2022
AL#147 p.65
James Condino
▪ Condino loves this lavish book about the history and construction of the Neapolitan (or tater bug) mandolin, which runs from classic to contemporary.
2023
AL#148 p.7
Steve Dickerson
▪ Some say we will play mandolins in heaven. Oh no? Go ahead; prove that we will not! Dickerson discusses this matter and reviews the evolution of his lutherie work.
2022
AL#147 p.42
John Calkin Peggy Stuart
▪ Peggy Stuart is not famous as a guitar maker, but her life story is one that every luthier under age fifty should hear and think about. She was one of “Sloanes Children,” struggling to make a guitar from that early book back in the dark ages of the middle 1970s. She discovered the GAL and soon attended conventions and wrote articles as her skills improved. But she ultimately saw that she would not be able to support herself as a luthier, and turned to law school. If you making a living building instruments in these days of milk and honey, thank your lucky stars and the Guild of American Luthiers.
2022
AL#146 p.26
John Calkin
▪ David Thormahlen started making many kinds of string instruments in the woodshop in college, and then made a strategic decision to focus his lutherie career on lever harps. It all worked out well, and he still makes guitars, mandolins, and bouzoukis in addition to the harps. He shows us some of his gluing fixtures which involve bicycle inner tubes; some stretched, some inflated.
2021
AL#143 p.30
Alfred Woll
▪ The Vinaccia family was at the heart of the development of the Neapolitan mandolin, beginning in the mid-18th century and running well into the 20th. This article follows those developments with changing string technology and musical taste. The author then gives us a step-by-step demonstration of making the distinctive arched-and-canted soundboard.
2018
AL#135 p.3
Bill Garofalo
▪ Good old Bill Garafolo has been a GAL member for a long time. He’s been having fun with lutherie for half a century.
2017
AL#132 p.30
Graham McDonald
▪ Mandolins have come in a wide range of sizes, shapes, and styles in over 350 years of history. And while you are not likely to stumble upon the kind of mandolin that Vivaldi wrote for, you may find yourself looking at a century-old American factory-made cutie like this Smurf-head Regal, resplendent in muliple pearloids. This article gives you a quick introduction to the rich diversity in the great Family of Man(dolin).
2017
AL#131 p.44
Paul Ruppa
▪ Without the mandolin orchestra fad of the early 20th-century, we might not see Gibson mandolins today except in museums. The story of the pop-music sensation that triggered that fad is even more curious and unlikely than we have previouosly known. Get the straight poop here. Includes extensive historical references and illustrations.
2016
AL#128 p.68
G.D. Armstrong
▪ Graham McDonald has written books about mandolin-family instrument construction as well as speaking at GAL Conventions and writing for AL. Now he has written a book about mandolin history, and long-time GAL member GD Armstrong likes it. John Calkin gives a good review to a recent addition to Robbie O’Brien’s large and deep online lutherie instruction catalog. This one focuses on Kent Carlos Everett’s fret work techniques.
2017
AL#129 p.24
James Condino
▪ Condino has developed a clever process by which he can string and play a new mandolin very early in the building process. This makes voicing much more accurate,a nd it reduces the risk of experimental materials and bracing patterns considerably. Must see to believe. Mentions the work of Lloyd Loar at the Gibson company in the 1920s.
2017
AL#129 p.34
James Condino
▪ It’s a clean, simple classic from the golden era. These are the working man’s mandos that Gibson was making while Lloyd Loar was busy making the fancy ones in the next room.
2016
AL#128 p.32
Andrew Mowry
▪ Andrew Mowry was a one-man mandolin-making shop known for precise high-quality work. When he made the jump and brought a small but capable CNC mill into the mix, he was not trying to flood the market, but rather to further improve his work. All the tools and methods he shows here are well within reach; you don’t need to be a factory to afford it, and it won’t turn you into a factory if you try it. Mowry still runs a one-man shop known for precise high-quality work. From his 2014 convention workshop.
