes on a new dimension. Urlik’s collection begins with Torres and extends to many important current, and can be examined by anyone in his book A Collection of Fine Classical Guitars, from Torres to the Present. With 19 photos.

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

Getting Fit

2000
AL#63 p.34   BRB6 p.108            
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ OK, so you’ve got all the parts for your flattop guitar body prepped for construction. How do you get all the pieces to fit together? The author details the construction methods used at the Huss & Dalton Guitar Co, all of which should prove useful to any small shop.With 21 photos.

Meet the Maker: Clive Titmuss

2000
AL#63 p.40   BRB6 p.130            
Gordon Gray   Clive Titmuss                                                                                       

▪ Titmuss is a Canadian who builds and performs upon the lute. He’s also a lute historian and a musicologist. It takes an interesting person to make a mostly-forgotten piece of the past come alive, which is what Titmuss does. With 8 photos.

V Joint a la Geza

2000
AL#63 p.46   BRB6 p.114            
Cyndy Burton                                                                                           

▪ The V joint is an elegant, traditional method of adding a pitched headstock to a classical guitar. This 20-photo essay follows the able hands of Geza Burghardt as he completes the entire operation.

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

Nine Electric Guitar Construction References

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.

Review: From Harp Guitars to the New Hawaiian Family: Chris J. Knutsen, History and Development of the Hawaiian Steel Guitar by George T. Noe and Daniel L. Most

2000
AL#62 p.62   BRB6 p.531            read this article
Jonathon Peterson                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer recommends this book that traces the history of harp and Hawaiian guitars, focusing sharply of the life and work of Knutsen.

Review: The Player’s Guide to Guitar Maintenance by Dave Burrluck

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.

Questions: Flamenco Strings and Setup

2000
AL#61 p.64   BRB6 p.113            
R.E. Brune                                                                                           

▪ Info on typical string clearances at the 1st and 12th frets on a flamenco guitar, based on GAL plan #42 (1951 M. Barbero) by R.E. Brune.

Letter to the Editor: Passing of Jim Norris

2000
AL#62 p.3   BRB6 p.81            
R.E. Brune                                                                                           

▪ Mentions the death of Jim Norris, who “was instrumental in bringing the classical guitar to Chicago in the late 1950s and early 1960s…”

Designing the Archtop Guitar for Sound

2000
AL#62 p.6   BRB6 p.32            
John Monteleone                                                                                           

▪ No one in the field of archtop guitars is more respected than Monteleone. This article represents his full thoughts on the instrument as of 1998. With 12 photos and 4 drawings.

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

Meet the Maker: David Freeman

2000
AL#62 p.18   BRB6 p.42            
Jonathon Peterson   David Freeman                                                                                       

▪ Freeman is an independent thinker who builds a wide variety of instruments and runs his own lutherie school in Canada. He’s also outspoken and articulate. You’ll be glad you met him here. With 21 photos.

Development of the European Guitar 1780-1880 and its Relevance to Modern Guitar Design

2000
AL#62 p.26   BRB6 p.48            
Gary Southwell                                                                                           

▪ The evolution of the guitar was not a straight-line event. Though both the classical and the steelstring have been more or less fixed in form for over a hundred years the century before that has not been well-documented. Here Southwell has begun to repair that oversight. A luthier with a keen sense of history, he has used the guitars of this period to inform and guide his own creations. With 37 photos of historical and Southwell guitars.

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

Meet the Maker: Masaru Kohno

2000
AL#62 p.42   BRB6 p.62            
Andrea Tacchi   Masaru Kohno                                                                                       

▪ Kohno classicals are ranked with the best of 20th century guitars. His youth in pre-war Japan was an experience unfamiliar to most of us, though his path toward higher standards of craftsmanship is one that many luthiers have traveled. His life was not an ordinary one. With 5 photos.

