Posted on January 6, 2010March 11, 2024 by Dale Phillips Review: Geometry, Proportion, and the Art of Lutherie by Kevin Coates Review: Geometry, Proportion, and the Art of Lutherie by Kevin Coates Reviewed by R.E. Bruné Originally published in American Lutherie #4, 1985 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 Geometry, Proportion, and the Art of Lutherie Kevin Coates Oxford at the Clarendon Press, 1985 Out of print (1999) I have avoided reviewing books on the subject of lutherie in the past since most of them didn’t really merit reviewing. Books of the how-to type on the subject seem to find their market in spite of poor writing and illustration, lack of scholarship, and/or incompetence on the part of their authors. This book by Kevin Coates deserves mention for its total lack of any of the above shortcomings and really sits in a class by itself in terms of scholarship in lutherie in the English language. The book is a study of the application of geometry and proportion as understood by the makers of the Renaissance and Baroque Eras to their instruments. While this seems at face value to be a rather elementary endeavor, in fact it requires more than a superficial understanding of the principles of Euclidian geometry and the historical background of their application in the West, especially as they relate to lutherie. Consequently, one is very hard pressed to encounter ideas and writing on the subject in English from other sources, aside from a few articles on lutes and related instruments in the Galpin Society Journal by Friedman Hellwig and perhaps a handful of others. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on January 6, 2010March 11, 2024 by Dale Phillips Review: The New Yorker Special by Frederick Cohen Review: The New Yorker Special by Frederick Cohen Reviewed by Tim Olsen Originally published in American Lutherie #9, 1987 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 The New Yorker Special Frederick Cohen Available from Filmakers Library, Inc This charming little film is a valentine to a guy who deserves one: Jimmy D’Aquisto. Jimmy was my childhood hero, and visiting him in his shop in 1977 only built my admiration and affection for a man that to me is a genuine paradigm for luthiers. This film is far above the average coverage that luthiers generally get from journalists. You know the type: They breeze in, ask a few irrelevant questions, then write a piece that makes you seem like something between a wacko and a wizard. Frederick Cohen obviously knows something about guitars, as well as being a fine filmmaker. He has succeeded in producing a film which is perfectly suitable and entertaining for the uninitiated, yet one in which the luthier will find many informative gems half-buried. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on January 6, 2010March 11, 2024 by Dale Phillips Review: The Ultimate Guitar Book by Tony Bacon Review: The Ultimate Guitar Book by Tony Bacon Reviewed by Lloyd Zsiros Originally published in American Lutherie #30, 1992 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Three, 2004 The Ultimate Guitar Book Tony Bacon Alfred A. Knopf, 1991. 192 pp. ISBN 0-394-58955-6 Well, the ultimate guitar book is finally here! Or so it would seem from the title of Tony Bacon’s book. Fortunately for those of us who are the true fans of the instrument in all its many forms, this book comes very close to fulfilling the promise of its title. It can best be described as a comprehensive visual reference work that features some of the finest instruments ever produced. The history of the guitar is told through many very fine photographs along with profiles of many of those responsible for its development. All of the great makes are represented here along with some not so great and often bizarre. The book begins by covering some of the modern guitar’s earliest ancestors from the late-16th and early-17th centuries. These early instruments were characterized by ornate roses, multiple courses, gut frets, and deeply arched backs. As the instrument developed, much of the ornateness disappeared. Most interesting is a 1680s Stradivari that is elegant in its simplicity when compared to the earlier instruments. When seen in this context, it’s also easy to understand the significance of the remarkable evolutionary developments brought about by Antonio de Torres. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on January 6, 2010March 11, 2024 by Dale Phillips Review: How to Make a Violin Bow by Frank V. Henderson Review: How to Make a Violin Bow by Frank V. Henderson Reviewed by David Riggs Originally published in American Lutherie #25, 1991 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Three, 2004 How to Make a Violin Bow Frank V. Henderson Murray Publishing Co., 1977 LCCN 77375025 This may be the most useful “how-to” book you will read on any lutherie topic. If you ever wanted to make a bow; if you like clear, concise directions on toolmaking, sharpening, workbenches, investment casting, the use of machine tools in woodworking, or a good many other topics of immediate concern to those working with instruments; if you can appreciate an easily read treatment of an interesting topic which will be clear to readers with little or no lutherie experience, this book will bang your gong! The author makes no pretense that his book will fit a craftsman to make his or her living as a bow maker. It does, however, actually show you that to make a very credible violin bow does not require supernatural skill or secret knowledge, a pleasant surprise if you have read other books on the subject which seem to actually discourage you from the undertaking. This is not a subject about which a ton is in print. Not that you need a ton if you have this 182-page illustrated volume. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on January 6, 2010March 11, 2024 by Dale Phillips Review: Guitar Player Repair Guide by Dan Erlewine Review: Guitar Player Repair Guide by Dan Erlewine Reviewed by Manny Bettencourt Originally published in American Lutherie #26, 1991 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Three, 2004 Guitar Player Repair Guide Dan Erlewine Backbeat Books (originally Miller Freeman), 309 pp. ISBN 0-87903-291-7 (ISBN 0-87930-188-0) This book is a must-have! Published recently, Dan’s book is a very up-to-date reference source for anyone in the repair field. It is very comprehensive in scope and covers all the major areas of guitar repair with an emphasis on electrics. The author’s conversational writing style, combined with excellent photographs and drawings, make this book very enjoyable to read. Starting with basics like intonation and neck evaluation, Dan moves on to cover everything from finishing to refretting. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
