2020
AL#140 p.2
Stephen Marchione
▪ The braces in an archtop guitar are very similar to the bars in fiddles, and Marchione fits them with the same traditional techniques. The mating surface of the brace is roughed out with a chisel, then refined with a small plane, and perfected with files and scrapers. Chalk shows the whole truth of the fit. Believe the chalk.
2020
AL#140 p.10
Paul Schmidt John Jordan
▪ John Jordan was a young guy happily repairing instruments and making guitars when he got a commission to make an experimental electric violin. It turned out well enough to take his career in a new direction. Read his story and see some of his diverse and beautiful work. Mentions Ervin Somogyi, Shelley Rosen, Rolland Colella, Dave Matthews, Boyd Tinsley, nyckelharpa, D’Angelico, D’Aquisto, Neyveli S. Radhakrishna, Miri Ben Ari.
2018
AL#135 p.4
Charles Rufino
▪ Here’s a close look at the process of setting a violin neck. No innovative tools or new miracle adhesives here; just good old-fashioned methodical, careful work with traditional toos and designs. From his workshop at the 2017 GAL Convention.
2017
AL#129 p.66
Jeff Lee Manthos
▪ A trained violin maker takes a thoughtful look at this luxurious picture book cataloging the fine violins of deceased American makers. Mentions Rembert Wurlitzer, Rene Morel, William Salchow, Simone Sacconi, Thomas Metzler, Freelan Stanley.
2016
AL#128 p.22
Pat Megowan Jeff Lee Manthos
▪ People come to lutherie on many different paths. Some of us were nerdy model-making kids, or spoiled lefty college dropouts. Or maybe the garage band was our gateway into the opium den of guitar making. On the other hand, Jeff Manthos was a helicopter aircrewman and rescue swimmer in the Vietnam era. Then, unexpectedly, he went to the Violinmaking School of America in Salt Lake City. He has made a career of it, first in other shops and now on his own.
2015
AL#123 p.4
Charles Rufino
▪ Why do some instruments made with a rough, crude style have an essence that draws you in, whereas ones meticulously perfect in every degree leave you cold? Rufino examines this question from his point of view as a violin maker with excellent traditional credentials of training.
2012
AL#111 p.7
Robert Simon
▪ A mini essay on the structures of recreating classic violin voices.
2012
AL#110 p.32
Graham McDonald
▪ Rare information on building Norwegian Hardanger sympathetic string fiddles and their soundholes.
2011
AL#108 p.65
Bruce Tai
▪ Definitive sources of information on the composition of Cremonese violin varnish.
2011
AL#107 p.64
David Wiebe
▪ This 15-dvd set presents 18 hours of video in which Peter Prier demonstrates the process of building a violin.
2011
AL#105 p.46
John W. Silzel
▪ A physicists look at electric violin pickups.
2010
AL#103 p.69 read this article
Michael Darnton
▪ Restoring an old Carl Friedrich Pfretzschner 1773 violin.
2010
AL#103 p.24 read this article
Edgar B. Singleton
▪ Singleton gives simple, direct advice for getting the mode frequencies where you want them with the least cutting. This involves understanding how the node lines overlap.
2009
AL#100 p.67 read this article
Ken Altman
▪ Violin Repairing With Roger Foster, a 53 minute DVD, shows how a professional violin and bowmaker rehairs a bow in his shop, with comments and explanations along the way.
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.
2009
AL#97 p.4 read this article
Joseph Curtin
▪ It turns out that virtually every aspect of the violin can be altered to make it more playable, more visually interesting, and perhaps better sounding. What a relief! There’s life in the old girl yet. Are players brave enough to get on board?
2008
AL#95 p.44 read this article
Robert J. Spear
▪ Did the Cremonese fiddle makers use geometry to plot the design of their violins? Can geometry explain the size relationships of violin parts and details? Spear thinks so. This is the third and final installment printed in sequential issues of AL. With 3 photos and 9 diagrams/charts.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
2008
AL#94 p.30 read this article
Robert J. Spear
▪ The second installment of how geometry might have been used to design the Cremonese violin. Part One was in AL#93. With 10 graphs and a photo.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
2008
AL#93 p.46 read this article
Robert J. Spear
▪ The author’s goal is to demonstrate that the Cremonese fiddle makers used geometry based on the Golden Mean to design their instruments. This installment concerns the body outline. With 2 photos and 9 graphs/drawings.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
2007
AL#92 p.70 read this article
Chris Dungey
▪ Oregon violin maker Gardener was an influential luthier who lived a very long life. He is famous for mentoring younger luthiers in the skills of selecting and cutting trees (see “Logging Luthiers,” BRB2 p.446 AL#24 p.13). It always hurts when another member of the tribe passes on.
2008
AL#93 p.9
Robert A. Edelstein
▪ What if you used a graphite torsion rod instead of a wooden bass bar in a fiddle?
2007
AL#92 p.7 read this article
Mike Zimmerman
▪ The story of the Amazing Musical Instrument Co, and innovative but short-lived maker of electric violins.
2007
AL#90 p.67 read this article
Marilyn Wallin
▪ Trouble with unglued violin tailpieces which use granular hide glue with a dash of salt in it.
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.
2007
AL#91 p.56 read this article
Paul Hill
▪ There’s good money out there for the person who can nicely rehair violin-family bows, but it’s not easy to learn. Hill begins with laying out the work bench and methodically illuminates the rehairing process. With 27 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
2007
AL#90 p.16 read this article
Barbara Goldowsky Douglas Martin
▪ Martin is the guy who’s turning the violin world upside down with his balsa wood fiddles. They look pretty bizarre but critics and musicians seem to agree that he’s on to something. He’s also a very interesting guy. With 20 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.
2007
AL#89 p.67 read this article
Douglas Martin
▪ Excellent sounding violins made of balsa wood and resulting questions about standard woods for tops and back and sides.
2007
AL#89 p.5 read this article
James Blilie
▪ Blilie questions Michael Darnton’s concept of circles as the underlying structure of classical violin design.
2006
AL#87 p.26 read this article
Michael Darnton
▪ The author demonstrates that the design of classic instruments (of whatever type) is dictated by simple geometric forms, and that to ignore such shapes while designing new instruments is to invite ungainliness into your shop.With 9 photos and 7 drawings.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
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.18
Jonathon Peterson Bernard Millant
▪ Millant is a violin maker, a bow maker, an appraiser, an author, and a man of high repute within the fiddle world. The depth of training behind many fiddle people will astonish most guitarmakers, and it makes for entrancing reading. With 9 photos.