2016
AL#125 p.48
James Condino
▪ James Condino does sunbursts on archtop mandolins the way they did it back in the 1920s: rubbing water stains directly on the bare wood.
2015
AL#124 p.65
John Calkin
▪ Calkin finds more treasure in the rich mine of Robbie O’Brien’s online lutherie instruction. Instructor Geoff Burghardt covers the process in detail in the 13-hour course.
2014
AL#119 p.64
David Thormahlen
▪ An ebony finger rest for those who rest their fingers while playing the mandolin and wear out the finish on the top.
2014
AL#117 p.52
James Condino John Monteleone
▪ A history of the ellipse soundhole cutter device in lutherie and it’s lineage from D’Angelico to D’Aquisto to John Monteleone.
2013
AL#116 p.60
Byron Spain
▪ Byron Spain attempts a number of processes to match the scroll slot cuts in the top, heel block, and back.
2014
AL#117 p.24
Paul Ruppa
▪ Paul Ruppa traces the largely unknown history of the American F-hole Mandolin, Mandola, and Mandocello to their roots in the Waldo brand; originating with the Barrows Music Company in Saginaw, Michigan.
2013
AL#115 p.38
John Calkin Roger Alan Skipper
▪ Roger Alan Skipper has spent his entire career in Western Maryland where he was first introduced to lutherie through encountering a Mandolin maker at a bluegrass gathering. He is a one man lutherie shop and a writer of novels.
2013
AL#114 p.36
Lawrence Smart
▪ A full-scale instrument plan. See the GAL website for a low-rez preview.
2013
AL#114 p.20
David Cohen Don MacRostie Lawrence Smart Jeffrey R. Elliott
▪ Panelists discuss the mandolin family’s history and building practices. From 2011 GAL convention panel discussion moderated by Jeffrey R. Elliott.
2012
AL#112 p.54
Paul Ruppa
▪ A basic history of the modern fretted 4-string bass, tuned like the last 4 strings of the guitar, which was developed in the early 1900s for use in American mandolin orchestras.
2013
AL#113 p.3
Tom Iacino
▪ Snapshot of a first-build mandolin based on an Iucci from the 1920s.
2013
AL#113 p.6
Andrew Mowry
▪ A number of special challenges during construction of F-5 mandolins is discussed; miters, binding gaps, black purfling lines, and kinks in the bends.
2011
AL#106 p.64
Doug Eaton
▪ Information on mandola plans.
2010
AL#104 p.68
David Cohen
▪ For resources to build a Neapolitan bowl back mandolin and mandola, visit www.iror.it/pubblicazioni/disegni/mandolino_embergher.htm.
2010
AL#104 p.48
Graham McDonald
▪ McDonald traces the evolution of the mandolin soundboard to it’s roots in the mandolino 250 years ago. From his 2008 GAL convention workshop.
2009
AL#98 p.65
Andrew Mowry
▪ The author reviews the spoon plane and finds that it is more efficient at removing large quantities of wood when carving mandolin plates than the gouges he used to use, and it’s also easier on the carver, a not insignificant benefit. With 2 photos of the tool.
2009
AL#99 p.14
Roger Alan Skipper David Cohen
▪ Cohen’s life followed an unusual progression—scientist, professor, mandolin maker, sort of in that order. He has a different take on instrument theory than some of us, but the work is the same as is the hard road most luthiers walk. Fortune and fame are elusive, regardless of ones background, but at least the work is satisfying. Cohen is also the author of several scientific papers concerning mandolins. His instruments look quite tasty. With 17 photos.
2009
AL#97 p.64 read this article
John Calkin
▪ The reviewer is very pleased with this manual that presents the construction of four different styles of mandolin. The instruction is concise and the illustrations well done.
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.
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.
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.
2009
AL#97 p.42
John Calkin Graham McDonald
▪ Aussie McDonald has built many sorts of instruments, though he has come to specialize in mandolins and bouzoukis and has written a pair of books about their construction. He has also contributed a number of articles to American Lutherie over the years. It becomes apparent that like is different in Australia. We should all take a field trip there. With 8 photos.