It Worked for Me: Classical Bridge Gluing

2000
AL#62 p.58               
Peter Giolitto                                                                                           

▪ A method utilizing a go-bar deck as alternative to gluing on a classical bridge using clamps through the soundhole.

Meet the Maker: Geza Burghardt

2000
AL#61 p.4   BRB6 p.2            
Cyndy Burton   Geza Burghardt                                                                                       

▪ Burghardt and his family emigrated to Canada from Hungary in 1988 with few worldly goods and little English and proceeded to carve out a niche in a fashion we have grown accustomed to hearing about in these pages. He seems to prefer classical guitars and hand tools. Included is an 8-picture description of the jig he uses to slot the sides into the necks of his guitars, and 7 other photos.

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

Still Voicing, Still Dreaming

2000
AL#61 p.28   BRB6 p.18            
Dana Bourgeois                                                                                           

▪ Ten years after the GAL convention lecture that made him a guru to most of the steelstring clan, Bourgeois has new information to offer about the construction and voicing of the flattop guitar. With 2 photos.

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

The P-1 Guitar

2000
AL#61 p.38   BRB6 p.26            
Kevin B. Rielly                                                                                           

▪ The P-1 is a funky plywood guitar intended for the lowest end of the handmade market. That’s a real tough slot to fill, but Rielly seems curious about the possibilities and not too concerned about staking his livelihood on the little devils. There’s a moral here, though: there is someone hungry for almost anything you can make. Finding that guy may be the hard part. With 5 photos.

Meet the Maker: Fabio Ragghianti

2000
AL#61 p.40   BRB6 p.28            
Harry Fleishman   Fabio Ragghianti                                                                                       

▪ Ragghianti is an Italian luthier. It’s interesting that luthiers from around the world seem to think of their instruments in the same terms. This easily allows them to immediately find a common ground regardless of their cultural background or language. Ragghianti came to America, then Fleishman went to Italy. The terrain didn’t seem to make a lot of difference. With 3 photos.

Review: Assembling a Solidbody Electric Guitar by Dan Erlewine

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.

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.

The Maalaea Special

1999
AL#60 p.22   BRB5 p.408            
Rich Mermer                                                                                           

▪ Are you familiar with the Weissenborn Hawaiian guitars of the ’20s? How ’bout the acoustic lap steel work of David Lindley? Well, Lindley often plays a Weissenborn, which is lap guitar with a sound chamber that includes a hollow neck (think of a guitar whose mother was frightened by a fretted dulcimer). Rich Mermer doesn’t build exact Weissenborn copies, but a very similar design. His good plan is a single-page diagram with a chart of measurements. With 12 photos.

Meet the Maker: Steve Kauffman

1999
AL#59 p.18   BRB5 p.386            
David Melly   Steve Kauffman                                                                                       

▪ Kauffman had been a luthier for sometime before he apprenticed to Steve Klein. Today he builds Klein acoustics in his own shop as well as his personal line of guitars. He’s a thoughtful and thought-provoking man, and you’ll be glad you met him. With 6 photos.

Kasha Collaboration, Part 2

1999
AL#59 p.22   BRB5 p.332            
Jonathon Peterson   George Majkowski   Boaz Elkayam                                                                                   

▪ George Majkowski and Boaz Elkayam complete their work on 10 Kasha guitars to honor the memory of Richard Schneider and to keep his work alive. The hand tools involved, the strange method of fretting, and the cool vacuum clamps, as well as the design philosophy behind the guitars, make this a pair of articles not to be missed. The Old World meets the future here and they blend very nicely. With 58 photos.

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

Meet the Maker: Grit Laskin

1999
AL#59 p.39   BRB5 p.402            
Gordon Gray   Grit Laskin                                                                                       

▪ Laskin is a well-known maker of masterful guitars and a groundbreaking artist in inlay concept and design. He’s also a novelist and a recording artist. If the 9 photos of his guitars and inlay work don’t inspire you, you’re certainly from an old school of lutherie.