2006
AL#86 p.32 read this article
Alan Carruth Carleen Hutchins
▪ Even if you couldn’t care less about violins you will be fascinated by this woman’s life. She has built and studied bowed instruments for as long as anyone, and her contributions to the field may be beyond estimating. If everyone’s life was as busy and fulfilling as Hutchins’ the world would be a far different place than it is. With 4 photos and relative drawings of the 8 instruments in the new violin family.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
2006
AL#86 p.36
Alan Carruth
▪ Specifications and diagrams for the members of the New Violin Octete developed by Carleen Hutchins and the Catgut Acoustical Society.
2006
AL#86 p.38
Robert J. Spear
▪ Straight story on the relationship of the Catgut Acoustical Society, the New Violin Family Association,a nd the Violin Society of America.
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.
2006
AL#85 p.44
Alan Carruth
▪ A few people have long struggled to expand the violin family from four members to perhaps eight. There isn’t airtight agreement here. But the family is growing. This description of the 2005 convention seems to explain how successful the new sprouts on the family tree might be,. With 1 photo,
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.59 BRB7 p.535 read this article
Randy DeBey
▪ The reviewer seems ambivalent about the value of this software, claiming that it is frustrating to use and probably of most value to violinists who are searching for an older instrument and need information about the builders.
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.10 BRB7 p.362
Jonathon Peterson Pierre-Yves Fuchs
▪ Fuchs went through cabinet making school and violin making school on his way to becoming a gold medal bow maker. He is traditional and opinionated, and will make you believe that there might be cosmic influences involved in making an excellent bow. Intuition, that is. Tradition, experience, and a good feeling about your work in progress. Science guys may pull their hair out, but most of us would rather have good intuition than a good grounding in physics. With 3 photos.
2005
AL#82 p.26 BRB7 p.312
Jonathon Peterson Charles Beare
▪ Beare is the captain of a violin restoration firm, a competition judge, and a man thoroughly versed in the intricacies of vintage violins. He has known all the experts of his life time, and he has formulated many strong opinions about old fiddles and the various fields that use them to do business. You’ll find him interesting even if you aren’t a violin person. With 9 photos.
2005
AL#82 p.64 BRB7 p.531 read this article
Ken Goodwin
▪ The reviewer enjoyed the CD-ROM format of this teaching unit, noting that the pictures are better than those of a typical book, though navigating around the CD can be irritating at first. Though he hints that there could be more instruction for the money he concludes that a beginning violin maker would find the CD a good investment.
2005
AL#81 p.5 read this article
Robert J. Spear
▪ Spear announces the division of the New Violin Family Association (NVFA) from the Catgut Acoustical Society. The CAS then merged with the Violin Society of America. Both the CAS and the NVFA were founded and based upon the work of Carleen Hutchins.
2003
AL#76 p.38 BRB7 p.126
Michael Darnton
▪ Certainly no instrument maker has been as studied and thought about as Stradivari. Not only would modern makers like to be as successful as he was, but his methods were poorly recorded and have to be rediscovered by examining his instruments. It’s a puzzle, and luthiers are by nature patient puzzle solvers. So, was there a Cremonese formula for laying out f-holes? Darnton thinks so, and believes he may be onto the answer. With a photo and one drawing.
2002
AL#70 p.65 BRB6 p.423
Randy DeBey
▪ A JVC company violin wherein the ribs are one continuous piece.
2002
AL#71 p.30 BRB6 p.392
Don Overstreet
▪ Everything about the violin must be just so, since there are few details that an experienced musician is going to overlook. The instruments can be extremely expensive and the work standards are very high. Overstreet is an old hand at the game, and here gives the straight info on getting it right.
2001
AL#65 p.10 BRB6 p.82
Paul Schuback
▪ Schuback learned violin making in a small shop in France during the ’60s. This segment of his 1995 convention workshop lecture covers completing the plates and fitting the neck, fingerboard, nut, and soundpost to the body. There’s lots of local French color, old tools, and old ways presented here, as well as a bit of how the violin has changed since the days of the first Italian masters. Part One appeared in AL#63. With 33 photos, a diagram, and a sequence chart for building a violin.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s fifty best articles published before 2010.
2000
AL#64 p.56 BRB6 p.534 read this article
Michael Darnton
▪ Though the reviewer finds that this book shares a few of the same limitations as all other violin construction books, in the end “this is a great book (that) for the most part completely eclipses every previous violin making text.”
2000
AL#63 p.20 BRB6 p.82
Paul Schuback
▪ This piece would be important just as an historical document of Schuback’s apprenticeship to a French violin maker in the early ’60s. The inclusion of his current shop practices and building methods makes it an article that everyone interested in the violin should read. With 33 photos and 5 diagrams.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s fifty best articles published before 2010.
2000
AL#61 p.20 BRB6 p.12
Jonathon Peterson David Rivinus
▪ This luthier has redesigned the viola into a beast he calls the Pellegrina. Its ergonomic design can potentially extend the working life of violists while supplying the tone they need for the most exacting jobs. The price, however, is a way-cool new look for the instrument. Way-cool for some, at least. With 12 photos and 3 drawings of different viola bridges.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1999
AL#60 p.16 BRB5 p.399
Graham Caldersmith
▪ Caldersmith offers this article as an aesthetic link with his more scientific treatise in AL#58. The shape of a fiddles sound can be explained technically, then interpreted into a wooden shape that must please the maker’s artistic eye. If you’ve been scratching your head over the meaning of all the technical gobbledygook, this may be the information you’ve been waiting for. With a drawing and 11 photos of the carving process.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1999
AL#60 p.30 BRB5 p.412
Joseph Curtin
▪ Evia is Curtin’s shorthand for Experimental Viola, a design he has created in wood and which he hopes to transfer into graphite and foam. Perhaps the time for change is finally upon us. Many think they can see the end of first-quality tonewood, and if we’re going to alter a 500-year-old tradition by changing wood species, why not change all the way and leave wood behind? Curtin (a widely respected creator of bowed instruments) seems certain that synthetic instruments of tonal excellence are less than a decade away. With 19 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1999
AL#58 p.61
Henry Strobel
▪ Full sized violin molds.
1999
AL#59 p.63 BRB5 p.483 read this article
David Hurd
▪ The reviewer finds that the expense and daunting technical nature of this two-volume set should not prevent individuals from acquiring them and wading in. He admonishes that one never knows what will come out of such reading, but that nothing will come of it if it isn’t attempted.
1999
AL#58 p.32 BRB5 p.362
Graham Caldersmith
▪ Everyone knows that the most responsive instruments often teeter on the edge of self-destruction from string tension. Building fine-sounding instruments that will also have a reasonable lifespan is one of our general goals. Caldersmith takes a scientist’s view of the violin and decides that arching design is the key to longevity, while an understanding of free-plate tuning is needed to release the tonal qualities the luthier seeks. He furnishes 7 charts and diagrams to help make his case, as well as a photo of his Australian self. But what we all want to know is if a pursuit of science will eventually enhance our luthier’s intuition. Is it better to think or to feel? Do we really have to choose?
