Posted on January 19, 2010September 10, 2025 by Dale Phillips Product Review: Fossil Ivory Bridge Pins Product Review: Fossil Ivory Bridge Pins by Harry Fleishman Originally published in American Lutherie #74, 2003 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015 Fossil-Ivory Bridge Pins A beautiful guitar sounds better than a merely nice looking one. An expertly appointed guitar sounds better than an adequately detailed guitar. An expert setup sounds better than one that is merely competent. Why? Because our eye prepares our ear. Our sense of detail tells us whether the guitar was finished with passion or with efficiency. Our hands tell us if the guitar will respond to the range of music we need to express. Not only do these assessments affect our ear and the sound we expect to hear, they affect our desire to purchase a guitar. Virtually all guitarists make decisions about a guitar before they even pick it up. If a guitarist is looking for a new guitar and has a wall of them to choose from, he or she may be drawn unconsciously towards the attractive guitar. Clearly attractive is a relative term and people’s ideas of attractive vary. This is not a cynical point, however. We are interested in selling our guitars so that we may continue to build and learn and grow as luthiers. Even at the moment a client opens the case of their custom-made guitar for the first time upon receiving it after their long wait, they will be more positively disposed and prepared for good tone if their guitar looks and feels good. Of course, none of this matters if the guitar cannot deliver the goods. However, unless the client is expecting folk art, they will appreciate the extra details that separate the custom-built, handmade guitar from even its high-end store-bought counterpart. These details extend from the finishing touches on the fingerboard all the way down to the choice of bridge pins. 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. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on January 19, 2010September 10, 2025 by Dale Phillips Questions: Digital Photography Questions: Digital Photography by Byron Will, and R.M. Mottola Originally published in American Lutherie #81, 2005 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015 James from Cincinnati, Ohio asks: I’m switching from film to digital photography. I’d like to take photos to send to clients during construction and post on my website. I’d also like to take really good studio shots for my portfolio. I know this can’t be answered comprehensively in the Questions column. Right now I’m looking for tips and/or directions to pursue. Byron Will of Portland, Oregon answers: My experience taking photos of my harpsichords and other instruments and teaching digital photography at the community college here might be of use. You don’t mention if you’ve already purchased your digital camera. If not, I recommend you check out these websites that I’ve found very helpful for determining what to buy: www.dpreview.com and www.steves-digicams.com. Bear in mind that the quality of the optics is as important as the number of megapixels. 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. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on January 19, 2010September 9, 2025 by Dale Phillips Mirror with Penlight Mirror with Penlight by Tim Olsen Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #22, 1976 and Lutherie Tools, 1990 Simply tape a penlight flashlight (Eveready Heavy duty will do), to a dentist-style 1" round mirror with a 6" or so handle. Position the light to get a 1" spot of light and so that the beam is entirely reflected into the instrument to be inspected. Sight down the barrel of the penlight. The area you see in the mirror will always be full illuminated. This was Dale Kormo’s idea. ◆
Posted on January 19, 2010September 10, 2025 by Dale Phillips Questions: Lutherie Related Skin Rash Questions: Lutherie Related Skin Rash by Udi Vachterman Originally published in American Lutherie #80, 2004 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015 Udi Vachterman from Rehovot, Israel writes: Way back in American Lutherie #58 there was a question from Henry Kingery of Pittsfield, IL. He wrote about a severe itchy skin rash presumably brought on by woods or chemicals in glues. He was taking a synthetic steroid to keep it in check. I know it has been a long time, but I would still like to tell him and others of my experience with a similar problem. A few years ago, just a few days after being exposed to a lot of chemicals and wood dust (an Argentinian wood called “algarrobbo,” which I believe to be “carob tree”), I noticed that small extremely itchy liquid-filled bumps started appearing on the backs of my hands, especially around the joints. With time the bumps developed into shallow wounds and spread toward my wrists. Similar symptoms appeared on my elbows and the upper part of my feet. I went to see four doctors who each had a different diagnosis of my problem. However, they all advised the same treatment, cortisone creams. Yet, they all told me that the cortisone is unlikely to cure the disease, just help manage its symptoms. However this did not make much sense to me. If I am sick, then I want to know what it is and not have four opinions of what it might be. So I went to seek advice of the local pharmacist. To my surprise, she told me that her son has, or had, to be correct, the same problem. It’s a type of psoriasis, a skin disease that is often the body’s response to a trauma caused to the skin (skin injury, skin infections, reaction to certain chemicals). Her treatment was as follows: 1. Extensive use of natural hypo-allergic moisturizing cream. 2. Fish oil (omega 3 essential fatty acids); 3 capsules daily, 1000 MG each, taken with food. 3. Tea tree essential oil used topically for itchiness. After a few months all my symptoms disappeared. My hands were almost like new and I have since built a guitar, inlaid it, and finished it without any of the above mentioned symptoms. And I can once again play my guitars without bleeding while bending strings! If anyone tries this and it helps them, I’d love to hear from them: vachterm@hotmail.com.
Posted on January 19, 2010September 9, 2025 by Dale Phillips Questions: Spalted Maple Mold Questions: Spalted Maple Mold by Bob Woodcock Originally published in American Lutherie #69, 2002 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Six, 2013 Mike Collins of Argyle, New York asks: I just came across some nice spalted maple and made a rosette of it. After I was done, a violin maker told me that you could die from the mold in the wood. Where can I get more information about this? A few days later, Mike wrote back with this information: I found a website, www.woodbox.com/data/wood/ that has some information on spalted wood and possible health problems. Here’s an excerpt: “Spalted wood may still contain spores, therefore it should always be worked and sanded only when wearing a good dust mask or respirator, and using a dust collector. There is medical evidence that substances from decaying wood are a health threat, and some allergic reactions and serious lung diseases have been traced to spores and fungi that inhabit rotting wood. The effect on an individual woodworker however depends on his/her natural tolerance to the spores and fungi, since some individuals are more likely to react to environmental toxins than others.” 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. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