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

Making Compensated Saddles

1999
AL#59 p.46   BRB5 p.396            
Jeff Huss   Mark Dalton                                                                                       

▪ Hand carved and compensated bone saddles are a mark of finesse. Fine work is all about the details, and Huss and Dalton discuss a detail that is often overlooked but easy to make. With 8 photos.

Gene Rhinehart: Northwest Resophonic Connection

1999
AL#59 p.50   BRB5 p.392            
Jonathon Peterson                                                                                           

▪ Rhinehart has built Dobro-style guitars for years, and was among the first to furnish custom resonator cones to the industry. Includes a new plan format, a one-page diagram of a square neck guitar with a chart of dimensions. Different methods of seating the cone are discussed, and 8 photos show some of the details of Rhinehart’s work.

Review: Acquired of the Angels by Paul William Schmidt

1999
AL#59 p.62   BRB5 p.482            read this article
Linda Manzer                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds this book about the life and work of John D’Angelico and James D’Aquisto “is a wonderful and carefully prepared book,” though perhaps not free of errors.

Letter to the Editor: Trip To Spain

1999
AL#60 p.4               
R.E. Brune                                                                                           

▪ Brune’s letter gives us an update of the Spanish flamenco scene as he found it during a visit to Spain in May of 1999. With 3 photos.

Kasha Collaboration, Part 1

1999
AL#58 p.20   BRB5 p.332            
Jonathon Peterson   George Majkowski   Boaz Elkayam                                                                                   

▪ Boaz Elkayam and George Majkowski extend the work of Michael Kasha and Richard Schneider in a project that entails the construction of 10 guitars. A wide variety of building techniques involving hand and power tools, as well as vacuum clamping, is necessary to make these complicated instruments. An unlikely pairing of craftsmen contributes to our understanding of one of the most controversial instrument designers of our times, and the memory of a respected luthier and teacher. With 26 photos.

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

Meet the Maker: Gary Southwell

1999
AL#58 p.38   BRB5 p.366            
Cyndy Burton   Gary Southwell                                                                                       

▪ Southwell makes gut-strung guitars that may be strange or more-or-less conventional, but always elegant, and he makes them for some high-profile patrons. His specialty is pre-classical or “salon” guitars. He’s an eloquent Englishman whom you’ll be happy to meet. With 6 photos.

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

Review: Julian Bream, the Foundations of a Musical Career by Stuart W. Button

1999
AL#58 p.57   BRB5 p.481            
Cyndy Burton                                                                                           

▪ Bream began when the classical guitar world was small, indeed. The reviewer finds this collection of letters about Bream’s early years to be small, expensive, and enjoyable.

Meet the Maker: Steve Kinnaird

1999
AL#57 p.53   BRB5 p.327            
John Calkin   Steve Kinnaird                                                                                       

▪ Kinnaird is a minister, luthier, blues guitarist, and all-around nice guy. You’ll be glad you met him. With 4 photos.

The Chainsaw Lutherie of Tom Ribbecke, Part 3

1999
AL#58 p.6   BRB5 p.262            
Jay Hargreaves                                                                                           

▪ The final installment in the series, parts 1 & 2 were in AL#56 and #57, respectively. In this segment the sides are bent, the body is assembled and bound, the neck is fitted to the body, and attention is given to tuning the plates. Special consideration is given to making the adjustable bridges as well as Tom’s elegant ebony/graphite tailpiece. With 36 photos and a drawing.

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

More Binding Tips and Tools

1999
AL#57 p.11   BRB5 p.297            
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ Calkin was hired by Huss and Dalton to take over their guitar binding. His story includes a description of how to make wood binding, and covers the hand tools he uses during the binding procedure. With 6 photos.

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

Meet the Maker: Joshia de Jonge

1999
AL#57 p.22   BRB5 p.300            
Cyndy Burton   Joshia de Jonge                                                                                       

▪ Joshia’s classical won high praise during the listening session at the GAL’s 1998 convention, quite an achievement for a 19-year-old woman. But then, just about every member of her family builds guitars. Her free-spirited optimism may be as much a product of her upbringing as her youth. With 3 photos.