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1999
AL#58 p.46 BRB5 p.370
Eric Fouilhe
▪ What affect does the tailpiece have on your latest fiddle? Bet you don’t even know! We’ll bet you haven’t even thought about it! The cello is the object of concern here, but is there a large difference? The cello tailpiece has evolved into an inelegant plastic lump, and Fouilhe maintains that it’s often a source of sonic foul play, sort of like a 200-pound jockey on a race horse. He makes his case with 3 photos and 2 drawings.
1999
AL#58 p.56 BRB5 p.481 read this article
John Calkin
▪ The reviewer finds this set of three video tapes (about 6-hrs. worth) to be roughly made but perhaps invaluable to the learn-at-home crowd.
1999
AL#57 p.56 BRB5 p.458
Michael Darnton
▪ Good violins often come with a certificate of authenticity, but what does that mean? What are the legal ramifications of a certificate, and who writes them? Are they trustworthy? How does one gain the necessary expertise to write certificates? Cool stuff, even if you could care less about fiddles.
1998
AL#56 p.62 BRB5 p.458
Michael Darnton
▪ Before you try to fix, buy, or sell a violin, you better know what you’re diving into. Darnton explains how to evaluate the condition of a fiddle and how to spot old repairs and perhaps even forgeries.
1998
AL#55 p.61 BRB5 p.458
Michael Darnton
▪ Repair ethics updated. Centuries from now some of those “cheap” fiddles won’t be cheap any more, and the quick and dirty repairs we do to keep them functional today may be considered butchery in the future. Is it time to reconsider our impact on the violin scenes to come?
1998
AL#54 p.52 BRB5 p.458
Michael Darnton
▪ Darnton dwells upon the value of violins (as opposed, at times, to their cost), and finds that customers drive the cost of violins even when they aren’t sure of the value. For non-fiddle people this may be the most interesting column he has written, and for violin folks it should prove quite enlightening.
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.
1998
AL#55 p.32 BRB5 p.224
Jonathon Peterson David Gusset
▪ Gusset’s early work made him intimately familiar with many fine old Italian violins, and he has used their influence to make his mark in world violin making competitions. With one drawing and 9 photos, including wonderful violin close-ups.
1998
AL#53 p.52 BRB5 p.486
John Calkin
▪ A non-fiddle maker reviews 10 of the less expensive books about building violins. Are they useful? Interesting? Deadly dull? Worth the bread? There are far more expensive books in this category, but these are the ones most likely to be encountered by the beginner. This will give you a leg up before you order.
1998
AL#53 p.60 BRB5 p.458
Michael Darnton
▪ Are there good alternative finishes for violins? What’s the best way to repair a nicked fiddle? Where is the best place to position the soundpost?
1998
AL#54 p.34 BRB5 p.194
Tim Olsen Joseph Curtin
▪ The personal history of violin people is often the most interesting because so many of them realize that a formal approach to learning their craft is often the fastest way of being recognized in the business, even though they may invest many years in the process. And they frequently find themselves in exotic places as they learn. It must work, too. How many of us need an assistant and a business manager to help hold down the fort, as Curtin does? With 6 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1998
AL#53 p.44 BRB5 p.178
John Calkin George Fortune Jr. Stan Olah
▪ Fortune is a self-taught fiddle maker and instrument repairman in rural Virginia. To many of his neighbors he is known simply as the Fiddle Man. Perhaps Americans aren’t losing their independent spirit, but often it feels like it. Calkin pays tribute to a man who seems to represent a whole way of life. With 7 photos.
1997
AL#52 p.28 BRB5 p.152
Guy Rabut
▪ To non-fiddle people all violins look about the same. To the initiated, however, they are vastly different. Besides offering a thorough description of his scroll carving techniques, Rabut gives us a glimpse into the world of the violin in-crowd where an appreciation for subtlety is the stock-in-trade. Guy is a high-profile maker who has had the opportunity to examine many world-class violins. With 52 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s fifty best articles published before 2010.
1997
AL#52 p.56 BRB5 p.458
Michael Darnton
▪ The soundpost of a cello can push the hard grain of the spruce right through the varnish. So how does one fix the problem? Is your varnish not as clear as you’d like? Damn! What’s the best way to scale down a 4/4 violin to the smaller sizes? Darnton comes to the rescue again.
1997
AL#51 p.38 BRB5 p.100
Fred Carlson
▪ Inspired by his fiddle-building partner, Suzy Norris, Carlson has created a guitar that utilizes a large number of sympathetic strings. The obstacles that had to be overcome were significant, but “angel voices” never come easy to us Earth folks. With 10 photos and a pair of drawings of how things work.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1997
AL#51 p.50 BRB5 p.458
Michael Darnton
▪ Straight talk about why slab-sawn wood is a poor choice for violin necks, boiling down an alcohol solution, getting a chin rest to stay on a fiddle, and making lake pigments.
1997
AL#50 p.56 BRB5 p.458
Michael Darnton
▪ This time the GAL’s fiddle guru talks about bridge shoes, fitting pegs, detecting a loose bass bar, streaky ebony, and “Russian” string setups.
1997
AL#49 p.60 BRB5 p.458
Michael Darnton
▪ The style and size of violins, like most everything else in noncommunist countries, is driven by the market place. Darnton responds to a query about which fiddle makers are best to copy, and how to arch the plates to please contemporary musicians.
1997
AL#49 p.62 BRB5 p.470
Colin Kaminski
▪ This course, which saves years of learning on your own, is based on jigs and fixtures, and too brief for those who prefer to work by hand. Joseph is very forthcoming with his methods, ideas, and tricks.
1996
AL#48 p.58 read this article
Keith Davis
▪ Helpful hints for shipping a violin.
1996
AL#48 p.46 BRB4 p.474
John Calkin
▪ Reviewed here are six videos, one about violins setups, one about French polishing, and four about guitar repair. All are found worthy, though two of the repair tapes are for the inexperienced luthier.
1996
AL#48 p.54 BRB4 p.442
Michael Darnton
▪ Look out for buzzy nuts. Why might violins sound too dark? What fiddle books should be purchased? The book discussion is especially worthy and entertaining.
1996
AL#47 p.58 BRB4 p.442
Michael Darnton
▪ Darnton fields questions about slipping pegs and pricing repair work and estimates.
