Posted on March 19, 2026March 19, 2026 by Dale Phillips Taming the Wild Wood Binding Taming the Wild Wood Binding by Tom Harper Originally published in American Lutherie #114, 2013 Like many folks, I built my first guitar following the book Guitarmaking: Tradition and Technology by William Cumpiano and Jonathan Natelson. Every task had me holding my breath and hoping for a good outcome. It pretty much worked; by the time I finished the book, I was the proud owner of what could be the world’s ugliest guitar, but it was still a guitar. The book’s introduction to the binding and purfling process states, “Purflings should be restricted to veneer lines around the soundboard, back, and back stripe.” I followed the dictum, completing my first guitar blissfully unaware of the pitfalls awaiting me when I would attempt to add side purfling. I didn’t have long to wait. Guitar #2 was my first attempt to incorporate side purflings. I wish I could jump in the Wayback machine and review the disaster that unfolded. It never crossed my mind to try to bend them to shape before attempting to glue them in with the binding. What a mess. There were also gaps between the plates and the bindings that had to be filled. Gaps continued to be a problem for a number of my beginning instruments. 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 March 19, 2026March 19, 2026 by Dale Phillips Multiscale Fretboards and Fingerboards: The Long and Short of It Multiscale Fretboards and Fingerboards: The Long and Short of It by Harry Fleishman Originally published in American Lutherie #119, 2014 The idea of using a longer scale for low-ptiched strings and a shorter one for high-pitched strings goes back centuries. The earliest harps employed this concept and, of course, pianos and harpsichords are all graduated-scale-length instruments. The earliest fretted instrument I’ve found employing this concept is the orpharion from the 17th century, pictured in this advertisement for a book of “tabliture.” How popular the instrument was I cannot say; but books containing “fundrie forts of leffons” were apparently “fold at his shop... in Gracious ftreet.” (Why shop, not fhop?) 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 March 3, 2026March 3, 2026 by Dale Phillips Half-and-Half Tops Half-and-Half Tops by Harry Fleishman Originally published in Lutherie Woods and Steel String Guitars, 1997 About five years ago I made a significant change in the way I make my guitars. For twenty years, or so, I had used Sitka spruce exclusively for both classical and steel-string instruments. I had good supply of nice wood and had become accustomed to the tone of the guitars I made with it. After reading several articles about makers using cedar and even redwood for their tops, with their glowing reports of quick response and interesting tone, I decided to try and experiment of my own. I built two instruments as identical as I could, using the same rosewood for the sides and back, as well as bracewood and neck material, respectively, from the same boards. When the guitars were strung and played in a bit, it was instantly noticeable that the redwood guitar had a warmer, more intimate, darker tone that was both inviting and extremely pleasing. The spruce, by contrast was sharper, brighter, and more clear in its upper partials, and had better projection. It lacked the warmth, but excelled in volume. Each guitar was missing what the other possessed. 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 March 3, 2026March 3, 2026 by Dale Phillips Length of Newt’s Tail by Width of Dragon’s Hair Length of Newt’s Tail by Width of Dragon’s Hair by Ken Sribnick Originally published in American Lutherie #55, 1998 Don’t hurt me. I’m going to tell you an old joke. How many luthiers does it take to split a dragon’s hair? One to split the hair, and the rest to say, “Oh, that’s how you do it.” At our 1995 convention, I heard a number of luthiers ask about measurement and precision: How do you check this? When is that flat enough? In the spirit of the little joke, I thought it might be interesting to tell you my approach. These surely aren’t the only, or necessarily the best, methods — only how one man splits dragon hair and newt’s tail in our little shop. My early lutherie and repair went slowly until an experienced luthier, a repairman in New York’s music district, helped me along. His “luthier’s gold” included explaining which measuring tools to have, and how to use them. Consistency is essential. You must strive to reduce error and deviation. To this end I have “master” reference tools in the shop: one ruler, one caliper, one flat surface, and my drawings. It doesn't matter if you use metric measurements or inches. Just pick the system you’re comfortable with, have good master references, and, stick with them. You’ll be successful. I’m metric because I tune Toyotas as well as 12-strings. 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 March 3, 2026March 3, 2026 by Dale Phillips Meet the Maker: Ralph Novak Meet the Maker: Ralph Novak by John Calkin Originally published in American Lutherie #70, 2002 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie, Volume Six, 2013 There aren’t a lot of questions in this interview. Ralph’s mind is organized. I made the appointment to interview him during the 2001 GAL Convention, and when the appointed time rolled around his story poured out almost as if he were reading it — an interviewer’s dream. I’ll bet he’s always been that way. We should all be so lucky. The interview was later updated to late April 2002. How were you introduced to music and lutherie? I started with piano lessons in the third grade, and started playing guitar when I was fourteen. By the time I was fifteen I began modifying and customizing my guitars. My dad was helpful in that. He didn’t know anything about instruments, but he was an excellent woodworker, and even when I was a child he made his shop available to me. He’d show me his projects, maybe let me sand something, and answer any questions I came up with about the shop and the work. The shop was never locked up. I’d go down there and do stuff. 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.
