Posted on June 6, 2024May 28, 2025 by Dale Phillips Questions: 3 String Balalaika Tuner Questions: 3 String Balalaika Tuner by Francis Kosheleff Originally published in American Lutherie #71, 2002 Bob Mussro from cyberspace asks: I’m trying to find replacement tuners for a three-string balalaika. Would you have such or know of a source? Francis Kosheleff from Los Gatos, CA responds: The easy solution to the problem is to remove the old tuners, plug the three holes , and get single tuners like Schaller or Gotoh. Drill a hole on the treble side of the peghead for one tuner (steel A string ). Do the same on the other side for the two nylon E strings. The hard solution, if you absolutely need a perfect, identical, replacement is to send somebody you trust to Russia to search for the craftsman or the factory who made your instrument and buy the replacement tuners. (Good luck!) Another (expensive) solution is to have somebody (professional) build a copy of your tuners. And finally you can alter two of the three tuners by making a longer shaft (a small length of thin tubing) that will reach the edge of the peghead from the existing holes. It’s not too difficult to do. I have done that a couple of times. ◆
Posted on June 6, 2024May 22, 2025 by Dale Phillips Letter: Ray Cowell Ukes Letter: Ray Cowell Ukes by Thomas Johnson Originally published in American Lutherie #99, 2009 Dear Tim: A ukulele revival is underway in the U.K. Of special interest here is Ray Cowell, who has crafted a pair of ukes from the Titanic’s sister ship, the RMS Olympic. Captain Edward Smith was the Olympic’s first skipper, and he went on to his last command aboard the Titanic. The Olympic was dismantled in 1937, and local industries purchased salvaged timbers and fittings for further use. Ray worked as an engineer in coal mines in the early ‘60s under appalling conditions. He shifted to the paint manufacturing industry, where he developed specialized machinery; when his job evaporated, he bought and developed his own successful factory that serviced the paint industry. One of the factory’s existing buildings was fitted with materials salvaged from the Olympic: paneling, lighting, floor tile, decking, and even the main staircase. 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 6, 2024May 29, 2025 by Dale Phillips Letter: About Tusq Letter: About Tusq by Roger Sadowsky Originally published in American Lutherie #71, 2002 Dear Tim, In regard to Fred Carlson’s review of Tusq in AL#70, I have recently become a fan of Tusq saddles for under-saddle pickups. I’ve always struggled for good string-to-string balance and have tried every material and every trick in the book. I even published an article in another guitar publication about the fine art of achieving string balance with under saddle pickups. Building my Electric Nylon Guitar gives me an opportunity to evaluate materials under relatively controlled conditions. In the last twelve years I’ve built over 300. For years the best material I used was Micarta, but I frequently had to make three or four saddles per guitar to find the one that had the best string balance. Recently I tried Tusq and had perfect string balance on the first try. I have used it now for about six months and in every situation, I have had perfect string balance with the first saddle I made. For other applications I can appreciate the benefits of bone and ivory. But when it comes to string balance with an under saddle pickup, nothing is better than Tusq. ◆
Posted on June 6, 2024May 23, 2025 by Dale Phillips Questions: Kauri Wood Questions: Kauri Wood by Laurie Williams Originally published in American Lutherie #95, 2008 Chris Powck asks: Where can I purchase planks or billets of kauri wood? I want to use this wood for instruments other than flattop guitars. Laurie Williams from New Zealand responds: Kauri is the local name of Agathis australis which is endemic to New Zealand. Similar species throughout Australia, the Pacific islands, and Indonesia are sold as Queensland kauri, Island kauri, or Fijian kauri. I will restrict my comments to New Zealand kauri, which is the one you would have heard of in musical instrument circles in the last decade. Aside from the trees growing today, there are also ancient kauri logs that have been preserved in peat swamps in the north of New Zealand. These logs are from 3,000 to 45,000 years old. 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 6, 2024May 27, 2025 by Dale Phillips Questions: Post Buffing Finish Scratches Questions: Post Buffing Finish Scratches by Brian Boedigheimer Originally published in American Lutherie #86, 2006 See also, Questions: Power Buffer For Finish by Charles Fox Brian Boedigheimer of River Falls, WI responds to Mario’s question in AL#79 regarding what to do about tiny scratches in finish noticed after buffing: Charles Fox responded earlier to discuss lighting and I certainly agree lighting is key in so much of the work we do. Another thing to consider is the grading system of the abrasives one chooses to level the finish. There are three systems: CAMI, which is the U.S. standard grading system; FEPA, the European standard; and Micron grading. FEPA P800 is equivalent to CAMI 400. The P indicates the FEPA grading system, which is important because the grit particles are more uniform than in the CAMI system. Therefore there’s less chance of a stray large particle causing a scratch that we won’t see until buffing. So P800 gives you the cutting action of a 400 grit without the stray (larger) particles of the CAMI rating. Micron has the tightest tolerances for particle size, and if you have access to Micron-graded paper, that’s even better than FEPA. The equivalent Micron grade would be around 25 or 20. I recommend the FEPA grading system for abrading coatings until you’re into compounds; then you’re dealing with Micron. When sanding to level finish, the coarsest grit I would use is P400 grit, but typically I start with P600 or higher. I used to go through the process level-sanding with 320, 400, 600, and so on. The problem is, if you miss a 320-grit scratch working through the higher grits, you won’t know it until you buff out the guitar, and only in the right light will you see it. Now when I level-sand my finish before the final coats, I use P800 and spend just a little extra time with that one grit. It really doesn’t take me much longer, and I know those tiny scratches won’t suddenly appear. Then I spray the final two or three coats. Once that’s cured, I only have one grit of wet sanding to do before buffing. At that point I choose P1200. Don’t think that because each layer of nitrocellulose lacquer melts into the previous one, you won’t have stray 320 scratches show up. Even with that specific bond, a stray particle scratch from 320-grit CAMI-graded paper will show up when buffed out. I’ve experienced it. ◆