1996
AL#46 p.56 BRB4 p.442
Michael Darnton
▪ Darnton discusses the glues he keeps in his shop.Also, setting up the cello.
1996
AL#45 p.36 BRB4 p.290
Jonathon Peterson Don Overstreet
▪ Overstreet took formal training in violin construction with Peter Prier in Salt Lake City, then ended up in the shop of Paul Schuback where he builds and repairs the instruments of the fiddle family. It seems that all who trod the same path make a unique journey (a strong theme in the GAL).
1996
AL#45 p.50 BRB4 p.442
Michael Darnton
▪ This time the column has but one concern, removing the top plate. With 7 photos.
1995
AL#44 p.54 BRB4 p.442
Michael Darnton
▪ What is neck pitch, and what does it do to/for the violin? How does one deal with an Elmer’s glue repair? Why is poplar sometimes used for the cello and viola? Darnton tells all.
1995
AL#44 p.20 BRB4 p.230
Guy Rabut
▪ Apparently not every violinist is determined to have a fiddle that looks 300 years old. Rabut has made some interesting attempts to update the violin without sacrificing the tone that everyone demands. Can’t wait until these babies start showing up in symphonic orchestras. With 21 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1995
AL#43 p.52 BRB4 p.442
Michael Darnton
▪ What is Nussbaum? Is there such a thing as irreparable damage?
1995
AL#42 p.57 BRB4 p.481
Robert Lundberg
▪ The reviewer finds that although the abstracts are clear and well written, the quality and usefulness of the abstracted material is not judged. The unwary may be sent on a long search for information of little, or dangerous, use.
1995
AL#42 p.60 BRB4 p.442
Michael Darnton
▪ Why can’t I get the proper degree of polish from my varnish? How high should a saddle be? Why do my violins come apart during varnishing? What stylistic mistakes are most common? Why is oil varnish so nasty?
1995
AL#43 p.7 read this article
Marc Soubeyran
▪
1995
AL#42 p.26 BRB4 p.160
John Koster
▪ Koster explains what you can hope to gain by examining museum instruments, how to approach a museum, and what to do when you get there. With 21 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1995
AL#41 p.56 BRB4 p.442
Michael Darnton
▪ Why is there a step in the neck behind the nut of my fiddle? What angle are the junctions of the ribs cut to at the corners? What’s the difference between French and Belgian cello bridges? Zits in the varnish? Why does my French polish crackle?
1994
AL#40 p.14 BRB4 p.86
Alan Carruth
▪ Impressions of lectures given on the first day of the GAL 1992 convention in Vermillion South Dakota, held in conjunction with the Catgut Acoustical Society.
1994
AL#39 p.28 BRB4 p.80
Elon Howe
▪ A nontraditional mold deep enough to keep the ribs square to the top and back plates.
1994
AL#39 p.34 read this article
Alan Carruth
▪ Fine musicians get together with acousticians and luthiers to try old against the new. No agreements are reached, but apparently a good time was had by all.
1994
AL#39 p.46 BRB4 p.458 read this article
Robert Lundberg
▪ The reviewer finds that Strobel’s books are useful and accurate, and that the author has made a brave attempt to encourage luthiers to make their own violins, rather than strict copies of master instruments. Always look for the latest edition of each volume since changes and updates often accompany each new edition.
1994
AL#39 p.58 BRB4 p.442
Michael Darnton
▪ Darnton tells what to look for if a certain string breaks consistently, and how to remove a firmly attached violin neck.
1994
AL#38 p.60 BRB4 p.442
Michael Darnton
▪
1994
AL#39 p.18 BRB4 p.65
Jonathon Peterson Eric Myer
▪ Meyer’s current gig is the manufacture of violin fittings. He describes his peg making process in detail.
1994
AL#39 p.27 BRB4 p.85
Jonathon Peterson Henry Strobel
▪ A violinmaker talks about his foray into publishing violin books.
1994
AL#38 p.26 BRB4 p.20
David Riggs
▪ Sometimes German instruments can look downright, well, German! Not the ones that Riggs captured on film, though. Perhaps the whole world is now one big melting pot.
1994
AL#37 p.26 BRB3 p.352 read this article
Michael Darnton
▪ And you thought you knew all there was to know about making that fiddle play. Darnton continues his instruction from AL#35. This time he tunes and fits the bridge, strings, tailpiece, saddle, and end button. With 13 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1994
AL#37 p.42 read this article
Nicholas Von Robison
▪ Local color and good humor are key ingredients of this peek at an independent-minded violinmaker. Arizona rosewood? Manzinita tuning pegs?
1994
AL#37 p.44 BRB4 p.23
Keith Hill
▪ Hill cooks up a varnish that resembles the fiddles in the early paintings, not those same fiddles 300 years later. A hundred years from now he expects his violins to be prettier than anyone’s.
1994
AL#37 p.54 BRB4 p.442
Michael Darnton
▪ Darnton reflects upon bass bar design and tap tone pitches for viola and cello.
1994
AL#37 p.58 BRB4 p.482
Willis Groth
▪ A violin fingerboard clamping jig.
1993
AL#36 p.26 BRB3 p.410 read this article
David Golber
▪ The chief difference between the Hardanger and a normal violin is its use of sympathetic strings, though other differences abound. Ornate decoration is also usual. Golber offers a good description of a typical Hardanger and how to set it up.With 9 photos and a number of drawings.
1993
AL#36 p.58 BRB3 p.446
Michael Darnton
▪ Darnton discusses classical violin strings and a timesaving method of cutting the purfling slots.
1993
AL#35 p.52 BRB3 p.446
Michael Darnton
▪ What are the proper dimensions and shape of the neck? What is a “tight” fiddle? What is fingerboard tilt? What does a player mean when he says he “can’t reach” the D string? Darnton answers all.
1993
AL#35 p.63 BRB3 p.503 read this article
John Monteleone
▪ Remembering Mario Maccaferri, creator of guitars made by Selmer of Paris and made famous by Django Reinhardt, major contributor to the field of injection molding plastic, and overall self made man.
1993
AL#34 p.54 BRB3 p.446
Michael Darnton
▪ What adjustments change the tone of a violin? Should new pegs be reshaped or should the pegbox holes be opened to fit them? Which glue for a top center seam? Are stains really useless?
1993
AL#34 p.61 BRB3 p.499 read this article
David Wilson Peggy Warren
▪ Remembering Hammond Ashley, aged 91, advocate of fine music and fine musical instrument making.
