Posted on January 13, 2010February 7, 2024 by Dale Phillips Violin Q & A: Cello Bridge Change for Projection Violin Q & A: Cello Bridge Change for Projection by George Manno Originally published in American Lutherie #10, 1987 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 I have a good French cello that I just can’t get the sound to project from. The tone has a very fine quality, but it all seems to be locked up inside of the instrument. I have cut a new bridge and soundpost, but still it’s not anywhere near what it should be. Do you have any suggestions? Without seeing or hearing the instrument, I’m not sure what you mean when you say that the sound is “locked-up.” I’m only guessing, but it could be the strings, or the placement of the soundpost, or even the bridge. Did you spread the feet far enough when you fit it? I will tell you this, when I’m working on a cello that has a good strong tone but doesn’t project well, I’ll use a Belgian-style bridge. The higher arching of the feet always works for me. Try this and let me know.
Posted on January 12, 2010March 7, 2024 by Dale Phillips Review: So You Want to Make a Double Bass; To Make a Double Bass; Double Bass Making Review: So You Want to Make a Double Bass; To Make a Double Bass; Double Bass Making Reviewed by David Riggs Originally published in American Lutherie #71, 2002 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Six, 2013 So You Want to Make a Double Bass Peter Chandler Peter Chandler, 2001 ISBN 9780968935309 To Make a Double Bass Harry S. Wake Harry S. Wake, 1995 (revised edition) ISBN 978-0960704866 Double Bass Making Bob Hitchings Gwyllum Press, 1999 ISBN 9780953715602 Until recently, would-be bass makers have had only one main source from which to get specific information on making the string bass. Harry Wake has now been joined by two authors who present distinct approaches to the subject. For those who may have been intimidated by the prospect of taking on such a seemingly difficult project, there is now a good deal of help available in these volumes. While it seems unlikely that one without any lutherie experience would tackle a bass as a first project, it is conceivable that one may be primarily interested in this instrument, and it is entirely possible to make a beginning, at least, with any of these books. For sheer detail and volume of information, I would probably pick the Hitchings book over either of the other two, but more on that later. Peter Chandler’s book is the slickest production with 93 pages and 109 figures, more than 20 of which are color photos. At $60US it is also the most expensive of the three. 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 12, 2010March 7, 2024 by Dale Phillips Review: Guitar Finishing Step-by-Step by Dan Erlewine and Don MacRostie Review: Guitar Finishing Step-by-Step by Dan Erlewine and Don MacRostie Reviewed by John Calkin Originally published in American Lutherie #61, 2000 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Six, 2013 Guitar Finishing Step-by-Step Dan Erlewine and Don MacRostie Stewart-MacDonald, 1998 ISBN 978-0964475236 The death of lacquer as an available finish was pronounced at least ten years ago. Because lacquer was so environmentally hazardous, the various levels of government were supposed to restrict its use to the point that manufacturers would find no profit in producing the stuff. Well, folks, it hasn’t happened, and lacquer remains the premier finish for most string instruments. If you’ve yet to have your first heady whiff of lacquer fumes, you should study Guitar Finishing Step-By-Step before you dive in. If your plans include the re-creation of the many factory guitar finishes, you should have this book regardless of your experience level. The book has a strange flow to it, though. There are only three stages of finish work — wood prep, finish application, and rubout. However, the plethora of tools and materials available today leave too naïve an approach open to confusion and failure. To avoid this, Erlewine and MacRostie rely on detailed description, technical information, and a degree of repetition to cover all the bases thoroughly. For instance, a description of power sanders is followed twenty pages later by a description of power sanding. Both sections include important and overlapping information. Readers who skip about in order to get on with their finish work will find themselves handicapped. 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 12, 2010March 7, 2024 by Dale Phillips Review: Sunburst Finishing by Dan Erlewine and Don MacRostie Review: Sunburst Finishing by Dan Erlewine and Don MacRostie Reviewed by John Calkin Originally published in American Lutherie #63, 2000 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Six, 2013 Video: Sunburst Finishing Dan Erlewine and Don MacRostie Stewart-MacDonald, 1999 Sunburst Finishing is sort of a strange video in that it’s intended to replace Stew-Mac’s out-of-date Color Finishing, yet it doesn’t cover nearly as much territory as the older film. So be it. It only costs half as much as the old tape, and the information included may be as much as you need. The only guitar involved is an archtop Guild with a maple face. Some repair work has been done to the top before the tape begins, and the finish has also been removed. The job at hand is to match the sunburst on the top to that of the rest of the guitar. A yellow toner has to be mixed for the maple, then a brown candy is blended to match the color of the burst. The techniques of precision blending are the heart of the video, an operation at which MacRostie is a master. Chip sheets and blending boards are made which can be stashed away for future reference. The work is also referenced to the recipes in MacRostie and Erlewine’s new book, Guitar Finishing Step-By-Step (p. 530), which is a useful touch. There is no wood prep involved in the job (as far as the camera is concerned), as this video is intended to work in concert with Spray Finishing Basics, another video by the same dynamic duo. Touchups are necessary when the binding is scraped after the color coats, and the airbrush work is caught on tape. A close look at MacRostie’s scraping tools is a helpful segment. 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 12, 2010February 7, 2024 by Dale Phillips Review: Assembling a Solidbody Electric Guitar by Dan Erlewine Review: Assembling a Solidbody Electric Guitar by Dan Erlewine Reviewed by John Calkin Originally published in American Lutherie #60, 1999 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Five, 2008 Video: Assembling a Solidbody Electric Guitar Dan Erlewine Stewart-MacDonald, 1999 Though Dan Erlewine and I are contemporaries, I can’t resist thinking of him as Uncle Dan. Through his writing, videos, and convention appearances he has spread his wide knowledge and undying enthusiasm for guitars across the entire population of luthiers and players, making him a sort of good uncle to our entire clan. Assembling a Solidbody is one of Erlewine’s more basic video lessons. In the first half he builds a guitar around a raw Strat-style body, and in the second, a finished Tele body hits the operating table to become a guitar. All emphasis is placed on doing clean work that anyone might be proud of, though a difference is made between how a pro might build a guitar from parts and how a kitchen-table luthier might be forced to handle the same job. Using this tape, the rookie ought to turn in as creditable a job as a seasoned guitar man. The raw body is left unfinished, as lacquer work is the subject of other Stew-Mac references. The Strat is assembled according to Fender specs, which is a useful touch, and there must be a hundred tips to help your work come out cleaner and more precise. 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.
