Posted on April 20, 2023July 8, 2024 by Dale Phillips Matty: The Merchant of Greenwich Matty: The Merchant of Greenwich from his 1979 GAL Convention lecture by Matt Umanov Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Quarterly, Volume 7 #3, 1979 I’d like to say that I’ve never given a lecture in my life; the last time I stood in front of a blackboard I had to write my name a hundred times. Perhaps a little self-introduction could explain to you some of my qualifications for being here. I have a store in Greenwich Village, where we sell, buy, trade, and repair quality acoustical instruments. I have had the store for 10 years, before which I worked sort of free-lance doing repair work on my own. And before that I struggled through a couple of different guitar factories. People today generally prefer a Martin Dreadnought, usually a rosewood one for a bluegrass band. Rosewood is chosen over mahogany because of the richness of the tone; you get a much fatter bass out of a rosewood body guitar than you will out of a mahogany guitar. It is usually easier to record a mahogany guitar in the studio. Engineers tell me this all the time. All the extra overtones of the rosewood guitar are just too complex — it’s difficult to capture. 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 February 13, 2023March 5, 2024 by Dale Phillips Flamenco Capo Flamenco Capo by D. Alfieri Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #46, 1977 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie, Volume Two, 2001 Start with a block of ebony 2 1/2" × 1/2" × 1/2". With a jigsaw, rasp, and sandpaper, cut out and shape (see drawing). Drill a hole through the center of the block and taper with an appropriate-sized reamer to match a violin peg. The size of the peg should relate aesthetically to the guitar. Drill a 1/16" hole at a 115° angle on one arm. Notch the arms as shown with a fine file. Inlay is optional. A bit of holly veneer dyed red with a red nylon string is a simple, but nice touch. 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 December 8, 2022March 5, 2024 by Dale Phillips Electronic Answer Man, Part 1 Electronic Answer Man, Part 1 by Rick Turner Originally published in American Lutherie #29–31 and #33–36, 1992 and 1993 Electronic Answer Man, Part 2 by Rick Turner (can be seen in Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume 4) Can you explain pickup phase and polarity? How does coil polarity relate to hum and humbucking? I have heard that it is possible to achieve hum canceling in a Strat. How is this done? Let’s start by trying to understand the basics of “absolute phase.” The easiest example is not a guitar, but rather a drum. Imagine putting a mike in front of a bass drum, running the mike through a mixer, power amp, and finally a set of loudspeakers. As the drum is struck, the drumhead first moves forward, then back. The first cycle of a sonic wave consisting of first pressurized, then rarefied air moves out from the drum head and intercepts the mike. 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 November 1, 2022March 5, 2024 by Dale Phillips Little Dobro Little Dobro by John Calkin Published online by Guild of American Luthiers, November 2022 I bet that a lot of instrument makers don't know what their hourly wage is. I came with this idea for a resonator guitar with the idea of making a specific wage. The body, including the perforated ring that supports the resonator cone, was made of construction-grade plywood. The neck and fingerboard stock was sourced locally in bulk. The body hardware came from StewMac and the machines from Schaller. The textured paint required no work after it was sprayed from the can, though the necks were lacquered normally. The rosette was made of shark teeth that I got from my friend Cousin Al (who wasn't my cousin at all.) It was not difficult to price all the materials accurately. I timed myself as I made the first two of these guitars. I wanted to make $15 per hour, which was a good wage back then, and I probably made a little more after some practice. I sold them for $600 with no case. Everything was very business-like. Sometimes we forget that lutherie is a business and get lost in it without making enough money. ◆ All photos by John Calkin
Posted on October 31, 2022March 5, 2024 by Dale Phillips Decades of Banjo Decades of Banjo by Tom Morgan from his 1984 GAL Convention lecture Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Quarterly, Volume 12 ,#4, 1984 I would be a lot more comfortable today if I could have a gutiar and a five piece band, but I quickly discarded the idea of trying to set an hour’s lecture to music. I learned to love the sound of a good banjo not too long after the vintage years, and have had the privilege of examining a lot of good instruments. RB was the designation the Gibson company used for their five string or regular banjo, and TB means tenor banjo. Small numbers such as 2,3,4, and 5 were used, and just before the war early numbers like 7, 12, 18 and 75 came into use. The new models after World War II started with 100, 150 and 250, which was also their list price, and an 800 was added later. The Air Force sent me to Washington D.C. in 1955, where I met Callie Veach. Callie was originally from Arthur, West Virginia, and had several mountain traditions in his past such as hunting, making whiskey, riding horses, and making music. By the time we knew him, he worked at free lance carpentry, but kept a large number of musical instruments, which he modified, inlaid with Mother-of-Pearl and used to horse-trade with the local musicians. 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.