1993
AL#35 p.6 BRB3 p.352 read this article
Michael Darnton
▪ To the uninitiated, violin setup seems to have way too many steps for the small number of moveable parts involved. Taken one step at a time, the mystery falls away. Darnton explains the tools and procedures he uses to get the most out of a violin. This segment includes fitting pegs, correcting problems with the nut, making a fingerboard, and fitting a soundpost. Part Two is printed in AL#37. With 30 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1993
AL#33 p.52 BRB3 p.446
Michael Darnton
▪ What is a spiral bushing, and when do you use it? It’s a one-question column this time around.
1993
AL#34 p.18 BRB3 p.328 read this article
George Borun
▪ Not many people make the mental leap from violins to the space age easily. Borun did, and found the connection useful. His list of uses extends far beyond bending the ribs.
1993
AL#33 p.3 read this article
Scott Tribby
▪ Violin makers in Michigan formed an organization for mutual aid.
1993
AL#33 p.30 BRB3 p.292
Geary Baese
▪ When a violin guy gets on the trail of an old guitar it comes out sounding an awful lot like a violin article. And when Stradivari is involved what else can one expect? Baese makes an educated guess about the materials and techniques that finished a famous guitar. With 8 photos.
1992
AL#32 p.44 BRB3 p.266 read this article
Michael Darnton
▪ Nothing is easy for fiddle people. When they aren’t tweaking and gluing wood they are stirring up a witch’s brew in their home chem labs. Darn if Darnton doesn’t sound like he likes it, though. Buy some fancy wood. Trick it into changing color.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1992
AL#32 p.52 BRB3 p.268 read this article
Tim Olsen Guy Rabut
▪ A long-time Guild member makes it as a violinmaker in the Big Apple after a twenty-year run. Mentions Ed Campbell, Peter Prier, Rene Morel.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1992
AL#32 p.64 BRB3 p.446
Michael Darnton
▪ What should one expect from a purchased ebony fingerboard? Should a fiddle bridge lean back, and how far? Can you offer hints about using hide glue? Darnton’s wide experience rescues another page of readers.
1992
AL#31 p.64 BRB3 p.446
Michael Darnton
▪ Why don’t the ribs of a broken fiddle fit the top any more? How much spring should be built into a bass bar? Why is there a step in the neck behind the nut on my fiddle. Darnton knows, now you will, too.
1992
AL#30 p.48 BRB3 p.484
Dorothy Carlson
▪ Four quick tips for violin family repair work.
1992
AL#30 p.54 BRB3 p.446
Michael Darnton
▪ Darnton examines the use of various woods for tuning pegs, discusses the differences among Italian, German, French, and English methods of building fiddles, runs down a list of violin societies, and dismisses the use of supplier-prepared violin varnishes.
1992
AL#29 p.60 BRB3 p.446
Michael Darnton
▪ Darnton sheds light on asymmetrically graduated violin tops, natural drying vs. UV drying of varnish, and the market in Baroque fiddles.
1992
AL#29 p.42 BRB3 p.136 read this article
Alan Carruth
▪ Carruth tries to keep it light as he describes the glitter dances that should improve your violins, and even sheds light on cello plate tuning. If you feel threatened by the dryness of science just relax and give it a try. Carruth is on your side. Really. With a whole bunch of drawings. Part One was in AL#28. Part Three follows in AL#30. The entire series appears in BRB3.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1991
AL#27 p.56 BRB3 p.446
Michael Darnton
▪ Darnton explains how to disassemble a fiddle, and the effects of soundhole size on violin performance.
1991
AL#28 p.46 BRB3 p.75
Al Stancel
▪ A master fiddle surgeon explains a common operation. With 11 drawings to help guide you through the procedure.
1991
AL#28 p.51 BRB3 p.124
Jonathon Peterson Michael Darnton
▪ Peterson gives us the biographical scoop on American Lutherie’s Violin Q&A man.
1991
AL#28 p.56 BRB3 p.446
Michael Darnton
▪ Why are bridges always made of maple? Why do fiddles have points? How does one tune a fingerboard? Do epoxy or superglue have any accepted uses on the violin? Darnton furnishes answers.
1991
AL#26 p.52 BRB3 p.446
Michael Darnton
▪ Darnton discusses wolf tones, the life span of new fiddles, and why lacquer is never used on a violin.
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.
1991
AL#27 p.4 BRB3 p.80
Chris Brandt R.E. Brune Jeffrey R. Elliott Richard Schneider Ervin Somogyi David Wilson
▪ A look inside the shops of six professional luthiers, featuring floor plans, tooling descriptions, notes on lighting and specialized machinery, and ideas about how work space can help (or hurt) your lifestyle. With a good Q&A segment and 63 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s fifty best articles published before 2010.
1991
AL#26 p.13 BRB3 p.480
Dale Randall
▪ Go fishing for your soundposts. Land them perfectly. This is a soundpost setter unlike any other. Really.
1991
AL#25 p.55 BRB3 p.477
Al Stancel
▪ How Casa Del Sol Violins solves the violin bow hair storage problem.
1991
AL#25 p.56 BRB3 p.446
Michael Darnton
▪ Darnton turns some pictures of a mystery fiddle into a thousand words. Or a few hundred, anyway. Then he moves on to discuss distorted ribs, retouching varnish, and tracking down a mystery buzz. He adds an update about his varnish formula.
1991
AL#25 p.60 BRB3 p.462 read this article
David Riggs
▪ A useful how-to book with clear, concise directions on bow making and other lutherie practices.
1991
AL#26 p.2
Robert Z. Miller
▪ Gault was a violinmaker who passed away at age 82. His friend and student salutes him.
1991
AL#25 p.6 BRB3 p.16
Steve Banchero David Freeman Larry Kirmser David Vincent Donald Warnock
▪ A panel of lutherie teachers talks it over at the 1990 GAL Convention.
1991
AL#25 p.40 BRB3 p.476
Peter Schaefer
▪ Schaefer’s tool will give you control over the skinniest pieces of wood that go into your instrument.
1991
AL#25 p.42 BRB3 p.22 read this article
Michael Darnton
▪ Why are some fiddles worth so much? Which ones might you find that will provide good investments? Which sleepers should you look for if you want a really good inexpensive violin for playing? Darnton doesn’t offer the last word, but his advice is worth heeding. Mentions Stradivari, Guarnari.
1991
AL#25 p.48 BRB3 p.24
Bill Colgan Greg Bernd
▪ Like many of his generation, eighty-year-old Summerfield led a hard life. He didn’t turn to professional instrument making until he reached what many would call old age, but after that he didn’t waste any time. There’s quite a few Seth Summerfields out there, and their story is always a good one.
1990
AL#24 p.25 BRB2 p.449
Michael Darnton
▪ Darnton’s contrivance marks the finished thickness on violin plates that have already been carved to within 1mm-2mm of final tolerances, and it is simple to make.
