Posted on June 28, 2024May 14, 2025 by Dale Phillips On-Board Preamps On-Board Preamps by Bob Meltz Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #158, 1980 Seeing that I, like other luthiers, enjoy the finer things in life (i.e. food, clothing, shelter), it is always a pleasure to find something that a) provides the luthier with a good return on his investment in time and materials, and b) provides the customer with something useful at a reasonable price. Such is the case with this little tidbit. It happens that most of my clientele play electric instruments and I have implanted preamps in dozens of these instruments with universally good results. It seems that most electric guitarists playing rock, fusion, or contemporary jazz are endlessly searching for ways to provide them with the sound of small, overdriven tube-type amps. The most common device used to accomplish this is the “distortion box” as made by a number of companies. The disadvantages of this type of device are numerous: a clumsy box sitting on the floor with cords dangling at the feet of the player, added noise from all but the most expensive units, line loss when the effect is bypassed, etc. For all but the people who are looking to totally “raunch out”, the on-board preamp is a viable, indeed preferable, alternative. Although it provides practically no distortion of its own, the added output is enough to overdrive the preamp stage of almost any guitar amp. 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 June 28, 2024May 14, 2025 by Dale Phillips Spraying Lacquer With Nitrogen Spraying Lacquer With Nitrogen by Harry Coleman Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #64, 1978 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 There are several advantages of using compressed nitrogen for spraying over the more conventional air compressor. Air compressors, when pulling air right out of the atmosphere, also pull the moisture in the air right into the storage tank. Most of it can be filtered out, but not all. In addition, oil has a way of working its way from the piston assembly in the compressor into the air line and ending up on your work. Compressors are expensive and do break. You have to have a long enough air line to get the compressor out of the finishing room or a spark from the motor could blow you away. Long lines cause a drop in air pressure. With nitrogen you are assured of 100% clean, dry “air.” Since there’s no motor involved, you can put the whole unit in the finishing room and use a shorter air line. The only disadvantage is that air is free, but nitrogen isn’t. You also have to take your tank out to get it filled. This is inconvenient, but the quality of the spray job makes it worth the trouble and expense, especially for a low-volume shop. 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 June 13, 2024May 15, 2025 by Dale Phillips Art As Adventure Art As Adventure by William Eaton Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Quarterly Volume 10, #3, 1982 Dear Fellow Luthiers — Guild Members, If I could hold a pen as a chisel and feel the inspiration and enjoyment that comes with instrument building and music I think it would take few words to express myself. Surely the power of words and thoughts reaches everywhere for those with open reception — all in time — and so my communication with you — if not from words — then from a common interest for buiding and repairing musical instruments. For the musical instrument becomes a magical messenger to voice the sound of its being — in all ways and all forms, for all to play and listen — in all styles. The builder and restorer of the instrument holds a noble role in the adventure of human action, if we are to perceive our activities with purpose — the bringers of music, the singers of music. For the instrument is born before the musician — except for the hallowed voice, the instrument of the body. I truly look upon this art as an adventure. To envision music — to imagine a new instrument — to build the instrument — to play upon strings — this makes me sing — to conplete the whole — from imagination to manifestation. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of the Articles Online featured on our website for Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 3 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on June 13, 2024May 9, 2025 by Dale Phillips How to Become a Running Dog of the Capitalist Imperialist Music Mongers (and love it!) How to Become a Running Dog of the Capitalist Imperialist Music Mongers (and love it!) by J.R. Beall Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Newsletter, Volume 3 #2, 1975 I’ve just finished re-reading R.E. Bruné’s last article on making it as a luthier and on most points we are in agreement. On the matter of commercial sales, however, I’m not as stuffy as R.E. and must admit that a good portion of my income is derived therefrom. R.E. is a purist and I can admire him for his willingness to live the austere life, sleeping on his workbench and eating puree of spruce shavings and rosewood dust. I am, by his standards, decadent beyond redemption, with a legal wife, a comfortable home, and plenty of expensive grub, but I offer no apologies, I am disgustingly satisfied with my life-style and have no difficulty justifying my comfortable existence. In my opinion, the biggest problem with any one-man operation in our line of work, is that it is just physically impossible to turn out a sufficient number of any kind of instrument in any given time period, to earn as much as any average factory worker. For example, a good guitar builder, working alone can build one guitar every two weeks. That adds up to 24 per year, times $600.00 = $14,400.00 annual gross. That sounds pretty good to most of us but remember he must then pay for his materials, his maintenance and utilities, his traveling and advertising, taxes and the rest. If he can net $8,500. after expenses, he is doing well and we all must agree that in these times $8,500. is not big money. 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 June 13, 2024May 14, 2025 by Dale Phillips Blackshear/Nagyvary Guitar Blackshear/Nagyvary Guitar by John E. Philpott Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Quarterly Volume 12, #2, 1984 Anybody that has heard a guitar built by Thomas Blackshear is already aware that he builds world-class instruments, but this time it was something special. I was asked to be the Master of Ceremonies at a concert that would introduce to the world a guitar built by Tom, in collaboration with Dr. Joseph Nagyvary, a biochemist who had recently gained a great deal of attention by claiming, then demonstrating, that he had rediscovered the processes of the Cremona Masters. This, I was told, would be a Stradivarius guitar! Naturally, I approached the matter with a mixture of enthusiasm and hardboiled scientific skepticism. My introduction to the guitar was over the telephone (yet!) and I was already quite impressed. A subsequent call from guitarist Terry Muska who told me that we would not be needing a microphone at the concert whetted my appetite further, and when I heard a preview of the instrument, all of my reservations were gone. The story really began about a year ago when biochemist, Joseph Nagyvary (Professor of biochemistry and biophysics, Texas A&M University) discovered that the wood from the Stradivari and Guarnari instruments was remarkably different from that of the more modern instruments, in that the tubes that comprise wood (xylem) were not plugged with dried pectin. Furthermore, the chemical composition of the open-tubed Cremona instruments was very different, and that the wood was much stiffer and less elastic than more modern instruments that have been built in the last 350 years. 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.
