Posted on January 10, 2010May 26, 2025 by Dale Phillips Letter: The End of Experimental Musical Instruments Magazine Letter: The End of Experimental Musical Instruments Magazine by Bart Hopkin Originally published in American Lutherie #53, 1998 Dear Friend, Experimental Musical Instruments will publish its last issue in the summer of 1999. By that time, the magazine will have been in existence for fourteen years. I’ve made this decision now, in the hope that with advance planning I’ll be able to handle the shut-down smoothly, without leaving promised articles unpublished, subscription terms half-filled, and similar loose ends. After the magazine stops, EMI as an organization will continue to exist on a smaller scale, taking orders for the back issues, tapes, books, and other items that we will continue to make available. Several factors led to this decision. There are the inevitable financial considerations, and also the personal stuff — like maybe it’s time for the editor to open more space for other things in his life. Arching over all that is a sense that the time is right. I feel that the best EMI will have had to offer under my editorship has been realized over the last few years. I used to have a long list of article topics that EMI must cover someday, from pyrophones and aeolian harps to the work of people like Bill Colvig or Harry Bertoia. Now EMI has at least made a bow to most of the topics on the list. On a broader level, EMI has attempted to document the creative work in a particular field of endeavor over an extended period of time. In doing so it has helped to create and define and support the field. So I’m happy! 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 10, 2010May 19, 2025 by Dale Phillips Questions: Guitarron Strings Questions: Guitarron Strings by John Decker Originally published in American Lutherie #25, 1991 John Decker from Puunene, HI called to answer Allen Howland’s question regarding guitarrón strings. They are available from Pimemtel Guitars, 3316 Lafayette Dr., NE, Albuquerque, NM (505) 884-1669.
Posted on January 10, 2010May 26, 2025 by Dale Phillips Letter: First Guitar Letter: First Guitar by Gretchen Weeks Brough Originally published in American Lutherie #45, 1996 Dear GAL, I am a new member, in the process of making my first guitar — a flattop acoustic cutaway. I became interested in lutherie when my husband needed a quality acoustic guitar and we couldn’t afford what he wanted. I asked a local luthier about learning the art, and his recommendation was to get all the books and videos I could find, and then buy a kit from Martin as a first project. This, we could afford! In AL#43, a letter from Mr. Rick Topf mentions computer aided design (CAD), and wondering if there would be any interest in drawings done in AutoCAD format. There certainly is! I am, by trade, a freelance computer drafter, working in AutoCAD format. Not only would I be interested in drawings anyone else has done in AutoCAD, I would be happy to offer my services to anyone who wants their drawings done in AutoCAD. 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 10, 2010May 23, 2025 by Dale Phillips Product Reviews: Dan Erlewine’s Don’t Fret video Product Reviews: Dan Erlewine's Don't Fret video by Harry Fleishman Originally published in American Lutherie #34, 1993 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Three, 2004 Dan Erlewine’s Don’t Fret video and specialized tools Stewart-MacDonald www.stewmac.com I will never forget my first fret job. It was a balmy spring evening; the jasmine were blooming. The year was 1964. We were alone in my bedroom, just me and my Strat. I was an anxious sixteen year old. She was a blonde, born in ’62. This was nine years before I saw a copy of Irving Sloane’s groundbreaking book on repair, so when I decided to fix a few badly worn frets I was on my own. The worst wear was on the 2nd string, 1st fret and the 1st string, 3rd fret; the rest were still pretty good. Out came the soldering gun! No, I wasn’t planning to carefully remove the offending frets for replacement; I was going to fill the grooves with solder! I heated up the frets and flowed a bit of solder on. After they cooled, I smoothed them over with the file on my nail clipper. They looked great and I felt heroic. That is the proper technique, isn’t it? Nearly thirty years later, I know better. I should have used a soldering iron, not a gun. The gun could have demagnetized the pickups! 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 10, 2010May 16, 2025 by Dale Phillips Letter: Veneer Backing Boards Letter: Veneer Backing Boards by Lloyd Zsiros Originally published in American Lutherie #30, 1992 Tim, The wood supplier I deal with for almost all of my materials (A&M Wood Specialty in Cambridge, Ontario — a frequent advertiser in American Lutherie) sometimes gets in quantities of backing boards. These boards are a byproduct of the veneer industry. As most of us know the veneer industry manages to get hold of some of the finest and most desirable logs of various species. These logs are then cut into manageable sizes, if necessary, and clamped into a massive carriage assembly which then moves the log past a stationary knife, neatly slicing off uniform thicknesses of veneer. The carriage assembly used large steel teeth to grab the log and the knife can only cut so close to these. What’s left is a piece of wood usually anywhere from about 1/2" to over 1 1/4" known as a backing board. Many of these are perfectly quartered and quite wide. They can often be purchased directly from the veneer mill or from suppliers like A&M at extremely attractive prices. I have obtained walnut, cherry, and beech this way at a fraction of the usual cost. The boards are often just thrown outdoors usually in the open so they may not be very attractive on the surface but I have obtained some of the nicest walnut I’ve ever seen from these. I’ve noticed some favorable comments in American Lutherie about cherry as an instrument wood. This is a good source for nice wide quartered cherry. Although I’ve never used this on a guitar I do have some 1' long, 20" wide, 1 1/4" thick quartered cherry I obtained a few years ago for $2 a square foot I’ve been saving for something special. It could be worth a try! Oh, and a word on A&M Woods. As they are an advertiser in American Lutherie, you may be interested in knowing I have had nothing but great service from them. They have been my primary source of materials for over 10 years and I can’t say enough good things about Andy and his staff at A&M.