1990
AL#24 p.26 BRB2 p.465
Jonathon Peterson Ivo Pires
▪ America (and indeed, the world) is so deep with people who have had a meaningful life in some phase of lutherie that we should cease being surprised to discover an unknown person who has already racked up 30 or 40 years of experience. Pires is one of those folks, and his story is charming and illuminating. The cream seems to rise wherever it may be.
1990
AL#24 p.54 BRB2 p.486
Michael Darnton
▪ Details include cooking varnish, finishing necks, causes of neck cracks, and adjusting a peg shaper to match your peg reamer.
1990
AL#24 p.54 BRB2 p.498
Michael Darnton
▪ The blade of a peg shaper is adjustabel, which means it can go wrong. Take the time to adjust it perfectly.
1990
AL#22 p.38 BRB2 p.376
Michael Darnton
▪ Violin people think about finishes in a way that guitar makers have difficulty grasping. It is an obsession. Darnton’s lengthy article discusses varnish types and components and offers a few recipes. It doesn’t seem fair that guitar folks don’t get to play with stuff called dragons blood, sandarac, and propolis, to name just a few. Such exotic incantations are bound to improve a finish, don’t you think?
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1990
AL#23 p.12 BRB2 p.393
John Chipura
▪ This is a wood treatment shoot-out. Waterglass is a controversial ingredient in violin finishing. Chipura makes a case for using calcium silicate instead.
1990
AL#23 p.22 BRB2 p.486
Michael Darnton
▪ Topics include sharpening a peg reamer, dealing with fingerboard tearout, tailpiece setup, pitching the neck, and staining the bridges.
1990
AL#24 p.54 BRB2 p.497
Michael Darnton
▪ The neck of a fiddle looks bare. Usually it’s got some linseed oil or some shellac on it.
1990
AL#22 p.29 BRB2 p.392
Cyndy Burton Nancy Conescu
▪ Conescu offers insight into the value of formal lutherie training. After violin making school she worked for years under the watchful eye of master repairmen and builders.
1990
AL#22 p.32 BRB2 p.486
Michael Darnton
▪ Darnton suggests the most basic reading list for those wishing to make their first violin.
1990
AL#22 p.32 BRB2 p.487
Michael Darnton
▪ How tight should a violin nut slot be?
1990
AL#22 p.32 BRB2 p.488
Michael Darnton
▪ Does a fiddle’s fingerboard need relief? Yes, and doing it right has an ellement of elegance that would not be obvious to a guitar maker.
1990
AL#22 p.32 BRB2 p.489
Michael Darnton
▪ About the angle of a fiddle bridge.
1990
AL#23 p.22 BRB2 p.490
Michael Darnton
▪ The ebony’s grain tore out a little when I planed it. Now what?
1990
AL#23 p.22 BRB2 p.491
Michael Darnton
▪ Yes, you can resharpen a peg reamer.
1990
AL#23 p.22 BRB2 p.492
Michael Darnton
▪ Tailgut length is important because it controls string afterlength.
1990
AL#23 p.22 BRB2 p.493
Michael Darnton
▪ Getting the height and pitch of the neck right is not entirely straightforward. Here’s how to think about it.
1990
AL#23 p.22 BRB2 p.494
Michael Darnton
▪ A new bridge on an old fiddle is too darn white. Here’s a recipe for a stain to spray on it.
1990
AL#24 p.54 BRB2 p.495
Michael Darnton
▪ When you are cooking violin varnish, how much smoke is enough? And how much is too much? BTW, if it explodes in flames, you went too far.
1990
AL#24 p.54 BRB2 p.496
Michael Darnton
▪ Kids break fiddles. And when they do, it is usually the neck broken off at the heel.
1990
AL#21 p.38 BRB2 p.362
Rick Rubin
▪ The goal is to preserve instrument wood for centuries, or make it stiffer. Either or both will do. Rubin examines a list of wood additives and lets the reader decide what to do.
1989
AL#20 p.5 BRB2 p.345
Michael Darnton
▪ Darnton adds information to Olsen’s article about Stradivari in AL#17.
1989
AL#20 p.14 BRB2 p.306
Michael Darnton
▪ Darnton offers some in-depth advice to help you make your violin repairs invisible.
1989
AL#19 p.44 BRB2 p.300
Jonathon Peterson Ralph Rabin
▪ Rabin learned to make violins in Cremona, Italy. His description makes it sound like a wonderful way to learn.
1989
AL#19 p.20 BRB2 p.239
Al Stancel
▪ Even experts in the violin field get burned now and then, and once in a blue moon they end up better off than they thought from a fiddle deal. Stancel offers true tales from both sides of the coin. Exactly what kinds of worms eat fiddles?
1989
AL#18 p.12 BRB2 p.214
Geary Baese
▪ Baese draws upon old literature and recent black light testing to draw his conclusions about the structure of old varnishes. The Q&A session reveals a high sophistication in the audience. With 5 photos and a few old print reproductions.
1989
AL#18 p.36 read this article
Frederick C. Lyman Jr.
▪ Lyman not only comes up with a new instrument, but also writes the article as a lesson in problem solving as he worked toward an uncertain goal.
1989
AL#18 p.46 BRB2 p.248
Jonathon Peterson Frederick C. Lyman Jr.
▪ Lyman is an inveterate experimenter best known for his string basses, a regular American Lutherie contributor, and an interesting thinker.
1989
AL#18 p.52 BRB2 p.497
Robert Lundberg
▪ The reviewer finds he could easily recommend this book if it weren’t so overpriced.
1989
AL#17 p.48 BRB2 p.206
Geary Baese
▪ Baese writes about adding color to violin varnishes in an historically accurate manner. He defines a lake pigment as “fixing . . .an organic soluble dye upon an inorganic carrier to render an insoluble colored compound.”
1989
AL#17 p.52 BRB2 p.494
Al Stancel
▪ The reviewer gives this book very high marks for usefulness, readability, and accuracy.
1988
AL#16 p.36 BRB2 p.136
Ted Davis Gene Harner
▪ An unpretentious luthier from Tennessee talks honestly about building fiddles and mandolins.
1989
AL#17 p.6 BRB2 p.162
Tim Olsen
▪ Whether or not there is anything new to be said about Stradivari, it is impossible for a serious publication about lutherie not to take him into account at some point. Olsen’s lengthy article includes analytical drawings and photos of the master’s work. All the guitar and mando folks might wonder what the fuss is about. Olsen sets us straight.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s fifty best articles published before 2010.
1988
AL#15 p.30 BRB2 p.82
Tim Olsen Hammond Ashley
▪ This is a “factory tour” of the Ham Ashley shop.They specialize in the larger members of the violin family.