2008
AL#95 p.66
David Cohen
▪ Reference to plans for mandolin X-bracing and general discussion on this topic in the article, The Modern Mandolin by Lawrence Smart in AL#56 and BRB5.
2008
AL#93 p.60
James Condino
▪ Condino rates all the commonly available mandolin tuners and explains why spending $500 for the best set available might make good economic sense. He also likes the Stew-Mac mandolin peghead drill jig. With 12 photos.
2008
AL#94 p.50
Don MacRostie
▪ MacRostie’s clever jig measures the top deflection of a carved mandolin under string load at any stage of its construction. It is a valuable tool within the reach of any luthier.
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.
2007
AL#90 p.3 read this article
Bruce Harvie
▪ People die every day; that’s the way of the world. But it still hurts to see one of our lutherie family join the departed, especially one so young and talented. Sullivan was a Northwest builder known mainly for mandolins, but he made many other fine instruments as well.
2007
AL#90 p.52
James Condino
▪ Condino’s mandolin is made from recycled materials, mostly Douglas fir and katalox. It is unique and beautiful, and the story behind it is pretty cool, too. With 7 photos.
2007
AL#89 p.48
James Condino
▪ Musical instruments made of aluminum didn’t catch on. This doesn’t mean that a number of companies didn’t go into manufacture, or that the instruments weren’t good. Every luthier knows how fickle and finicky the market is, so it’s no wonder that metal stringed instruments weren’t welcomed by the playing public. Examined here are a violin, a mandolin, and a pair of bass viols. The bass viol stories are the most fun since the author has personal experience with them. Fun stuff! With 25 photos.
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.
2006
AL#86 p.50
John Calkin
▪ This is another of the author’s attempts to save a ruined instrument without ruining the customer’s bank account. The subject this time is a WWI-era Gibson army-navy style mandolin. With 14 photos.
2006
AL#86 p.66
Alan Perlman
▪ Repairing an old Italian round-body mandolin with a split down the middle of the bowl without lessening it’s value.
2006
AL#85 p.8
Graham McDonald
▪ McDonald’s forte has become the oversized mandolin called the Irish Bouzouki. Here he unloads a ton of information about building them with flattops and carved tops with several forms of neck attachment and scale lengths, including pin bridge and tailpiece models. Zowie! With 25 photos and 5 drawings.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
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.
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.
2005
AL#84 p.64 BRB7 p.479
John Calkin
▪ Spruce and pine for guitar and mandolin tops VS maple.
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.
2005
AL#83 p.59 BRB7 p.473
R.M. Mottola
▪ Typical instrument dimensions for guitars, mandolins, violins, etc for use in CAD drafting.
2005
AL#82 p.66 BRB7 p.437
Don Overstreet Don MacRostie
▪ Cleaning a 1920 Gibson A-4 mandolin properly without hammering whatever finish is present and removing the wax layers.
2005
AL#81 p.63 BRB7 p.423
John Calkin
▪ Rule of thumb information on saddle compensation for an octave mandolin with a 560mm scale and fixed bridge.
2004
AL#79 p.34 BRB7 p.416
Peggy Stuart Don MacRostie
▪ The author attended a mandolin making class taught by Don MacRostie at the American School of Lutherie. The first four parts of her report appeared in the four previous issues of AL. Part Five concerns the application of a sunburst using stains, both by spraying and rubbing, as well as the application of lacquer and French polish finishes. With 37 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
2004
AL#79 p.63 BRB7 p.475
Don MacRostie
▪ Doing a sunburst finish by hand, without using a spray gun.
2004
AL#77 p.38 BRB7 p.416
Peggy Stuart Don MacRostie
▪ The epic continues! In this segment the neck is assembled, the body is closed up and bound, and the fingerboard is bound and fretted. All this is accomplished under the able tutelage of Don MacRostie at the American School of Lutherie. With 67 photos. Parts 1 and 2 were in the two previous issues of American Lutherie.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
2004
AL#77 p.68
Jim Hoover
▪ Where to get mandola plans.