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

The Chainsaw Lutherie of Tom Ribbecke, Part 2

1999
AL#57 p.24   BRB5 p.262            
Jay Hargreaves                                                                                           

▪ In this installment the top plate is carved and braced. Ribbecke roughs out the plates in a unique vacuum cage that goes a long way toward keeping his shop clean. The chainsaw wheel he attaches to his grinder gives this series its name, and speeds the carving process dramatically. Tuning the top isn’t completed until the guitar is assembled in the next segment. Part 1 was in AL#56. Includes 20 photos.

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

Tales of True Companionship

1999
AL#57 p.40   BRB5 p.317            
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ Calkin builds a uniquely shaped travel guitar called the True Companion, and here explains its construction as well as the jigs he devised for production building. The plan is a mini-version of GAL Plan #44. With 14 photos, including one of the sternest luthier of the year. Ya’ll remember to smile when it’s your turn!

Meet the Maker: Linda Manzer

1998
AL#56 p.16   BRB5 p.256            
Cyndy Burton   Linda Manzer                                                                                       

▪ Through her artistic merit, dogged determination, and sheer grit, Manzer has risen to the top ranks of her profession. This interview covers her background and training, work ethic, favorite woods, and other lutherie intimacies. With 10 photos.

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

Shaping the Sound: A Personal Approach to Building Classical Guitars

1998
AL#56 p.22   BRB5 p.230            
Jeffrey R. Elliott                                                                                           

▪ In every craft the cream inevitably rises, and Elliott is known to make some of the creamiest classical guitars in the world. Though this article offers a complete recipe for building guitars with “allure,” it becomes obvious that the most important ingredient is the artistic sensitivity he has developed. Not to be overlooked if your goal is to cook up fine classicals. With 9 photos, 1 drawing, and a list for further reading.

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

The Chainsaw Lutherie of Tom Ribbecke, Part One: The Neck

1998
AL#56 p.36   BRB5 p.262            
Jay Hargreaves                                                                                           

▪ Ribbecke is a renowned maker of archtop guitars. He also opens his shop periodically to small classes that wish to learn his formula for successful and graceful guitars. Hargreaves attended one such week-long session and brought back the straight skinny for American Lutherie readers. Part 1 details the construction of a laminated maple neck and associated details. Part 2 follows in AL#57. With 29 photos.

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

Searching for Blue Significance

1998
AL#56 p.50               read this article
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ Scott Chinery had 22 luthiers build 22 archtop guitars, all of them blue. Why? And why did the Smithsonian Institute decide to display them? And then throw in a big shindig for luthiers and guitar nuts alike? Calkin treks to Washington D.C. in the name of the Guild to figure out what all the fuss is about and discovers that hardly anything is what it seems. With 3 photos.

Clearly Protective

1998
AL#56 p.54   BRB5 p.290            
Kent Everett                                                                                           

▪ So you hate the way pickguards look but like the job they do? Everett shows how to apply a clear pickguard without bubbles or fingerprints coming along for the ride.

Questions: Playability Variables

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.

Binding Guitars

1999
AL#57 p.6   BRB5 p.292            
Jeff Huss   Mark Dalton                                                                                       

▪ The H&D Guitar Company builds about 100 guitars per year, the great majority of them bound in wood. Here’s how they do it. With 13 photos.

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

Review: Basic Pickup Winding and Complete Guide to Making Your Own Pickup Winder by Jason Lollar

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.

Review: 1996 Luthier’s Art; 1997 Luthier’s Art

1998
AL#55 p.65               read this article
Woody Vernice                                                                                           

▪ These are two picture books of guitars made by luthiers who attended the Healdsburg Guitar Festivals in 1996 and 1997. The reviewer finds that the pictures are too little, but that luthiers looking for new ideas may browse through them endlessly.