1988
AL#15 p.56 BRB2 p.100
Joseph R. Johnson
▪ Johnson offers a brief note about the Witten-Rawlins collection that was recently acquired by the Shrine to Music Museum. With photos and a museum checklist.
1988
AL#15 p.65 read this article
Peggy Stuart
▪ Anyone can dance to a fiddle. In Oregon they can dance on a fiddle. With 1 photo.
1988
AL#15 p.66 read this article
Keith Davis
▪ A natural gas explosion blows up the instruments of an entire school orchestra. Davis comes to the rescue, but wonders what the long-term ramifications will be for the fiddles and bass viols.
1988
AL#15 p.69 BRB2 p.492
Tim Olsen
▪ The Shrine to Music Museum holds some of the world’s most important collections of musical instruments. This inexpensive volume is not only a great souvenir to those who have visited the museum, but a valuable research resource.
1988
AL#14 p.53 BRB2 p.67
George Manno
▪ Manno offers a recipe for a golden-red varnish for use on new violins.
1988
AL#14 p.12 BRB2 p.46
Graham Caldersmith
▪ Is it possible that old fiddles aren’t superior? Yes, but the only people who want to believe that it’s true are the contemporary violinmakers. Human nature would rather cast its faith to a mythical past than deal honestly with the present. Or not. Caldersmith doesn’t pretend to settle the debate.
1988
AL#13 p.10 BRB2 p.6
W.D. Allen
▪ Allen shows how changing the internal air resonance of the violin can change the performance of the instrument, and claims that this variable applies to any stringed instrument. With many charts (including Allen’s hula-dancing molecules), graphs, and 2 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1988
AL#13 p.52 BRB2 p.32
George Manno
▪ Manno explains how to make the colorants of violin varnish safe from fading. He also offers advice about keeping your chemical experiments safe.
1988
AL#13 p.54 BRB2 p.34
Al Stancel
▪ Stancel opens old repaired cracks with heat and chemicals, cleans them with surfactants, and mends them with hide glue. The author works with the fiddle family, but his advice should flow over into any luthier’s discipline.
1987
AL#12 p.50 read this article
George Manno
▪ Manno examines the Zeta JV-205 and the EV-5 Barrett electric violins and finds them exceptional. High marks go to both, but especially to the Zeta.
1988
AL#13 p.5 BRB2 p.161
John Randerson
▪ Randerson adds a lengthy note about different alcohols to the 1704 violin varnish formula previously offered by Manno in AL#12, and Manno answers.
1987
AL#11 p.30 BRB1 p.482
George Manno
▪ Manno is an honest man (even when honesty hurts), knowledgeable, and opinionated. An especially strong column that touches upon repair prices, colors for varnish touchups, tonewood sources, Polish white bow hair, and Tetto Gallo violins.
1987
AL#11 p.50 BRB1 p.502 read this article
George Manno
▪ The reviewer finds this video to be a wise investment, especially for one new to the craft.
1987
AL#11 p.50 BRB1 p.502 read this article
Don Overstreet
▪ The reviewer finds the book to be of mild interest for the violin historian, but seems to have been generally disappointed in its usefulness to the luthier.
1987
AL#11 p.51 BRB1 p.502 read this article
George Manno
▪ The reviewer finds this to be the one book that every violin shop and instrument appraiser should own. ‘Nuff said.
1987
AL#11 p.51 BRB1 p.501 read this article
Ernest Nussbaum
▪
1987
AL#12 p.5 BRB1 p.481 read this article
William T. Walls
▪ Walls offers tips about cleaning and polishing violins and bows.
1987
AL#12 p.12 BRB1 p.451 read this article
George Manno
▪ This is a recipe for a touchup violin varnish, with instructions for adding colors.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1987
AL#10 p.36 BRB1 p.390 read this article
Jeff Feltman Jack Batts
▪ Intelligent questions and no-holds-barred answers make this long interview with a veteran builder seem too short. All violin articles should be this interesting. Forty-nine years dedicated to wood, glue, and varnish have to teach one a great deal. With 8 photos. Mentions Sacconi, Stradivari, Guarneri, and Amati.
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#11 p.8
Steve Klein
▪ The following four articles demonstrate how innovation and individual flair can lead to instruments that don’t resemble the rest of the pack.
1987
AL#11 p.10 BRB1 p.419 read this article
Susan Norris
▪ Norris offers no details about her asymmetric 10-string fiddle, but the one good photo adds much to a delightful little article.
1987
AL#11 p.30 BRB1 p.485 read this article
George Manno
▪
1987
AL#11 p.30 BRB1 p.485 read this article
George Manno
▪
1987
AL#10 p.8 BRB1 p.360 read this article
Fred Calland
▪ LeBovit was an aficionado of the violin all his life, a maker of fine violins, and a self-made recording engineer, all of which he did on his own time while working for the US government. Calland recalls a dynamic individual who touched many important lives.
1987
AL#10 p.28 BRB1 p.482 read this article
George Manno
▪ Manno fields 2 pages of questions about building and repairing the fiddle family, from the basic “What kinda glue?” to “What kind of cello bridge to aid projection?”
1987
AL#9 p.39 BRB1 p.196 read this article
Frederick C. Lyman Jr.
▪ When an articulate violin-family maker discusses his craft he sounds much like a professional wine taster. Lyman is articulate. This segment of his series deals with plate tuning.
1987
AL#9 p.45 BRB1 p.482 read this article
George Manno
▪ The GAL’s resident violin expert of the time answers questions about cleaning violins, top reinstallation, domestic tool sources, domestic wood, and treating potassium silicate (a wood sealer) with tea to keep it from staining spruce green.
1987
AL#9 p.45 BRB1 p.482 read this article
George Manno
▪
1987
AL#10 p.28 BRB1 p.483 read this article
George Manno
▪
1987
AL#10 p.28 BRB1 p.483 read this article
George Manno
▪
1987
AL#10 p.29 BRB1 p.484 read this article
George Manno
▪
1987
AL#10 p.29 BRB1 p.484 read this article
George Manno
▪
1987
AL#10 p.29 BRB1 p.484 read this article
George Manno
▪
1987
AL#11 p.30 BRB1 p.484 read this article
George Manno
▪
1986
AL#8 p.47 BRB1 p.296 read this article
Al Stancel
▪ Stancel offers an interesting potpourri of violin information concerning steel wool, bow bugs, tuning pegs, appraisers and the IRS, appraiser scams, and the dangers of steel strings to old fiddles.
1987
AL#9 p.3 read this article
Ernest Nussbaum
▪ Nussbaum offers corrections to the “Fiddle Facts” article found in AL#8.