2004
AL#78 p.28 BRB7 p.416
Peggy Stuart Don MacRostie
▪ Ms. Stuart’s epic continues with the making of the headstock cap, shaping of the neck, installing the neck and fingerboard, as well as setting up and stringing the finished (but in-the-white) instrument. The first three parts were in the three previous issues of AL. Don MacRostie taught Stuart’s class at the American School of Lutherie. With 74 photos, most of the step-by-step process.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
2003
AL#76 p.28 BRB7 p.416
Peggy Stuart Don MacRostie
▪ Stuart continues her tale of learning to make a mandolin under the tutelage of Don MacRostie. In this episode of the four-part series, jigs and power tools become more important as the instrument comes together. This isn’t about becoming Geppetto, plying one’s trade with a knife and a chisel. This is about making mandolins in the real world. Routers and tablesaws are staple items, as are several impressive jigs created by MacRostie. With 37 photos and 3 drawings.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
2003
AL#75 p.12 BRB7 p.416
Peggy Stuart Don MacRostie
▪ The author describes her mandolin making class with Red Diamond mandolin builder Don MacRostie, giving us a photo-heavy series that should be of practical use to anyone in the mandolin field regardless of their experience. The emphasis is on hand tools, though power tools are used to add efficiency. With 68 photos and 4 drawings, this is the first in a four-part series.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
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.
2000
AL#61 p.52 BRB6 p.468
John Calkin
▪ Good grades are given to the Stew-Mac neck jig, a fretting aid. The fret nippers intended for jumbo fret wire is greeted with mixed emotions. The Allen mandolin tailpiece is found to offer grace and dignity to any mando with a bridge high enough to allow its use.
1999
AL#60 p.48 BRB5 p.485 read this article
Randy Allen
▪ Mandolin magazines come and go. The small market must cramp their longevity. Then reviewer likes this latest contender, and if it’s as good as he says we all hope it will hang around for awhile.
1999
AL#58 p.58 BRB5 p.501
John Monteleone
▪ A good method for finding the height of mandolin family sides using a violin soundpost height gauge.
1998
AL#56 p.6 BRB5 p.248
Lawrence Smart
▪ The demands of contemporary players has forced many changes in the mandolin family since the fabled Loar family of Gibsons was created in the 1920s. Smart has built mandolins, mandolas, and mandocellos to work together as an ensemble as well as separately, and here he discusses the differences that might be desirable in the family as the setting is changed, as well as the changes that players have asked for in his instruments. Accompanied by charts of Smart’s instrument specs as well as those of Gibson. With 5 photos and 5 drawings.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1997
AL#51 p.57
Dennis Russell
▪ Sources of mandola plans.
1997
AL#50 p.61
James Curtis
▪ Where to find mandolin tuning machines which mount on a slotted head like classical guitars.
1996
AL#45 p.59 BRB4 p.469
Robert Lundberg
▪ This is a thorough and glowing review of an important book, by a reviewer who is best known for his work in early instruments.
1996
AL#46 p.20 BRB4 p.316
Robert Lundberg
▪ An introduction to the structure and methods of construction of historical instruments, especially the belly. With 12 photos, 2 pages of notes and bibliography, and a family tree of Neapolitan luthiers from the 15th to the 20th centuries.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1996
AL#46 p.52 BRB4 p.221
Robert Brook
▪ Brook describes a new method of binding scroll headstocks on F-model mandolins.
1995
AL#43 p.57 BRB4 p.495
Jonathon Peterson
▪ Using an inspection light and mirror to locate the position of the old brace from leftover glue through the sound hole on a damaged American made Neapolitan mandolin.
1995
AL#43 p.58 BRB4 p.495
Andy DePaule
▪ Using a table saw with a dado blade to rough carve the edges of tops and backs for archtop guitars, mandolas, and violins for lack of a carving machine.
1995
AL#43 p.59 BRB4 p.495
James Vanderplas
▪ A makeshift PVC pipe electric mandola stand.