Meet the Maker: Paul Jacobson

1998
AL#55 p.48   BRB5 p.243            
Cyndy Burton   Paul Jacobson                                                                                       

▪ Jacobson is a widely respected builder of classical guitars who considers lutherie to be the equivalent of writing sonnets. They are both exercises in controlled creativity. And both can be beautiful.

Review: A Collection of Fine Spanish Guitars from Torres to the Present by Sheldon Urlik

1998
AL#54 p.54   BRB5 p.474            
Cyndy Burton                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer urges the purchase of this pricey book ($119.95) by anyone seriously interested in the history or construction of the classical guitar.

Review: Easy Guitar Maintenance and Repair by Harvey Citron

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.

Review: Archtop Guitar Design and Construction by Robert Benedetto

1998
AL#54 p.56   BRB5 p.476            
John Calkin                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds this set of 5 videos to be useful and complete for those who wish to build an archtop guitar, but that those who lack previous lutherie experience should also have the book by Benedetto.

Product Reviews: Wood Thickness Indicator, Nut Files, Fret Slot Cleaning Tool

1998
AL#54 p.58   BRB5 p.444            
Harry Fleishman                                                                                           

▪ Fleishman tries out a tool for puncturing archtop plates to establish depth of cut, likes it, but finds that the standard size tool is for violin makers and guitar makers must special order; the nut files of a lifetime come into his shop; a good tool that Everyman can afford turns out to be nice fret slot cleaning tool.

Sabicas’ 1951 Marcelo Barbero

1998
AL#55 p.8   BRB5 p.217            
R.E. Brune                                                                                           

▪ The story of this astonishing flamenco guitar involves Barbero, Sabicas, Carlos Montoya, and Elektra records. It dropped from sight until showing up at Brune’s for repair. Brune drew up a complete set of plans while the guitar was in his possession. They are printed here, and are also available as a full-size GAL Plan #42. With 12 photos.

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

GAL Instrument Plan #42: 1951 Marcelo Barbero Flamenco Guitar

1998
AL#55 p.10   BRB5 p.219            
R.E. Brune                                                                                           

▪ A full-scale instrument plan. See the GAL website for a low-rez preview.

Meet the Maker: Paul McGill

1998
AL#55 p.16   BRB5 p.214            
Mark Bass   Paul McGill                                                                                       

▪ McGill is a thinking-man’s guitar maker with some strong notions that run counter to current lutherie mythology. He also has a big-time clientele who believe he is right. With 6 photos.

The Frame Guitar

1998
AL#55 p.40   BRB5 p.209            
Sam Littlepage                                                                                           

▪ Suppose you made a stiff framework that resembled a guitar that was strong enough to resist most of the distortion to which the instrument is prone, and then built a guitar around the framework. Well, Littlepage has beat you to it. He reports that it not only works, but also improves the guitar in every way. With 14 photos and a pair of drawings.

Review: The Classical Guitar: A Complete History edited by John Morrish

1998
AL#53 p.64   BRB5 p.474            
Bryan Johanson                                                                                           

▪ The reviewer finds the book flawed in minor ways but says that it is well worth its price of $75, which is a pretty good recommendation.

Meet the Maker: Judy Threet

1998
AL#54 p.21   BRB5 p.204            
Cyndy Burton   Judy Threet                                                                                       

▪ Threet is a Canadian builder who specializes in fingerstyle guitars. Her guitars often display an artistic flair that few can match. This interview takes a decidedly philosophic turn, and appropriately so, since Threet used to be a professor of philosophy. With 4 photos.

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

D’Aquisto’s Design Development: Another View

1998
AL#53 p.18   BRB5 p.176            
John Monteleone                                                                                           

▪ A world-renowned maker of archtops who knew D’Aquisto well offers a more technical examination of Jimmy’s design evolution. With 3 photos and a drawing.

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