1987
AL#9 p.6 BRB1 p.304 read this article
Paul Schuback
▪ In this fascinating lecture from the 1986 GAL convention Schuback speaks of his apprenticeship to a French violin maker in 1962, then goes on to offer details about instrument construction, wood, and a Q&A session.
1986
AL#8 p.42
Brian Derber
▪ Derber tries out “good tone in a can,” a wood treatment that the manufacturers claim instills a vintage tone in your new instruments. He finds it wanting, though his test is hardly scientific. Nor does he believe that further testing is warranted.
1986
AL#7 p.50 BRB1 p.258
George Manno
▪ This is repair advice from an experienced violinmaker. The procedure listed begins after the top has been removed. Top removal was described in AL#5.
1986
AL#7 p.54 BRB1 p.439
Alan Carruth
▪ Carruth describes a fixture he uses to hold a violin bridge while it is being tuned. It will save your fingers and help prevent cracking the bridge.
1986
AL#7 p.60 BRB1 p.498 read this article
George Manno
▪ The reviewer finds the book to be a worthwhile investment for anyone seriously trying to duplicate antique violin finishes.
1986
AL#8 p.5 read this article
George Manno
▪ Manno makes various points about violinmakers as a society and urges the creation of an information-sharing guild just for violin people.
1986
AL#8 p.7 read this article
Loretta Kelley
▪ Kelley adds to the information fund concerning the Hardanger fiddle (see AL#7).
1986
AL#7 p.5
Olie Erikson
▪ Erikson says he tried to get violin makers to unite around standards for ethical behaviour in the 1940s. He says the field still needs to form a new organization that can do this.
1986
AL#7 p.6 BRB1 p.232
George Bissinger
▪ This transcription of a lecture by a professor of physics examines how five variables affect the performance of the violin. The variables are loudness curves and student instruments; free plate tuning and testing; humidity effects on plate modes; bass bar tuning; and coupling between enclosed air and plate vibrations.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1986
AL#7 p.24
E.M. Peters
▪ A brief description of a typical Norwegian fiddle accompanies Peters’ plans for the same, along with a photo of two Hardangers and a drawing of useful ornamentations. The plans are a reduced version of our full-scale Plan #11. Hardangers utilize a set of sympathetic strings and may be tuned in over twenty ways.
1986
AL#7 p.25
E.M. Peters
▪ A full-scale instrument plan. See the GAL website for a low-rez preview.
1986
AL#6 p.26
George Manno
▪ Manno describes his method of tuning an out-of-the-box violin bridge for maximum performance. A “personal expansion” upon previously published work by Al Carruth.
1986
AL#5 p.33
George Manno
▪ Manno makes a plea for fairness when buying vintage instruments from unsuspecting owners.
1986
AL#5 p.40 BRB1 p.153 read this article
George Manno
▪ Manno describes a method of removing violin tops that have been improperly attached with contemporary glues.
1985
AL#4 p.52 BRB1 p.494 read this article
Kirk A. Janowiak
▪ The reviewer finds that this book is a necessary addition to any luthier’s library, but especially to one who may not yet be equipped with power tools.
1985
AL#3 p.24 BRB1 p.88 read this article
Thomas Snyder
▪ Measured drawings are presented for building a jig to facilitate rehairing bows. A detailed method for using the jig is also presented.
1985
AL#3 p.48 BRB1 p.489 read this article
Frederick Battershell
▪ The reviewer finds the book to be poorly organized and under-illustrated, making it a poor text for the beginning violinmaker.
1985
AL#2 p.51 BRB1 p.487
Frederick Battershell
▪ The reviewer praises the concise approach of the book as it describes one builder’s construction of a violin.
1985
AL#1 p.21 BRB1 p.30 read this article
Keith Hill
▪ Hill theorizes that the violinmakers of the classical period tuned tap tones of certain areas of their instruments to desired pitch relationships. He finds these to be consistent within the work the individual makers, and suggests that the natural resonances of the human body may be a model for this idea. Specific techniques and tools are described.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1984
DS#286 LT p.47
Elliott Burch
▪ Simple steamer rejuvenates gelled glue after it’s been applied and the clamps are in place.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1984
DS#287 BRB1 p.25 read this article
John Meng
▪ Meng suggests bending violin ribs using a backer of sheet aluminum to prevent shattering the wood, then goes on to suggest that tensions in the wood are often inadvertently built into instruments. Given time, the wood relaxes into its new shape, and the tone of the instrument improves at the same rate.
1984
DS#295 LT p.40
J.R. Weene
▪ Wooden C-clamp for special uses.
1984
DS#276 BRB1 p.262 read this article
Graham Caldersmith
▪ The Sacconi technique of sealing fiddles with silicates has not been widely accepted. Nevertheless, the author explains how he has successfully used silicates to seal and harden violin wood before varnishing, as well as the use of vernice bianca (basically whipped egg whites) to act as an interface between the silicate and the varnish.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1984
DS#283 BRB1 p.20 read this article
Keith Hill
▪ Hill advocates tuning different portions of the plates to segments of the overtone system, using various tonic notes to suit the particular wood before you. No measuring tools are necessary during tuning since the actual thickness of the plate portions is of no consequence. He maintains that this is the tuning system used by the Italian masters.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1982
GALQ Vol.10#3 p.16 BRB2 p.158
Frederick C. Lyman Jr. Victor Gardener
▪ Gardener was an independent sort from Oregon who built closely in the style of the violins of the classic period in Italy. Mentions Hans Weishaar. With 2 photos.
1982
DS#224 BRB2 p.349
Alan Carruth
▪ Unhappily, a new violin bridge is just an unusable flake of wood. You not only need to adjust it for proper action but tune it to help bring the most out of the instrument. Here’s how. With 5 drawings.
1982
DS#226 BRB1 p.167 read this article
Louis DeGrazia
▪ Rosin varnishes preceded the varnishes developed by the Cremonese violin masters. Though they are often scorned by experienced luthiers, DeGrazia maintains that the ease with which they can be mixed and applied makes them a good starting point for the budding violin builder.
1981
DS#173 read this article
A.F. Standing
▪ The results of the author’s cogitations are presented in the hope that a different and unbiased viewpoint will aid in the understanding of the violin, its operation and adjustment.
1981
DS#179 BRB2 p.135
D.R. Patton
▪ A drawing of the much sought-after English boxwood violin peg.
1978
DS#63 LT p.41
Charles A. Palis
▪ Spool clamp for violins and a handscrew.
1975
GALNL Vol.3#2 p.1 BRB2 p.61
H.E. Huttig
▪ Hutting happens across Manuel Davila in Guatemala City, who builds guitars that are completely original and do not follow tradition in construction and decoration.