1995
AL#41 p.34 BRB4 p.140
Jonathon Peterson
▪ Seven luthiers explain how they cut that oval slot.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1994
AL#37 p.60 BRB4 p.483
Robert Steinegger
▪ A tool invented to remove the knobs on a set of tuning gears on an old Gibson mandolin.
1994
AL#37 p.40 read this article
Elon Howe
▪ Another luthier turns woodcutter using a Wood Mizer portable bandsaw, and maple isn’t the half of it. With 4 photos and a diagram for sawing logs into “bastard cut” mandolin wood.
1992
AL#32 p.69 read this article
George Rizsanyi
▪ A source for sandolin varnish.
1992
AL#32 p.8 BRB3 p.242
Jonathon Peterson Ren Ferguson
▪ The shop honcho of Gibson West relates some personal background. Ferguson moved to Montana long before Gibson did. Did Gibson really build a factory there just for him? Probably not. Mentions Rob Ehlers, Steve Carlson, Henry Juszkiewicz.
1992
AL#30 p.58
Tom Ellis
▪ Clarifying data of GAL plan #22, Lloyd Loar Gibson F-5 mandolin drawn by Ted Davis.
1992
AL#30 p.58 BRB3 p.473
Steve Banchero
▪ Pressing out sunken mandolin tops.
1992
AL#29 p.53 BRB3 p.473
John Sullivan
▪ How to get it to play in tune.
1991
AL#28 p.54 BRB3 p.472
Roger Siminoff
▪ Thickness graduations of F-5 mandolin tops.
1991
AL#26 p.60 BRB3 p.464 read this article
C.F. Casey
▪ This British D.I.Y. book offers alternative diction, syntax, and approach to the material.
1990
AL#23 p.57 BRB2 p.503
David Riggs
▪ Riggs used Siminoff’s F-model book to build an A-model mandolin. His review offers building tips from his own experiences, as well as recommendations for changes in the book.
1990
AL#24 p.4
Marc Silber
▪ Silber fills in some info on the lower-pitched members of the mandolin orchestra.
1990
AL#23 p.3
Curt Ames
▪ A member has an authentic S.S. Stewart instrument which combines the neck of a mandolin with the body of a small banjo.
1990
AL#22 p.4 BRB2 p.368
Otis A. Tomas
▪ This Canadian luthier used the proportions of musical harmony to design his mando family. His instruments have carved tops and an arched back that utilizes five staves. Very pretty. With 3 photos and several drawings.
1990
AL#21 p.44 BRB2 p.262
Joseph R. Johnson
▪ A number of non-mandolins were considered to be intrinsic parts of the mandolin orchestras. This installment of the series looks at all the boys in the band (and some girls, too). With 16 photos and a few drawings.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1989
AL#20 p.8 BRB2 p.262
Joseph R. Johnson
▪ Johnson examines the mandolin orchestra at the turn of the century when an aggressive ad campaign by Gibson changed the look and sound of the American mandolin forever. With 13 photos. Part One is in AL#19. Part Three is in AL#21.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1989
AL#19 p.34 BRB2 p.262
Joseph R. Johnson
▪ Mandolin mania in America was a social phenomenon that was inflated to the max by the Gibson Company advertising propaganda. This portion of the series details the rise of the mandolin orchestras and mandolin clubs. With 9 photos and a Gibson cartoon. Part Two and Part Three follow in AL#20 and AL#21.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1989
AL#18 p.26 BRB2 p.228
Ted Davis Darryl Wolfe
▪ Both of these men love and revere the F-5 mandolin. Wolfe owned four Lloyd Loar mandos up to the time of the interview, studied and photographed 130 old F-5s, and published the F5 Journal. A lengthy interview with 12 photos. One man’s opinion can dispel, and perhaps create, instrument mythology.
1989
AL#18 p.30 BRB2 p.235
Ted Davis
▪ A full-scale instrument plan. See the GAL website for a low-rez preview. The article also offers a plan of the Virzi Tone Producer, a map of top and back thickness, and a page of recommendations for building new F-5s to original Gibson specs.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1989
AL#17 p.46 BRB2 p.208
Brett Borton
▪ Have you ever seen a mandolin with an intentional crease or sharp bend to the top behind the bridge? That’s a cranked top. Borton describes how to add a cranked top to the steel string guitar, though he’s not too specific about why we should try it.
1989
AL#17 p.54 BRB2 p.480
John Monteleone
▪ Top thickness pattern of the D’Angelico guitar compared to that of a mandolin.
1989
AL#17 p.54
Jim Morris
▪ Write to Williams Tool for where to find mandolin molds.
1988
AL#16 p.36 BRB2 p.136
Ted Davis Gene Harner
▪ An unpretentious luthier from Tennessee talks honestly about building fiddles and mandolins.
1988
AL#15 p.69 BRB2 p.492
Joseph R. Johnson
▪ The reviewer is enthusiastic about the research potential of this updated book, and believes it will be of use to the repairman who may face Larson instruments on his bench.
1988
AL#16 p.6 BRB2 p.112
Steve Andersen
▪ A well-known maker of archtop instruments offers an in-depth examination of his building style and his business. With 13 photos.
1988
AL#16 p.8 BRB2 p.115
Jonathon Peterson
▪ This is 9 photos and a small description of the machine that might be the production archtop maker’s best friend.
1988
AL#15 p.64 BRB2 p.81
John Schofield
▪ Schofield uses a pin router to cut matching f-holes in his mandolin tops quickly and safely.
1987
AL#11 p.27 BRB1 p.434
Robert Steinegger Nicholas Von Robison
▪ Steinegger made a mandolin based on the work of Orville Gibson, but modified the neck pitch and soundboard arch to make it satisfy contemporary playing standards. He also changed some materials. With 2 photos and a scaled down version of our Plan #15.
1987
AL#11 p.28 BRB1 p.435
Robert Steinegger Nicholas Von Robison
▪ A full-scale instrument plan. See the GAL website for a low-rez preview.
1987
AL#10 p.44 BRB1 p.398
Joseph R. Johnson
▪ This is a checklist of what to look for when you get there. Also, a reason to go.
1987
AL#9 p.14 BRB1 p.312
Steve Grimes
▪ Grimes’ pantograph for routing archtop plates is heavy duty and not real cheap if you have to job out the welding, but it accurately removes 90% of the excess wood. Several drawings accompany the detailed description.
1987
AL#9 p.18 BRB1 p.316
Richard Ennis
▪ Ennis’ carving machine is not as straight forward in use as Grimes’, but its construction should be within the reach of most luthiers. A router mounted in a carriage rides over template rails to cut the contours into the plates of an archtop instrument.
1986
AL#6 p.34 BRB1 p.227
John Monteleone
▪ Monteleone’s lecture covers personal background, after which a question/answer segment gets to the specifics of archtop design and construction.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s fifty best articles published before 2010.
1986
AL#6 p.38 BRB1 p.222
Ted Davis John Monteleone
▪ This lengthy interview sheds more light on the archtop maker’s background and furnishes information about his mandolins.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1986
AL#5 p.51 BRB1 p.185
Elliott Burch
▪ Burch offers a method of binding a mandolin that contributes to the ease of removing the plates at a later date.
1985
AL#2 p.51 BRB1 p.487 read this article
John Bromka Ron Lira
▪ Positive reviews praise the text, photos, and ad reproductions in this book about the Larson brothers, who made instruments from the 1880s to 1944.
1984
GALQ Vol.12#1 p.30
J.R. Beall
▪
1982
DS#225 LT p.7
C.F. Casey
▪ This inspection light will even fit through a mandolin f-hole.
1979
DS#122 BRB2 p.108
Dick DeNeve
▪ A method for coping with grain irregularities in curly maple which cause small radius bends.
1978
GALQ Vol.6#2 p.32
Rolfe Gerhardt
▪ Finding a good and consistent supplier of fine fiddleback of maple has been one of the greatest problems in mandolin building.